Does cover art of an album or recording influences your purchase?


For me, album or recording cover art definitely influences physical media purchases, where the physical object is part of the experience.

Cover art may never be as powerful as the music itself, but it carries its own quiet weight. It represents love, life, death, and the essence of a particular time in a musician’s journey. It captures what the music feels, without needing a single note.

Many are works of art and have become as famous as the music they stand for—Andy Warhol's covers, for example, including the banana he designed for The Velvet Underground. And there are many more! 

On flip side, If you’re buying based purely on artist or recommendation, cover art may not matter. But for exploration, vinyl hunting, or curating a vibe, it remains quite influential.

I’d love to hear what album covers have etched themselves into your memory or even convinced you to listen before you knew the artist. 

Thank you! 

lalitk

I would agree that cover art has played a role in my purchase decisions.  Maybe on a subconscious level as the covers have always been a source of enjoyment.  An obvious example would be Sgt. Peppers, and the polar opposite, The White Album.   Another example would be Street Corner Talking.  It's called cover "art" for a reason?   Cheers.

This is how I initially got into Jazz. . . I liked the Blue Note label covers. I think Wayne Shorter's "JuJu" was the first. 

But that was long ago and short-lived.

Since then, I always listen first before buying, so art has no impact on my decision to buy. 

 

It may have when I was a lot younger and frequently under the influence of drugs when I was at the record store.  But that was a long long time ago.  Now a days I am strictly digital, and seldom under the influence when buying music, and  CD art doesn't quite exude the personality that LP art did.