• Financial Times, Monday, July 27, 2009 1:01 PM

Endeavoring to change buying trends on iTunes, Apple has tapped four top record labels to increase digital sales of albums by bundling an interactive booklet, sleeve notes and other features with music downloads.

As The Financial Times reports, physical album sales have fallen precipitously as music retailing has moved from compact disc sales in shops to digital downloads, while consumers are buying large amounts of digital music, but individual tracks rather than full-length albums.

In partnership with with EMI, Sony Music, Warner Music and Universal Music Group, Apple working towards a September launch date for the project, which aims to boost interest in albums by bundling liner notes, photographs, lyric sheets and video clips with the music.

"It's all about recreating the heyday of the album when you would sit around with your friends looking at the artwork while you listened to the music," one exec familiar with the plans tells the Financial Times.

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