Sony cooking up a Jimi Hendrix Apple iTunes Cocktail?

Alright, time for a little early morning speculation, but it seems to us the music business is preparing a range of tasty treats designed to fit like lovely snugly gloves around Apple’s rumoured Cocktail music format and the industry’s attempt at the same, CMX.

We know the Beatles have a box set coming through soon (which is picking up lots of pre-release positive murmurings on music industry networks), and we think that release could easily lend itself to Cocktail. Maybe. (We do look forward to testing speculation on or around September 9).

Now Sony is planning a 2010 release of Jimi Hendrix recordings and video, including rare never seen before bootlegs, video clips and unreleased recordings.

The label this morning announced its plans, saying, “Sony Music Entertainment and Experience Hendrix have agreed to a monumental catalog licensing deal to set the stage for a worldwide campaign to make all of Jimi’s extraordinary music, including classics, never before heard archive recordings, and filmed concerts available through every type of media.”

Much as we despise the expression, “key takeaway”, the key takeaway hidden in there is the “every type of media” comment. Could this hint a Cocktail/CMX release containing all manner of legendary Hendrix content? (We also think little of the word, “content’, by the way, as it seems to us it implicitly reduces the value of creative expression to something to wrap ads around).

Cocktail/CMX are new digital music formats championed by Apple and the majors (respectively) which are designed to boost album sales by combining digital music files with video, lyric sheets, artwork, imagery and all sorts of additional digital materials. Effectively the described Jimi Hendrix collection seems well-set for release in this new format, though conceivably you’ll be able to buy the music in so-called “normal” digital formats too.

Moving along, the release explains, “Legacy Recordings, Sony’s catalog music division, will issue definitive deluxe editions of the classics released during Jimi’s all too brief career including GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Inductees "Are You Experienced", "Axis: Bold As Love", "Electric Ladyland" and (outside the US) "Band of Gypsys." In addition, Legacy will also release those posthumous compilations produced by Experience Hendrix during its stewardship. Each title will also be available through major Digital Service Providers.”

So Apple should be selling it then. Adding a little grist to the Cocktail rumour-mill.

Signing off, we think it appropriate to broadcast some of the praise for the work of Hendrix contained in the press release, mainly because his work is and was that special.

"Jimi’s legacy and vision were unique and there will never be another that reaches his unparalleled genius. He was the greatest guitarist ever," said Janie Hendrix, President and CEO of Experience Hendrix. "We are confident that our new relationship with Sony Music will honor my beloved brother’s legacy and will deliver Jimi’s special ‘Message Of Love’ across the globe. We look forward to the creative partnership and ground breaking releases that this new relationship will engender to bring Jimi’s music to successive generations of fans."

"No artist has ever transformed the pop music landscape as profoundly or as permanently as Jimi Hendrix," said Adam Block, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Legacy Recordings. "We are proud to be partnering with Experience Hendrix, keeping the sound and spirit of Jimi’s music alive for future generations around the world."

Summing up, it would be no great surprise to us if the new digital album formats, Cocktail and CMX, were to be used to offer digital versions of this all new Jimi Hendrix Multimedia Experience.

Have a gratuitous Hendrix clip on the house…