What is a Digipak CD?

Digipaks are an alternative to the classic Dual Case. They are a method of packaging CDs and/or DVDs.

Taking visual influence from the classic vinyl casing Digi-Paks very often have two or three panels, and open like a book or some sort of variation. The packaging is made from card rather than the plastic cases we often see. Over the past few years, production of Digi-Paks has grown substantially and rather than in the past just being used for Limited Edition album versions, they are now becoming common.
 

We were very lucky to have a man who works for a local Digi-Pak design company ("Wewow") come in and speak to us. This is the insight we gained:

-Dual cases are a thing of the past. With the price of plastic increasing almost 15% over the last year, the music industry has been forced into looking to find an alternative to the classic packaging. This is also due to the large increase in digital downloads of music, that one day will overtake and comeplety replace compact discs. Record companies are also expected to reduce the size of discs from the standard 12cm to just 8cm.

- Digi-Paks increase production costs for the production companies and the band.Though each project is individual, 100 units rough costs £100 to produce. Bands have driven this price down to the demand for the new casing style. But if it costs more to produce, why is it becoming so popular?

- Due to the huge global warming situation, Sony made a memo demanding that the record industry reduced it's carbon emissions a huge 30% by 2015. The Digi-Pak is slowly becoming 100% recyclable, meaning that even though they cost more to produce, they are much better for the environment. The dual case is not going to become a viable design. As demand for the digi-pak increases, the price will go down. In comparison dual cases production costs are growing.

- To produce 1000 discs costs roughly 17p per disc. To produce 1 million, makes each disc worth just 4p. It is actually better for the companies to produce more discs as  the machine increases speed of production the longer it is on. Also once the company have the record on glass master, the price of production goes down.
The cost of producing a dual case is often just 1.5p. In comparision, the digi-pak is much more expensive. This is due to the print process being followed by the machine fold which can take up to half an hour.
In one morning, a realistic amount of discs to be produced are 1000. If the process was hand-done this would take 3/4 days. In terms of price, printing costs 35p, the paperfoam tray costs, 10p and the folding process costs another 3p.

- Amazon do most of "Wewow"'s distribution, as well as for alot of other companies. The major companies do so much more than what you would expect. Shipping cost is roughly £50,000 for a bulk order. This is substantially more than the actual production of the order.

- Wewow's production of the artwork generally costs a band £65 to £85 per hour. This will include the in house design, which often follows a band's design brief. They also must pay for IRSC copyright codes, and MCP licence codes. Wewow's production is actually cheaper than the going rate of £150.

- Like every product, the cases must have a barcode. The design companies cannot buy these on behalf of the band, and must do so themselves. What more bands are now doing, is including a QR code, which links to the band's website when hovered over using a phone application.

- The Digi-Pak has a sort of retro appeal to it's design, which links back to the old vinyl cases. This helps it becoming appealing to an older audience too. Another appeal is the fact that you can print on every side of the packaging. Wewow and other companies offer alternative designs, such as the WeWow spiral, which doesn't even require glue. It is intended for promos, and is the cheapest to produce at 70p for 50 units. Very often companies have a 60% packaging markup, and 30% - 50% for the disc.The cheapest packaging is most often the one which requires the least printing, such as the wallet and window design.

So in conclusion:

Pros -
Many bands love the way they look. They give the album a sort of vintage appeal.
They are very good in terms of there's a lot of room for artwork etc.
They are much more environmentally friendly.
The cost is reducing every year, whereas plastic is increasing.
The many variations in design and price mean that is more viable for indie bands to be able to afford bulk orders.
They don't crack when dropped.

Negatives -
Digital downloads is still the way of the future, so there will be no need for any packaging.
At the moment, the production costs are more.
Though they don't crack, they do rip and actually offer less protection to the CD.