Distributing iTunes LPs without iTunes

Within days of the iTunes 9 and iTunes LP announcement, people had already thoroughly hacked apart the iTunes LP format only to discover it was just a clever combination of images, HTML, CSS and Javascript. Because any web developer could create an iTunes LP, it seemed strange that indie labels were left out in the cold, with LPs having a high cost of entry and no distribution of their LPs on the iTunes Store.

We do have a report this morning of Apple announcing that they'll be opening up the LP format, but a few inventive artists appear to have leapfrogged that step towards glasnost. It was only a matter of time before someone starting offering iTunes LPs in other ways, and iTunesLP.net is that someone. They're already offering up Disney's Fantasia in the iTunes LP format, but no music is included.

Installing the LP is as easy and double-clicking the downloaded file, but for the music to play properly it must be correctly tagged and named, and of course you need a legitimate way to get the music in question. Even though the site only offers 1 LP currently, it has plenty of tutorials and directions on how to create and distribute your own.

As long as no copyright laws are being broken, I think creating and distributing these LPs is a great idea. It offers users the chance to create visually stunning LPs for older music that the labels wouldn't bother with, and it offers indie labels the chance to get iTunes LPs out there, even if they're not yet available directly in the iTunes Store. With Apple's new policy towards opening up the LP format, this may be a brief opportunity for the workaround, but it's nice to see.

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Source: http://ituneslp.net/

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iTunes Music

Within days of the iTunes 9 and iTunes LP announcement, people had already thoroughly hacked apart the iTunes LP format only to discover it...

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Doug

These things are easy enough to create without the help of Apple.
For a good example of 'home made' iTunes LP, check out the one for Aussie band Tuesday Spoils that is floating around the web.

October 13 2009 at 7:22 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Muero

LPs do not, in fact, have a "high cost of entry."

An Apple spokesperson: "There is no production fee charged by Apple."

Source:
http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=1038901&c=1

October 13 2009 at 10:46 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

laurion

There is still a possibility of running into copyright issues, even without the music. Most of the time lyrics and artwork are also copyright protected by someone. Names and identities (like the name Disney) are also protected in some usages. And I was just reading recently about a television network that is under threat of legal action for misusing a licensed font in their artwork. Caveat Emptor indeed.

That said, anything that lets indie artists and artists who release under Creative Commons licenses a way to use and distribute the format is a good thing.

October 13 2009 at 10:24 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to laurion's comment

charli

the notion would be that the artist in question would be using the info to make their own LPs.

then again Jobs said in the keynote that this was the intention so they are probably working on some kind of SDK or maybe even software to assist in the process. this way they can ensure that all LPs are coded correctly, etc.

my guess about the fee is that this was an optional one if one simply wanted Apple to do the labor for you. not some mandatory thing like the iphone developer registration fee and such

October 14 2009 at 2:06 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Thomas

I'm just waiting for Apple to get them on the Apple TV and possibly the iPhone. They seem infinitely more suited to the armchair experience of Apple TV than for interaction with via your computer.

October 13 2009 at 10:00 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply