Another addition to the general topic of handling digital releases… iTunes has basically discontinued new submissions of iTunes LP releases. I mention this because should MB decide to properly capture that data, it is what it is now. Meaning there need not be consideration to future changes in structure.
I made this a separate topic since the handling of a digital release is not even decided, much less handling the iTunes LP releases. But they do exist and are very different and unique from any other digital release by any other store.
So there really is no question here aside from should MB capture the data for iTunes LP releases? I would say that currently, MB “ignores” such things. Meaning not by intent, but by default of circumstance. Although I do not see too much value in that data, I can see such releases being hard to get information on, especially as time passes. So for MB, this might be a nice thing to include, thinking in terms of a user years from now looking for information.
iTunes LPs offer endless opportunities to create an interactive, multimedia experience for albums in iTunes. Customers can listen to an album and view lyrics, liner notes, band photos, performance videos, and more. An existing iTunes contract is required for submission. Your iTunes LP will be reviewed by iTunes for quality and appropriate content.
This would be similar to an enhanced CD. iTunes is still accepting releases as albums, EPs and Singles. I agree that their use of LP is confusing, since it differs from most all others, but Apple never really does play nice with others.
The statement I refer to for this information is:
‘Apple will no longer accept new submissions of iTunes LPS after March 2018,’ it wrote. ‘Existing LPs will be deprecated from the store during the remainder of 2018. Customers who have previously purchased an album containing an iTunes LP will still be able to download the additional content using iTunes Match.’
EDIT: It appears the source link above is no longer valid once I have no cache to use. You can see the page, at least a snapshot, here:
I’m obviously not familiar with these releases, but I think this information is best captured in the release disambiguation comment. It’s not really a medium format, and it would make sense to group these releases in the same release group as their normal counterparts.
Do you have any idea how many of these iTunes enhanced releases are on MusicBrainz?
I have not yet seen one entered into MB. Or if it was, not entered as iTunes LP, but just the audio files portion. I think, as I stated above, that this information has been ignored, not by intent, but just be default. I can honestly say that I have not entered such data when I have added relevant releases. My reasoning is there is simply nowhere to add such information.
As you are not very aware of these, I will explain the best I can how these work and what they are, in my words. When you get your download release from iTunes, you get the standard m4a files and digital booklet. In addition, there is a folder containing these extra files. You can then open that folder and play it like the enhanced CD, where you insert it into your computer and it has an autoplay that appears. The ones I recall I opened in my browser. I would think of this like a data track on a CD, but this is really more like a whole data session vs a data track… if that makes sense.
I’d enter the audio and video tracks in the tracklist, then add the “iTunes LP” disambiguation comment (and I guess the “Mastered for iTunes” comment where applicable, capitalization is correct) and the unique UPC/barcode (if you can figure out what it is).
Interesting. I looked at a few of those and there is nothing to indicate that they are/were “iTunes LP” releases on the reference page(s).
Here is one I know is “iTunes LP”, and it states this in the description (editors notes).
Whereas this one found on the list you provided does not:
It just states that it is deluxe, obviously including some iTunes videos with it. What I do not know is if simply including video(s) makes it “iTunes LP” or not. I only have limited experience with them, but in that experience, there is a difference between deluxe and video content and iTunes LP… the LP having its own presentation vs just files.
Mastered for iTunes is up to the heads here, but it is senseless in terms of reality. There is no way to tell one from the other, and it is one or the other as far as I know. I personally do not keep track of the designation because it is not an option, it is just a selling tool and first step to the evolution of the file creation process. Not an option meaning that it is offered in only one way… it was either supplied meeting the MFiT standards or it was not.
MFiT is not a differentiating designation though. You will not see both, it is either yes or no. LPs via iTunes are completely different. I hope that MB catches up on digital. I mean the iTunes digital download platform is already talked o become obsolete, and MB STILL has no support for its parameters.
