The album cover is more than just a pop music icon. Instead, it is an essential marketing tool whose role has steadily evolved over the last few decades. From its inception in the early 1900s, album art was designed to differentiate different records, provide artistic inspiration for musicians and listeners, and convey themes of the particular record.
Today, artists have increased their control over album design by choosing not to associate out-of-control figures like Marilyn Monroe or Elvis Presley that are too iconic. For example, the National Recording Registry’s online Album Art Gallery is a searchable database of over 3,000 album covers. In addition, it contains links to more than 350 related articles exploring such themes as American life imagery in the 20th century and its relation to music. Here, some famous albums mentioned that are being sold in the cover art market and help you learn more about them.
- Pre-Made Albums
Before the advent of the internet and digital design tools, artists were uncompromising. They had to settle for something approved by their label or consider going against the wishes of their label and selling their creations themselves. Nevertheless, there have been artists who have created innovative albums that are considered classics today. These albums are full of creative designs, filled with outstanding musical performances and paintings based on themes that can be best described as much more than any cover art.
- Motion Albums
Motion picture film has always been used to create music videos and unique album covers, but the idea of creating an entire movie that correlated with a piece of music somehow never caught on. As a result, there are only a few examples – one of the most famous being Pink Floyd’s Pulse, released in 1995. The video was shot while they played their sixteenth album, The Division Bell, in a specially designed circular rotating theatre that featured an in-the-round stage. In addition, the video was shot on 16mm film with a handheld camera, combining both live performances and specially created graphics created by the members of Pink Floyd.
- Video Albums
While motion pictures are already limited to just one dimension, video art has been made way for people to combine two dimensions in an unlimited number of ways. This way, the strategies of musical promotion have been replicated on a new level with audio-visual elements that were never possible in such a format. Furthermore, the advent of the internet has allowed the videos to descramble so that they can be watched anywhere and at any time, for music enjoyment.
- Custom Design Albums
In some cases, artists create unique pieces that are more than just a cover album; they customize their images and create a one-of-a-kind work of art. One of the most famous custom design covers is Thriller by Michael Jackson, released on November 30, 1982. The original artwork featured a zombie being chased by a werewolf in front of an apartment building on Hollywood Boulevard and North Sycamore Avenue in Los Angeles. The album cover was so well-known that in 2007, MTV’s logo was modified to match the original artwork.
- Signed Albums
Another way for artists to get their albums recognized is by selling them to fans themselves. For example, in 1985, David Bowie sold 100 autographed copies of his album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), with each copy being personally signed by the artist himself. In the end, he sold a total of 220 copies – each at $210. Each album featured the same cover but with a different signature. This distinctly modern approach to customer engagement encouraged individualism and helped build a community and maintain relevance.
Today’s artists want to design their albums themselves so they can be seen as creative and innovative individuals who pursue minimalism, abstracts, and monochromes rather than follow in the footsteps of those that came before them. Once you read the mentioned albums, it will be easy for you to significantly impact your knowledge and help you know about the best albums that are mostly sold out in the market. If you don’t know about the albums, consider the information correctly to understand better.
