Universal Indie Records creates first independent hip-hop iTunes LP
Cartel, an Independent hip-hop producer and founder of Universal Indie Records recently took it upon himself to experiment withthe iTunes LP format. The result was the creation of the first iTunes LP by an independent Hip-Hop label. This is truly an accomplishment as apple hasn’t provided the full specs to anyone outside the major labels, the whole thing had to be “reverse engineered”. For those who don’t know about the iTunes LP, it is a format which combines music, graphics, video to create a more interactive way for listeners to experience a single/album.
Cartel sees the possibilities in this format a mainly from a marketing perspective. By giving the iTunes LP away for free, one can introduce an artist to listeners and enable them to engage with the music in a more interactive way. The key is to develop a more personalised relation through the increased functionality in this format. If this listener then really “feels” the artist they will hopefully pay to download their album, which they can then put on their MP3 player or burn to an album.
We commend Cartel on his innovative spirit and eagerness to use the developments of new technology, hitherto largely restricted for independents, to further the independent cause.
You can download the iTunes LP for “Tha Throwback Album” here. You will also find the album on most online music stores and streaming services, such as iTunes, Spotify, Deezer.
Tags: cartel, itunes LP, record union, that throwback album, universal indie
October 29th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Is this a format and other further music distribution format/platform a thing you consider to add for releases? I really hope you do it soon.
October 29th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Thanks for the exposure…. though I didn’t really create the first independent iTunes LP… but definitely the first “hip hop” based one.
It’s nice to know that if/when Apple opens this up…. that the indies will be ready.
October 29th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
@Dr.Sounds When the production/distribution technology surrounding the iTunes LP has become more widely available we will look to see how we can to add this to our platform
October 29th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
@Universal indie Our pleasure, keep up the good work! Thanks for the clarification, we updated the title so as not to mislead people.
October 29th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
[...] Article Reprinted from the Record Union Blog Shopping Cart [...]
October 30th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Any news about the upcoming Spotify release that was set for this or the previous week? Have a nice weekend!
October 31st, 2009 at 5:19 pm
UPDATE: Apple has made some modifications to iTunes 9.0.2 that caused the original version of our iTunes LP to not be recognized anymore. This problem has been fixed so if you are having problems please re-download the updated version.