Brian McKinney, who runs Chicago's Chocolate Lab Records, claimed at the weekend that iTunes charges a $10,000 production fee for iTunes LP, a new digital format that pairs additional content such as lyrics and videos with album downloads.

In a follow up email, Mckinney adds, "I should note that it is currently possible to design an iTunes LP independently. I've tested a couple designs on iTunes and they work great. The problem is that Apple won't let you sell them ...