By Sean Daly
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Welcome to the age of the living liner notes.

After Bruce Springsteen fans finish listening to the new "Devils & Dust," which hits stores today, they can flip the sucker over and watch it, too. "Devils & Dust" is the first album from a major artist to be released exclusively on DualDisc, the only music format in 20-plus years with a legitimate shot at replacing the good old compact disc. DualDiscs -- two discs fused together -- have both an audio side, to be used on a CD player, and a video side, accessed by a DVD player.

DualDiscs are typically $1 to $3 more than regular CDs, but a quick survey of merchants yesterday indicated that the Springsteen package won't carry this surcharge. (The Wall Street Journal quoted Springsteen's manager as saying the Boss had demanded that there be no extra cost to record buyers.)

On the DVD side of "Devils & Dust" is a half-hour movie, directed by noted rock photog Danny Clinch, that features Springsteen strumming a few new tunes and explaining his writing process. "These are all songs about people whose souls are in danger or at risk," the Boss says, sitting on a creaky chair in a creakier house. "That's a human constant."

Also on the disc's bonus side is a version of "Devils & Dust" in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound for people with home theater systems. As the music plays, lyrics fill your TV screen, a follow-the-bouncing-ball bit of animated entertainment.

DualDiscs are being issued by a consortium of record labels and companies, including Sony BMG, Warner Bros. and Universal. In 2004, CD album sales, which make up 98 percent of all album sales, were up 2.3 percent compared with 2003. That was good news for the industry. But with downloadable music also making gains, and Internet music piracy still a problem, record execs are hoping DualDiscs further strengthen in-store music buying. For one thing, videos and related bonus footage aren't as easy to share online. Plus, by the end of 2005, 80 percent of U.S. households will have at least one DVD player, according to the Digital Entertainment Group, a nonprofit trade consortium.

So far, DualDisc sales have been promising. Last year, Warner released the first DualDisc -- pop-punk band Simple Plan's "Still Not Getting Any . . . " -- which has since gone platinum. Jennifer Lopez's new album, "Rebirth," was released in March in both DualDisc and CD-only formats; about 30 percent of her sales (more than 400,000 units total) have been DualDiscs. (For all you J.Lo lovers out there: Her flip-side extras include a making-of documentary and two different videos for the hit song "Get Right.")

Whereas Springsteen opted to release "Devils & Dust" only on DualDisc, jam-band fave Dave Matthews will release his new album, May 10's "Stand Up," on both DualDisc and standard CD. Labels are taking a cautious approach regarding DualDiscs and whether they will one day replace the CD altogether.

"I don't know if I can make that great statement . . . but it certainly has outperformed other formats" such as mini-disc and Super Audio CD, says Bill Frohlich, co-president of Sony BMG's sales enterprise division. He adds that DualDisc sales have doubled recently, and that several major artists, including Brit-pop band Oasis, are planning DualDisc treatments in the future.

"Creativity will dictate" whether an artist opts for the DualDisc format, Frohlich says. "The content has to be right . . . more compelling, fresh."

Musicians with a lot to say and play, however, might want to pass on DualDiscs altogether. According to Bob Ludwig, president of Gateway Mastering & DVD, the company that mastered "Devils & Dust," because of the way the DualDiscs are fused and beveled, the total length of the CD side is "limited to about 63 minutes." Pop albums have been routinely stretching beyond 70, or even 75, minutes. The flip side is also more limited space-wise than a normal DVD.

Because DualDiscs are slightly thicker than regular CDs, DualDisc packaging includes a boilerplate warning that "not all DVD and CD players will play the audio side." Specific players have not been listed, but the Internet is littered with a smattering of DualDisc complaints about this. But according to Frohlich, "We don't have a consumer issue or a customer issue."

I've had no problems with any of the 10 or so DualDiscs I've played on car stereo, home stereo and laptop computer. However, it drives me absolutely batty that DualDiscs come in a clunky, slightly rounded jewel case with a push-button latch. Why change that, of all things?

My crankiness was quickly tempered, however, after I saw that Springsteen movie. The Boss rules -- on both sides of the album.