Digipaks v. Jewel cases: Which is better?

I graduated high school this June and spent all my gift money on music, so with my new accumulation of Kula Shaker vinyl, I have arrived at two revelations: gatefold vinyl sleeves are twenty times more pleasing than regular sleeves, and I have obtained an addiction to music collecting.

Having just moved my CD and vinyl collection for the first time, I’ve had a lot of time to think about how music is packaged. I’ve seen many other articles about how terrible wallets are and the pros and cons of Digipaks and jewel cases, but there are certain subtypes of CD packaging that never get talked about in the 21st century.

When I was in middle school buying used books off Amazon, I could care less what the jacket or cover looked like, so long as no pages were missing and I could still read the words. But just recently, I got mad at a seller for sending me a CD in “Very Good” condition with a giant sticker wrapped around the sleeve and Sharpie writing on the disc.

Naturally, I dislike the wallet CD covers because they either don’t hold the CD in well or tear easily when trying to take the disc or booklet out. But while I won’t name names, the worst CD sleeve I have ever come across was simply a rectangular strip of card stock folded in half. The art is fine, but it is literally just a strip of paper. I have to store it in a clear plastic sleeve just to be sure the disc doesn’t roll off my shelf.

There’s no debate that Digipaks are both beautiful and environmental-friendly, but I’m not alone in hating how easily damaged the case is. With a jewel case, you not only get the sheen from the plastic shell but a layer of protection for the booklets and inserts (which is one of the main reasons people still buy analogue music in a digital world). Even if you got the disc new, many record stores put their own price stickers on the case that leaves residue behind and ruins the aesthetic of the cover art. With how easily jewel cases can be replaced, residue and tears from removing price stickers are removed from the equation.

But there is one aspect of the art included with the purchase of a CD that is so often overlooked: the label on the disc itself. Some discs are boring with a plain color background and the name of the band and album, but many have beautiful pictures or designs that you never see outside of the transition of time between opening the case and either removing or returning the disc.

Then I bought Plastiscene EP in 2019, and I was introduced to the J-card. The disc came to me new and unopened, and I thought the presentation was strange, but interesting. I thought there was a mistake and was confused why the disc had been inserted upside-down, but it looked even weirder with the disc inserted like it would have been in a regular jewel case. And the more I looked at it, the more I wished that all EPs were packaged in this way.

Of course, jewel cases are great for holding lyric booklets, but seeing the disc itself with the inside tray art behind it adds a whole new perspective on how CD inserts and art can be shown off. Even with bands that released J-cards with their singles in the 90s, most of them never realized just how well-done the presentation could be like Plastiscene did.

EPs aren’t a thing of the past, either. Few bands release singles in a physical format anymore, but EPs are a common choice for merch tables of indie bands. These albums normally come in a vinyl-esque sleeve that no one likes, and the majority of them don’t include extra inserts. It has been debated that the way the CD is placed upside-down offers a problem when it is exposed upon opening, but a double-sided vinyl experiences double the same risk, and sales for the format have been growing exponentially for the past few years. And if your first move once you open the jewel case is to breathe heavily on the disc or spit on it, you may be experiencing other problems you might want to address.

But whether or not they take advantage of the inside cover or not, my vote is on the table: J-packs have to make a comeback. They offer a layer of protection for the disc without compromising beauty, and while they can’t hold booklets, they were an excellent choice for singles and EPs when they were common.