Artwork – Does Anyone Look At It?
By RayThursday, December 11th, 2008
Something I have been sweating over at my job recently is the idea of artwork and if “kids” (or your typical consumer) even pay attention to a layout these days (or even buys a hard copy of the record to begin with). I do my best to find the most compelling, talented artists to visually represent bands when it comes to their record artwork. Yet I am sometimes left with a feeling of emptiness when I see it in stores next to records that in my opinion, look god awful.
Not to mention – I really encourage bands to get a bit more in depth with their lyrics, perhaps even including explanations of songs – similar to, for example, a band like Rise Against. It’s not that bands should all be political or have something poignant to say (even though that is a different conversation entirely), but they could at least give music fans something to chew on beyond plastic and paper.
December 11th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
i think artwork for a short period was just husked away from the packaging for the normal music consumer…
but as of late, due to downloads and the sudden rise of vinyl being popular again (thankfully!)
i believe layouts and artwork have become more of a focus for artists both on majors and especially on indies.
there’s more than enough times i’m pouring through amazon or a google image search to properly attach the album art to my iTunes library – which i don’t think i’m alone on.
it makes the intended experience of the library like flipping through records – like Stevie Jobs intended.
but yeah – vinyl sales backed with digital copies are what i think is on the upswing now within the punk/hxc/indie scene again which is rad.
so having that tangible sleeve in your hands is becoming the norm again i hope. right? right.
December 11th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
I dunno about this one. On the one hand, you can look at the advent of album art as a necessity. What I mean is that recorded music has always been stored on some kind physical medium (vinyl, CD, tape, etc) – the packaging may have evolved into an art of its own but it did first pop up as a necessity, a way to make the package appealing. Still, at the end of the day, the package is secondary to the content it helps deliver.
It’s the same reason we’ve come to expect “full-length” albums to be a certain length – it’s defined by the technology used to get music into people’s hands. Would a full length be 3 hours long if that’s how much music a 12″ record could hold when it was invented?
December 11th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Nine Inch Nails did a good job with this idea as the advent of iTunes, downloads and online media gained attention. Their most recent release gave each song it’s own “art” in your iTunes playlist…
December 11th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
That NIN example is interesting, but is there really much value in having a different jpeg for each song? I think people miss lying on their floor with their giant 70s headphones looking at the gatefold Grease LP and shit.
December 11th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
I agree with everyone here, though I’m a firm believer that artwork plays an important part of connecting the music with the listener. I know I wouldn’t be into some of my favorite bands if I didn’t spend countless hours in my room reading(singing) along to those records while reading the lyrics. Having the insert in my hand to read the lyrics, credits and thank you’s rounded out my experience with the music.
As long as people listen to music, they’ll still want that connection to the band.
Even with decreased CD sales, kids/adults are still buying and listening to music. Kids will spend 100s of dollars on tshirts, posters and stickers for their favorite bands. So why can’t bands sell their own album art in conjunction with a digital download. Take NIN’s model of individual song jpegs one step further and actually sell the art. If you sell album art in addition to a digital download, art isn’t limited to the constraints of a standard jewelcase. I would love to download an album instantly, but have the option of purchasing a limited edition hard bound lyric book, or a 15×15″ lyric sheet with a hand screened 4 color design on the reverse side. Just a thought.
December 11th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
I definitely pay attention to album art. While I don’t really buy physical CDs, if a song or album in my library doesn’t have proper artwork on it, I will make sure to find it and put it in.
December 11th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
iTunes has definitely put album artwork in the face of the masses again. It still sets a “tone” for the album you are about to enjoy. As far as a tangible book of lyrics…I don’t know if that will ever be as loved/used as it once was. Maybe it’s time to start thinking of a electronic lyrical layout of each song- not necessarily different artwork. But geeze…I don’t love reading everything from a glowing screen either. It’s something to ponder and evolve with, that’s for sure.
December 11th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Great discussion guys/gals! I agree with the point that ITunes actually has an option to download cover art into your library so that obviously isn’t completely dead and I am an avid consumer of vinyl and poster art so I think it has it’s place but it seems to just be a fetish these days.
Granted your average consumer of independent music these days seems to look more and more like your average music consumer in the general, mainstream marketplace so that scares me…