Research - Importance and Function of Digipaks

Yesterday we had our first lesson since finishing the music video production and have now moved on to looking at the ancillary products we will be producing - a digipak and magazine advertisement. However, for this lesson we primarily looked at digipaks (as this is what we will be creating first) discussing the roles they play in terms of the music industry today.

The first thing we covered was what a digipak actually is, which I went over in this post as I'm quite familiar with them already (I own several). Nonetheless, they are available in either four, six or eight panels which fold in on themselves, usually to the size of a regular jewel case album. Because of this, they allow more information and graphics related to the artist to be included and so the digipak is marketed towards fans that want something extra with their music. Ultimately, it is a way for the music industry to add value to an album and sell it for a slightly more expensive price than your average album. It also helps combat music piracy because, whilst a fan could illegally download the tracks from the album, they wouldn't be able to get the physical extras that come with the digipak. Whilst I think it's an interesting approach, I don't really see this as an effective way to entice fans on a wide scale to turn to buying music, especially with the new generation of young music fans that have only ever obtained music illegally. Nonetheless, I do find myself drawn to digipaks more than regular jewel case CDs, especially when they contain bonus content such as extra tracks or a DVD, so it must be working on some kind of scale.

Example of a print advert explicitly promoting a 'limited edition digipak' version of an album, which I found and scanned from a copy of Q Magazine. It also mentions all the singles that have been released from the album, which the audience may be familiar with, as well as bonus DVD features, the latter of which aims to get the consumer to invest in the digipak, as they probably won't be able to obtain these bonuses illegally.

Moving on, we looked at the features of a digipak which we will need to incorporate into our own designs, and their relation to the magazine advert. The main features that will definitely need to be included are the name of the artist, name of album, tracklist on the back + production information (e.g. copyright disclaimer, label, etc.) There are also a number of other things that could be included which are not typical of every digipak, but can be typical of a certain genre or target audience. This can include 'behind the scenes' photos (from a video shoot, live gig, etc.), thank you messages, lyric snippets and 'making of'' information. In addition, the colour scheme of and fonts used on the digipak must be thought about carefully, especially as these must tie in with the magazine advertisement. This is because there must be a recurring visual link between the ancillary products, which can be reinforced further by featuring similar or the same images from the digipak on the advertisement.

But what is it about album/album covers, and more precisely digipaks, that makes them so popular? As a class, we raised several points regarding this. Artist image is a major one, as it helps consumers to be able to identify the artist that is portrayed on the artwork (unless they are of a genre where the artist is not usually shown, e.g. dance music). This in turn means that an artist could play with their persona, whether expressing a different one to who they are or to illustrate their personality. A good example that we discussed was Rihanna, who for each of her album eras has adapted a unique image and style. The release of her fifth studio album, Loud, cemented her status as a style icon with her signature red hair appearing on her album and single covers, as well as her music videos, and as a result being adopted by many. A simple Google search for "rihanna red hair" yields results such as "Get Rihanna's red hair" and "Does anyone know what shade of red Rihanna's hair is?", illustrating the influence she has had on pop culture with something as trivial as hair colour. Rihanna is just one of many artists who have made the most of their opportunity to demonstrate their style on their album artwork and in turn set a trend.

Ancillary products as a whole are important for an artist and the music industry as without them, how else would the public hear about new music? By putting money into producing these products and advertisements, they are able to target a wide but also specific album purchasing audience. It also serves in trying to persuade more casual fans to part with their cash for a digipak by playing on their love of music, i.e. putting it across that if you are a serious fan of an artist's music then you should buy a copy of their digipak to add to your collection. All of this in turn leads back to the industry bringing in profit by branching out into a variety of media.

Researching Ancillary Products - Impact of Art

The image on the front of a Digipak represents the artist and the type of music they are making at the moment. Throughout the years, Rihanna has used her albums to change her image and the genre of music she makes. In doing so she has become a major trend setter and fashion icon recognised worldwide, as her fashion and style choices have influenced people all over the world. In every one of these album covers Rihanna is promoting a new image and representing new music.

Music of the Sun is Rihanna's debut album. Here she is a fresh faced young RnB Artist. This is a close up of her face so we can recognise the artist and put a name to her face. There are two fonts on this cover, her name is in big letters and a bold font that really stands out and the title of the album in smaller letters. It links to the video out at this time as she is dressed in sparkly 'party' clothes and her hairstyle is very similar to her video released just before the album. A prime example of constant promotion by linking the two things.

Here is Rihanna's second album, A Girl Like Me. In this album her look is very similar to her first album, to show the relation in the artist and the big jump in style could lose her fans so early in her career. Once again there is a close up shot of the artist, and the title of the album and name of the artist is the same. The colours are subtle and we are drawn straight away to the huge picture of the artist, who looks really good. This piece of art will make her more memorable.

Rihanna's third album 'Good Girl Gone Bad' changes her image completely. It represents her breaking out of her sweet girl persona and turning much more edgy and different. Here hair cut is different, short and black, and her body language suggests confidence and sexuality. The black and white colours contrast her name, which is in big letters across her body. This makes her name stand out more so fans can put her name to her face, and notice the new style she has developed.

Rihanna's fourth studio album cover 'Rated R' shows another drastic change in fashion. The cover is black and white, which represents the rocky, edgy music she is beginning to produce. The artist is very well known no so her name is not present on the album cover, but just a symbolic 'R' which now represents her, and this logo is used to brand her now. Her make up is dark and extravagant, and her change of style sets trends as her hair is much shorter which influences several fans to go for a similar look. She is reaching a wider audience by changing her look also, her versatility allows her to appeal to more people.

Her fifth studio album cover 'Loud' conveys another drastic change in look. The colours are brighter here, but still subtle as Rihanna flaunts her new red hair with matching red lipstick. This close up shot attracts attention as the colour red stands out and you can see the change in the artists look. Once again, trend setting, Rihanna has become a fashion icon and her fans and other celebrity's are inspired by this look. Again, her name is not on the cover because she is so well known, and this huge image of her which takes up the entire cover is clear to the fans and consumers who this artist is. Unlike Rihanna, I will definitely be putting the name of my artist on the cover as it is her first album and it's important for every one to remember the name of the artist and her face.

Finally, Rihannas most recent album 'Talk That Talk' is a prime example of the artists change in fashion and style again. This medium close up shows another different, edgy side to the artist and her tongue out conveys set appeal and fun. Like her earlier album 'Rated R' she has used her logo on this album cover. This links her to the other album as we assume she is producing a similar style of edgy, pop and some aspects of pop rock like her Rated R album. Again the artists hair style has changes and she is dressed in a patter shirt and jewellery. This will inspire her fans to follow her style and she keeps her recognition as a fashion icon.

Therefore Rihanna is a prime example of the popularity of art helping to promote an artist. Rihanna's ability to be versatile with her look can not only inspire people, but also appeals to a wider audience and extends her fan base.

Researching Ancillary Products - Conventions

There are various Codes and Conventions of Digipak Covers that the majority of Digipaks follow in order to be categorised as a successful Digipak cover. We went over these functions in class so we could really get an idea of how to set out our Digipaks and what sort of things we need to put in them.

Here is a screen grab of the presentation we went over in class. It covers a typical example of a Digipak and things we need to include in it. On the inside there is usually features like, acknowledgements, graphic designs, tracks lists and other things like a booklet of lyrics, backstage pictures, exclusive photos and band/artist details.

The front of the Digipak includes a picture of the band/artist or some sort of representation of them, so this could be a symbol or logo. Production information is written, like the copyright and company details. There is usually the name of the artist and the album title.. Some covers have promotional stickers and then on the back there's the bar code and the track list in the same font as the artists name.

We were given some advice when doing our Digipaks,

• Follow Conventions
• A5 landscape for the advert
• Good Digipaks will feature quotes about how good the album is
• Good idea to use tour dates on advertisement
• Make the artists name bigger than album title.

Don't:

• No more than 3-4 colours
• No more than 1-2 colours
• No thanks you's (can seem a little embarrassing if we make up random ones!)

Researching Ancillary Products

In today's lesson we discussed as a class and then as a group the importance of Digipaks and their functions in the music industry. A Digipak is a modern approach to CD/DVD packaging that has been introduced by the music industry in the last 10 years. It is made of thick cardboard (conveniently doesn't break when dropped like CDs!) and includes a lot more information on the artist, in a little booklet that comes with it. It's plays on the idea of 'Adding Value' as they are a little more expensive than CDs but include lots more. It can be said that Digipaks are aimed at dedicated fans, as it plays on your love of music and the artist. It is said that 'real fans' will buy their artists' music, and if you don't then you're not a true committed fan!

Digipaks are still sold despite the decline in sales, this is because they are particularly aimed at true fans and aim to give music lovers more for their's money worth. The beauty in Digipaks is that they help to combat piracy, as they cant be downloading as you will not receive the extra features a Digipak provides. This encourages fans to buy Digipaks, therefore supporting the artist and helping the industry. These ancillary products are so important to the artists and industry for many reasons, They help to bring in more profit, as advertising is all around us and constantly promotes the artist. We rely constantly on advertising as there is no other way we would hear about new songs and artists! As well as this, Digipaks are more expensive than CDs, so buying these obviously make the artist and the industry a lot more money.

Digipaks in some ways can be seen as an expression of art which is very popular. Ultimately, as fans of music and art, the combination of both is great, as we love viewing the art of a Digipak/CD cover showing an image of artist or a symbolic representation of them. We enjoy looking a nice things, and it attracts people as a wide audience. The art work of Digipaks is so popular because it represents the artist and stands out. It also allows the artist to change the image and even their music, as a picture on the front usually represents the type of music the artist makes. It is a way of expressing the artists intent and can often set trends and inspire people.

Here are a few album covers, which represent the artists in artistic way. The hiphop artist J.Cole is dressed casually and shot from a far sitting down. The colours are subtle. Beyonce is shot in a mid shot and is looking away from the camera, the image of her dominates the cover. Ellie Goulding, an alternative pop artist is shot in a medium close up with lighting effects around her. The big image of her makes her stand out. Finally, Cher Lloyd, a mainstream pop artist is shot in a different position, lying down conveying the youthful, pop music she makes. The bright but subtle colours also attract attention and stand out.

Research - Album Covers of Similar Artists

Whilst listening to music on iTunes a few days ago, I started thinking about its 'Genius' feature, which enables you to create a playlist containing similar songs to a chosen track, all from your music library. I decided to try this out for our song choice, Howl by Florence and the Machine, and changed the playlist view to show the songs' album covers in a grid. I thought this would be a good yet quick and easy way of getting inspiration for the designing of our digipak, as the album cover will be an important aspect of it. Below is a screenshot of the covers that came up. It was also nice to see the cover art of albums from artists such as Bat For Lashes and Imogen Heap come up, as we have been drawing a lot of inspiration from them.

In addition, I have been using music streaming and recommendation site last.fm for quite a few years now. One of the features it has is to show similar artists if you go on a certain artist's page. This is generated automatically, based on the listening habits of the site's users, as explained in the site's FAQs: "If a lot of users listen to Artist X, but also Artist Y and Z - Y and Z artists will become similar to X." Because of this, I visited Florence and the Machine's artist page and took a look at the artists that came up (which you can see here). From this list, I have compiled several of the artists' album covers into a slideshow in order to provide possible inspiration for our own cover art.

Above albums in order of appearance:

• Marina and the Diamonds - The Family Jewels
• Ellie Goulding - Lights
• Bat for Lashes - Two Suns
• I Blame Coco - The Constant
• Lykke Li - Youth Novels
• Clare Maguire - Light After Dark
• Ellie Goulding - Lights (US Version)
• Bat for Lashes - Two Suns (Special Edition)
• Kate Nash - My Best Friend Is You