Snow Patrol has released something they call an Interactive Album. It is a downloadable application for mobile phones – mostly the Iphone it seems – and it contains images, lyrics, cover art, videos plus – tada – the music. “It will be an interactive element; a digital booklet that will take you into the videos and content,” says Polydor product manager Liz Goodwin. “For fans it will be a real must-have, and the fact that they are the first band to do this gives us an additional angle for exposure.”
The idea is great I think. In this time with loose mp3 songs flying around outside their intended structures, concepts or cartons, the idea of a full album needs an attractive packaging again. As you might understand, I am a bit of an album-hugger. I like the full length, artistic expression of several songs meant to fit together. I like listening to a full album with the dynamics and mood that the artist wants to create. I like to get a consequent sound in the intended playing order. I also like some good artwork and lots of extra stuff to make the product worth the cost.
It would be a problem if this product is regarded as a fast way to higher sales. Just throwing in some images and a pdf with the lyrics wont be good at all, just a silly way to give a new name to greed. Since the nineties there has been strange and bad interactive stuff available on musical CD:s, produced in desperation to fake value for the money. What I am trying to say is that a new product with new ideas for publishing and use of media will be worth a better fate than being ignored as a poor excuse to sell music with useless extra crap that nobody wants.
Another problem is if the application is locked to the Apple/Itunes/Iphone structures. That can never be a good way get popular among the masses
An interactive, digital product in album form can be so interesting. It can be a step to vitalizing music expression and marketing. Hopefully this is a step on the way. I will soon write more about our own product, the web album, which we are just about ready to publish.
