Right now, the iTunes LP format has only been opened to a few major labels. That's why there is such a small selection of LPs available currently on iTunes. Due to a Gizmodo report, this was currently rumored to be due to a $10,000 production fee charged by Apple. With such a fee in place, the LP format would only be available to labels with major resources.

However, as MacRumors.com reports those rumors are incorrect. Apple has denied that there is any production fee. They've also stated their plans to open up the LP format to all labels. This will allow them to expand their LP offerings and bring greater success to the format as a whole.

There's no date given by which we can expect to see these new LPs hit the iTunes store, but all signs point to 'soon'. Apple is trying something very different with LPs, and having a wider selection of them available will only increase this gamble's chance of success. I expect we'll see a much wider range of releases before the end of 2009.