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iTunes LP Cost-Prohibitive for Indie Labels, Aside from General Pointlessness

1:26 p.m. · October 9, 2009 · by Sarah Dupuis

If you were holding out for an iTunes LP version of Sufjan Stevens’ Songs for Christmas, it’s time to take it off your Hanukkah wish list. After a phone conversation with an iTunes spokesman about possible licensing opportunities, Chocolate Lab Records owner Brian McKinney is confident that independent labels won’t branch into cyber-vinyl anytime soon:

"I contacted the digital distribution manager at my label's distributor. He had a conference call with an iTunes rep and asked how we go about putting an LP together. He was told that LPs aren't being offered to indies and that there are only about 12 LPs being offered right now. They also said that iTunes charges a $10,000 production fee for them as well. So that pretty much edges out the indie market completely."

The iTunes LP treatment has already been given to major label prefects Paramore and AFI, and it essentially consists of non-lossless AAC files clustered with bonus artwork and liner notes. Too bad you can’t look up lyrics online or buy record players any more.  Hey, wait… [Gizmodo]