Apple, music companies reportedly developing digital album format

Jake Widman
Tuesday, 28 July 2009 02:53

Your IT - Entertainment

While the record companies are cooperating with Apple on Cocktail, they're also working on a similar project on their own, according to a CNet report .

The story is that Cocktail grew out of a plan music industry executives broached to Apple a year and a half ago.

The source cited by CNet says the music execs are miffed that Apple rejected the idea back then and now is proposing its own solution. He calls Apple's actions "disingenuous" and a "walled garden approach."

For that reason, the music companies have been continuing to work on their own version of an interactive album.

That version could be made available through Amazon and other download stores, and, according to the source, will have even more content than a Cocktail album.

The big question, of course, is whether either album format will appeal to consumers used to being able to pick and choose their music.

One possibility might be to let buyers build their own albums by selecting a minimum number of songs and pay a little more for the added material.