It’s no secret the music industry has been battered by the growth of online digital music sales. CD sales continue to be way down. The convenience of jumping on iTunes and grabbing some tunes without having to leave your home is unmistakable. Faced with that challenge, artists and labels are choosing not to completely give in to the digital revolution. Custom CD packaging is a way that artists can differentiate and offer something tangible for their fans. Going beyond jewel cases and digipaks, a lot of artists and record companies are having success customizing their packaging. These examples might be an exaggeration, as you won’t see CD packaging this elaborate everyday. Nonetheless, they’re very cool and creative.

DHNN‘s design for Beck’s 8-bit album

Vonnegut Dollhouse by Rethink

Clever Paperboard CD Packaging by Jakebox

Radical Music by SunrisePackaging

The compact disc, or CD as we call it, was introduced in 1982. This new technology allowed us to go from analog to digital recording capabilities. CD’s offer a much higher sound quality and storage capacity. They are also more durable and less susceptible to damage compared to cassette tapes and vinyl records. Although CD’s are becoming a less popular means of listening to music since places like iTunes exist, CDs are used for a variety of other things which means they still need secure packaging.

We are most familiar with the standard jewel case, but there are actually many different types of CD packaging. Below is an overview of the types of CD packaging:

Jewel case: This is the most popular and commonly used form of CD packaging. These cases are fitted with a molded, semi-rigid plastic insert that features a center hub to secure the CD and hold it in place. The case closes with a hinged door that is snapped into place. The cover of jewel cases have a slot for holding a booklet or artwork. The back is designed to hold a lining of artwork.

Slimline case: This type of CD case is half as thick as a standard jewel case. The front is similar, allowing for a booklet or artwork to be inserted. The back is a one-piece plastic tray. These cases are smaller and easier to ship.

Slim Double Case: This cases is basically like a standard jewel case, with the exception of the CD tray design. The CD tray is a slim double case and hinged near the spine. The way it is molded can hold a CD on each side.

Chubby CD Jewel Case: This case, also called the fatty case, is a way to hold multiple discs in one case. It has two clear sides to hold CD trays and each side is connected to a center section that may be molded to hold one or two additional CDs.

Digipak: This type is made of cardboard with a plastic molded tray attached to it. The cardboard case allows for screen printing and the interior sleeve has a place for a booklet to be inserted. Some digipaks have gatefold flaps that fold over to cover the CD from both sides.

FLPpak: This is a type of digipak but with added protection. A molded tray is attached to the cardboard backing. The bottom, top, and opening is protected with hard plastic. The opening edge has a hard plastic tab that is hinged to the back and snaps in place when closed.

Clamshell Cases: These cases are shaped just as their name, like a clamshell. They are a great way to protect CDs. They hold CDs snugly and keep them safe against scratches and damage.

Paper Sleeve: These sleeves have a clear plastic window and are the easiest as well as cheapest CD packaging. This type of CD packaging is commonly used for promotional and demo discs.

So there won’t be a test on these different types of CD packaging. But it is interesting to know there are more options than the standard jewel case.

With the invention of MP3 players and online music stores you may not be buying CD’s anymore. However, that doesn’t solve the problem of what to do with all of the old CD cases from when you were.  Luckily a few creative minds have come up with some options to put those cases back into use.  These alternative uses can be more than just Saturday morning art projects for your kids, although that is a possibility too.

1. The jewel case poster display.

This is a project you’ll want to make sure you layout and measure carefully before moving ahead with the cutting.  It’s the old cliche, measure twice cut once.  This is done by taking a poster of your choice and cutting it into sections that fit into the CD case.  The cases are then hung on the wall to recreate the poster with a little edge and artistic twist.  It seems to work especially well for music posters, but the sky is the limit.

2. The CD case photo collage.

In order to create the collage simple print out photos you want to incorporate and place them individually in cases.  Then attach them to the wall with wall putty in whatever order you want.  Photos that are printed in black and white and then placed in colored jewel cases take on an especially unique and cool look.

3. Create a Book- Kid’s style

Kid’s love art projects.  They especially love art project where they can show off their decorating, drawing and writing skills all at once.  Creating a book out of old CD cases is perfect.  Allow them to decorate the case with stickers and whatever else they may find interesting to create the cover. Then cut pages that fold and fit into the CD case. Attach it by double-stick taping the front and back page to the cover or by gluing it.

For more information and ideas visit:

Associated Content

Paper Jewels

Life Hackery

You can package your product in a simple white paper sleeve or paperboard mailer and we can help you with that. There are lots of projects that this type of packaging is perfect for.

However when you are talking about products for the retail market, either on-line or at a bricks and mortar store, movie and music enthusiasts choose the physical product over a download for one reason… The Packaging.

The following is a short list of movie and music reviewers and their thoughts on the packaging and the value it adds:

Rev/Views DVD & Television blog

Review of the first season of the TV series “Chuck“:
“Now I am a bit of a packaging enthusiast, mostly because I feel I’ve invested money in purchasing DVDs and as such I want them to look nice on the shelf and work well.”

Creative Review blog

Review of “Glastonbury The Movie“:
“At a time when you can get online and simply download music and films, really it’s down to the packaging of albums and DVDs to make the tangible music or film product a viable option to the consumer.”

Pulse Wrestling blog

Review of the WWE “Randy Savage Ultimate Collection“:
“As someone who collects a lot of disc based stuff (hardcore video game collector here), I like it when the stuff occupying my shelf looks good.”

MamaPop blog

Review of “Wilco (the album)”:
“certain bands, you need to buy the physical recording, because there’s packaging that speaks to what the album is and isn’t.”

NSRMTB blog

Review of “Tipping Point“:
“To all those out there that would rather download a DH DVD than buy one you are going to miss out on some cool packaging and shame on you.”

Bring on Mixed Reviews blog

Review of “The Dear Hunter“:
“The album’s packaging is also something to behold. The time and effort put into the old timey photos that double as track lyrics/notes, is simply amazing. If you have The Prize Fighter Inferno‘s album “My Brother’s Blood Machine” then you know what I am referring to, it returns my faith in the CD medium, where so many have abandoned it for hollow digital downloads.”

These are just some of many comments that prove that the packaging adds value to an album or movie.  You could decrease piracy and downloads by investing in custom packaging that is creative and eye-catching.  By doing this, you are making the physical product of your album or movie a must-have for every fan.

When rock legends come together to form a new band, the packaging must be bold and original to represent the excitement of the new collaboration.  Chickenfoot did just that.  Their new band formation includes guitar hero Joe Satriani, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith, and former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and frontman Sammy Hagar.

David Bellm from Packaging Digest pointed out the innovative design by Todd Gallopo for Chickenfoot’s debut album.  The design for this album features new thermal ink developed and patented by Chromatic Technologies Inc. (CTI), a special effect inks and coatings manufacturer.  This ink causes the album cover to change with heat, which could be simply just touching it with your hand.  When heat is applied, pictures are revealed on the front cover, as well as song titles on the back.  Chickenfoot’s self-titled debut album was released earlier this month by Redline Entertainment.

Custom CD packaging can help boost CD sales over iTunes or illegal downloading, because the physical album becomes more of a collector’s item that fans would love to have and are willing to pay for.  Make your album a “must-have” for every fan with the Permavue One turned edge case that has your artwork printed on the cover.  Or there are always stock jewel cases that you can personalize with your own creative artwork.

If you’re like me, you love to read books, but can’t ever seem to find the time to do it.  That is why audiobooks are so handy and have growing popularity.  You can listen to them while driving, walking, or wherever you take your CD player or mp3 player/iPod.

But the costs add up for audiobooks, especially if you go through a lot of them quickly.  For one title alone, it can cost around $15-25 in the iTunes store.  This is where Booksfree comes in.  They offer a rental service that is much like what Netflix does with DVDs.  For a monthly service fee, you can continually rent audiobooks from a huge selection without having to worry about late fees.  And you don’t have to pay extra for shipping, each audiobook you receive in the mail comes with a prepaid envelope for you to send it back in.

The amount of your monthly service fee will depend on the membership plan that you sign up for.  Prices are higher if you choose to be able to rent more than one audiobook at a time, or if you prefer the CD membership over the mp3-CD membership.  But you can get a plan for as little as $13.49/month.  If you typically buy at least one audiobook each month, you would be saving money with this membership.

This rental service is both good and bad for authors and publishers.  They get paid for the number of books sold, not by how many times they are rented. But this is not any different than a library offering titles, and it helps them gain exposure for more possible customers in the future.  A rental service is great is you plan to go through a lot of audiobooks, but we hope that they are using extremely durable cases if they are continually being rented and sent back and forth in the mail.  And if you like to keep your wide collection of audiobooks on display and available at all times, you may just want to stick with buying audiobooks and being able to keep them as your own.

May is Green Packaging Month at Sunrise. In May, we focus on communicating ways to create packaging that is unique, helps you stand out from the crowd, and is also environmentally responsible… yes, you can have all three. Check out our Green Packaging Pages for more information.

To get us started, since Mother’s day is next weekend, we found a web site that will help you turn an unused CD case into a beautiful card for Mom!

Here’s a picture of the completed project. check out the craftylife blog for complete instructions.

Be sure to let us know how your card turned out. In fact, send us a picture and we’ll highlight it in a post! (We’ll wait until after Mother’s Day to keep the surprise)

The next time you need a binder, CD/DVD/USB case, box or sales kit, give your favorite Account Manager a call and we’ll help you create a work of art that will be environmentally friendly too.

Looking for the most innovative in media packaging? Try the new CD/DVD Wrap! You can customize this to be just how you would like it.

The CD/DVD Wrap is made from a piece of plastic wrap. This could be bought in a variety of different colors to spice up your discs!

The CD/DVD Wrap could be wrapped around the disc alone, or you could include a backing for extra support. A piece of cardboard would be perfect if you are looking for strength and durability. You could even cut the cardboard in any shape you like to give your packaging that unique touch. Feel free to draw or add artwork to the back to make it even more distinctive. Once you are done decorating, just place your disc on the cardboard and add our CD/DVD Wrap around it. You now have a creative form of space-saving packaging that allows you to display the disc!

Okay, so this isn’t an actual product, but we thought we’d lighten up in honor of April Fool’s Day. Go ahead and pull a harmless prank on your friends and have some fun. For more information on our actual CD/DVD packaging, visit our stock products page.

Are you in the middle of spring cleaning and need to create more space? If you have a large music collection, your jewel cases can take up a lot of room. One way to condense a large CD collection into a smaller sapce is by using multi-disc cases.

Also, with so many people living life on the go, they want to be able to take their CD’s with them without having to worry about the discs or the cases being ruined.

Portability and durability are important to find in a CD case, while still being able to have a professional look.

We are now offering multi-disc CD cases that take up less space than individual jewel cases and are also more convenient to carry.

These black cases snap shut like a DVD case and feature an outside clear overlay to display cover artwork. And you can’t go wrong by saving space with a 16-disc CD case that takes up the same room as three standard sized jewel cases or six slim jewel cases.

By having a durable case that can hold multiple discs, you can take your CD’s with you wherever you go. And when you eventually put them away, you’ll have room to collect even more!

Yesterday marked the 30th birthday of the Compact Disc. On March 8th, 1979, Royal Philips Electronics exhibited a prototype of what we now know as the CD. Since then, over 240 billion CDs have been sold. The introduction of the CD also paved the way for videogame discs, DVDs, and Blu-Ray discs.

To celebrate this historic landmark, IEEE, the world’s leading professional association for the advancement of technology, presented Philips with the IEEE Milestone Award for their role in the development of the CD.

The CD was truly a revolutionary idea. Not only are CDs much smaller than their predecessor, the cassette tape, they are more convenient and have a much higher quality playback. They completely transformed the way audio, video, and computing was done.

Although some believe that CDs are being pushed out of the way for digital files and mp3s, CDs have brought us a long way and aren’t disappearing yet. Many prefer having a physical disc, rather than storing everything on the computer. And don’t forget about videogames, DVDs, and the new Blu-Ray format. The world is not letting go of discs anytime soon. So to this we say, “Happy Birthday CD!”