JC - Institutional Context

What role does the digipak play in constructing brand/promoting artist?

A digipak is usually made of a book-style card binding with one or more plastic trays capable of holding CDs on the inside.
The digipak was the first alternative to the "Jewel" cases and since then there have been no other types of packaging similar to this. Because of that, the term digipak has stuck generically, even with minor changes such as some products not having the plastic disc trays, being replaced by smaller holders for them.
The digipak is most used for CD singles or special editions of albums that require the more fancy packaging to assist their launch. There is a version of the digipak for special edition DVDs and DVD sets, this is called the DVDigipak.
The digipak became popular in the early years after 2000 but is still only used for special CDs due to the environmental implications of their production and also on the practical side, as the plastic disc trays are often brittle and the teeth that hold the discs often break.

The book style digipak opens up to have images of the artists and a list of tracks, each page containing different information, depending on the product contained. Often the digipak would contain a small booklet that may contain information about the artist or sometimes the lyrics to the songs, so that the audience may sing along.

The digipak helps to promote the artist as it stands out from the rest of the standard CD casings in a shop. This helps make the product look more stylish and important. Although the digipak will cost the consumer more to purchase than a standard CD, they are purchasing the CD, sometimes special CDs included within, a booklet advertising and promoting the artist's other works and information about the product. Therefore the artist and record company make more money from selling the digipak and the "special" feeling obtained from such a product makes the artist appear more glamourous. This ensures the most valuable type of promotion available, word of mouth. People will tell the friends and relatives about what they have bought and this will entice others to do so as well.

The digipak helps to construct brand in the sense that once such a special product has been released, it sets a standard for the rest of the artist's work. When designing the contents of the digipak, the artist and record company need to decide what to include, like bonus tracks, images, links to free multimedia, information about the artists, downloads, future concerts etc.

The digipak was a great advertisement and money making idea of the 21st century and will continue to promote artists and deliver memorabillia for the future for many years to come.