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Releasing a CD, suggestions

StoreTags: CD, diy

Author: Tridact on March 25 2008

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People who enjoyed reading this: mlbot, RRine, jdg, atum, bodo, jogn, Leo, license, opticecho, asymmhead, Fognozzle, sickmotion

--> The forum's not working for this subject, so I'm posting it in a blog.

I'm looking to compile a few tracks into an EP/mini LP to be released digitally and on CD. I know a lot of EMers here have self-released material, so I wanted to get some input on a few things:

Is there a CD manufacturer you would recommend? Maybe a smaller company I might not have heard of? The big companies are okay if it's the best deal.

Is there a cost effective way to press up 300-500 CDs with covers? It seems like 1,000+ seems the only way to go without doing a cheaper looking CDR release. I'd like to do a digipak or something along those lines.

What do you do recommend for distribution (physical copies and digital)? There seem to be quite a few options now. Is CD Baby a good way to go to take care of that?

Any info is much appreciated. Thanks!

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Comments

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03/25/08 + jdg

my fav ppl in the world for duplication/replication: sooperdooper.net

if u want to save money.. get 500 bulk (on spindle) and DIY the packaging.

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03/25/08 + Spark

I dunno.. putting things on CD nowadays is like asking people NOT to buy it. You could try TuneCore/Itunes.

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03/25/08 + j_chot

link
cheeeapo

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03/25/08 + celibacyclub

someone posted a link to a place that would do runs of any amount, for a flat rate, in less than a week. seems you could use something like this to fill orders as they come in, instead of guessing how many your going to sell overall.

personally i hate cds. they are way too damagable.

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03/25/08 + Tridact

jdg said: "my fav ppl in the world for duplication/replication: sooperdooper.net

if u want to save money.. get 500 bulk (on spindle) and DIY the packaging."

Thanks jdg - that looks like the place to go for what I want.

I'll probably be contacting you for the mastering sometime before summer.

celibacyclub said: "someone posted a link to a place that would do runs of any amount, for a flat rate, in less than a week. seems you could use something like this to fill orders as they come in, instead of guessing how many your going to sell overall.

personally i hate cds. they are way too damagable."

Yeah, I don't anticipate selling so many, but I want them on hand for people who still like them. Also, I'm old school and just like the idea of holding the product in my hand - it feels legitimate (kinda lame, I know). If I can do it in batches of a few hundred, I think it'll work out.

Recent blogs: Releasing a CD, suggestions, The Audium

03/25/08 + atum

i'd listen to j-chot

03/25/08 + bodo

probably not much help, but these look pretty purdy
link
I'm gonna try and get my office to order some

03/25/08 + lgo

diy packaging for sure. get a $70 cd printer, some thick paper, and some extra cartridges. i did this for awhile and sold cds online. they were just made to order and that worked out well. quietus recordings, a new ambient and dub label run by an old friend out of sf just 100 copies, each with a unique cover. the first sold out really quickly.

it really depends on what you're doing. the ambient scene is a lot warmer towards the rarer, diy album.

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03/25/08 + Tridact

DIY packaging would be pretty tough for me to get done - although I like it. I'm just not too good with stuff like that.

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03/25/08 + jogn

you'd be surprised. Just try it. it's as easy as using word. You could also just write out the titles and stuff on a slip of brown paper.

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03/26/08 + Dizzygotheca

ok.. we went a different route and just got the cd replicated professionally.... 500 cd's only cost us around 500AUD.. we have then hand screen printed up cardboard sleeves to put them in.. people love the hand made covers..

duplication looks really, well, cheap..

tunecore is very cool for online sales.. not sure if we have sold any cd's on it yet tho.. lol..

keep in mind too that 500 cd's is a lot of cd's... one of my mates got 1000 done of his band, they sold around 50 at the launch and maybe 10-20 since..

if your not out playing live or pimping yourself its very hard to sell cd's...

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03/26/08 + Leo

At least in Ohio, there is still a market for CDs. Of my group of friends, only one buys strictly digital copies. Granted, most of my friends make music or art, or are involved in the production of either in some capacity. A lot of people around here still buy vinyl. At the last local show I went to, I had to lunge forward to nab a free CD, then push off half a dozen girls from crushing me. When local bands around here come out with a CD, most people I know buy them. In Northwest Ohio, there was a band called Stylex. We all went to see their shows, and whenever they released a CD, almost everyone I know bought one.

Seems like you almost have to gig if you want to sell CDs. Promotion is a huge part of selling CDs. If you're pushing them at shows, selling to local shops on consignment, and peddling them from your website, you may sell a couple hundred, maybe even all 500. Still, it is going to be a serious job. You have to push that thing. Make flyers, store placards, and whatever else you can think of to lure in someone you may be buying something else.

Also, I commend you for wanting to make a proper CD. Increasingly, I think MP3s sound like crap. I really am not happy with the digital distribution model. I'm with you. I want to hold it. I want it to be on my shelf. I want there to be physical evidence linking me to the music I like.

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03/26/08 + j_chot

everybody has a myspace/netlabel
present a polished cd, and people take you a little more seriously.

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03/26/08 + j_chot

leo pretty much covered everything I was gonna say. bastard.

Recent blogs: Mom's Fridge doesn't cut it, machine drum observations, possible album cover

03/26/08 + fkmooney

@j_chot (or anyone),
Have you used that repro place you linked to? It looks great and very cheap, I just wonder what the quality is like.

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