Importance and Functions of Digipaks

As we have finished our music video we are now looking into the ancillary production work where we will be analysing and creation our own Digipak and Advertisement for our music video. In class we have discussed the importance and functions of digipaks to the music industry.

What is a digipak?
A digipak is a modern approach to CD/DVD packaging, usually made of thick cardboard and it allows the possibility of including a lot more information on the band/artist. They are visually pleasing and can come with 4.6 or 8 panels that fold outwards and they allow the possibility of including more than one disc, perhaps in the form of DVD extras or additional recordings, that accompanies the release of a song, album or DVD. The digipak offers more

Example of a three panel digipak.

than songs to their fans and this would
encourage them to buy it.

A digipak could include these following things :

• Name of the band
• Name of the album
• Track listings for the album
• Production information, including copyright and company details 
• A few thank yous
• Collage of photographs of the band during the filming of a video or rehearsal for a tour
• Snippets of lyrics from the songs
• Behind the scenes information on the making of the album

The overall digipak style should include elements of graphic design- not just images taken from the video. It should consist of 3-4 colours max and no more than two font style. Also it must create some sort of visual
link with the advertisement.  The advert should include the release date and it should display the artist name and title. It also should include tour dates, reviews, websites and the record label.

Albums on Amazon

Albums on iTunes

When purchasing music albums from websites such as iTunes or Amazon you see that they are presented by the album cover. It is important to keep the album cover visual and eye catching because that is what is going to attract the audience. By looking at an album cover it should instantly tell you about the genre of the music and artist.