Saturday night, I went to Ghostland Observatory’s CD realease party for their new album Delete.Delete.I.Eat.Meat. At the door, I received a free copy of the CD inserted in a silk-screened paperboard folder with a vellum insert. Number 57 out of an edition of 200.

Perhaps gig posters may be on their way out of the mainstream, but the handmade aesthetic as packaging for music is highly relevant design in the age of mp3’s, podcasting and music blogging. As Rock’n’Roll Advertising suggests in reference to Beck’s new album Guero, leave the downloads for dilettantes seeking a few hit songs. Create artistic, heirloom-worthy packaging in limited editions for the diehard fans with extras they’ll appreciate, like DVD’s, booklets and posters. This should cost about the same amount or cheaper than printing hundreds of thousands of generically jewel-cased CD’s no one under 30 buys anymore.