Apple Releases iTunes LP SDK

A couple of months ago, Apple released a new format for music on its iTunes music store, called iTunes LP. Like the albums that LP denotes, iTunes LP was designed to give people more than just the music to go along with their purchase, such as unique video, lyrics, photos and so forth. In a sense, purchasing an iTunes LP album would be similar to buying the real thing from the store, except that it’s all digital.

Soon after Apple launched the format, rumors were fierce that the company charged an arm and a leg for the privilege of making one – a rumor that Apple fiercely shot down. Late last week, the company proved that it was just a rumor, by releasing the full SDK, called “TuneKit”, to allow musicians and record companies the ability to make their own iTunes LPs. Included are full instructions and guidelines, and to create one, you’ll have to understand HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

Part of the SDK is pre-made templates, so for those who don’t want to bother with an elaborate design (artwork aside), it’s as simple as dropping files into place, and packaging it all together to send along for Apple’s approval. One thing I’m not sure about is whether or not anyone can make an iTunes LP and send it to friends to use. This would apply to indie bands, and those without labels at all. I haven’t seen mention of it, though, so Apple might be keeping it exclusive.

The release of this SDK is important to the success of the format, although it’s hard to know just how much of a success it’s been up to this point. Being a pro-music store kind of guy, no digital package is ever going to take away the lustre of going right to the store to pick up the latest album I want, but I really have nothing against this format. As long as pricing keeps reasonable, the included extras might be worth it for some people.

The packages use standard HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create the user interface and interaction, so any competent Web developer can put together an iTunes LP or Extra as long as the supporting content conforms to Apple’s standards. However, Apple is also providing a JavaScript framework called TuneKit that it developed while making the first iTunes LPs. Handy templates for iTunes LPs and iTunes Extras are available as well, making it a matter of dropping in “your own metadata, artwork, audio files, and video files.”