Rapper Pitbull has become an ubiquitous presence in the US music scene lately, thanks to some high-profile featured spots on singles by other artists. His latest guest appearance comes on Apple's iPad though, with a big-budget tablet application called Pitbull – Planet Pit.
The app weighs in at a startling 660.1MB file size, with a price point to match of $9.99 – for now, it's only available in the US. For that, fans get 30 high-definition videos and interviews, more than 300 photos of Pitbull and his collaborators, and a wealth of interview, sound samples, biographical info, producer notes, interactive lyrics and links to exclusive online content.
Wait, sound samples? Yes, what's seemingly missing from the app is the actual Planet Pit album: its App Store listing promises "the ability to purchase music" from the iTunes Store, and makes clear that it "complements the CD release" rather than replaces it.
The app is the work of ROBA Interactive, a US start-up set up earlier this year by a group of music industry veterans with the specific aim of making rich iPad apps for music artists. Its website suggests that the Planet Pit app isn't due for release until 21 June, but it appeared on the App Store Tuesday night – here's AppShopper's listing.
iPhone apps based on artists are 10-a-penny, and thanks to companies like Mobile Roadie, they're spreading to Android and BlackBerry too. iPad has been a different story though. The only comparable app to Pitbull's is Swedish House Mafia – Until One.
Released by EMI in March 2011, it included videos and photos, but also the full Until Now album by the Scandinavian dance music collective. That app also had a $10 price point and a similar file-size to Planet Pit (659.4MB). Bjork is also about to release a series of iPad apps for her new Biophilia project, although they will be focused more on interacting with the music itself.
The idea of an iPad album-app – whether it includes the actual album or not – is clearly in its early days. It's tempting to wonder why these apps don't stream content in to keep the file size down, something that would also allow content to be refreshed without the fan having to download a (presumably just-as-enormous) update.
There has been a burst of innovation on iPad around music discovery, as shown in apps like Discovr Music, Aweditorium and Music Hunter. Meanwhile, services including Pandora and Vevo are exploring tablets as a way to consume music.
In the listing for his new app, Pitbull is quoted as saying: "This platform gives the fans an eye in my life, a birds eye view in watching 360, full spectrum, from every perspective, and how I give it to you street, give it to you business, and give it to you Pop." His peers (and their labels) will be eager to see if fans flock to its rich features.
