I'm of the Woodstock hippie generation and have always believed in self sufficiency and "to tread lightly upon this Earth".
In keeping with that philosophy as an independent musician I write, perform and record my own tunes. It's now also possible for me to produce finished CDs at home.
For a long time I've been looking to replace "conventional" CD jewel cases with a more environmentally friendly alternative. There is just too much packaging - and the plastic covers always break anyway. Plus most of the printing is too small to read.
So I've finally figured out a way to use my current software to produce cardboard sleeves just like a mini version of the old vinyl album covers.
They're printed on recycled cardboard - they use 50% less cardboard, 33% less ink and 100% less plastic than the jewel cases. AND they're cheaper to mail!
Links on the cover lead to sites where the lyrics, photos etc are posted.
I'm currently recording a new album and I'd be interested to hear comments on whether people think there still is a place for hard copy CDs and jewel cases.
Or would they just prefer to download mp3s?