Editorial Policy
Behind the Covers is an independent reference site about the design, photography, and visual culture of recorded music. Every entry is a short editorial article, not a stock listing. This page explains how those articles get made.
Scope
We cover album cover art across genres and eras — from the painted sleeves of the 1950s to the digitally native artwork of the 2020s. An album earns an entry when its cover is historically significant, visually distinctive, formally inventive, culturally contested, or inseparable from the music inside. We are not trying to be exhaustive; we're trying to be useful.
How we research
For each entry we work from a mix of primary and secondary sources: published interviews with designers, photographers, and art directors; monographs and exhibition catalogs; design-press reporting; label and studio histories; liner notes and reissue essays; and, where available, the artists' own statements. When credible sources disagree, we say so in the article rather than choosing the most dramatic version.
Credits
We credit designers, photographers, illustrators, art directors, and labels by name whenever the information is verifiable. When a credit is uncertain, contested, or simply not known, we mark it as uncredited rather than guessing. If you have first-hand information that improves a credit — including your own — please email us and we'll update the entry.
Fact-checking
Before publishing, each entry is checked against at least two independent sources for the core facts: who designed and photographed the cover, when and where the artwork was produced, and any notable controversies. We avoid repeating well-circulated myths without examining them; if a famous story turns out to be apocryphal, we say so.
Updates and versioning
Entries are living documents. When new information emerges — a previously uncredited photographer is identified, an interview clears up a long-standing question — we update the article rather than publishing a separate post. Substantive factual updates are noted in the entry. See our corrections policy for how to report an error.
Use of AI tools
We use AI tools to assist with research workflows, copy editing, and metadata structuring. Editorial decisions — what to cover, how to frame it, which sources to trust, and which credits to attribute — are made by humans. We do not publish AI-generated articles without editorial review, and we do not generate or pass off AI-made imagery as original album artwork.
Independence
Behind the Covers is not affiliated with any record label, artist, rights holder, or design studio. We do not accept paid placements inside articles, sponsored entries dressed up as editorial, or payments to add or remove coverage. Display advertising and affiliate links are clearly identified and described in our affiliate disclosure.
Fair use of artwork
All album artwork on the site is reproduced in low resolution for editorial and educational purposes under fair use. If you represent a rights holder and have a specific concern, please contact us with the URL.