Claim: Dangerously in Love is a work of music.

An album is a collection of audio recordings issued as a single item on CD , record , audio tape or another medium . Albums of recorded music were developed in the early 20th century , first as books of individual 78rpm records , then from 1948 as vinyl LP records played at rpm . Vinyl LPs are still issued , though in the 21st-century album sales have mostly focused on compact disc -LRB- CD -RRB- and MP3 formats . The audio cassette was a format used from the late 1970s through to the 1990s alongside vinyl .   An album may be recorded in a recording studio -LRB- fixed or mobile -RRB- , in a concert venue , at home , in the field , or a mix of places . The time frame for completely recording an album varies between a few hours to several years . This process usually requires several takes with different parts recorded separately , and then brought or `` mixed '' together . Recordings that are done in one take without overdubbing are termed `` live '' , even when done in a studio . Studios are built to absorb sound , eliminating reverberation , so as to assist in mixing different takes ; other locations , such as concert venues and some `` live rooms '' , allow for reverberation , which creates a `` live '' sound . The majority of studio recordings contain an abundance of editing , sound effects , voice adjustments , etc. . With modern recording technology , musicians can be recorded in separate rooms or at separate times while listening to the other parts using headphones ; with each part recorded as a separate track .   Album covers and liner notes are used , and sometimes additional information is provided , such as analysis of the recording , and lyrics or librettos . Historically , the term `` album '' was applied to a collection of various items housed in a book format . In musical usage the word was used for collections of short pieces of printed music from the early nineteenth century . Later , collections of related 78rpm records were bundled in book-like albums -LRB- one side of a 78 rpm record could hold only about 3.5 minutes of sound -RRB- . When long-playing records were introduced , a collection of pieces on a single record was called an album ; the word was extended to other recording media such as compact disc , MiniDisc , Compact audio cassette , and digital albums as they were introduced .