Have you ever found yourself unsatisfied with the ‘album art’ provided when you download music off the internet? As more and more releases saw a shift from physical to digital copies, intricate album designs fell to the backburner. Lost was the intimacy the artist could provide to the listener through posters, hand written liner notes, and other exclusive goodies. As a record collector, I personally believed nothing could beat holding a physical copy…until now.
This is where Whitestone comes in. A new interactive service, Whitestone aims to completely revolutionize how we listen to music. It will provide artists with a platform to release full-screen audio/visual experiences; it’s essentially a new social media site. People can follow their friends, favorite artists, or blogs to get an updated stream of what is being listened to (think of Soundcloud’s stream).
The best part of all of this? The artwork will be interactive, meaning the listener will have access to touch gestures and other inputs that will actively affect what they’re seeing. This opens the door for numerous possibilities, as listeners have the potential to create an infinite number of unique, one-of-a-kind listening experiences. Whitestone will offer paid memberships that will directly support the artists themselves. In addition to this, there will be an option to ‘Back’ an artist, which the developer describes as “an online tip jar.” Backing an artist makes a small 10 cent donation that goes directly to them, which can build up and amount to a decent sum of money. And in an age where people [illegally] download everything for free, this could be a step in the right direction. 
Check out the video below and head to their website for more info!
