Since Apple was the one to help finally bring the music industry into the digital age with great success, it’s no surprise that they’re testing the waters with an offering that could help shape what it means to “buy the album” rather than simply download individual tracks.
Recent news suggests Apple is going to start enabling “interactive album applications“:
According to a Polydor production manager, the downloadable, “interactive” application will offer additional content such as artwork, behind-the-scenes images, and lyrics for iPhone and iPod touch owners — “A digital booklet that will take you into the videos and content,” if you will.
(FYI, the first will be coming from Grey’s Anatomy soundtrack specialists and emo-pop rockers du jour, Snow Patrol.)
Purists often speak of their love of having a tangible artifact as an accompaniment to an artistic endeavor – albums have packaging and liner notes, books have designed covers and typefaces, etc. – and anything short of that is somehow undermining the creative consumer experience. While there’s a part of me that definitely falls in that camp, the convenience + flexibility (not to mention the environmental ramifications) of going all digital have pushed me very much towards the other side.
Who knows if this particular endeavor will actually “work” but I applaud them for experimenting (and joining Trent Reznor, Radiohead, and others) with new ways of bringing value to the customer that actually embraces what technology makes possible. I’m really curious to see what kind of “toolkit” they provide that would allow for a relatively standardized delivery while also giving the artists enough creative freedom to make it their own.
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