Digipack Timeline

1. TIMELINE OF DIGIPACKS

2.  • A digipack is a type of packaging for CD’s usually made
from paper and cardboard with internal plastic segments
designed for holding one or more discs.
 Folded in a method that resembles a book; this is called a
gatefold.
 Usually contains leaflets, with lyrics, and photographs within
the case.
WHAT IS A DIGIPACK?

3.  Digipack’s became popular in the 2000s after being
developed amongst record labels.
 They were the first successful alternatives to jewel cases.
 They were originally owned by IMPAC Group Inc.
 In 2000 MeadWestvaco MWV purchased the company which
 then also later folded into AGI Media.
 In 2010 MeadWestvaco sold AGI Media to Atlas Holdings.
 In 2012 Atlas Holdings purchased Shorewood packaging and
combined the two together to form AGI-Shorewood.
HISTORY OF DIGIPACKS

4.  A jewel case or Optical disc packaging is the packaging that
accompanies CD’s, DVD’s and other formats of optical discs.
Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect
the media from scratches and other types of exposure
damage.
WHAT IS A JEWEL CASE?

5.  The Digipak’s aim is to promote the artist and sell the physical album.
 The Digipak must have a consistent ‘house style’; this may include colour, font and
imagery.
 The design and content must not only be consistent throughout the product itself
but also with affiliated products which together make up the brand of the artist;
this includes the music video and website.
 The Digipak’s style should also clearly reflect the genre of music that the artist
belongs to.
 The Digipak must be of very high quality as it is a relatively expensive product (in
comparison to cd’s or mp3’s); and so should be presented as an attractive
luxury/novelty product.
 The Digipak must be ergonomic; it’s design should make the product as easy and
pleasant to use for the audience as possible - this may be achieved through the use
of cut outs, tabs and pockets, and an easy to follow layout.
 Many Digipacks are constructed to reflect the subliminal message’ to the audience,
particularly a message that is also conveyed by the music itself.
In our final product we aspire to conform to as many of these conventions as possible
in order to ensure that our product is engaging with its target audience and also has
an effective layout so that it is comparable to other digipacks made before it
CONVENTIONS OF A DIGIPACK

6.  Digipacks are less common than Jewel case CD’s in the
present day and are only used for special editions of albums
or for singles.
 Due to only being made of cardboard and plastic digipacks
are more likely to become damaged and show signs of general
wear and tear unless they are stored in safe places
 They are also more environmentally friendly as they are made
from materials that can all be recycled
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF
DIGIPACKS

7. The LP (from "long playing"[1] or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a vinyl record
format characterized by a speed of 33 1⁄3 rpm, a 12- or 10-inch (30 or 25 cm) diameter, and use
of the "microgroove" groove specification. Introduced by Columbia in 1948, it was soon adopted
as a new standard by the entire record industry. It has since remained the standard format for
vinyl albums.
The LP was soon confronted by the "45", a 7 -inch (180 mm) diameter fine -grooved vinyl record
playing at 45 rpm. It was introduced by RCA Victor in 1949. To compete with the LP, boxed
albums of 45s were issued, along with EP (Extended Play) 45s, which squeezed two or even three
selections onto each side. Despite these ef forts, the 45 succeeded only in replacing the 78 as
the format for singles.
The popularity of the LP ushered in the "Album Era" of popular music, at the beginning of the
1960s, as performers took advantage of the longer playing time to create coherent themes or
concept albums. Although the popularity of LPs began to decline in the late 1970s with the
advent of Compact Cassettes, and later compact discs, the LP survives as a format to the present
day
WHAT IS AN LP?

8.  The Compact Audio Cassette (CAC) or Music cassette (MC), also commonly called the cassette tape or
simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and
playback. It was released by Philips in 1 9 63, having been developed in Hasselt, Belgium . Compact
cassettes usually come in two forms, either already containing content as a pre -recorded cassette, or
as a fully recordable "blank" cassette. Both forms are reversible by the user.
 Compact Cassettes contain two miniature spools, between which the magnetically coated, polyester -
type plastic film (magnetic tape) is passed and wound . These spools and their attendant parts are
held inside a protective plastic shell .
 Although the birth and growth of the cassette began in the 1960s, its cultural moment took place
during the 1 9 70s and 1 9 80s. The cassette's popularity grew during these years as a result of being a
more effective, convenient and portable way of listening to music
 Some musicians and DJs in the independent music community maintain a tradition of using and
releasing cassettes due to its low cost and ease of use .
 In 2 0 16, retail chain Urban Outfitters, which had long carried Vinyl LPs, started carrying a line of
new pre-recorded cassette tapes along with blank cassettes and players featuring both new and
vintage albums.
WHAT IS A CASSETTE?

9. Compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co -developed
by Philips and Sony and released in 1982. The format was originally developed to
store and play only sound recordings but was later adapted for storage of data (CD -
ROM).
Standard CDs have a diameter of 120 millimetres (4.7 in) and can hold up to about
80 minutes of uncompressed audio or about 700 MiB of data. The Mini CD has various
diameters ranging from 60 to 80 millimetres (2.4 to 3.1 in); they are sometimes used
for CD singles, storing up to 24 minutes of audio.
From the early 2000s CDs were increasingly being replaced by other forms of digital
storage and distribution, with the result that by 2010 the number of audio CDs being
sold in the U.S. had dropped about 50% from their peak; however, they remained one
of the primary distribution methods for the music industry. In 2014, revenues from
digital music services matched those from physical format sales for the first time
WHAT IS A CD?

10. LP EXAMPLE 1
The vinyl LP for Bjőrk’s album ‘Debut’ (1993) conforms to the
conventions of a digipack and other musical formats due to its
cohesive use of colour scheme and font. For example we see the
consistent use of the sepia toned colour scheme that features the
artist gazing directly into the camera and directly addressing the
audience. It is also reflective of the pop music genre as the artist is
shown to be wearing casual clothing and minimal makeup, this is
therefore presenting the artist as ‘stripped down’ and vulnerable so
that they appear more vulnerable and ‘human’ to their fans that
follow their musical career.

11. LP EXAMPLE 2
The front cover shows Madonna with short-cropped platinum
hair, wearing a number of black rubber bangles on her hands
and a dog chain around her throat. Her navel is also prominent
on the inner sleeve of the album. The album was re-released
in 1985 for the European market and re-packaged as
Madonna: The First Album with a different artwork created by
photographer George Holy. The cover features Madonna in
similar style of dress to the original cover but this time with
crucifix as her earrings. Madonna's trademark style was
catching on as a fashion statement among club kids and fans,
with her crucifix accessories becoming the jewellery of the
moment. This shows that the album was perceived by its
audience to be iconic and the first of its kind as Madonna is
well known for being provocateur.

12. CASSETTE EXAMPLE
The cassette for Bjork's
album ‘Post’ (1995)
conforms to the
conventions of its genre
due to its use of bright
colours and direct
address so that the
audience feels as if they
are able to interact with
the artist by buying this
cassette and listening to
this artist music. The
bright colours also make
it visually appealing and
can also convey a
subliminal message that
relates to the album or
that the audience will be
able to relate to.

13. EXAMPLE 1
The Digipack for Kelela’s album ‘Take Me Apart’ (2017)
conforms to the conventions of digipacks due its
consistency and house style. For example we see the the
use of the colour red throughout this digipacks artwork,
which in relation to Barthe’s semantic codes has the
connotations of love and lust. The album’s title also has
some sexual connotations and this might be why the artist
has chosen this colour to be used in the album’s artwork.
There is also the use of gold which has connotations of
wealth and luxury which links to the idea associated with
this album of celebrating femininity and womanhood which
is shown in these photographs as the female artist is being
presented in a regal fashion.

14. CD EXAMPLE 2
The digipack for Rihanna’s album ’Anti’ (2016) conforms to the
conventions of a digipack due to its use of artwork and colour. For
example we see the same image from a variety of different angles
and some prints that feature images of the artist. These are also all
printed on glossy paper that feels luxurious so that the audience will
feel as if they are getting a luxury item that is worth the more
expensive price they have paid for this digipack, that is designed for
those who are loyal fans of this artist.