Apple hopes to turn up the volume on iPad sales with new music creation ad

Apple unveiled its latest effort to turn around slumping sales of the iPad with a splashy new ad and website that highlight the ability to create music on the tablet.

The ad debuted during the Grammys last night, and it features Sweden’s hipper-than-hip Elliphant writing and recording demos of a new song “All or Nothing” on her iPad. The ad highlights a handful of apps, including Apple’s own GarageBand along with iMPC Pro and NanoStudio.

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If there’s been a knock against the iPad since it debuted four years ago, it’s that the device is more about consumption than creation. Apple has always bristled at that notion, and the new ad tries to make the case again that the iPad is a robust tool, particularly for the creative community.

The ad directs people to a new page on Apple’s website that went live last night which emphasizes the ways musicians use the iPad.

“iPad is changing how we live, work, and create more and more each day,” the site says. “For recording artist Elliphant, it’s liberating her to make music in a radical new way. And whether she’s writing lyrics at home or recording on the road, iPad has become an essential part of her process.”

The new push comes on the heels of a quarter that saw Apple post gonzo earnings as a result of exploding iPhone sales. The quarter would have been even bigger if not for a 21 percent drop in iPad sales.