Buy The Disc, Get The Mag

Ad creep has now made its way to compact discs.
When Mariah Carey’s new release Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel drops on Sept. 15, it will include a 34-page Elle magazine insert that includes lifestyle ads from Elizabeth Arden, Angel Champagne, Carmen Steffens, Le Métier de Beauté and the Bahamas Board of Tourism.

According to Becky Ebenkamp of Brandweek:

The mini magazine contains Mariah-centric editorial and lifestyle advertising along with lyrics and other CD booklet elements. Elle contributed the editorial and designed the layout.
The booklets were created for the first run of U.S. CDs (1 million) and the first 500,000 overseas, said Jeff Straughn, svp-strategic marketing for Island Def Jam Music Group. It will also be available in a digital format for those who buy music online. A condensed version of the Mariah mag will be inserted into 500,000 subscription copies of Elle’s October issue, which arrives mid-September.

Island Def Jam will also play well with advertisers at retail. At Walmart, Elizabeth Arden will cross-promote Carey’s new signature Arden fragrance, Forever, with the new CD in both the beauty aisle and in the music section.
Not everyone see this move as an advance for the music business, but I like the idea.