Some Notes On iTunes LP

It’s clear that I’m pretty excited about iTunes LP. The “deluxe album” format from the iTunes Store is an attempt to revitalize music sales by providing an immersive digital experience complete with detailed art reminiscent of when people used to buy records. Feature-wise, an iTunes LP is a DRM-free album in high-quality 256kbps AAC format, along with digital extras (visualizer(s), photos, videos and interviews) wrapped in a custom WebKit-powered site.

This morning I bought Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3, as well as The Doors iTunes LP, and am very impressed. Below I’ve included some screenshots as well as my thoughts on the experience.

General Use

When you purchase an iTunes LP, the music files begin downloading followed by an additional (hefty) file with an “.ITLP” extension. The .ITLP file itself can be over 500MB.

Once you double-click an iTunes LP in iTunes, it takes over your entire window with a WebKit view. A photo fades in and an audio snippet representative of the album will start to play (about 30 seconds). A list of links leads you to the most obvious feature of the iTunes LP: photos, videos and lyric views.

The LP frame seems to have a width and height of 1280×720. This is nice, but means I get ugly scrollbars all over my 13″ MacBook screen. I switched to a larger monitor for the screenshots, so here are some shots of the main features:

iTunes LP Jay-Z Intro Click for full-size.

iTunes LP Jay-Z Lyrics Click for full-size.

iTunes LP Jay-Z Photos Hover for alternate image. Click for full-size.

itunes-lp-jay-z-videos Click for full-size.

iTunes LP Jay-Z Videos Hover for alternate image. Click for full-size.

Visualizer

A wonderful thing happens when you click “Play All” on an iTunes LP — you are treated to a feature I dub iTunes LP visualizer. The visualizer is the “surprise and delight” feature of iTunes LP; a creative display of digital art.

Jay-Z’s iTunes LP album comes with three different visualizers that cycle through at measured intervals. The initial visualizer shows audio waveforms. I mistakenly thought the waveforms were dynamically generated by the music until I watched for a while. Here are the screenshots of the three visualizers, respectively called “Waves”, “Songlist”, and “Puzzle”.

iTunes LP Jay-Z Visualizer Waves Hover for alternate image. Click to see full-size.

iTunes LP Jay-Z Visualizer Songlist Hover for alternate image. Click to see full-size.

iTunes LP Jay-Z Visualizer Puzzle Hover for alternate image. Click to see full-size.

I’ve also included the only visualizer from The Doors album.

itunes-lp-the-doors-visualizer Hover for alternate image. Click to see full-size.

However, listening to music in the iTunes LP introduces some unfortunate user interface problems. Similar to Genius Mixes (also new in iTunes 9) there is no way to ask iTunes to send you to the currently playing song. This means that unless you leave the LP view you cannot rate the song or view any other metadata.

This also causes a problem if you leave the iTunes LP interface to browse your library, then want to return to the LP. The only way is to select the iTunes LP from your file listing and double-click. This results in the iTunes LP site loading from the start and you losing your place through the album.

Fortunately, the usability issue does not cause conflicts with the Play Count, which functions as expected.

WebKit and iTunes LP Internal Structure

I was very curious about iTunes LP and its use of WebKit so I decided to go rooting around in the Finder files. Just like iPhone app files (.IPA files in the Finder), I suspected that changing the .ITLP extension to .ZIP would reveal an archived folder. I was right; once you change the extension you can browse all the files inside. In fact, you can simply right-click and “inspect package contents”, however, it remains to be seen if Apple will take away this functionality in the future. Plus, adding the .ZIP extension allows you to browse the folder without a right-click. Here is what the files inside the The Blueprint 3 iTunes LP look like:

Internal Structure of an iTunes LP, Jay-Z The Blueprint 3

The iTunes LP experience is accomplished with HTML 4.01, CSS and JS. The interface feels very Flash-like, but there is no trace of it. The CSS animations are elaborate and smooth. Font files are referenced with an @font-face declaration in the CSS but there seems to be little to no use. Most text, even long passages of lyrics, is represented visually with a PNG file. I wonder if they originally intended to use font replacement for all text, but changed their mind.

Here is an example the lead me to the above conclusion which I found in The Doors package. The original file was named “song13BackgroundClean.jpg”, but the one used is “song13Background.jpg”.

iTunes LP The Doors font-face Hover for alternate image. Click to see full-size.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, most everything in an iTunes LP works in the latest version of Safari (4.0.3 at time of this writing) except when something tries to call iTunes (like a movie file). Here is what the index.html file looks like when you open it with Safari:

iTunes LP Jay-Z The Blueprint 3 when viewed in Safari 4.0.3 Click for full-size.

The Doors package was littered with leftovers obviously intended for internal use, such as reference images for a completed page and style guides for layout. Here is one such image:

memGuide Click for full-size.

DRM

I didn’t find much in the way of DRM on the iTunes LP. Though your iTunes Store Account is recorded inside the .PLIST file, everything worked even when de-authorizing my computer in the middle of play, as well as removing the reference all together. I would like to see if it would be possible to roll your own iTunes LP by modifying the included .PLIST to point to different sound files.

Conclusion

As a music fan, and as a web developer, I couldn’t be more pleased with the new iTunes LP offering. If your audience is significantly Apple-oriented (e.g. a site about Mac rumors or a popular iPhone app) this proves that you can provide an incredible experience using only JavaScript and some proposed CSS3 properties.

The visualizer is a fun way to watch your music. And impressive; a friend of mine asked, “Is that Flash?” I may learn a thing or two about CSS animation by diving into the code and I encourage you to as well.

Here’s hoping that square blue badge shows up in the iTunes Store a lot more in the future. iTunes LPs are a really fun way to enjoy your favorite albums.

###

P.s. To make a Smart Playlist of all your iTunes LPs, configure so that “Kind” contains “iTunes LP”. I’ve included this because it took me a while to discover what criteria worked, and I thought I’d save you some time.

iTunes LP Smart Playlists

Short URL: http://jwr.cc/x/3


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164 responses to “Some Notes On iTunes LP”

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  122. […] Did you hear the news? Apple “resurrected” the LP! It turns out that a complete reversal of millions of music lover’s listening habits has been accomplished by throwing some images, videos, interviews, and DRM-free 256Kbps AAC audiofiles into a WebKit package playable in iTunes. OK, so maybe we are a little jaded — our busy 21st century lives generally don’t afford us the time to stare glassy-eyed at our computer screen (any more than we have the time to stare glassy-eyed at 12-inch album covers while sitting on the floor of our incense-soaked Haight-Ashbury crash pads). But if you’re morbidly curious about the inner workings of the new iTunes LP format, an experience accomplished via HTML 4.01, CSS and JS, hit the read link for the down-and-dirty tear down from web developer Jay Robinson. And who knows? You just might learn something. […]

  123. […] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments […]

  124. […] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments […]

  125. […] Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email […]

  126. […] wondering just how Apple worked their magic with the new format, web developer Jay Robinson has picked it apart thoroughly. As it turns out, simply replacing the “.itlp” extension with “.zip” […]

  127. […] Some Notes On iTunes LP · Jay Robinson. […]

  128. […] vilains petits secrets que renferment iTunes LP ont été révélés par le développeur Jay Robinson. En fait, il n’y a rien de bien particulier ni de merveilleux, juste des fichiers html 4.01, du […]

  129. […] proper attribution to Jay Robinson now added to the image — a glitch in our CMS caused the error, for which we apologize. – […]

  130. […] fact, when delving into the details of the iTunes LP specification,developer Jay Robinson discovered the following: The LP frame seems to have a width and height of […]

  131. […] 分类: 无线应用, 便携音像, 便携视频 最近有点词穷的小编,就直接开始正文啦!第一件事情,是关于 AirTunes 这个让使用者可以透过 Airport Express 将 iTunes(电脑端数据库)中音乐,串流到家中音响播放的功能;有部分使用者在升级到 iTunes 9 后,再度遇到 AirTunes 出毛病、无法串流播放音乐的状况,不过也不是全部都这么倒霉,其它也有些使用者仅发现讯号有点间歇性的不稳定而已。目前苹果一如往常的慢半拍跳针中,这相关的问题,应该会在下一版的软件更新中解决才是。另一个跟 iTunes 9 有关的消息,则是 iTunes LP 这个新专辑格式;虽然这东西显然跟大部分的读者都无关,不过咱们还是可以来瞧瞧 LP 到底是啥(手不要乱摸!);最近似乎有人闲来无事,把 iTunes LP 给打开来研究,最后则发现 iTunes LP 原来只是一个 WebKit 的封包,里头把一堆声光效果十足的增值内容(歌手的照片、影音访问、MV 等),跟无 DRM 版权保护、256kbps 播放位率的 AAC 音乐档案,包在一起(这包可是很大包,少说 500MB 左右),然后让 iTunes 软件来播放。而这一切美丽的外貌之下,则是包括了一堆 HTML 4.01、CSS、JavaScript 的程序代码,有兴趣的朋友,可以在引用来源里头收看 Jay Robinson 这位网页工程师为大家进行的 iTunes LP 档案『拆解大典』。原文参考连接iTunes 9 breaking AirTunes connections?Apple iTunes LP format gets dissected, explained引用来源 | 此文章网址 | 转寄此文章 | 回应 […]

  132. […] proper attribution to Jay Robinson now added to the image — a glitch in our CMS caused the error, for which we apologize. […]

  133. […] Some Notes On iTunes LP – "Feature-wise, an iTunes LP is a DRM-free album in high-quality 256kbps AAC format, along with digital extras (visualizer(s), photos, videos and interviews) wrapped in a custom WebKit-powered site." […]

  134. […] Team. All Apple is doing here is using in this case is a good Graphic Artist with a web background some CSS skills, some HTML 4.01 knowledge and some Java Script programing skills. This is simplicity at it’s finest! No FLASH! Stay away from Adobe when it comes to web based […]

  135. […] proper attribution to Jay Robinson now added to the image — a glitch in our CMS caused the error, for which we apologize. […]

  136. […] writing about the new iTunes LP format, which does indeed show some potential for next-gen text. Jay Robinson talks about how it looks, then digs into the guts of the files to find WebKit, CSS, etc., while Tristan […]

  137. […] man, Jay Robinson, bought the iTunes LP edition of Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3. Included in the purchase is an “ITLP” file, which is quite large (up to 500MB). Launching the […]

  138. […] pictures & video *(while greatly appreciated are just apart of the basic package). As noted in Jay Robinson’s post “Some Notes on iTunes LP“  there’s a lot more to Apple’s setup. With […]

  139. […] Info’s: http://jayrobinson.org/2009/09/11/some-notes-on-itunes-lp/ Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite    Post in Apple, Fun, Music, Private, […]

  140. […] demorou muito tempo após o lançamento, para ficarmos a saber pela mão do programador Jay Robinson que o iTunes LP consiste basicamente numa pasta comprimida disfarçada por um formato proprietário […]

  141. […] Several web developers have dissected the format to find that it is essentially HTML, Javascript, CSS, and multimedia content – a website. For a little more than the cost of an actual physical CD, you get to save files to your hard drive that largely mirror content you can find online, from the artist’s website itself to Wikipedia, YouTube, and others. […]

  142. […] the technology behind it is just webkit based (per Jay’s post it’s an Html, CSS Animation & JavaScript). Come on guys design from the smallest normal […]

  143. […] dos 12.Não demorou muito tempo após o lançamento, para ficarmos a saber pela mão do programador Jay Robinson que o iTunes LP consiste basicamente numa pasta comprimida disfarçada por um formato proprietário […]

  144. […] menu like and one wonders if it is slated for the TV/computer merger that seems imminent.There is a brilliant article on the internals on the format at Jay Robinson’s website we engourage you to take a look […]

  145. […] But it also strikes me as an inelegant solution at best, especially considering iTunes 9’s iTunes LP format is an HTML- and JavaScript-based 720p format that would work just wonderfully for a digital […]

  146. […] But it also strikes me as an inelegant solution at best, especially considering iTunes 9’s iTunes LP format is an HTML- and JavaScript-based 720p format that would work just wonderfully for a digital […]

  147. […] from artists that work with independent labels will never see the light of day. Time will tell. iTunes LP currently offers a limited range of albums in 256kbps AAC format, which are DRM free, together with a range of extras including photos, videos, visualizers and […]

  148. […] Robinson, Jay. “Some Notes on iTunes LP.” Weblog Posting. Jayrobinson.org. 9 Nov. 2009. 16 Nov.2009 <http://jayrobinson.org/2009/09/11/some-notes-on-itunes-lp/&gt; […]

  149. […] Robinson, Jay. “Some Notes on iTunes LP.” Weblog Posting. Jayrobinson.org. 9 Nov. 2009. 16 Nov.2009 <http://jayrobinson.org/2009/09/11/some-notes-on-itunes-lp/&gt; […]

  150. […] Robinson, Jay. “Some Notes on iTunes LP.” Weblog Posting. Jayrobinson.org. 9 Nov. 2009. 16 Nov.2009 <http://jayrobinson.org/2009/09/11/some-notes-on-itunes-lp/&gt; […]

  151. […] Robinson, Jay. “Some Notes on iTunes LP.” Weblog Posting. Jayrobinson.org. 9 Nov. 2009. 16 Nov.2009 <http://jayrobinson.org/2009/09/11/some-notes-on-itunes-lp/&gt; […]

  152. […] Robinson, Jay. “Some Notes on iTunes LP.” Weblog Posting. Jayrobinson.org. 9 Nov. 2009. 16 Nov.2009 <http://jayrobinson.org/2009/09/11/some-notes-on-itunes-lp/&gt; […]

  153. […] Motorola phones is obvious in retrospect for the experiment (and sucker ploy) it was.  Is the iTunes LP practice for interactive e-books? (There is some evidence that iTunes LP is not really what it is […]

  154. […] Robinson, Jay. “Some Notes on iTunes LP.” Weblog Posting. Jayrobinson.org. 9 Nov. 2009. 16 Nov.2009 <http://jayrobinson.org/2009/09/11/some-notes-on-itunes-lp/&gt; […]

  155. […] Robinson, Jay. “Some Notes on iTunes LP.” Weblog Posting. Jayrobinson.org. 9 Nov. 2009. 16 Nov.2009 <http://jayrobinson.org/2009/09/11/some-notes-on-itunes-lp/&gt; […]

  156. […] Robinson, Jay. “Some Notes on iTunes LP.” Weblog Posting. Jayrobinson.org. 9 Nov. 2009. 16 Nov.2009 <http://jayrobinson.org/2009/09/11/some-notes-on-itunes-lp/&gt; […]

  157. […] Robinson, Jay. “Some Notes on iTunes LP.” Weblog Posting. Jayrobinson.org. 9 Nov. 2009. 16 Nov.2009 <http://jayrobinson.org/2009/09/11/some-notes-on-itunes-lp/&gt; […]

  158. […] developer Jay Robinson (via Daring Fireball) has taken a closer look at iTunes LP, and provided lots of great details for […]

  159. […] created a barrage of record covers embedded with the music via the capable but little-promoted iTunes LP format. The experience approximates flipping through Ronson’s record collection (which […]

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