Apple is ending the iTunes LP album format
The iTunes LP format is on its last legs.
Apple has announced that it will no longer accept new LP submissions to the iTunes store after March 2018, in an email to music industry workers obtained by Metro.
An LP is an interactive album format that allows users to view multimedia elements as they play music. It was often used to bundle extra features into purchased content.
"Apple will no longer accept new submissions of iTunes LPs after March 2018," the email reportedly reads."Existing LPs will be deprecated from the store during the remainder of 2018. Customers who have previously purchased an album containing an iTunes LP will still be able to download the additional content using iTunes Match."
The email was sent two weeks ago from an address at "The iTunes Store," and was signed by "The Apple Music Team."Its heading was "The End of iTunes LPs."
The anonymous source who leaked the email to Metro told the publication that "It's clear that streaming is the future. Apple wants to push people to take out subscriptions."
Contrary to what the Metro claimed, The Verge reported that existing LPs will remain on iTunes, so you'll still be able to download any new or previous LP purchases. Apple has confirmed to Mashable that The Verge's report is accurate.
While the format was unveiled with a lot of hype, LPs were never a huge success.
And with the rise of streaming services, and Apple's increased emphasis on Apple Music, older features of iTunes are almost certainly something most people won't miss.
Monica wrote for Mashable's Tech section with a focus on retail, internet of things, and the intersections of technology and social justice. She holds a degree in creative writing from Brown University, and has previously written for Dow Jones Media, the New York Post, Yahoo Finance, and others. In her free time, she can be found attempting to cook Asian food, buying board games, and looking for new hobbies.
