Digipacks and magazine adverts and their importance

What is a Digipak?
A Digipack is a style of CD or DVD cover that has several panels, consisting of several faces with graphics on them. These faces can have the capability to hold one or more CD's or DVD's in them.
For CD's, Digipak's are predominantly used for compilation albums, or live performance albums with the studio version included. Initially, they are used for CD's that require more than one disc, for example, Now That's What I Call Music.
For DVD's, they are usually used for compilation films, or films that have more than one sequel, for example, The Lord of The Rings trilogy.

Why are they important?
There are several aspects of a digipak that make it so important to the success of the CD itself. Firstly, it promotes the visual aspect of the artist. This means that the visual side of the digipak will represent the artist. For example, the Digipak pictured above for Oasis shows an acoustic guitar on the front. This represents the idea of the band using guitars in their music, therefore promoting their visual persona.
Secondly, it is a product that can be purchased by fans to be kept as a memento. This is because digipaks are seen as somewhat rare, and also decorative. This is good because not only does it encourage fans and followers to purchase the album for the sentimental value, but for the musical purpose.

What is a magazine advert?
A magazine advert is an advertisement that is placed in a magazine to advertise a product or event. In terms of music artists, it can advertise their merchandise, such as albums or souvenirs, as well as upcoming gigs and tours that the artist will be performing at.

Why are they important?
Magazine adverts are important because they firstly promote the artist to audiences of the magazine; this audience may not initially be aware of the artist. This factor means that the artist could potentially gain a broader audience, and their sales figures will in turn increase. In addition, it will promote upcoming events or products the artist could be soon releasing - products that could be advertised in this advert as well as products that are not evident in the advert itself. This will also boost monetary sales for the artist and production company, as well as promote the products that are currently available.