Aphex Twin Music as more than just music.

  On 9/6/2011 at 11:22 PM, asymmetrical head said:

Dude, I was looking at the packaging figuring out how it was printed because it's not a normal digipak template!

i remember finding a load of empty CD cases at the dump -- with the artwork still in them. someone had obviously gone CD-Wallet and not bothered to save any of the album liners!! one of the albums was trout mask replica.

i was puzzled that someone would do such a thing. i took all the CD cases and used them for giveaway CD-Rs 'n' shit.

I like to buy physical releases for the artwork and liner notes. I've noticed over recent years that the artwork in newer physical releases is kind of lacking. I think this may be the affect that digital releases have had on their physical counterparts. Digital releases aren't required to have crazy awesome artwork, so the CD doesn't have much to look at when you open it [ie Siriusmo - Mosaik].

Now if there were a way to integrate more interactive elements into digital releases, then that would be a huge step forward. Maybe it could come with a little stand alone synthesizer to play along with the music or something.

  On 9/8/2011 at 8:52 PM, Braintree said:

I like to buy physical releases for the artwork and liner notes. I've noticed over recent years that the artwork in newer physical releases is kind of lacking. I think this may be the affect that digital releases have had on their physical counterparts. Digital releases aren't required to have crazy awesome artwork, so the CD doesn't have much to look at when you open it [ie Siriusmo - Mosaik].

 

Now if there were a way to integrate more interactive elements into digital releases, then that would be a huge step forward. Maybe it could come with a little stand alone synthesizer to play along with the music or something.

I think lots of hardcopy releases lack a bit in the packaging/art because of the pervasiveness of digital design tools. Everyone knows how to use Photoshop/Illustrator so they fancy themselves an artist, so instead of paying an artist/designer they just do it themselves. (not saying this is always bad. results vary obviously and most labels are on very limited budgets)

  On 9/8/2011 at 11:29 PM, patternoverlap said:

  On 9/8/2011 at 8:52 PM, Braintree said:

I like to buy physical releases for the artwork and liner notes. I've noticed over recent years that the artwork in newer physical releases is kind of lacking. I think this may be the affect that digital releases have had on their physical counterparts. Digital releases aren't required to have crazy awesome artwork, so the CD doesn't have much to look at when you open it [ie Siriusmo - Mosaik].

 

Now if there were a way to integrate more interactive elements into digital releases, then that would be a huge step forward. Maybe it could come with a little stand alone synthesizer to play along with the music or something.

 

I think lots of hardcopy releases lack a bit in the packaging/art because of the pervasiveness of digital design tools. Everyone knows how to use Photoshop/Illustrator so they fancy themselves an artist, so instead of paying an artist/designer they just do it themselves. (not saying this is always bad. results vary obviously and most labels are on very limited budgets)

Yeah... I've had some bands interested in my services in the past year. After I'd give them quotes, they emailed me back a few days later saying stuff like they got someone else doing it for free.

i tried to do a web equivalent of album art with ambient disco:

http://www.ricedoutrecords.com/trax/nevenen/ambientdisco/

it's pretty basic, but still more than you'd get with most CD liners !