iTunes LP: Information Please

In the latest update to what is, for the most part, an excellent music service, Apple has unveiled iTunes LP. This upgrade to the traditional iTunes format allows users to interactively browse the inserts and cover art that would normally go along with a hard-copy CD or album. Previously, CD inserts were only available through iTunes in the form of PDF files that could be downloaded along with some of the albums in their catalog.

While I applaud Apple's effort to further resuscitate "album art," I'm disappointed that they haven't addressed the primary issue -- the very small number of albums for which booklets are available. In the past few years, I've downloaded over 30 albums and only three of them had an accompanying PDF booklet. In fact, none of the albums I've downloaded for my Hopeless Journey have had booklets and it is these classical albums for which I am most in need of information. Even if Apple doesn't do it, somebody needs find a way to distribute information along with classical recordings; I can't imagine that many consumers already know enough about the works of Philippe de Vitry or Guillaume de Machaut to really understand what they're listening to when they hear a recording of medieval music. While Allmusic provides a partial solution with its scholarly discussions of famous compositions, these discussions are generally limited to the big-name composers and award-winning albums.

Maybe I'm spoiled by the Information Age, but really... information please!