[Ti] iTunes 4.6...

[Christopher Murphy]

Dear All,

The following is slightly off-topic for this specific list, however, if
anyone can assist me with feedback, opinions and/or answers I'd very much
welcome it as it would feed into my current teaching and research.

As a designer who's been interviewed more than a few times recently about
the nature of the artwork that accompanies CDs, vinyl and other 'lost'
formats 'disappearing' I'd really welcome further input/thoughts on this
(off list if you prefer).

Quote:

<<I noticed it supports having more than one piece of artwork in an MP3.>>

<Multiple artwork per an MP3 or ACC file in iTunes was available in previous
versions.>

I'm a designer based in the UK, i.e. with no purchasing power at the iTunes
Music Store (yet!), and can only import artwork into iTunes by searching
on Google, Amazon and/or other search engines/online stores and then
dragging and dropping the artwork into iTunes. (This in itself is an issue
fraught with copyright problems that I think Apple has failed to address by
allowing this feature in iTunes).

Whenever I import album artwork into iTunes it is re-sampled at 225 x 225
pixels square resolution, often resulting in cover artwork that is blurred,
covered in digital compression 'artefacts' and, generally, of poorer quality
than the artwork that accompanies my physically purchased CDs.

My research and concerns are twofold:

1. How does the everyday user feel about the loss of packaging that
inevitably accompanies the shift towards digital media?

Music has always had a strong design element. Consider The Beatles' 'Sgt.
Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band', designed by the British pop artist Peter
Blake (long established through polls to be one of the most recognisable
icons of British visual culture). With the shift towards digital media the
need for packaging (to protect an item - in the traditional sense) is lost.
If we follow this to its logical conclusion we run the risk of losing visual
icons like the above...

Does the possibility that the visual aspects of music may be lost as a
result of the shift towards downloadable music worry the everyday consumer?
Or does it only worry designers?

2. Getting right to the point. Would the average listener on this list be
prepared to pay an additional fee for digital artwork (visual, interactive,
whatever...) to complement downloadable audio?

I'm trying to establish through my research what real value the everyday
user places on the visual accompaniment to audio.

I've no doubt most of the contributors to this list have a favourite album
cover, one that stands out in their memory, that - if they saw it - they
could place immediately. Again, think Pink Floyd's 'The Dark Side of the
Moon'. How do we feel about the fact that as we shift towards digital audio
distribution we may lose this whole slice of culture forever?

If you can spare five minutes - off-list if you prefer - to give me your
thoughts on this I would very much appreciate it. It would feed into my
current research as a university lecturer and you would, of course, be fully
credited.

My address is: chris.murphy at ulster.ac.uk (or) chris at fallt.com

Thank you.

Best,

Christopher @ Fallt


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