Nothing anyone except the artist does can devalue their music.
Music should be free if an artist wants it to be or allows it to be. Albums offer more then just a song as you mention, they are a collection, there is artwork, there are lyrics, their are messages, thanks, credits to behind the scene's people and they are an item worth treasuring. Fans who do not appreciate albums should not have to pay $20 for a collection of 8-15 songs without knowing how many if any they'll like. If you lose or damage a record or CD you should not have to but the entire album again, just replace the music. Itunes and the like allow that. They are nothing but good for music, they make your music available worldwide at a moments notice, something all who record music for people to hear should want.
Paying money for something does not give it value to anyone other then yourself and the person being paid.
The real value of music is how it tells stories, touches people, changes lives and keeps things in perspective. There is no one in the record industry hurting anymore now then they were pre-internet music, quite the contrary actually.
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