I go along thinking virtually something Kanye West tweeted in early 2016.

"The Yeezus album packaging was an open casket to CDs."

Marked with nil only a small piece of red record over a jewel CD example,Yeezus' blank artwork was a fitting cover for a minimalist album. But on a larger level, it acknowledged the looming death of physical music—and helped started a chat about the role anthology artwork will accept as streaming replaces the idea of owning music.

Iv years afterwards Yeezus' release, while staring at a grainy digital photo on SoundCloud that serves as the "artwork" for XXXTENTACION's massively successful "Look At Me!" single, I wonder what value cover art notwithstanding holds.

In many ways, artwork has been reduced to a formality. Services like SoundCloud and Spotify still require artists to upload some course of encompass art forth with their music—then it lives on for now, merely its purpose is changing.

In 2017, artwork appears every bit small thumbnails on digital screens far more oft than on actual physical album covers. 80 years after a graphic designer at Columbia Records invented anthology art equally a way to assistance sell vinyl in tape stores, its original function is becoming a affair of the past. So, it's worth asking: Does cover art still matter? Is Lil Yachty the only one who still cares?

With these questions bouncing around my head, I asked musicians, visual artists, creative directors, writers, and A&Rs around the industry for their opinions on the changing fine art form—and learned that cover art might really be more important than e'er.

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"A lot of times embrace art is the consumer's first interaction with an artist's piece of work," D.R.A.Yard.'due south creative managing director Sais tells me. "In the past a person would go to a tape store, see an unknown creative person and make a decision whether they would give information technology a take chances. That time might be two to five seconds. With the internet there are more than chances where that visual connection can be fabricated."

For decades, cover artwork's main purpose was to compete for attention with other albums on the same rack at the record store. At present, that rack has been replaced past social media timelines. Not only does an album'southward fine art take to compete with other covers in 2017, it has to stand up out next to memes, family photos, cat videos, and everything else vying for attention on crowded timelines.

Making something that's going to take hold of people's eyes within seconds is of import. People only have that amount of time to be instantly attached to what you create.—Mihailo Andic

"We're in a time right now where our attention spans are actually depression," Mihailo Andic (designer of covers for Lil Yachty, Gallant, Fetty Wap, and 6lack) explains. "We process information a lot faster and we process music a lot faster. Making something that's going to catch people'due south eyes inside seconds is of import. People just have that corporeality of fourth dimension to be instantly attached to what you create. And yous accept to either grab their attention or you lose them correct abroad."

Seeing this firsthand with the success of Lil Yachty's playful cover for his Lil Boat mixtape, Andic adds, "I think that is something that nosotros've really captured well with Yachty. People immediately felt the connectedness with that visual and they could sense that there was a big idea behind information technology."

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Once an emotional connectedness is made with fans, artwork can have on a life of its own and live outside a musicians' ain fan base. Artists like Drake have been able to tap into meme culture with viral artwork like the "Tiny Drake" Views comprehend. Others are able to first conversations that stray far outside their own fan bases with bold imagery like Young Thug's dress-wearing Jeffery cover.

The social, share-friendly nature of the cyberspace tin can aid an interesting cover grow wings and reach more eyes than it ever could sitting on a rack.

"Good piece of work will always be shared," creative manager Steve-O (D.R.A.M. Big K.R.I.T., KAMAU) says. "Young Thug's album artwork didn't become a meme sensation only everybody was talking about it. That comprehend was about Young Thug pushing the envelope only being himself." Noting that the music is spread forth with the artwork, he adds, "If the song is shared, the art is shared."

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In an era where a rapper similar Lil Yachty openly admits to "thinking more like a brand" than an artist, developing a potent visual identity is more important than ever. Information technology's a take a chance for musicians to create unique worlds for their fans to live in—and become personally invested in.

"The whole brand that nosotros built in the last yr, it's definitely its ain little world," Andic says about his experience building Lil Yachty's visual brand in 2016.

"Within that earth, we have something where fans can feel similar they're a part of that customs," he continues. "They're going to remember that. You're giving them an experience and they're going to accept that away with them and they're going to keep coming back for more. They're going to tell their friends about it. They're going to spread the music. Once they're buying in to you, you have a loyal fan base that'due south going to stick with you lot."

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A strong visual identity gives fans something tangible to grasp onto during a time when virtually music consumption happens digitally. A fan with a Spotify subscription doesn't need to buy records, simply they might choose to if they have an emotional attachment to the cover art and want a concrete memento of their favorite artist. Information technology's a gamble for fans to hold a slice of their favorite creative person's world in their hands.

When kids bought Odd Future merch, they weren't only buying the garments, they were ownership into the lifestyle.—Chris Burnett

A cover concept can likewise act as the starting indicate for other visuals (and merch ideas).Information technology's no accident that an aesthetically minded artist like Tyler, The Creator is able to grow a cult-like following that buys Odd Future-branded socks merely as obsessively as they snatch upwardly his records.

"When kids bought Odd Future merch, they weren't just buying the garments, they were buying into the lifestyle," one-time Odd Futurity graphic designer Chris Burnett explains. "At the end of the day, almost kids want some sort of hero and that'due south why OF had the impact information technology did. When they see someone like Tyler—who said himself that he was considered a weirdo—out hither killing information technology, they are bound to support. If OF had come about just as a brand—without the music, without the videos, without the homies—it probably wouldn't have washed also."

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An album encompass is an artist's best opportunity to distill their whole brand into a unmarried image that will follow them for years and become a office of their make itself.

"Everything that's on [Kodak Black's Painting Pictures] cover is something that he's said in a record, you've seen in a video, he's given you lot in a visual," Kodak's product manager Marsha St. Hubert (Senior VP of Marketing at Atlantic Records) explains. "That'south an example of an creative person who really knows themselves and really has built their brand."

Not bad artwork and a cohesive visual identity isn't merely of import for developing a fan base. It can too assistance artists grab the eye of of import industry figures similar press and A&Rs who weed through hundreds of music submissions a twenty-four hours. A strong visual can exist an like shooting fish in a barrel way to tell how serious an artist is nearly their craft before dedicating time to dive into the music itself.

"If an artist doesn't have good artwork/visuals, it certainly deters my interest level," Circuitous editor Zach Frydenlund explains. "At the stop of the day, only the music matters, but an creative person having adept artwork goes a long way in getting me to even get to their music."

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"It's ever about the music, but having a potent sense of visual identity is office of beingness an artist," says Zeke Hirschberg, A&R at 300 Entertainment (Young Thug, Fetty Wap, more) adds. "It's part of being an entrepreneur. Being an artist in 2016, it's most having a full package. And then we definitely love to run across artists that are focused on the visual as well equally the music."

Hirschberg continues, "We don't really await to sign artists, we look to partner with entrepreneurs. Because everybody is making their ain marketing decisions: whether it's cover art, video decisions, or A&R decisions. All these kids are so talented. They're sitting in their bedroom and they're able to become on to my screen, which is an immensely powerful thing."

At no bespeak do we sit down and say, 'Thug, yous need to put on a dress.' That'southward why Young Thug is who he is and that's why 300 is who we are.—Zeke Hirschberg

Once the artist is signed, the work isn't over, however. Now more than than ever, labels expect artists to exist in command of their own make and brand visual decisions that reflect their unique personalities.

Hubert tells me how impressed she was with Kodak Black's knack for developing a unique personal make: "From the moment I met him, he had his own personality, his own vision, his own voice. When he recently came dwelling, he just decided: 'I'chiliad merely wearing orange. Orange is my color. That's it. Everything's going to be orange. That'due south my colour now. I like the style it looks on my skin. It looks good with my golds. I'grand wearing orangish.'"

Reflecting on his feel with Young Thug, Hirschberg remembers, "At no point exercise nosotros sit down and say, 'Thug, y'all need to put on a wearing apparel.' That's why Immature Thug is who he is and that'due south why 300 is who we are. We're partners and we're hither to facilitate your vision, not create the vision. It'due south a conversation. It'due south not a label pushing anything. Information technology'due south Thug proverb 'this is my vision' and the states using our experience to position it in a way that'll go the near eyeballs possible."

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Young artists like Florida rapper Kaiydo are finding out firsthand how excellent visuals can jumpstart a new career.

"I recall visuals first," Kaiydo says of his unique process. "I start off with a concept and an prototype. So, I'll come upward with either a word or I'll brand random embrace fine art that gives fashion to an thought. And then I write the song and everything. I attempt to make sure every vocal has a actually cohesive concept."

With the mode these kids use Photoshop and all that, there's really no excuse not to have A+ visuals.—Zach Frydenlund

Having created covers for other rappers before ever starting his own music career, Kaiydo had an advantage over artists who made do with sloppy artwork every bit they presented themselves to the world for the starting time time. Every vocal he's ever put out is accompanied by make clean visuals, giving the impression of a seasoned artist from day one. Judging past the consistently high play counts on his SoundCloud folio, the strategy appears to be working.

To industry professionals like Frydenlund, in that location'southward no reason an artist should arroyo their career any other way: "Even if you're not a major artist, you tin notwithstanding manage to take some dope donkey artwork for a projection or song. With the mode these kids use Photoshop and all that, there'south really no excuse not to take A+ visuals."

"With the change from physical music to digital, the ability to just upload the vocal simplifies the distribution," Kaiydo adds. "You lot can just upload the vocal and be done. I call up it needs to be a more thought out process of how it will look in all situations."

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Love Renaissance creative director Carlon Ramong has experience with artists who came out of the gate with unique, professional person artwork that helped propel their successful careers—Raury and 6lack. And he remembers how much emphasis they put on visuals from the very beginning.

"Everything from our perspective had to be perfect the commencement time," he tells me about the months leading up to Raury'southward introduction to the world back in 2014. "Information technology was like, 'This is going to be the but time nosotros'll exist able to exercise this, so if this doesn't work, we're going back to working in a restaurant again.'"

As I speak with experts beyond the industry, it becomes articulate: Like everything else near the music concern, the role of encompass art is evolving rapidly. A lot has changed since a designer at Columbia drew on a tape sleeve eighty years agone.

Kanye was correct. Streaming is taking over and his open catafalque to CDs was correct on fourth dimension. But information technology doesn't makes sense to think of cover fine art as a course of packaging any more. Information technology's a way to make music special. It can turn assistance turn a collection of sounds into an experience. And on increasingly chaotic timelines, it's a mode to stand out from the crowd.

"Because there's so much shit out there, all you tin can try to practice at this point is make people desire to come to you lot—then y'all're not always chasing," Ramong puts it. "That's why it'south so important for every attribute of your visuals and every aspect of your brand to be something enthralling."

Pigeons & Planes is all about music discovery, supporting new artists, and delivering the best music curation online and IRL. Follow u.s. on Twitter and Instagram.