Six Months Later: 'iTunes LP' Format Performance Remains Lackluster

[MacRumors]

GigaOM provides an interesting reexamination of Apple's "iTunes LP" format for enhanced album content six months after the format's debut. While iTunes LPs were touted at its launch as a means to reignite sales of albums as opposed to individual tracks, Apple has done very little promotion of the format in recent months and currently offers only 31 iTunes LP albums (plus three comic book/single packages using the format) in its U.S. iTunes Store.

Reports leading up to launch of iTunes LP, previously codenamed "Cocktail", had suggested that the idea had been put forward by the record labels but was rejected by Apple until the labels banded together to begin developing their own similar format. GigaOM's report yesterday offers a similar perspective on those developments, which offers an explanation for Apple's lack of promotion of the format.

But I'm told by an industry source who preferred to remain anonymous that iTunes LP wasn't Apple's idea in the first place. Rather, it's the result of the same renegotiations between Apple and the major record labels that yielded DRM-free songs and flexible pricing early last year, a concession by Cupertino to make a gesture in favor of album sales as consumers increasingly show a preference for digital singles.

According to the report, Apple even subsidized the initial iTunes LP productions at a cost of up to $60,000 each, presumably as a gesture to placate the record labels. Record labels are understandably reluctant to foot the bill for new releases at that price, despite the fact that Apple's initial promotion of the format did allow the releases to become profitable.

Apple claimed last October that it would be opening up the format to additional labels and did publish tools to assist developers in creating iTunes LP projects relatively soon after. But while developers are likely to be able to put together such releases at a cost significantly below that invested by Apple in the initial launches, few have yet to express interest in the format.

As the report notes, many artists have chosen to take advantage of Apple's App Store to offer enhanced content, but Apple's iPad may provide another opportunity for the iTunes LP format to gain some traction. For its part though, Apple has yet to tout the potential of the iPad for iTunes LP content, and artists and labels have yet to become excited by the possibilities available in that combination.

Article Link: Six Months Later: 'iTunes LP' Format Performance Remains Lackluster

 

[Vol7ron]

Not entirely surprised. If Apple didn't want to do it in the first place, then they will just sit on it. Too bad though. That is the one advantage to buying a cd is the album booklet you get. The fact that you don't really see it integrated with the Apple TV to me shows what Apple thinks

 

[GenesisST]

They should've added a "get up and turn to side 2" mode. :-D

 

[likemyorbs]

Just the mp3 people, just the mp3. Keep it simple.

 

[Full of Win]

If they gave users the ability to roll their own using an easy WYSIWYG interface, this might take off. I could see this really taking off in the education market, where whole classes could be made into an LP.

Some pundits have suggested adapting iDVD to make them. Sounds good to me.

 

[basesloaded190]

Not entirely surprised. If Apple didn't want to do it in the first place, then they will just sit on it. Too bad though. That is the one advantage to buying a cd is the album booklet you get. The fact that you don't really see it integrated with the Apple TV to me shows what Apple thinks

the other advantage is that some of like our higher quality music and like to rip it in lossless formats. Can't get great audio quality out of itunes

 

[Davey782]

Of course it's not popular. Everyone lost the cd cases with the booklet anyway. These LPs are attempting to take the convenient out of digital music.

 

[La Porta]

It was destined to be a fairly low-key product from the start. One reason people loved iTunes from the start was the ability to buy single tracks and not have to purchase an entire CD. Some hard-core music lovers need to have the album extras, photographs, lyrics, etc. However, the vast majority of people I think just want to be able to "have that cool song they heard on the radio."

 

[macduke]

I've never seen anyone with iTunes LP, including myself. If they want to make it more useful, put it on the iPad with more features. Seems like a better experience. Right now it's kinda lame.

 

[chrissnv]

Surprising? No

I looked at an iTunes LP and even bought one. However what it offers is boring it is nothing better than a DVD Menu with some animation and connects to only the content that you see when you download it Music, Videos. And it is way overpriced. What about some real specials etc? If you look at a CD you can at least see what is on that special second disk in the case .... not on iTunes and again it is overpriced. In general I think that the pricing structure for US$1.29 for a single song is way too high (and don't tell me that there was a plan to have US$0.69 Songs out there I can't seem to find them ...)

Maybe the Labels are going to offer some real content and start to play with this format a little bit more...

 

[FSMBP]

I looked at an iTunes LP and even bought one. However what it offers is boring it is nothing better than a DVD Menu with some animation and connects to only the content that you see when you download it Music, Videos. And it is way overpriced. What about some real specials etc? If you look at a CD you can at least see what is on that special second disk in the case .... not on iTunes and again it is overpriced. In general I think that the pricing structure for US$1.29 for a single song is way too high (and don't tell me that there was a plan to have US$0.69 Songs out there I can't seem to find them ...)

Maybe the Labels are going to offer some real content and start to play with this format a little bit more...

I hate the $1.29 songs. So I just headed over to Amazon, got the same exact DRM-Free $1.29 songs for $0.99.

iTunes appeals to people who actually are so into a band that they would pay 30-40% more for an album. All those bonus videos can be found on YouTube and over 'cool' things aren't exciting. Plus, God forbid I would buy an iTunes LP and watch one of the videos on my flatscreen...the only way for that is using another Apple product to watch it.

 

[Pachang]

iTunes LP should offer high quality lossless recordings in 5.1 or something. Instead it's just some lame pics and bad quality ACCs

 

[BillyBobBongo]

Not surprised at all! I don't think I've never even checked out a 'Digital Booklet' that has been downloaded when I've purchased an album, I just don't care.

I just want the tunes dammit!

 

[SteveSparks]

When I read "LP", I think of Long Play from the VCR Days. They need better marketing.

 

[*LTD*]

Apple had to make this deal, apparently.

 

[zorinlynx]

I hate the $1.29 songs. So I just headed over to Amazon, got the same exact DRM-Free $1.29 songs for $0.99.

I can beat that; I saw the same exact song (same cut of it and everything) for sale on iTunes for both $1.29 and $0.99. One was from the album and was $1.29, the other was from a compilation released later and was $0.99.

Umm yeah, I think you can guess which one I bought.

 

[tbobmccoy]

I haven't seen any LPs of music I listen to on a regular basis on iTunes. Their obviously not targeting me with this campaign.

I also second those price issues. I'm not buying from iTunes anyway until I can get the same price as I can get on Amazon. It may be record companies trying to pull the rug out from under Apple, and for me, its working. Price is king here, and the difference between Amazon mp3s and the iTunes AACs isn't great enough to warrant the price premium for iTunes. Anything that I want to buy with impeccable audio quality won't be bought in a compressed format anyway (thank you, CDs, for not going away yet).

 

[Mister Snitch]

It was destined to be a fairly low-key product from the start. One reason people loved iTunes from the start was the ability to buy single tracks and not have to purchase an entire CD. Some hard-core music lovers need to have the album extras, photographs, lyrics, etc. However, the vast majority of people I think just want to be able to "have that cool song they heard on the radio."

Agreed. I also think this points to the ever-extant laziness and lack of vision on the part of the record companies.

The iPad may give this thing a bump up, but I don't think it will be world-changing. I don't think Apple ever believed that, either.

 

[RalfTheDog]

iTunes LP should offer high quality lossless recordings in 5.1 or something. Instead it's just some lame pics and bad quality ACCs

You can't sell a 5.1 channel recording if you don't have the source in 5.1.

Is there anything that is done with LP that could not be done by a slightly mentally challenged 5 year old using HTML and a bit of Java?

 

[Friscohoya]

The name of the game is options.

 

[talkingfuture]

I got my first iTunes LP the other day (broken bells) can't say it did anything to make me want to buy anymore albums because of it.

 

[luckylou]

iTunes LP has potential

iTunes LP works on Apple TV just fine. The problem is not that people don't care, it's that so few albums have it that nobody knows about it.

I love liner notes and graphics and anything an artist can provide to enhance the album-listening experience. I'm not sure why more records don't have the feature, but it is relatively new and it costs money to pay someone to develop the interface, regardless of how simple, so I guess the labels won't do it if they don't have to.

I have Massive Attack's new album and its implementation of the iTunes LP feature isn't super-impressive. It's just like looking through the booklet, but on my TV, which is a cool thing to be able to do, but not wow-level impressive, as I said. I would expect a little more out of the medium.

Now that I think about it, I don't know if I tried to view the LP features while the music played, or if that's possible. It should be, as that's what you like to look at if you sit down for an extended listen.

 

[jo0]

please tell me....what was the point of LP in the first place.

 

[Cynicalone]

I have a couple of problems with it.

The selection is terrible.

And if they want to recreate the cd/album experience then give us the option to d/l the lossless version.

 

[CFreymarc]

iTunes LP should offer high quality lossless recordings in 5.1 or something. Instead it's just some lame pics and bad quality ACCs

You have it right there! A loss-less format is definitely in order. In the land of gigabyte mobile devices, you can easily get rid of the lossy compression formats to give a lot better sound quality.

I was disappointed at iTunes LP from the beginning. It was too little too late and more of a novelty than anything else. It really didn't give the experience of having an album cover in your hands as you played the songs. Hopefully with the iPad, you can interact with artwork as the album plays. There is so much that can be done.

The best example I can see of doing it right are these iPhone apps that play a selection of a band's songs as you mess with the apps animations and hot spots. If that can be put together with a big iPad screen and have the songs trigger some animations and such, that would be cool.

IMO, an indie band will do something cool with the format that will take everyone way making some record exec taken back. That is how the "Paul is Dead" stuff started with the artists messing with the visuals, backward masking and word play in the lyrics.

Heck, do something with QR codes!