CONVENTIONS OF A DIGIPAK

DIGIPAK A digipak is a patented style of CD or DVD packaging, and is a registered

trademark of AGI media, or MedWestvaco etc. They normally have a gatefold like a book. The outer packaging is made of card/paper and the inner is made of

plastic. They are normally used for special editions and albums. More vulnerable to wear and tear than other CD and DVD packaging due to

the fact they’re made from paper or card. They became popular with artists and record labels in the early 2000’s.

FEATURES Digipaks are designed to fold into a square CD case. They can fold many times and in

many different ways as the amount of panels can vary. The front and back panels are the main ones for promoting the CD/DVD and are used

to draw the audience in. The inside of the digipak is used more for information and extra bits to do with the

artist and the media product. The theme of the inside packaging is normally more subtle than the outer packaging. The carboard/paper folds around the plastic case which secures the disk in place. They have barcodes, record label and prices on the back panel, and usually a

commercial list of what the content of the disks is (tracklist), and the album artwork information.

The front usually displays the artist or an image related to the artist, as well as their brand.

The spine usually has the name of the album and artist on it.

ANALYSIS

The back of the digipak allows the reader to find out more about what the product contains, how much it is and who provided the artwork.

The front is important for drawing in the audience and engaging them with the product, giving them a good first impression to make them want to buy the product.

EXAMPLESSome well known R&B digipaks were released by Rhianna and Beyoncé. They were released in the early 2000’s, and reached a mass audience. The artwork on the digipaks was successful in promoting the product and appealing to their target audience.

Another example of a successful digipak was one released by Oasis in the early 2000’s, it used images of instrument instead of the artists to reinforce the bands ideology and show that their music is authentic and real. Using artistic images instead of showing the artist is sometimes a better way to represent the products.

DISTRIBUTION Digipaks are usually distributed in high street shops that sell musical

products such as HMV. Many supermarkets also sell this form of music along with CD’s to their

customers at a competitive price. Other stores such as B&M may also distribute some media products at a

lower price, which would be appealing to a different range of artists. Some record labels and artists choose to sell their products independently

or exclusivly and use the internet to do so, this may include using iTunes or a website.

Many media products are sold online nowadays to make the products more affordable and appeal to a wider audience.

MY DIGIPAK PLAN I intend for my product to be marketable in high street music shops such as

HMV, this will allow the target audience to be able to find and purchase the digipak conveniently. It could also be sold in supermarket shops such as Tesco and Asda, this will allow more consumers to purchase the product as it is more widely available to the public.

Media products are also distributed online, so my product would also be available to purchase on the artists website, as well as on the online store of HMV and supermarkets. Equally, it would be available to download a digital version of the digipak using apps such as iTunes, YouTube and Spotify.

My media product will use images of the artist and images relating to the artist with a clear colour theme of black and white which is fitting with the R&B genre.

It will retail at £12.99 which is an average pricing for other products similar.