The Death of Liner Notes

liner note

noun

plural noun: liner notes

Depending on your age, you may recall when CDs came with an entire booklet. Sure, they had lyrics, but they also had notes from the band, or ‘about’ sections, and credits galore.

The tiny font, usually 6pt, summarizes thoughts, background, thank-yous, and the deeper production credits. Such is their beauty that there is a Grammy Award for Best Album Notes. These are given to the author of the notes, not the artist, unless they are one and the same. They might be in the form of a single sheet or a booklet. Booklets had more space and typically included the lyrics and longer notes from the artists.

Sliding them out from under the half-moon, tiny plastic holders could be considered a fine art, and getting them back in without them catching and causing a small tear? A feat of strength.

In the case of an LP, you’d sometimes get a sheet or a booklet; other times, the notes are on the sleeve itself.

Liner notes, album booklets, CDs, and all other variations were once the holy grail for music buyers. And they have been dying a slow death since the introduction of digital music.

When music was first available in physical form, it was expensive to produce. This meant that everything added to the packaging or inserted increased the production costs. But with the increased demand for vinyl, it became a space that record companies began to pay attention to, most notably in the 1960s.

Liner notes and booklets became something buyers wanted, and that is when the Recording Academy took notice. The first Grammy Award for Best Album Notes went to Leonard Feather and Stanley Dance for Duke Ellington’s album, The Ellington Era, in 1964.

And while we have mentioned Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band changing the face of music, it was with the inclusion of lyrics, and the most gorgeous gatefold to ever hit the market (until that point). By the end of the 1980s, these tangible, readable, beautiful elements were expected, admired, and part of the whole package for vinyl.

CDs came with the problem of considerably less space… except, not quite. The booklet was the triumph of this moment. Mind you, there were still some companies that forgot themselves, and the print was almost illegible. Still, owners had these things in their hands to browse while listening.

And slowly, we trundled towards digital downloads. Often, artists had websites that would offer extras in the downloads, like video or audio commentary. Still, the information was there if you wanted it. Not quite the same, but a little extra.

Although we can still get physical music, streaming has replaced much of that, ultimately putting liner notes 6 feet down. Not totally buried, but certainly in the hole.

Music streaming gave us new music at a rapid rate; we no longer need to peel the seal sticker off a jewel case or unwrap a new vinyl. We can tap play. And isn’t that incredible? But with 100 million tracks available, who has time for liner notes?

Well, for a long time, you wouldn’t get more than the name of the artist and the song. But the most robust set of digital liner notes comes from Qobuz. However, Apple Music offers great liner notes, too. Tidal did have clickable credits, which were incredible for exploring and discovery.

While they are still there, the lack of clickability hasn’t been well-received by some users. Spotify doesn’t have comprehensive liner notes, but it does provide the basics, a band/artist biography, and, more importantly, clickable links. While they all offer something, when was the last time you checked on your platform?

If the answer is never, but you have vinyl or CDs, did you take those booklets out? Did you read those?

They gave us high-speed music but took away a little bit of the joy.

Realistically, not everyone will feel the loss of the liner notes; not everyone had the experience. But they gave a thoroughly and deeply human context to what we listened to. We got the insight into every invisible person who made the music you’re listening to happen. It’s not just something ‘fun’ to have, although sure, they are nice. Engineers, designers, writers, string section, producers, all of the names that you’ll never see, because they’ve been swallowed up and ‘hidden’ by our favorite music streaming platforms.

Would you remember all of the names? Most likely no, but at least you saw them. At least these, now invisible talents, were perceived and valued in that moment. Booklets, liner notes, heck, even a one-sheet with words on it could slow you down. They will hold you in place for a minute so you can sit with the music a little bit longer. The unwrapping process is a discovery in itself.

Algorithms are efficient and do their job perfectly, but they’re not designed to hold you in place or slow you down. They are designed for moving you through the music at speed.

All is not lost, though. It never is when it comes to music. Playlists (almost) serve as a stand-in for liner notes, especially editorial ones, and those that bring together the same producers, engineers, or artists. They supply us with a level of context that we might otherwise miss.

Back to the almost-grave situation liner notes are facing. Vinyl sales are increasing again, CDs are cool again, and with it the booklets and inserts we (some of us) know and love. It is unlikely that this medium will ever overtake streaming now; streaming is too accessible and affordable. There will always be a large segment of people who don’t care about liner notes, one way or another. But for those who do, the resurgence of vinyl and streaming services like Qobuz, taking care and pride to include them, there is hope yet.

Streaming moves fast. Liner notes remind us that what we listen to carries a weight, and we are in the fortunate position to sit with it a little longer, if we choose to.

Listen to the playlist on:

Until next time,