Apple unveils "iTunes LP"

In a event today, Apple unveiled their latest salvo against physical media with the iTunes LP. The product is designed to encourage more full album downloads from the store rather than the single song releases which largely dominate iTunes.

Accordingly, the company is bundling lyrics, liner notes, video, photos and "more." While the "more" is unclear, at the very least, it will include extras like interactive booklets and other bonus material. In the past few years, CD sales have decreased significantly and digital services like iTunes and Amazon have taken over significant chunks of the market.

Interestingly, in the past few years, actual vinyl has had a minor resurgence, with both independent retailers like Vinyl Collective and Interpunk selling more vinyl, and at the same time, large retailers like Best Buy devoting shelf space to the venerable format.