Dec
15
Dutch entertainment product retailer Free Record Shop operates about 250 stores in Western Europe, and is opening a new concept store in the Belgian city of Antwerp.
Branded as “Your source for entertainment”, the store is divided into different zones of color, each themed for games, movies, and music.
“We also installed seven scan listen/preview posts offering our complete inventory of music tracks, previews, music clips and trailers,” says Dominique Frantzen, commercial manager at Free Record Shop Belgium. “The nucleus of the new shop is ‘the source,’ a collection of bowl-shaped screens playing the newest music clips and movie trailers.”
Frantzen added: “At Free Record Shop, 36% of the turnover is music sales and we remain one of the reliable retailers for CD-singles.”
Source: FRS Launches New Concept Store in Antwerp
Dec
15
Another in a line of bankruptcies for distribution companies, this time it’s Fusion Distribution III out of Montreal. Managed by Jim West, the company one time supported a staff of 50, which has now been cut to 13. Quoth West:
“There’s no question that [Fusion] is in big trouble,” West says. “It will be tough to reorganize.”
Bankruptcy Protection For Canada’s Fusion III
Dec
15
DVD cover art tutorial
Filed Under DVD Packaging | Leave a Comment
Anyone looking for a quick rundown on desiging a DVD cover, look no further!
Dec
12
Like a lot of what we love here, Polish rapper Aborab’s new album design is a work of art in it’s own right. Designed by Jan Kallwejt and featured in The Dieline, the insert folds out into a colorful, inspired mini poster that matches the rest of the piece.
Check out Aborab’s packaging.
Dec
11
Simpsons Movie Soundtrack
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The Simpsons has always been a great franchise, and the packaging for their movie soundtrack doesn’t miss a beat. Though unfortunately one aspect of the design comes across as a bit of a tease.
The Krispy Kreme Box. Notice the blank space in the middle of the donut.
Opening the box, so far so good.
The tantalizing, unique, cool package.
The disappointment. Let it be known that this particular photo was not released with the rest of the promotional materials.
Ahh! No hole in the donut! Boo!
Dec
11
The list featuring TV On The Radio’s “Dear Science” in top spot. Unfortunately, things only go downhill from there. One of the more uninspired choices include Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter III” as the third best musical album of the year. Read that last part again.
Rounding out the top five are Bob Dylan’s “Telltale Signs” bootleg, My Morning Jacket’s “Evil Urges”, and John Mellencamp’s album “Life, Death, Love”.
Adding insult to injury, The Jonas Brothers “A Little Bit Longer” somehow edge out venerable actual rockers AC/DC’s “Black Ice” at 40 and 41, respectively. I suppose the title “Album of the Year” includes more criteria than musical ability alone.
Dec
11
CD and DVD Manufacturing on the rise
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According to the Boston Herald, New Jersey based manufacturer Disc Makers has seen quite a sizable rise in production of CDs and DVDs. CD sales are up 11% as of June this year, with DVD sales up 22%. The Herald also notes that the cost of manufacturing CDs is becomming more affordable.
Dec
8
Or they want a quick infusion of cash, depending on how you look at the situation. Terra Firma, the company that purchased EMI in 2007, is in talks to sell the company’s distribution chain resources to rivals Sony BMG or Warner Music.
By negotiating with rival music companies rather than third parties, EMI was more likely to secure an upfront payment, people familiar with the talks said. Its rivals could potentially make savings by consolidating their distribution with that of EMI.
Source: FT.com
Dec
8
Featured Designer: Dusty Steward
Filed Under CD Packaging, Featured Designers | 2 Comments
Dusty Steward
I’m lucky today for the opportunity to speak with one of the most creative minds in cd packaging design, Dusty Steward, who is sharing an eye catching and unique CD package with us.
After studying his trade at various schools in southern California, Dusty settled in and graduated from Cal State Long Beach, where he worked as a freelancer even while studying. After graduation, Steward moved up the freeway to Hawthorne, CA, where he continues his freelance practice along with other design ventures including a clothing line, print and web design, motion graphics, and logo / brand design.
His featured project, pictured below, was created for the Los Angeles hip-hop group Dilated Peoples. It features the type of creativity in package design we just live for!
The design involves two digipaks contained in an outer cardstock sleeve which has a custom created mixer printed on the outside. The inside of the digipaks themselves resemble the turntables often used in hip-hop production.
As wonderful as the design is, another bit of magic is there you can’t see from the pictures. When one of the digipak “turntables” is pulled out of the sleeve, the other comes right out along with it!
Here’s what he had to say about the final product:
The packaging below was directly inspired by all aspects of the music, and is focus on the style and era that make hip-hop have such a strong impact. The original idea for this design was to represent the core strength of the group. I found that much of their success could be attributed to their DJ, DJ Babu, who is a mastermind on the turntables. I took this idea of using turntables and created several mock-ups all which solved the universal issue of design aesthetic. I found that this design complimented the group and created a unique experience for the audience, it enabled the buyer to literally become part of the product.
For Dusty, design isn’t a career, but a lifestyle. He strives to be the best at what he does, and we have to say, he’s well on his way. It is easy to see the passion for design and creativity Dusty brings to his work.
Visit four9seven.com for more work from Dusty and his firm.
All images are © Dusty Steward, and used with permission.
Dec
4
The promo CD gravy train
Filed Under Compact Disc News | Leave a Comment
Randall Roberts of LA weekly pens a fascinating tell all, expose, or confession, whatever you want to call it, covering the promo CD racket that sits beneath the music reviewer industry.
What on earth do those guys do with their piles of free CDs? The answer is probably a surprise to few who frequent used record stores: they’re sold. The thing is, nobody ever talks about it. Roberts was even asked not to publish his report by an interviewee, thinking it might put an end to his sweet gravy train.
The bounty therefore becomes something you have to deal with, like a farmer stuck with molding grain as winter approaches.
So then what? Do you throw it away, and let all that plastic end up in a landfill? Do you donate it to Goodwill, where some thrifty hipster will buy it for cheap? Do you give it to your friends? Do you sell it?
Often, nudge-nudge, wink-wink, the so-called “tastemakers” do just that. Of course, finding anybody in the music business to actually talk about this vast and ever-fluctuating underground economy is tough. Ask a publicist what he does with unwanted promos and there’s usually an awkward pause, as though you’d just asked after his porno collection.
Confessions of a Promo-CD Junkie: Who Will Stop the Music Industry Gravy Train?
