as you know i’ve been trying to get my music on itunes and have been using this service called TuneCore that helps get your stuff up there. and i was having problems with the dimensions and specs for the digital version of the booklet i wanted to include. but problems is really kind of an understatement.
they (tunecore) were telling me that you have to have specific dimensions — rectangular, 11.2″ x 8.5″ or something to that effect. this is kind of annoying because the pages of my insert are square, not rectangular, and it would look kind of goofy.
so i double-check itunes itself and find digital pdfs from recent albums, in the itunes store right now, that are far, far different dimension-wise than those specs. so i’m thinking to myself that someone obviously doesn’t know what they’re talking about — i just wasn’t sure if it was itunes or tunecore. turns out it’s itunes. i got in touch with some people there directly through email to ask my questions. they sort of tossed me around between departments and eventually told me that i had to keep inside those dimensions. the exact quote from the email:
“While our system currently supports different sizes customers receive the best experience when a digital booklet is 11 an x 8.264 in. Please deliver digital booklets as 11 in x 8.264 in. “
if anyone has any idea what a vague blanket statement like that means, please let me know.
the worst part about this whole process has been zero straight answers from anyone. everyone loves to tell me i can’t change the dimensions, but they never tell me why. or, for that matter, why other people have and still do upload other dimension booklets into the itunes store which i can view just fine.
anyway, it’s pretty annoying. so i guess i’m relegated to put my square design into a rectangle. it will basically be a square layout with stupid-looking whitespace on both sides now. i’m just tired of dealing with it….this has literally taken weeks to get no straight answers and i just want the thing up there at this point. 
so….rant over! hooray!
my guess as to why this is happening:
their system actually is setup to accept only the format they specified in their message to you, however, it can be modified to accept other formats.
the system is also a huge bureaucratic mess where no one actually wants to do any work.
so if they get liner notes from a major artist that don't conform to their format, they don't get to deal with the artist directly (like they do with you)… instead someone at itunes/tunecore would have to try to deal with someone at the person's record label or their "people" and thats too big a mess… its easier to just change the current system to accept the different format.
for you, however, and individual submitting their (fantastic I might add) CD, its easier to just keep telling you to change the format so the person on the other end doesn't have to do any work. instead you get to do all the work
i really think its because someone just doesn't want to do any actual work. which isn't a very satisfying answer. and perhaps there are albums out there from smaller artists or labels that have different dimensions of liner notes which would prove my guess wrong.