I got this idea from all the talk of the Relapse 2 card, even if it's a hoax. This is one of those things that would either work beautifully or backfire hard, and the consumers would definitely have to know about it ahead of time.
Today, I think almost anyone who would buy a CD either has a computer or can at least afford to go to the library or Kinkos and use one. What if when you bought an album, instead of getting a CD with the music in it, it came with a blank disc (there'd still be art on it but no files inside) and a card that only activates starting on the release date? You go on the Internet to punch in your code and get the songs, and then burn it to the disc, or even just transfer it to your mp3 player if you choose not to bother with the CD.
Obviously this method would piss off buyers for a couple reasons (too much hassle for one), but if enough major artists started doing it regularly, I think there's a definite possibility they'd start seeing a significant increase in their sales. The transitionial period before it becomes accepted as the norm would see a shitstorm, though.
Of course, there will always be people who'll just wait until after the release day for when the songs wind up on the Internet anyway, but all those people who didn't buy the album just because they had all the songs well in advance of the release might just bite.
This is just a hypothetical marketing idea that occurred to me, even if it has no effect on my life whatsoever.
Thoughts?