Digipak Analysis

A digipak is content from an artist that has 6 sides and usually contains 2 CD's, an album or single the artist made and a bonus track, whilst the other sides will usually feature the track list, lyrics, artwork, promotions and occasionally even a personal message from the artist themselves. Digipaks are mainly created by artists to attract more fans to their work, as they will see the digipak as more than just music, there is far more content, and they may appreciate pretty and attractive artwork, as well as the artist going out of their way to address their fans with a message.  It also usually contains a bonus disc, content that buyers of a jewel case CD will not receive, meaning buyers of the digipak will get further value for money. A jewel case CD does not have much content, it is a CD case usually only having four aspects, which are the front cover, back cover, inside cover and disc case. Many may see this as basic and not much appealing about it, and the images don't tend to be as high quality as a digipaks images are and less effort is spent creating a jewel case CD. A digipak is longer lasting not only due to it having more content, but also the fact that jewel cases are easily ripped when removed or put back into the black grips, making it flimsy and also unappealing to remove. 

The digipak that I have decided to analyse is from Indie artist Gabrielle Aplin. The digipak shown is from her debut album "English rain",  which peaked at number 2 in the UK albums chart, showing that this was a success. Here we can clearly see the contents in the photo meet the requirements of a "digipak". It contains the CD, which is obviously essential and must be included and is the real content that the buyer is mainly after. It is not known how many songs the disc contains in this certain digipak, however we can see it is very colourful and brightly designed, standing out to the viewer and making it look very presentable. This will attract an audience as the colours used are bright and enticing and it looks appealing and viewers may believe that if the artwork is cool and interesting, then the music will be of that caliber too. On the CD the image is a picture of an umbrella but it is multicoloured, something usually not seen. The constant array of colours shows the artist an outgoing person and could also have a meaning that although it may be a "rainy day", hence the use of the umbrella and rainy days are associated with misery, she is able to look past her troubles with a positive attitude and that she will come out better on the other side.

The key element which shows this is a digipak is the bonus disc shown. Jewel cases do not contain these so it is clear and evident that the artist has created a digipak. Bonus discs are considered extra content and something added on that a buyer will not receive when purchasing a standard jewel case, it allows the buyer to hear songs that didn't quite make the album but are a small collection from the artist themselves. Bonus disc CD's will usually feature hearings of live performances or studio freestyles. This is appealing as it means the buyer gets more value for money and there is even more content available to appeal to a buyer, meaning more for them to look forward to and also enjoy. The artist may gain widespread respect by doing this, as it shows they want to give more to their fans and will put more effort in to do so, in the process showing that they are hardworking and care about their supporters. The artwork of the bonus CD is of colourful balloons on a white background. This could show the artist as being a person with a colourful, outgoing personality and that she likes to explore, as balloons do when they are let go, which could connnote she explores with her lyrical content. Balloons are also associated with celebrations, which could show she is celebrating the landmark release of this album, as it is her debut one. The white background could connote her innocence, as the colour white is associated with this theme and can also show that due to the theme of innocence being present, the album is not likely to contain any strong or offensive language. The overall bright colours and happy themes suggest to the buyer that this album is in general going to have good and positive vibes and not be dark themed.

Another element of this digipak featured is a lyric book. Unlike a bonus disc, a lyric book is usually included in a jewel case, however here the lyric book in this digipak stands out from a jewel case, as we see it has been signed by the artist herself, which is common amongst digipaks as they are known to contain a personal message or note from the artist themselves. This gives a more personal feel and allows the owner of the content to connect with the artist, as she is trying to connect with them by not only providing them content, but also something from herself which is personal and shows the artist is making an extra effort to give more to their fans, which may gain them a lot of respect and better their overall image, which could lead to potentially more fans if more people hear that the artist is a hard working person who gives back to their fans. Overall, the lyric book is helpful for the fans to learn the songs in the album and to maybe sing along themselves.

From looking at the image we can see that the digipak opens out like a book, to reveal artwork inside. Again, images of colourful balloons are present upon a dark background in order to make them stand out, which could connote moving through bad times with literal "flying" colours and to have a positive attitude in troubles that you face. The artwork stands out to the viewer by being of high quality and being colourful, which attracts them into the piece and can attract more viewers with it's good visuals meaning more digipak sales and therefore more success for the artist. The artwork is used to show the buyer that they are not just purchasing a piece of music, but a piece of art and the fact that the CD, the main thing which they are after isn't the only aspect that they can appreciate. The artist by creating a digipak also wants to show that there is more to them than just their music, which is why they introduce artworks, such as the example shown, which also may say something about the artist themselves and paint a picture of them.This further shows the artist wanting to bring more content to their audience and the buyer getting more for their money.

Also shown in this digipak is the front cover, what albums contain whether they are jewel case or digipak. Here we can see it shows the artist name, album cover and the artist herself. Not many album covers tend to show the artist themselves, but instead usually just artwork or a design. Here we see Gabrielle Aplin has implemented both, as the colourfully edited umbrella is present again, with her holding it. Gabrielle Aplin may have wanted to show herself on the cover due to the fact that it is her debut album and she wants to introduce and advertise herself in order to make a mark. It also gives a personal feel and makes the viewer feel like they can connect with the artist as they are seeing them right infront of them, up close and personal. The front cover is what mainly sells the album, as it's what potential buyers first see when they look at the album. Bright colours or attractive artwork may better attract a potential customer into buying the album, which is what Gabrielle Aplin has done here by introducing many colours on the umbrella. The artists name is in solid block font, which makes it stand out to a viewer and also makes it easy to navigate.

In conclusion, digipaks are an interesting creative element mainly used as a marketing tool by an artist. Many people nowadays who buy albums prefer them to Jewel cases, as there is more on offer and it has a more personal feel from the artist and allows their fans to better connect with them. Gabrielle Aplin's digipak links in with the indie genre as the genre is all about artists being themselves, which is shown with the artist showing off the type of person she is with the use of bright colours and edits. The hidden meaning behind the images of having a bright and positive attitude through personal troubles is easy to relate to as many may have had problems that the artist has faced before, which allows the audience to relate with the artist, a convention of the indie genre itself as it's artists are considered relatable and down to earth characters, Due to digipaks rising popularity and interesting nature, I have decided to create one for our groups chosen artist, "John Spencer". Conducting this research has taught me that my digipak will likely need bright and appealing colours in order to stand out and feature artwork that has good quality images. There will be a photo of our artist (me) on the cover as this is my supposed debut album and it is vital that I advertise myself and show my image to introduce myself into the indie genre and introduce myself to new potential fans. My digipak will definitely contain a bonus track as this is what many digipaks tend to contain and it means that my fans get more for their money and that my artist is going the extra length to give more to his fans.