Sleevenote

Remember when Apple supported the iTunes LP? It was a "format for interactive album artwork" way back in 2009 that attempted to find a way to not let the immersive enjoyability of physical artwork be lost in digital translation. It never really took off and was fully deprecated in 2018.

But that doesn't make it a bad idea! Just a huge hill to climb. Enter Sleevenote, a combination music player and interactive artwork format. The website is really slick, beautiful and professional but I think that actually undermines the project a little bit! There are some UI Update videos that show the interface and device being worked on - seeing it as a slick-but-DIY project feels more appealing to me. Look at this latest prototype! That's a thicc boi! But it's a prototype, so that's okay.

Worth noting: this undertaking is from the musician Tom Vek, which I think does lend it some nice credibility for simply existing to appeal music lovers.

I applied for beta access and got it! I made a Talking with Hands Sleevenote and can see a lot of fun potential with it.

If this seems at all appealing to you - dive into the Design Concept, join the mailing list, follow them on Bluesky, et al.