So I've been listening to the new NIN album,
Year Zero. I took it out of its case this morning when I brought it over to listen to it at work. I popped the cd out of its case and noticed the CD label was black. Odd, i thought, yesterday afternoon after I got it in the mail, I could have sworn the cd label was an off white. I remember making note of that because I expected Trent, being the master of darkness that he is, to decide to print black cd labels on the new album. Sure enough the cd label is thermally sensitive, it turns white when exposed to heat. Play around with it yourself!
This is a great example of how artists can keep physical media alive. I.e., by keeping their packaging creative and turning it into a work of art. MP3's are here to stay, they may even become the primary form of music distribution, but there will always be a market for collectors, and here's where the record companies can keep their physical unit sales. Load the CD with memorabilia and turn the CD market into a collectors market.
If you are a fan of great album packaging check out compact discs by artists,
Sigur Ros. These guys are artists to the core.
