Apple working with record labels to resurrect the album

[The Straight Story]

Industry insiders say that the big four record labels are working with Apple to boost full album sales, as individual songs have come to dominate digital downloads. A project called "Cocktail" is reportedly underway and set to launch this fall, which will bundle interactive "booklets" including artwork, liner notes, and other content with a full album purchase. Another interesting twist is that the new content may be launched alongside a long-rumored Apple tablet.

Apple has worked with labels and bands in the past to promote digital music. Many albums are now available with digital booklets, a PDF file that includes cover art and liner notes. A few artists have released a "digital box set," most notably U2, which released a package that contained every song that band ever recorded—it could also be purchased alongside a special edition U2 iPod. Most recently, Apple unveiled what's called an iTunes Pass with the release of Depeche Mode's latest album Sounds of the Universe. iTunes Pass gives purchasers access to exclusive remixes, b-sides, videos, and other content leading up to the release of a new album.

The "Cocktail" project would see a further evolution of such ideas. "It's all about recreating the heyday of the album when you would sit around with your friends looking at the artwork, while you listened to the music," one executive familiar with the plans told Financial Times. The problem is that most of today's digital music audience has little or no recollection of the album's heyday.

"It's not just a bunch of PDFs," said one executive. "There's real engagement with the ancillary stuff." One reported feature is that songs can be played directly from these interactive booklets without going into iTunes to play the tracks—though it's not clear if iTunes must be running for the magic to work.

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/07/apple-working-with-record-labels-to-boost-full-album-sales.ars

[ContinentalOp]

1. One word: PRICE.

All of the other b.s. doesn't matter.

[wilt the stilt]

2. old

people just aren't smoking enough pot to zone out and listen to music

[maxsolomon]

3. audio quality

i ain't payin fur no tinny itunes recordin. that ain't the whole file.

[Xithras]

4. I have a set of Beatles "Album Discs"

Printed in the early 90's. They're CD's with the entire album recorded as a single track, which pushes the listener to take in the album as it was originally meant to be heard. To this day, those are still my favorite CD's.

And yes, I've ripped them to my iPod as album tracks too.

[surrealAmerican]

5. Not a bad idea.

It was a similar plan that made albums a viable in the first place.

[Salviati]

6. Cultivate good bands

The model of selling a whole album full of crappy songs to get the one hit single is outmoded. If you want to increase album sales, then you need to make it worthwile.

[Romulox]

7. No .PDF will ever compare with a 12" ^2 LP sleeve.

They need to offer something new and compelling with digital music, not so poor facsimile of the real thing...

[Initech]

8. Ah irony at it's finest - the album format is resurrected by it's killer.