Inside the new iTunes LP format

With the release of iTunes 9 came iTunes LP. Our own Dave Caolo gave iTunes LP a glowing review, but if you're wondering just how Apple worked their magic with the new format, web developer Jay Robinson has picked it apart thoroughly. As it turns out, simply replacing the ".itlp" extension with ".zip" reveals the contents of the package, which are actually HTML, CSS, and a little JavaScript. The Flash-like interfaces really use no Flash, but instead rely on the proposed CSS3 animation properties. If you're a web developer like yours truly (or a few other TUAW bloggers), you'll definitely want to check out Jay's analysis of the format.

We've also been informed by a loyal tipster that if you take that unzipped folder of content and put it in your Sites directory (with Web sharing turned on, naturally), you might try browsing to it from your iPhone or iPod touch and seeing what shows up in Mobile Safari. Fascinating.

View Tags

Source: http://jayrobinson.org/2009/09/11/some-notes-on-itunes-lp/

Categories

Odds and ends iTunes Graphic Design

With the release of iTunes 9 came iTunes LP. Our own Dave Caolo gave iTunes LP a glowing review, but if you're wondering just how Apple...

Add a Comment

Sign in »

13 Comments

Filter by:

Universal Indie Records

Actually, I've just created my own iTunes LP album. It's pretty basic but I learned a lot in the process as well.

You can download it from
http://www.universalindie.com

warning: it's hip hop (lol)

October 21 2009 at 12:40 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Universal Indie Records

These guys have created their own album in iTunes LP format and the content of their ".itpl" file is a lot easier to follow

http://ilongplay.com/#download-listen-tryad%22

it's a free download... so I'd advise people to check it out...

October 13 2009 at 10:41 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

jayrobinson

I have been trying to build my own iTunes LP, but I have struggled with grabbing the correct songs from my library. The internal .xml files reference an "xid" of the songs it should play.

Any ideas?

September 20 2009 at 3:11 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Mickey

So, theoretically, could someone build their own iTunes LP artwork and such for albums?

September 15 2009 at 3:59 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Andrew Black

A much more complete rundown is provided by roughlydrafted, which points out that iTunes LP is built using a new TuneKit JavaScript Framework that bridges web content with iTunes control:

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/09/14/new-itunes-lp-and-extras-built-using-tunekit-framework-aimed-at-apple-tv/

September 15 2009 at 3:51 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Giants Win

I tried to upgrade to iTunes 9.0. Now I can't sync my podcasts or access the iTunes Store. According to the Apple forums, this is a common problem. I will give it a day or two to see if there is a patch then uninstall and reinstall iTunes 8.11.

September 15 2009 at 2:17 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

orta

My band has their own iTunes LP, check it out for free at http://brutaltechnopunk.com :)

September 15 2009 at 1:58 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

utterer

Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Part 2 is better.

September 15 2009 at 1:04 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Paul Mensah

The Blueprint 3 is one of the best albums this year! Buy It!

September 15 2009 at 12:54 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Hobbes

You don't have to change the extension to see the contents of the package. Just right click on the .itlp file and choose "Show Package Contents".

September 15 2009 at 12:10 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to Hobbes's comment

CyBeR

Indeed. They're not zip files at all, just packages. Renaming a folder to .zip just has the side effect of the finder not having any idea wtf you're doing (a .zip is always a file) so it just returns to the default behaviour of showing it as a folder.

September 15 2009 at 12:33 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply