Apple’s iTunes LP 6 Months Later: LP What? →

Paul Bonanos for GigaOm:

I’m told by an industry source who preferred to remain anonymous that iTunes LP wasn’t Apple’s idea in the first place. Rather, it’s the result of the same renegotiations between Apple and the major record labels that yielded DRM-free songs and flexible pricing early last year, a concession by Cupertino to make a gesture in favor of album sales as consumers increasingly show a preference for digital singles.

Whether or not this story is true, Apple seems to have abandoned iTunes LP—it’s not even a hobby. There are currently less than 40 LPs in the store, after almost 6 months of being in existence. The iPad would have been the perfect candidate for displaying interactive ‘LP’ content, but Steve didn’t even mention it during the keynote. Heck the iPad doesn’t even have the right resolution or aspect ratio, and given how resolution dependent iTunes LPs are, I wonder if they’ll even work.