The Relevance of CD Sleeve Design in Todays Market - Essay Example

RUNNING HEAD: RELEVANCE OF CD SLEEVE DESIGN TODAY The Relevance of CD Sleeve Design in Today’s Market School The Relevance of CD Sleeve Design in Today’s Market The cover of a Compact Disk (CD) is more than merely a picture or drawing with words printed upon it. Covers are a form of artwork, a graphic history of our culture and mores. They are a living representation of the world around us. Often the cover art itself develops more importance the album in protects. The importance of the cover is evidenced by its popularity - Sometimes controversial, sometimes seeping with fantasy, sometimes harsh, sometimes beautiful in their simplicity; yet always anticipated. We can barely wait to get a glimpse of our artist’s newest release. The music may speak to us, but it is the cover that brings us to it and through it we get a glimpse of where we are and where we are going. The focus of this paper is to explore the role of the CD cover in today’s emerging market of instant access to music Vis a Vis the internet. Virtually any song by any artist can be downloaded to our computer in a matter of minutes. We will discuss the future of the CD cover in relation to this emerging trend. Like the CD replaced the vinyl record album, will MP3s replace the necessity for CDs and their artwork? However, before we look to the future of this art form, we need to first understand its past Section one of the paper will look at the history of the album cover and how it evolved to the artwork of the CD cover from inception to current use. The purpose of the cover will be discussed. Next we will discuss the relevance of the cover and lastly the outlook for its future. As we make our journey from the past to tomorrow visual representation will be used. It is true what they say at times, “A picture speaks a thousand words.” History of Sleeve Design Albums Album covers are indelible symbols of what can happen when the boundless creative forces and extravagant minds of the world’s most successful artists and musicians collide. When you add an infusion of corporate label politics plus a significant historical context, the results are anything but ordinary. (50 Greatest, undated) Columbia Records came into existence in 1939. It was there that a fledgling graphic designer by the name of Alex Steinweiss developed an idea that would revolutionize the music market and change forever how we viewed the modern phonographic album. At the time, while just age 23, Steinweiss was the newly appointed art director for Colombia Records. He envisioned a changed for the 78 rpm records that were being produced at the time. Prior to this time records were we placed into plain cardboard covers and contained the artists name and the title of the album only, similar to how a title is placed on the spine of a book – functional but not very appealing; but, Steinweiss had a vision of what these twelve inch squares could become. He had felt they were drab and lifeless and decided to convince the company executives to allow him to design a few covers. In Steinweiss’ mind, he wanted to project what was found within the music and translate it to visual art. Amazingly, the executives were very reticent about Steinweiss’ idea. They were concerned about the additional cost of using artwork on the covers. However, Steinweiss’ persistence paid off and the executives finally agreed he could design several covers which they would use for a test market. The public response was phenomenal. Upon release of Steinweiss’ test covers sales increased by 800%, for example on Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony. (Tienen, 2001) Company executive were ecstatic. Album sales had soared and the music industry was changed forever. Figure 1 below displays the first album cover designed by Steinweiss and marketed by Columbia Records in 1939. Although plain and modest by modern standards, at the time of its release this cover was revolutionary and opened the door for the covers we now take for granted. Figure 1 Steniweiss’ First Album Cover Art (1939) "Smash Song Hits By Rodgers and Hart" (Tienen, 2001) In 1940, all record production halted because of World War II. The shellac that was used in the production of them was for the most part imported from South East Asia and the war meant it was not available due to the Pacific war campaign. The music industry was scrambling to find another medium material that could be used to manufacture records. The answer was found in a by product of petroleum – vinyl. (Morey, 2005) By 1947, the music industry was ready to launch its newly recreated albums. Technology had developed. During that year, the Long Play (LP) albums were invented, featuring Hi-Fi technology. The quality vastly improved that of the shellac 78 rpm albums of old. In honor of the launch of this new genre of sound quality, Steinweiss modified the standard cardboard case and invented the album jackets that are still used today. These jackets served multiple purposes. Not only did they protect the album within, but they allowed a better surface to print the design on. “His paperboard jacket design became the standard for the industry for nearly 50 years. The modern album cover was born.” (Eisner, undated) The modernization of the album jacket allowed for better print quality of the artwork for the cover. Generally, album covers during this time period (late 1940’s until early 1950’s) commonly only used two or three colors and the run size of the albums usually were between 3000 and 5000 albums, very modest by modern standards. (Sistrunk, 1999) The calligraphy type script used by Steinweiss on his first album cover with the newly fabricated album jacket would later be coined as the ‘Steinweiss Scrawl’ which became his trademark during the early years of the album cover era. (Tienen, 2001) An interesting note on these early designs is that unlike today each was drawn completely by hand without the use of computer graphics often used today. In an interview, Steinweiss stated that he would often design 50 album covers a week and spent endless hours perfecting them. (Tienen, 2001) Throughout his career Steinweiss designed album covers for some of the greatest musical stars of the era including Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Leonard Bernstein, Bennie Goodman, George and Ira Gershwin and Kate Smith just to name a few. “Alex Steinweiss routinely followed a laborious process in creating his album covers--he did all the art, lettering, and color separations by hand, without the benefit of an assistant.” (Heller, 2005) Today his album covers are as sought after as much or more than the albums they housed. (McKnight, 2000, pp. 22) Figure 2 below is a picture of the first album cover Steinweiss designed for the new LPs when that new technology hit the music industry in 1947. Figure 2 Modern LP design Cover (1947) "Cole Porter Songs" by Andre Kostelanetz (Tienen, 2001) Once the inception and development of the modern album cover had been completed, there was no looking back. “They offered the opportunity to create a visual to represent a non-visual art.” (Grant, 2001) The instantaneous approval of the artwork provided to the consumer on the covers was evidence enough to music companies that the packaging of the album was as important to the consumer as the music contained within. As time progressed, numerous influential designers emerged on the scene each producing their own unique style of branding. The interesting part of researching the album cover history, other than the obvious enjoyment of seeing individual designs, is viewing the covers in context of the historical perspective in which they were created. Album covers spoke of the artist and their focus and musical orientation, but equally as important, they tell us about the culture in which they were conceived and produced. As will be evidenced by the various covers presented, the era they were produced in has a direct impact on the finalized product. They are truly a pictorial representation of the modern culture of the times. As the album cover business evolved, more and more artist had increased input into cover design and selection. The cover came to represent the artist and their musical style and form. “Essentially the album cover became a tangible, visual equivalent of the music and performance.” (Eisner, nd) As will be offered in forthcoming sections, as science of the cover developed certain styles and looks came to be associated with particular artists, and without even the need for words on the cover the consumer could determine that certain albums contained the work of certain artists merely by looking at the cover art itself. In the following paragraphs we will witness the development of album cover art and further examine influential designers decade by decade until the demise of the album in the 1980’s when technology once again changed the face and ear of the music industry with the introduction of the compact disk. The 1950’s emerged with a flare. “The number of record companies in America producing LPs had increased from just eleven in 1948 to two-hundred. The "arrival" of rock and roll and the beginning of a major pop culture in recorded sound later resulted in a massive LP sales explosion” (Sistrunk, 1999); The music industry had truly arrived. One of the most recognizable record labels of the era was Blue Note Productions which focused on Jazz. Originally the Blue Note Albums were only 10 inch square, a hold-over from the standard 78 rpm albums that preceded the LP; but by the middle of the decade, 1956, they converted to the standard 12 inch album cover. The most well known album cover designer for Blue Note, and also one of the most recognizable designers in general, was Reid Miles. (Eyles, 2005) Miles is generally remembered for his ability to capture the essence of the artist by photography. Most typically Miles captured the recording artist’s image for the album cover; However, I selected as an example the cover of The Prestige Recordings; its simplistic beauty simply could not be ignored. Please see Figure 3 below. The late 50’s also saw the emergence of ‘Technicolor’ which was very popular with album cover art as well and was used in most of Miles’ later work. (Sistrunk, 1999) On a historic note, considering the times and the emergence of the Civil Rights Movement in the late 1950’s, during that time period “many of the Black artists used cover shots of white teens to mask their origin and help sell albums” (Gange, undated) – a great example of how again album art reflected the times. Another well know artist of this time period was Jim Flora who worked at RCA Victor. As evidenced in Figure 4, Mambo for Cats, Flora’s work was almost childlike is his characters with his sharp angular lines and bright bold coloring. “Flora drew the most utterly bizarre and magnetic album covers for Columbia and RCA Victor. Childlike yet sinister, chaotic yet balanced, playful yet weird, Flora’s work was utterly unique in his time and now stands as a lasting influence.” (Turczyn, 2005) Figure 3 The Great Prestige Recordings Figure 4 Mambo for Cats 1957 Analogue Productions APJ 035 RCA Victor LPM-1063 (1955) Miles Davis-Artist/Cover-Reid Miles Various Artists/Cover –Jim Flora (Miles, 2005) (Winner, 2004) “By the late sixties, covers became more of a visual representation of how musicians viewed their music.” (Tienen., 2001) One of the newly emerging super groups of the decade was Cream with guitar master Eric Clapton. Disraeli Gears, their first album released after their American début was unlike anything seen to date and upon viewing it is obvious that this album cover speaks of the tumultuous 60’s. The history of the making of the cover is in and of itself an interesting tale, but suffice it to say that the artist responsible, Martin Sharp, met Clapton by chance at a London nightclub and ended up writing the lyrics for one of Cream’s songs and then producing this and subsequent covers for the group. (Weight, undated) Not surprisingly, this album cover has been called "one of the quintessential psychedelic art covers of the era." (Tienen, 2001) Figure 5 below is a copy of the album cover produced by Martin Sharp for Cream. Although the size shown here does not give it justice, the psychedelic influence of the late 1960’s is evident and led to this cover being depicted as on the all time great examples of album cover art. The one album unanimously considered a major turning point in album cover art was The Beatles Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band released in 1967. (Eisner, undated) Major recording artists at this time were getting more and more involved with the design of their album covers. The Beatles, by far, were able to wield much power during the entire creative process in the production of this cover. Not only was the cover uniquely designed, but it also contained two additional firsts. For the first time, the lyrics of the songs were printed on the back cover. Additionally, this was the first album produced that had a “gatefold” album cover, that is the cover folded open, allowing an extra ‘page’ of artwork. By far, this album is one of the most recognizable album covers of all time, and, not so surprisingly, garnered a Grammy Award. (Wikipedia, 2005). “After Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, rock album art became much more distinctive, reflecting more of the individual artists values and creative perspective.” (Tianen, 2001) Figure 6 below is a copy of the cover which was actual a group effort by the Beatles and many others, but the person credited with the actual design is photographer Peter Blake. Figure 5 Disraeli Gears Figure 6 Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band By Cream 1967 By the Beatles 1967 Cover by Martin Sharp (Uzenko, 1998) Cover by Peter Blake (Tianen, 2001) “Albums grew more elaborate and complex in the late 60s and 70s. There were interactive covers like the famous Andy Warhol zippered fly cover for the Rolling Stones "Sticky Fingers." Alice Coopers jacket for "Schools Out" was the album equivalent of a pop-up book with a three-dimensional classroom desk.” (Tianen, 2001) Although I would like to be able to discuss and offer copies of the entire great album cover art of this era, time and space constraints prevail. The atmosphere during this period of time lent itself to some of the most creative minds of the century. There seemed no limit to the creative boundaries that each subsequent album cover would offer the public. The beauty of this era still lies in the fact that much of the work was still done by hand, not generated solely via a computer. As the cover artist and the musical artist continued to interact and ‘feed’ off each other’s talent, the covers more and more became a true representation of what was held inside the sleeve. This explains, to a great extent, the collectability of the album cover as an art form which exists to this day. As the 1970’s emerged, although many album covers designed were still true to the music contained within “Other LP covers were made to purposely catch your attention. These types of devices and disguises covers came into existence around 1970. The ingenuity of a new generation of designers, supplied alternatives to the standard motifs of photographic or illustrative covers.” (Kalbara, undated) This move to the more commercial side of the album cover was in response to the ever increasing choices available to the consumer. The music industry was awash with new talent in addition to the established musicians and everyone, it seemed, wanted to get their music noticed. Air play was important, but just as important, many felt, was having an album that would stand out amidst the thousands of other albums in the bin at the record store. The look of the album cover became even more critical to achieving that success. During the 1970’s one of the most influential album cover designers was Paula Scher, the record cover art designer for Atlantic and CBS Records. Her unique style brought new depth to the art of cover design. During her ten year stay designing album covers, Scher produced an average of 150 covers a week. “She has often been credited as the major proponent of "retro" design. However, her body of work is broader and more idea-based than this suggests. She uses historical design to make visual analogies, and for its emotional impact and immediate appeal to contemporary audiences.” (Milgrom, 2002) Figure 7 below depicts an example of Scher’s artwork. Its understated elegance, wonderful blend of colors and clean simple lines makes this cover a refreshing visual sampling of her talents. The Rolling Stones, during the 1970’s were one of the leading bands. The choice to display Sticky Fingers was for a variety of reasons. First, at this time ‘mainstream’ artists were seeing the relevance and impact that album cover art was having. In this example Andy Warhol did the actual photography work on this piece. Secondly, Mick Jagger was intimately involved in the conceptualization of this album cover – complete to the working zipper. Lastly, this cover is a great example of the marketing tactics that began to be employed. This was the first album cover which branded Jagger with the lips and tongue, an identification that has remained to this day. The identification led to an entire new market of memorabilia being sold which is a prime example of the influence album cover art had. It should be noted as well that Sticky Fingers has been called the greatest album cover ever. Figure 8 below contains this cover. Figure 7 Japanese Melodies for Flute & Harp Figure 8 Sticky Fingers by the Rolling Stones Designer: Paula Scher, 1978 Designer-Craig Braun/Photo-Andy Warhol, 1971 (Typography, 1996) (Super Seventies, 1991) The 1980’s saw the demise of the album cover as the CD came into vogue with its improved sound quality. However, the early decade still had many notable albums released with outstanding album cover art. This was the decade where the merger between the artist and the album cover artist had come to maturity. The covers of this decade had a wide range of flavor and tastes as diverse as the multitude of musical talent recording during this era. From simplistic to outrageous the 1980’s album cover had it all which was truly the result the increased importance individual recording artists placed on their covers. They were an extension of the music itself and as such just like the music of the decade, the album covers stretched the imagination. Roger Dean was an album cover artist that actually emerged in the 1960’s. His work was almost surrealist and had the dreamy quality of a fantasy world. He, however, always viewed himself as a landscape artist. (Wikipedia, 2005) Dean formed working relationships with several groups which lasted decades, including Yes. He is credited with creating the classic Yes logo introduced on the group’s Close to the Edge released in 1972. That logo and Dean’s relationship with Yes spanned nearly 40 years. He designed album covers for the group as late as 1999. “Many of his paintings use mixed media including gouache, watercolor, ink, enamel, crayon and collage.” (Wikipedia, 2005) Figure 9 below is classic Roger Dean. The dreamy world images and the cool colors he uses make for a lasting impression. The second example of 1980’s album art I chose to display because it was designed solely by the lead singer of the group. David Byrne, Lead Singer for the group Talking Heads, designed the cover for their 1983 release of Speaking in Tongues to reflect the divergent changes the group was making at the time. The art work he produced although simplistic is design and form uses wonderful color combinations which reflect the changes of the music contained within. It’s a clear, bright cover with angles and lines that say the group knows exactly where they are going yet also makes good use of the circle to display their grounding and knowledge of where they are, where they have been, and where they are going. See Figure 10 below to view the album cover. Figure 9 Classic Yes 1981 Figure 10 Speaking in Tongues 1983 Designer Roger Dean “Green Tower” Designed by David Byrne-Lead Singer (Wikipedia, 2005) Talking Heads (Tralfaz, undated) The CD began to emerge in the 1980’s and it signaled the end of the era of the vinyl LP. The transition did not mean the end of album art per se but it was reduced its scope to a level that was hard to imagine just several years earlier. The increased sound quality of the CD in conjunction with longer playing time has changed the LP into an archaic dinosaur with a magnificent past. One thing however that the CD could never replace was the cover art found on the LPs. Designers have tried various techniques and ideas in an attempt to recapture the uniqueness of this art form. Some have been more successful than others. These various techniques will be discussed in later paragraphs. The LP, however, did not want to die easily, nor did those true lovers of the art form want to see it end. To that end, during the mid to late 1990’s LPs began to make a slow comeback as record companies realized that there was still a demand. “In 1995, only 1.2 million new vinyl albums were sold in the United States, according to the Record Industry Association of America. By comparison, 495 million compact discs were sold that year. However, the number of vinyl records sold nearly doubled to 2.2 million last year alone.” (Kalbara, undated) Several of rock’s great groups have made a concerted effort to keep the LP alive and thriving. For example, Hootie and the Blowfish and Pearl Jam, in releasing their new CDs, simultaneously released runs in LP format. Consumer support has been phenomenal. On average 10 to 20 thousand copies of LPs are being produced and they are selling out as fast as they find their way to the stores. Of course this is not just for the nostalgia attached; some people are buying them for their ‘collector’ value. The fact remains; however, the LP is still treasured by many and a valued form of art. To that end these special run albums contain artwork and occasionally songs not included on the CDs being released at the same time. Perhaps a bit of a marketing strategy to increase sales but the low numbers of LPs being produced for sale indicate that it is more for the love of the art work itself than the love of money. "Its a way for the band to help keep the LPs alive. They grew up on them and still feel a lot of nostalgia for them," (Kalbara, undated) CDs During an interview in 1991 Steinweiss, the father of the modern album cover, said the following regarding CDs: “Of course, today youve got very little room to do anything on a record because its a CD, four and three-quarters inches square, and you can put Michelangelo on the cover and nobody will look at it. Its like a postage stamp. Its ridiculous. I think the packaging on CDs could have been much much better." (Tienen, 2001) Since the CD came into being in the mid 1980’s and virtually replaced the LP as the preferred method of music delivery, cover artists have tried various ways to improve the visual display that the small size and the plastic case of a CD have to offer. One method used was to include large fold out pictures which the consumer can open and browse through. Another method is the booklet that is place inside the case which gives a pictorial guide to the album contents. Lastly, designers have ingeniously taken to using the CD itself as a form of art decorating the CD and showcasing their talents on the disk itself. The inherent problem, however, with these solutions lie in the fact that the visual display cannot capture the would be purchaser. The contents remain hidden within for discovery after the purchase. In an attempt to increase the visibility of the CD artwork some designers have enclosed the plastic jewel case with a paper sleeve that fits over the case. This medium is less harsh and does offer a bit more room for the artist’s visual display. However, "theres a detail in the square foot you just dont see in the smaller format of the CD." (Mehta, 2003) “The elaborate art and typography, the double and triple gatefold sleeves; such as the soundtrack to "Woodstock," or The Whos, "Tommy," the posters and booklets have a charm that just cannot fit in the 5 inch world of the compact disc. Even common titles easily found on the compact disc, such as Pink Floyd, "Dark Side of the Moon," and The Beatles, "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band," just look better, bigger. Some covers had their own unique appeal, such as the 1971 classic, "Sticky Fingers," by The Rolling Stones, with a suggestive, working zipper on Mick Jagger’s fly.” (Mehta, 2003) Undeniably the designs of LP covers were far ahead of their time. They offered both a sought after visual display to the consumer but also was probably one of the most advanced forms of marketing of its time. The sheer volume of the number of albums produced, the wide range of style and contents, and the vast number of artists involved in the process has not been surpassed. The record industry in allowing the expressions of the artist to come to life in the cover art was a highly advanced form of advertising. There is really no other way to describe it. With the shift to the smaller CDs now the artwork “allows for less subtlety and ensures a shallower visual experience when you hold a CD in your hands.” (Ratliff, undated) Roger Dean as discussed earlier was a well noted album cover artist, as well as a gifted architect. He is also credited with the first artwork specifically designed for the smaller CD. Figure 11 that follows is a copy of the front and back sides of the CD Union for his long time creative partners Yes. For this cover Dean, as he often did, drew on one of his own painting, The Guardians, for the front cover and Tsunami for the rear. The pictures and coloring are wonderful, just imagine what it would have looked like at almost triple the size. Figure 11 Union, Yes (1991) Cover Art: Roger Dean (Yes, Undated) Purpose of Sleeve Design Throughout the History of the Album and CD have been interwoven the purposes and reasoning behind album cover art. This form of art is one of the most highly recognized forms of art collected by the general populous. Throughout the history of the album covers, living legacies of the times and places have been preserved. More than just a picture on a piece of cardboard designed to protect the album within, they are a representation of the events unfolding at that period of history. Following is a brief, concise summary of what purpose these sleeves served and continue to serve. Artist The main purpose of the album cover for the artist was generally to convey to the consumer a glimpse of what was contained inside, a visual interpretation of their music. More than that, album covers are used by the artist to convey their own personal style and views of the world around them. As the cover evolved and artists gained more control over their content this became increasingly evident of the eclectic blend of album art found during the same time periods. In general, “most musicians like to verbally express how they think the album should look, rather than the actual design, to create a certain mood. Other musicians may want to see what you can come up with after listening to their music. One thing they are especially involved with is choosing photographs of them to be used on the cover and in the package design.” (Grant, 2001) To sum it up best in one word would be ‘branding’. Musicians wanted the consumer to look at the album cover and know exactly whose work it was. This helped, in my opinion; cement the careers of some of the finest musical groups. Record Companies “Most of the labels allow the artists the ‘rights to create and/or approve’ the artwork for their covers. So much work goes into the planning, logistics and budgets of a package.” (Grant, 2001) Although the record companies allowed after much debate the first testing of cover art, once the appeal to the consumer was shown in the 800% sales increase, the industry never looked back. For the record company itself, their main reasoning for album cover art is marketing and sales. They want to make a profit. This is not all bad; the resulting competitiveness of the business has resulted in cover art that is truly remarkable and highly sought after. Without the record companies pushing for perfection perhaps many of the classic covers would not be here for generations to enjoy. Consumers “The CD package is not only the musicians’ or the designer’s “baby”—the music lover/consumer is often a lover of the object too. “We really feel like we’re contributing to something totally unique, where somebody is going to be paying money for it, taking it home, unwrapping it, opening it, picking it up and studying every nook and cranny of the liner notes, lyrics and artwork as they listen to the music. Many listeners (speaking from experience) will try to find hints or clues into the music or musicians from the album artwork. If, as some predict, all music in the future will be purchased online and downloaded, this tactile experience will change, although buying the music without any accompanying graphics is unlikely to work.” (Grant, 2001) It was truly hard to find any way to express it better. There is nothing like sitting down to listen to a new album or in more modern times, CD, and pouring over the visual offerings provided. Now, as well, many people are collecting album covers for their mere art appeal as well, or perhaps the monetary value of them, but, none the less, they are truly a gift to behold. Importance of Sleeve Design Today with the emergence of digital downloads; the importance of the sleeve design can not be over emphasized. The smaller size of the CD format has its own unique challenges over that of the 12 inch LP. To that end, cover artists have and must continue to find new creative ways to display visually the contents of the CD. Some cover art designers have found this increased challenge more rewarding than design of the LP album cover. “I enjoy designing for a CD because for me it is a more complete package...The booklet which goes on the inside, the back of the jewel box, the image or type that can be placed under the CD in a clear tray, and the CD itself can be its own piece of artwork.” (Grant, 2001) The bottom line is CD artwork must remain exciting and offer the customer the feeling of anticipation and an almost impatience waiting for their favorite groups latest CD to be released. The consumer loves to feel something concrete in their hands. Cover art must keep up to ensure the survival of the CD, before it too is just a fond memory. Artwork’s Relevance - Just a Marketing Tactic? . "Even for people who say its all about the music, having a record without a cover is worthless. The art and music are inseparable." (Mehta, 2003) Until the music industry and cover artists fail to capture the imagination of the buying public, music cover art is here to stay. “There is something about the fetishistic pleasure of holding a designed object in one’s hand and, until that experience can be replicated, the perceived value of the music will not be the same.” (Grant, 2001) With the Internet, there is now a real threat to the music industry. Consumers can download music free or at low cost from one of the many emerging online sources. Many of these companies are also further hurting traditional markets by offering a hard copy of the CD as well. With the emergence of the internet many new labels are being created online. For a minimal investment anyone can produce music and put it on the net for download and/or sale. Many of the early websites did not acknowledge the rights of the individual artists but that too is changing, especially after several highly visible lawsuits. Most online sources now acknowledge the Creative Commons licensing system which reserves the rights of the artist. This allows royalties to the musicians, but has not addressed the issue of cover art. “Perhaps the best evidence of the currency of LP cover art is its appearance in other areas of the art world, such as advertising and contemporary fine artists work. In a current advertising campaign by Absolut Vodka, the Absolut bottle logo is inserted into several well-known covers, including Miles Daviss phantasmagorical "Bitches Brew" and John Lennon and Yoko Onos revealing "Unfinished Music # 1: Two Virgins." According to Absoluts Michael Persson, "The idea came out of the revival of album covers. Young adults see them as cool, and older consumers feel nostalgia when it comes to these covers." (Mehta, 2003) People in general love their album cover art. Although the world may be going digital, the need of the consumer to hold that paper in their hands will never end. Those too young to have ever played an LP or purchased one are drawn to them as well. If that does not show relevance, I do not know what does. How we are to manage it in this newly evolving digital world becomes the real question. “As package-less MP3s begin to replace CDs as the principal medium for music, what will happen to the pop culture canvases of yesterday?” (Mehta, 2003) Threat from MP3s “No technology since the VCR is as revolutionary to personal entertainment as the MP3 player. And the revolution is just beginning. More than a third of homes that have computers will also have iPods within two years, according to analysts at Merrill Lynch. Whats more, sales of all devices that can store and play a library of digital music, such as smart phones, will overtake sales of PCs by the end of the decade.” (O’Neill, 2006) Facts such as this show the scope of the threat MP3s have placed on music as we know it. With the ability to instantaneously download virtually any song within a few minutes, and often at little or no cost, the allure is there to forego purchasing more traditional forms of music, i.e. the CD. iPOD one of the leaders in the digital music industry today sells on average 1.4 million songs a day via the download and that is from just one source. (O’Neill, 2006) The CD like the LP before it may be a thing of the past, but the artwork surrounding the music industry is so intrinsically enmeshed with the music itself it will evolve – just as it did from LP to CD – so to will it evolve in the digital format of tomorrow. Future of Sleeve Design “I don’t see the role of the visual artist being eliminated, just changing and adapting to different media. Web sites are the packaging for music in the future, especially since your images can be downloaded as needed...[This] offers the opportunity to link out to related sites, and the world, while talking in depth, including film and video, about the music. I hope and feel confident there will always be books and print art to enjoy one-on-one, hands on, but I love the fact that the world keeps on turning and new opportunities to solve problems and create continue to present themselves.” (Grant, 2001) Already you see it occurring online. Websites are offering downloadable album covers to match the ‘burned’ CDs. The potential for music art is actually greater as we enter the digital age. The possibilities are truly endless. Not only are album jackets and booklets something that is being made available, but in the days to come the technology advances could offer so much more: live footage, movies, live direct interaction with the musician. The possibilities are endless. “While the sensuality of opening and poring over every square inch of an album will disappear, so will the environmental impact. Such nostalgia will be the burden of our generation. Keep in mind there are people in college who have never put a record on a turntable and gently placed the needle on the first track. They don’t miss the LP. Their children won’t miss the CD. Do you have fond memories of piano rolls?” (Grant, 2001) References Eisner, William E. (undated). “The Art of the Album Cover Educators Packet” Museum of Advertising and Design. Retrieved December 22, 2005, from http://www.eisnermuseum.org/educators/index.shtm Eyles, John. (2005). “Blue Note’s Golden Decade.” All About Jazz website. Retrieved December 23, 2005, from http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=17864 Gange, Michael. (Undated). “Album Rewind.” Media Literacy Clearinghouse. Retrieved December 20, 2005, from http://medialit.med.sc.edu/albums.htm Grant, Angelynn. (Jan./Feb. 2001) “Album Cover Design: Past Influences, Present Struggles, & Future Predictions.” Communications Art. Retrieved from Communications Arts online website December 18, 2005, from http://www.commarts.com/CA/feadesign/album/100_album.html “50 Greatest Album Covers Ever.” (undated). VH1 Website. Retrieved December 21, 2005, From http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_greatest/67956/episode.jhtml Heller, Steven. (Mar. /Apr. 2005). “An Eye for Music.” Print, 59:2, pp. 56 – 61. Kalbara, Tim. (Undated) “Record Collecting.” Retrieved December 19, 2005, from http://www.bcpl.net/~tayman/artwork1.html McKnight-Trontz, Jennifer. (2000). “For the Record: The Life and Work of Alex Steinweiss.” New York: Princeton Architectural Press. Mehta, Julie. (Aug. 2003). “Long-playing art: memorable album covers have helped vinyl records endure in an age of CDs and MP3s.” Art Business News. Retrieved December 19, 2005, from http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HMU/is_8_30/ai_109905638 “Miles Davis Record Covers: 1950 – 1959” (2005). Miles Davis website. Retrieved December 18, 2005, from http://www.plosin.com/milesahead/Covers.aspx Milgrom, Melissa. (Spring 2002). “Paula Scher” from 365: AIGA Year in Desgin 22. AIGA: The Professional Association for Design website. Retrieved December 22, 2005, from http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm?contentalias=paulascher#gallery Morey, Richard D. (12 Feb. 2005). “A Short History of the LP.” The Laughing Papillion Website. Retrieved December 23, 2005, from http://www.thelaughingpapillon.com/sh1940.php O’Neill, Sean. (Jan. 2006). “In the iPOD Zone.” Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, 60:1, pp 94 – 98. Ratliff, Ben. (Undated). “Two new books tell very Different Tales about the Conflicted State of Album Art.” Metropolis Magazine. Retrieved December 21, 2005, from http://www.metropolismag.com/html/content_0400/review.htm “Seventies’ Greatest Album Covers.” (14 Nov. 1991). Original excerpt from Rolling Stone Magazine. Retrieved from Super Seventies Website. Retrieved December 21, 2005, From http://www.superseventies.com/greatestalbumcovers.html “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.” (2005). Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved December 22, 2005, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sgt._Pepper%27s_Lonely Hearts_Club_Band#Album_cover Sistrunk, Wendy. (26 Jun. 1999). “Dating LPs.” American Library Association Annual Conference Address – Poster Session. Retrieved December 21, 1995, from http://cctr.umkc.edu/~wsistrunk/poster.htm Tianen, Dave. (7 Mar. 2001). “Exhibit of Record”. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online. Retrieved December 22, 2005, from http://www.jsonline.com/enter/music/mar01/albums08030701.asp?format=print “Tralfaz Album Cover Art Gallery.” (Undated). Tralfaz Art Gallery Website. Retrieved December 23, 2005, from http://tralfaz-archives.com/coverart/coverart.html Turczyn, Coury. (2005). “The Curious Book on Artist Jim Flora.” Pop Cult Magazine Online Retrieved December 19, 2005, from http://www.popcultmag.com/criticalmass/books/flora/chusid01.html “Typography, Reinventing the Familiar” (1996). Mixing Messages Website. Retrieved December 21, 2005, from http://ndm.si.edu/EXHIBITIONS/mixingmessages/essay/typo/t_a.L2.html Uzenko, Edward. (1998). “Cream” Angelfire Website. Retrieved December 19, 2005, from http://www.angelfire.com/ca/oldtimers/ Weight, Greg. (Undated). “MILESAGO – People: Martin Sharp” reproduced from an article Originally appearing in Australian Artist Magazine. Geocity Website. Retrieved December 24, 2005, from http://www.geocities.com/milesago2001/martin-sharp.htm Winner, Jeff. (2004). “The Mischevious Art of Jim Flora.” Jim Flora Website Retrieved December 23, 2005, from http://www.inhi-fi.com/flora/ “Yes: Cover Story.” (Undated). Yes Family Tree. AOL Cover Stories. Retrieved December 23, 2005, from http://members.aol.com/yesfamily/tree/coverstories.html Read More