ECM New Releases

[T.D.]

2 minutes ago, clifford_thornton said:

they definitely do not want to pay for artwork. That's the number one reason.

Thanks. Figured that had to be the reason ("Follow the money") but never read anything to that effect.

[clifford_thornton]

Outside design can really add up cost-wise, and the number of people buying physical new release jazz CDs in 2025 is probably fairly small.

[T.D.]

24 minutes ago, clifford_thornton said:

Outside design can really add up cost-wise, and the number of people buying physical new release jazz CDs in 2025 is probably fairly small.

For sure on vanishing CD market. 

I haven't had a turntable for many years and don't do vinyl. Are labels currently spending on LP cover art? That used to be a big part of the medium, and modern LP buyers seem to have "low price elasticity of demand". 😁

[mjzee]

When I see current ECM covers, I think "I'd like for them to design my house."

[clifford_thornton]

1 hour ago, T.D. said:

I haven't had a turntable for many years and don't do vinyl. Are labels currently spending on LP cover art? That used to be a big part of the medium, and modern LP buyers seem to have "low price elasticity of demand". 😁

yes, somewhat, but it depends. I certainly see a lot of "meh" new LP designs in the bins as well. International Anthem have some of the best, though not all of the records themselves are my cuppa.

[JSngry]

My son recently brought over some of the LPs he's purchased over the last few years of some different subsets of what would probably be macro-labeled as ' dance music" and the packaging on these things, including cover (and Inner sleeve) art is crazydtupidmad deluxe! 

Pretty sure this stuff is hyper-niche, and I didn't ask him what he was paying for them, but there's at least somebody who's going there.

[clifford_thornton]

slap an obi around some terrible art and it instantly becomes collector-worthy... it's certainly been done in the past!

[Pim]

Hat Hut is another label with a very recognizable ‘house style’. Also matter of taste but I like them! I am talking mostly about their cd reissues. The original LPs also had their own style but can’t say I am a fan of them 

Edited March 20 by Pim

[Simon8]

Having an instantly recognizable visual identity is something that every brand aspires to: ECM certainly achieved that! 

[JSngry]

17 minutes ago, Simon8 said:

Having an instantly recognizable visual identity is something that every brand aspires to: ECM certainly achieved that! 

And through more than a few iterations.

No small feat, that.

[Dub Modal]

On 3/20/2025 at 10:47 AM, clifford_thornton said:

I really can no longer abide by their cover art and fonts. I feel the same way about Intakt. This isn't about the music... the releases just don't look appealing to me.

I don't like the ECM cover art style either but there are some really good albums in that catalog from every decade they've been around. I think a decent approach to counteract this bias is to try and listen blindly if at all possible to get around that visual issue. Not easy of course. 

[rostasi]

Not expecting everyone to like those covers - hey, it's art! - but the visual aspect was as much part of the listening experience as the music. The ECM aesthetic - the washed-out landscapes, empty spaces, abstract textures, and sans-serif minimalism - mirrors the sonic atmosphere: space, clarity, introspection, restraint. It's an extension of the label's tagline: "The Most Beautiful Sound Next To Silence." The covers almost invite you to listen quietly.

People who want more "color," flash, or narrative from an album cover (like you might get from Blue Note, Impulse!, a.o.) sometimes bristle at ECM's cool distance. But ECM isn’t about selling you the party. It’s about inviting you into a sound world, where even the artwork is whispering rather than shouting.

Also, many ECM covers are photographs of nowhere in particular  - foggy woods, grey buildings, sea horizons  - but they become something because they’re tied to that specific album’s mood. So even if you don't recognize the landscape, it becomes part of the music's geography.

It’s almost like ECM was practicing slow design decades before that became a thing. If Blue Note covers are like classic jazz clubs full of life, ECM covers are like walking alone through an empty museum at night. Not everyone wants that, but for those who do, it's perfect.

Edited Wednesday at 06:35 PM by rostasi

[mjzee]

There was a thread long ago, maybe even on the BNBB, of Blue Note covers redone in ECM style...or was it ECM covers redone in BN style, or maybe both?  Anyway, whoever did them was insanely talented and inspired.

[JSngry]

"ECM covers"...geez, there have gone through so many different periods,,,I suppose there a very broad underlying unifying esthetic, but

That's pretty much a Blue Note LT photo right there.

[clifford_thornton]

A lot of the 1970s ECM covers were pretty cool, and even the 80s and 90s weren't totally offensive (or I could deal). These days not so much.

[JSngry]

Isn't Eicher almost blind these days? I've heard it speculated that the blinder he gets, the darker the covers get?

Fraility has a power of it's own.

[mjazzg]

3 hours ago, JSngry said:

Isn't Eicher almost blind these days? I've heard it speculated that the blinder he gets, the darker the covers get?

Fraility has a power of it's own.

Maybe so, I haven't heard about his sight loss or not, but the darker cover theory is definitely disproven by several recent examples - Wadada/Iyer, Anouar Brahem, Guidi/Brandon Lewis and there are more but I shan't belabour the point

[Niko]

The Brahem album even has an experiment with a different font 

[mjzee]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvetica_(film)

[clifford_thornton]

Like, I guess my argument would be that it takes work to be minimal and their cover art practice just got lazy.

[T.D.]

17 minutes ago, clifford_thornton said:

Like, I guess my argument would be that it takes work to be minimal and their cover art practice just got lazy.

I always fall back on "Follow the money", so I figure that the design budget went down.

I just visited the ECM website and clicked through a number of new releases, Shop - ECM Records . Looks like roughly 75% of the catalog has bland cookie-cutter covers, but there are a few more attractive and eye-catching ones. For instance a Paul Bley release scheduled for July:

 

By way of comparison, I sometimes buy contemporary classical CDs from Another Timbre in the UK, another timbre home page . Their covers have distinctive typeface and aesthetic, but are generally far more attractive than ECM's IMO. [There are exceptions, but the pale/greyish ones seem to be artistic choices that reflect the music in some way.]

Edited 18 hours ago by T.D.

[mjzee]

I think it all comes down to costs.  Bravo to labels like ECM and SteepleChase who keep presenting new music.  The audience probably isn't huge, so they need to do a lot with a little.  Having a basic design template helps; then they just change the particulars for each release.

[T.D.]

[Can't edit post]

I also suspect an internal ECM pecking order: some higher-profile or better-selling artists are allotted more cover/design resources than the rest.

[clifford_thornton]

yeah, definitely a money issue.

The Bley was released in the early 70s and that is its original cover design. It is a good one.

Another Timbre is a cool label for sure. I have some of their early CDs and CDRs.

[mjzee]

This school of record album design (typography plus some random graphic) has been around a long time.  I was reminded of that this morning when this album popped up on my shuffle playlist: