First there was the LP sleeve, with plenty of room for artwork and information. Then there was the CD – smaller, but with a booklet that could still contain all the liner notes and lyrics. But what do you get with the download?
Beyond the music, of course, the answer is nothing. But that’s about to change, according to Billboard and Reuters. The first artist-branded downloadable CD booklet will be launched for the new Fall Out Boy release on December 16, and it will be for the iPhone.
It promises to be a very interactive affair, looking somewhat like the band’s website, with photos, lyrics from the band’s discography, track listings, and links to buy more of the band’s material from – of course – iTunes.
It will also be updated regularly and automatically, and plans are to include a social networking feature and microblogging tools linked to the band’s site, along with the ability to upload pictures and more. It builds on similar ideas used for Pink, Snow Patrol and David Cook.
It could be the start of a trend, although for now it’s certainly expensive to develop. But as more people use mobile phones for music, and if more mobile music players offer Internet access, it could become more widespread.
Island Def Jam senior VP of new media and commerce Christian Jorg said:
"We can’t do for everybody what we’re doing for Fall Out Boy. This is an artist we think has the right target demo, we know the iPhone is successful with that demo and has great capabilities, and we’d like to put a product out there that speaks to that demo."
