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Covermount (sometimes writtencover mount) is the name given tostorage media (containingsoftware and or audiovisual media) or other products (ranging from toys to flip-flops) packaged as part of amagazine ornewspaper. The name comes from the method of packaging; the media or product is placed in a transparent plastic sleeve and mounted on the cover of the magazine with adhesive tape or glue.
Audio recordings were distributed in the UK by the use of covermounts in the 1960s by the fortnightly satirical magazinePrivate Eye though the term "covermount" was not in usage at that time. ThePrivate Eye recordings were pressed onto 7" floppy vinyl (known as "flexi-discs" and "flimsies") and mounted on to the front of the magazine. The weekly pop music paperNME issued audio recordings of rock music on similar 7" flexi-discs as covermounts in the 1970s.
The covermount practice continued with computer magazines in the early era ofhome computers. In the United Kingdom computer hobbyist magazines began distributing tapes and laterfloppy disks with their publications. These disks includeddemo andshareware versions ofgames,applications, computerdrivers,operating systems,computer wallpapers and other (usually free) content. One of the first covermount games to be added as a covermount was the 1984The Thompson Twins Adventure.[1]
Most magazines backed up by large publishers likeLinux Format included a covermount CD or DVD with aLinux distribution and otheropen-source applications. The distribution of discs with source programs was also common inprogramming magazines: while the printed version had the code explained, the disk had the code ready to be compiled without forcing the reader to type the whole listing into the computer by hand.
In November 2015,The MagPi magazine brought the concept full circle and attached a freeRaspberry Pi Zero on the cover, the first full computer to be included as a covermount on a magazine.
In other places, such asFinland, covermounts on computer magazines never caught on. Instead, popular Finnish magazines such asMikroBitti offered subscribers access to an exclusiveBBS via modem, and later via theWorld Wide Web.
Adding audiovisual media as a covermount has started withmusic magazines adding covermounts in the form of sampler for promotional uses, usingcompact cassettes as a storage medium. The cassette was in the end replaced by the compact disc.
Apart from magazines also newspapers have discovered the covermount and started to add compact discs to their publications.
Magazines are also including non-storage media like toys, games, stationery sets, make up, cross stitch kits and whatever the publisher believes will help the sales of their titles.
In theUnited Kingdom, manytelevision-related "partware" magazines (magazines aimed at collectors which build up to a complete set over months or years) have been launched in recent years, with covermounts containing episodes of the subject show (such asDad's Army,Stargate SG-1 orThe Prisoner).
American musicianPrince was known for offering studio albums free with various newspaper publications. His 2007 albumPlanet Earth was the first to be given this treatment, in the United Kingdom, in partnership withThe Mail on Sunday. This causedEntertainment Retailers Association, a record company representative, to decry this practice as 'covermount culture'.[2] His new album20Ten was released in 2010, in Belgium, under the same circumstances, with the same happening for the album with other publications across Europe. Pop rock bandMcFly too released a covermount album, which wasRadio:Active (their fourth studio album). Other artists known to release covermount albums areUB40,Peter Gabriel,Calvin Harris and Soulwax. In April 2007,EMI licensed theMail on Sunday to cover-mount 2.25 million copies ofMike Oldfield'sTubular Bells shortly before the rights on it were due to revert to him, something about which the artist was not best pleased.[3] TheNME have also had a long history with covermount releases, from the influential cassette compilationsC81 anDC86, mix albums likeNME Dust Up, mixed byThe Chemical Brothers, andBeat up the NME, mixed byFatboy Slim, as well as albums in which you would have to send a token to the NME in exchange for the covermount release, includingCapital Radio byThe Clash andAlly Pally Paradiso byBAD II.
The initial purpose of covermount discs was to distribute demo versions of video games. Initial magazines, likeAmiga Format orST Format had one or more floppy disks with demos of upcoming games, but the fragility of the media and the increasing size of demos made publishers turn to compact discs, which were cheaper to produce, more resistant to damage, and had over 300 times more capacity. CDs became the most common storage media, but in the past several years, demos have grown from mere 50MB files to 500MB or larger. This discourages magazines from distributing most of the larger demos, unless the magazine has an exclusive distribution agreement or the title is highly anticipated. While in 1997 a CD could carry over 15 demos, in 2005 the typical CD had 5 or fewer. This led some magazines to insert a second CD, or to use DVD media instead.
Covermounts came late to the world ofvideo game console publications. Since nearly all 8-bit and 16-bit consoles werecartridge-based (with the exceptions ofSega'sMega-CD andNEC'sPC Engine CD), covermount demos only began appearing in 1996, with the official Sega andPlayStation magazines.
The trend of offering full versions appeared in the mid-80s, when magazines such asYour Sinclair and Amstrad Action put full versions of software, usually games on their covertapes. These games, provided by distributors from a list of games with lesser commercial value, are also often found in budget range labels, and can range from older but highly regarded titles to unknown titles with little shelf space. Some games or expansions were released exclusively on cover media, such asMoley Christmas inYour Sinclair,[4] or the expansionPopulous: The Final Frontier forPopulous.[5] As access to internet gaming websites such asGameSpot orIGN grew, so did the importance of having a strong covermount. Others, likePC Format used to distribute full versions of unknown commercial software, with a beginners' guide in the printed version.
Sensible Software made several games for distribution withAmiga Power, likeSensible Massacre (usesSensible Soccer graphics, where the player throws grenades at Dutch players, following the loss ofEngland against theDutch in theUSA'94 qualifiers) orSensible Train Spotting (related to thehobby), the last game developed by the company for theCommodore Amiga.
Games redistributed by covermount occasionally have problems if the originals were fitted withcopy protection measures. If a buyer tries to apply a patch or update, there is a high chance of the game not recognizing a covermountCD, as they are often reprints and lack the copy prevention sectors.
Software publishers, both then and now, are often against the overuse of putting software on the covers of magazines as they see it is deflating the value of software.
Although tagged as "free", covermount discs sometimes increase the price of a magazine.[6] Magazines that carry discs can cost as much as double the price of other magazines without them, even if these magazines have more pages. The "free" label serves as a dissuading factor in retailers stripping discs and selling them separately. To prevent theft of the discs from the magazine covers, retailers sometimes remove the discs anyway, keeping them behind the counter to be given to a customer upon purchase of the magazine.
Software added as covermount to computer magazines may sometimes not be secure. A fast-spreading medium, computer magazines can output over 10,000 discs in a matter of days. Although discs are thoroughly scanned and carefully assembled, there have been cases of discs being distributed with viruses, damaging the credibility and reputation of the magazine. In several instances where viruses were spread this way, publications expressed that while the contents of the media were scanned by anti-virus software, the virus wasn't detected as the virus was too new.[7][8] In 1998, cover discs released by bothPC PowerPlay andPC Gamer were infected with the Marburg virus,[9][10][11] whichCNN Money stated caused the malware to become a "widespread threat".[7] AMacAddict cover disc in 2002 contained the AutoStartworm.[8][12]
In addendum to viruses, glitches may be present in cover media that have an adverse effect; In 2004, an issue ofPlayStation Underground, aCD-ROM-based magazine, had a glitch where the user'smemory card was wiped after executing a demo.[12]
