Back in the day of vinyl records, the album cover was a formidable marketing tool. Many a record was sold just by having a cool cover or because of the information from the liner notes on the back.
Great album covers are a lost art since CD artwork never had the same impact, and of course, digital music doesn't require artwork at all. This might all change in the near future as Apple readies its "Project Cocktail" in conjunction with the 4 major labels, which is their way of reinventing the soon to be obsolete album.
"It's all about re-creating the heyday of the album when you would sit around with your friends looking at the artwork, while you listened to the music," said one executive familiar with the plans. Supposedly, consumers would be able to play songs directly from the interactive book without clicking back into Apple's iTunes software. "It's not just a bunch of PDFs," said one executive. "There's real engagement with the ancillary stuff."
Not to be outdone, the major labels are creating their own version of the same thing called "CMX". Of course, this is just what the industry doesn't need at this time (or ever, for that matter) - a new format war. It makes you wonder what the people making the big bucks running the labels are thinking about (besides their salaries and how to protect them).
On a more lighthearted note, here's what someone considers the worst album covers of all time (although I don't agree with many of the choices). It should be noted that even bad album covers could still be great marketing tools.
On a more lighthearted note, here's what someone considers the worst album covers of all time (although I don't agree with many of the choices). It should be noted that even bad album covers could still be great marketing tools.
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