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CamCreative Focus Group: can the app save the album?

Published: 30 May 2014 at 01:00

'Piano Ombre' album app

The Cultures of the Digital Economy (CoDE) Research Institute is currently investigating the use of apps as a new album release format, and now we're asking for your input.

Date: Wednesday 9 July 2014
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Hot Numbers, Unit 6 Dale's Brewery, Gwydir Street, Cambridge

Making creativity pay and keeping control of how your work is presented are two of the biggest challenges facing any artist. If you're a musician, right now those challenges seem insurmountable. Piracy and paltry digital download fees mean getting paid is harder than ever, while streaming services like Spotify and single-song download shopfronts like iTunes mean presenting a coherent piece of work - an album, in other words - is almost impossible.

The Cultures of the Digital Economy (CoDE) Research Institute is currently investigating the use of apps as a new album release format, not just preserving the original track listing alongside cover art, sleeve notes and credits but adding a variety of enhanced and interactive content. We've produced an 'album app' for Anglo-French indie band François and the Atlas Mountains, which was released in March alongside the regular album formats (CD, vinyl, download), and now we're asking for your input.

Dr Rob Toulson, Director of CoDE, and copywriter David Greeves will explain the idea behind the project, demonstrating the app itself and asking for your feedback. Is this a viable way to release music and get people to pay for it? What creative possibilities do you see in the format? What do you really care about when it comes to the music you love?

Anglia Ruskin and CoDE want to hear from musicians, designers, app developers, music lovers and anyone with an interest in the difficult task of taking creative work to market.

Come and hear about a fascinating project and help push things forward.