Online albums: Apple’s ambitious plan to ‘re-create’ the LP

Apple has been working with major record labels to prep for its launch of interactive multimedia albums.

Is Apple trying to bring back the LP? said the Financial Times. Industry insiders­ expect that as soon as September, the innovative technology company will begin to sell elaborate multimedia “albums”—downloadable packages complete with interactive booklets, commentary, lyric sheets, and video—that could only be played on a computer or digital music player. According to those familiar with the project­—code-named “Cocktail”—Apple has been working with four major record labels to prep for the launch. The hope is to “re-create the heyday of the album,” when obsessing over cover art and hunting for obscure meanings in the lyrics was a major part of a music lover’s experience.

That would be a rich irony, said John Boudreau in the San Jose Mercury News. After all, it was Apple’s invention of the iPod and the widespread popularity of its iTunes Music Store that essentially killed the album, by letting music dilettantes indulge their “appetite for a la carte music consumption” rather than purchase an artist’s full slate of songs. Now, “instead of exploring the artistic vision for an entire album, music lovers download their favorite songs and leave the rest.” CD sales have plummeted, and listeners are buying fewer songs overall. In fact, the market for both online music and music players has slowed in recent years.

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