A Question to All CD Buyers : Jacket or Jewel Box?

[Simmons]

We all buy CDs and have different ways of looking at our purchases. My question to you is would you be disappointed to get a 5 song CD in a full color professionally packaged CD jacket as opposed to a jewel box with a color insert? With the jacket there is no way to add lyrical content, but that could always be done on a website. In other words, how important is having the jewel box and the lyric sheet insert to you as a music buyer?

[BabyGrand06]

I think it depends on what signal your trying to send. This is a Buisness, and in this buisness there is Product. And like many other popular products there are standards. And standards are what the general public use to determine purchase decisions and/or value, of the product of interest. In my opinion, you are saying one of two things.

A) Yeah thats right! Were Pro's, Money means nothing, and Ive got the jewel case to prove it! That'll be $8.99

or

B) Please exept my humble offering of some fine musical artwork, I know it looks like a demo, but I assure you, the songs were produced really good.
ummm....5 bucks...uh..ok 4's good enough.

Also for every one musician here on this site, there are hundreds of thousands of peaple who represent the listing public. (and they dont have clue what there listning to.) So image is still everything.

By the way, I think jewel cases make the music sound better anyway!

[MichaelM]

Jewel case or sleeves for demos, I'm not fussed. As long as you don't give me those thin cases that look wierd in my CD rack :P

[glynb]

I like to see some nice well designed packaging to a CD I've purchased.
After all they are expensive enough for what they are (more so in the UK than in the USA), so the least the artist/company can do is add some value to the product by giving us a well designed overall package including lyrics where appropriate.

Of course excellent packaging doesn't make up for sh*t music, or poor packaging take anything away from top music, but i think the producers have a duty to put out a top product in every way, that's including package design.

It annoys me when albuims I see in the shops look like the packaging took all of five minutes to design, what a missed opportunity.

[erosconpollo]

I prefer the jewel case mainly because I like to be able to see the title on the spine when I have them shelved. Also, the CDs will sometimes slip out of a jacket.

However, both of those problems were also there in the days of vinyl and I was able to live with it. So maybe I've just gotten spoiled!

[seismetr0n]

when im in a cd store its all jewelcase (actually i dont know if you can even buy sleeves in one)
but at a show i dont care

[LfO]

I keep ALL my CDs in folders (4x4 page size) with the CDs on bottom and inserts up top. I get irritated when there's no insert to accompany the CD. I've never met anyone else with this obsession, though

[Simmons]

Actually....I do the same thing and I get irritated too, but I thought it was just me

[dwillis45]

From a packaging perspective, the jewel box is about as boring as you can get. I would rather see something different and more creative even at the risk of making cd storage difficult. I always liked Pearl Jam cds just for this reason.

[XerXes]

I think that the artwork / jacket is much more important than whether it's in a jewel case or not.
I agree 100% with what Dwillis stated above me. Bands like Pearl Jam and Godspeed You Black Emperor have been releasing great looking albums in great looking jackets or digipaks.
Although one negative aspect of the slim jackets that I've found, is that in my collection of 1000+ CD's, the slim jackets can get "lost" between all of the other "standard size" jewel cases. Occasionally I've forgotten I even owned a particular CD until it accidentally popped out at me. It was a little hidden suprise I guess!

But you should definately go with a great looking jacket if it's more economical for you.

[dwillis45]

Originally Posted by XerXes

digipaks.

Those are a nice option but they seem to cost a lot more than the jewel box. They also seem to wear out if the covering flap is cardboard. In fact, they are almost like LP covers in that respect. Of course, jewel boxes crack.

[glynb]

Cardboard covers offer greater variety of creative possibilties, and look good... at first.
But as you rightly say, they look tatty in no time, that's assuming the album is well played which you hope it will be of course :-0
Jewel cases do get scratched, they crack, become dull and also don't last forever, but the difference is you can easily replace a jewel case at little cost and get many more years use out of it - all the time it's protecting the CD artwork from dust and fingerprints. So if you've got one eye on posterity & the future the jewel case is the better option in terms of longevity.

[cliff richard]

Originally Posted by XerXes

I think that the artwork / jacket is much more important than whether it's in a jewel case or not.
I agree 100% with what Dwillis stated above me. Bands like Pearl Jam and Godspeed You Black Emperor have been releasing great looking albums in great looking jackets or digipaks.

yeah the GSBE is a quality digipak, id prefer a digipack everytime as everyone i own seems to have fantastic artwork. mind you in my opinion i think that pink floyd have the most amazing packaging. if the music is good enough though it doesn't really matter, but it does add flavour to the whole experience.

[Neito]

This is an interesting quesiton, and finally one I feel comfortable responding to, after tons of reading and asking questions.

I totally agree with the jacket/case thing being a quesiton of what message you're trying to get across, but I disagree that one or the other is going to seem more "professional." A lot of indie lables and "indie" lables (i.e. sub-lables under Sony, BMG, etc.) purposefully put their albums in jackets or paper cases similar to jewel cases, because the purchaser is looking for something that looks and sounds less produced, and therefore not "tainted by money" or however they look at it. Some people, however, will think that a CD in a jewel case has had more money put into it, therefore showing that it's not some shitty demo recorded by your 12-year old brother in your grandma's basement with a single mic. It depends on who you want to buy your product.

Personally, I believe that it's not the type of packaging, but whether or not the product itself looks professional, that counts. I buy CDs in both forms of packaging, but I keep all my CDs in binders anyway, and prefer the ease of storing jackets over jewel cases. I have a huge stack of jewel cases that I don't know what to do with.

That's my two cents.

[shiatzu]

go with jewel cases for one simple reason: most radio stations won't find your cd if you use a sleeve. the radio station i worked at put label stickers (that corresponded to the numbered computer database) on the spines of all cds in their library.. if the band had a cd jacket, the label was placed on the back.. it's harder to find on the shelf; basically.

[mjr]

To me, the Jewel Box looks more professional, and is better for storing the CD when it's not being played. In my opinion, the sleeves (jackets) make it much easier to scratch the CDs or lose the sleeves.

[gullyjewelz]

i try to switch it up --

radio stations/stores -- slimline jewel case + cd cover
freebee pass outs - sleeves - NO CD COVER - BUT THE LABEL HAS ALL INFO ON IT!!

[Chris Shaeffer]

To me a sleve says "Demo" or "Not really a full album." Since you're talking about 5 songs... that's seems to be the case. I wouldn't be dissapointed to pay 6-8 bucks for a quality EP-type prodcution in a nice sleeve. Sure, I'll go to the webiste for lyrics.

I would be more dissapointed to pay $10 or more for a Jewelcase that I *thought* was a full CD and only get 5 songs.

What are you trying to sell- an EP, a demo, or an album? If those are 5 10 minutes pieces... I'd figure out what the product is, decide on a target selling price, and chose whatever packaging makes sense for that product.

In general, I agree with GullyJewelz: sleeves are for giving away and jewelcases or other fancy packaging is for selling.

Take care,
Chris

[David Hooper]

In general, it's getting less and less important. I've literally seen kids walk out of Tower, rip open the package, put the CD in a wallet, and throw the rest of it away.

With that being said, there is a higher perceived value with a jewel or DVD cast than there is an envelope.

[treymonfauntre]

jewel cases are awful, and mr "this is a business" up there is pretty awful too. i haven't bought a cd in a jewel case in years.

[David Hooper]

Originally Posted by treymonfauntre

i haven't bought a cd in a jewel case in years.

He's not selling to you.

[BadAE]

Most of my CD comes in jewel case and I normaly just throw the case away and keep my CD in a jacket. I have folders that I used to keep those jackets.
My CDs travel alot in my cars and I find jackets more portable.

[mistermike]

I like the jewel case because jackets tend to slip into obscure places where they can no longer be found.

[DavidK]

I want a jewel Case.

and mr "this is a business" up there is pretty awful too.

Actually, YOU are pretty awful for saying something so stupid and untrue. He is 100% correct, it IS a business, and the jewel case says " This is a PRO product, not some kid in his bedroom with FruityLoops".

I expect a jacket when I get a CD in a magazine. I expect a jewel case when I buy a CD at a store.