I am still sifting through all of the blog entries on the Apple Music Store, and after reading this comment at 37 Signals, I thought about the need for album art. In the past, we needed to have some kind of sleeve to hold our CDs or vinyl, but in a digital world we don't need it.
The comment-er (commentator?) discussed the website being a replacement for the cover art and I think I buy that. Cover art was designed to intice the shopper with interesting images that told us a little about the artist. If downloading music becomes our chosen distribution system, then I think the website is a perfect replacement. I just want to be sure that the art and design are changed with each album release.
My only hope in regards to this new album art is that we'll be able to take it with us on our iPods or whatever is the portable music player of the future. I like being able to go through liner notes and check out the art as I'm listening to a record, especially for the first time.
05/05/03 12:01 AM
hey I was thinking along these lines too - but equating websites more with videos (maybe I wasn't around in the heyday of album art). For a while, and maybe its still the case, a band couldn't have a hit wothout a video. I was wondering and kind of hoping that websites would take the place of videos.
05/05/03 10:53 AM
Well, I think that they are both forms of promotion and I'd personally equate album art with websites. I think that a website can easily replace the purpose of an album cover as the design is often static or occassionally with some animation. A website cannot yet replace the amount of information presented in a video.
So, I think that you'll see videos move to the web near the time that music becomes web exclusive. The website will be your "packaging" for all of the entertainment the band provides. Although the design of a website can be a piece of art on its own, a website itself is a delivery medium, same as paper and a jewel case.