Perhaps I'm alone in my snobbery towards bad album art. Actually, who am I kidding. I don't have snobbery towards bad CD booklet design-I have it towards bad design in general. I must be a nightmare to work with at university...


Both this year and last, group work has revolved heavily around design, and apparently I can't just sit back and let people make something pretty by themselves. Oh no. I have to try and interfere. It's a compulsion. But I try not to criticise other students' design work too  much....


Up in the newsrooms at  the University of Lincoln, we're all learning. None of us know how the hell to use Quark to it's full potential, and ditto for Photoshop. And yet students in the MHAC building churn out better stuff in an hour than they've produced for Blackout. And at a drop of the price.


Advertising is big business these days, in the music industry as much as any other. Mega-bucks will have been spent working out just how to pitch Britney's comeback given the sorry state her life seems to be in right now. And that is what "professionals" come up with.


It's not just Britters' album though. I mean, there's been a wiiiide selection of awful album covers of late. Lets see:


   


No one is going to spend a tenner on Britney's new album when they can just download the important stuff [so... umm... Gimme More & Get Naked (I got a Plan) then, in the case of Ms. Spears/Federline...] for 79p a track. Or for free, depending on just how loose their morals are. 


Once upon a time, albums were released with complex booklets, with unique photography, lyrics, stories, posters, artwork. Pick up the likes of Michael Jackson's HIStory, Oasis' Be Here Now, or even the Spice Girls' Spice and you can see right off that you got more for your money back in - dare I say it - the good ol' days.


The media insists on telling us why people download albums these days... s because the public want to steal, it's because it's quicker, it's cheaper... Maybe it's just because record companies aren't putting in the effort anymore. If toddling down to HMV in the pissing-rain and  handing over your £12.95 is only getting you a box and bit of paper more than what you could have swiped from iTunes for £7.90 then... what's the point?


And in all of that, I've not blamed Britters once. Although if it turns out they let her design this while she was off her face on crack, then my face will be very red indeed...