CD Release Tips

Great article and great comments!! My plan of action is not to do a “physical” realease of a single but to promote a free mp3 of my song from the current compilation album we have coming out. I have some connections to various podcasts to play the song, mention the album it comes from and of course where to buy it.

Thanks for this article, but I’d like to add something more prominently to the sentence “Play the single at every show.” It may be so obvious because given the talents and aspirations of the intended audience, it is gracefully assumed, but for anyone in the business:

THE ARTIST MUST PLAY OUT BEHIND THE CD

A band or performer ought to have a list of gigs as long as your arm in front of you at the time of the CD release. That way people when they firstly check you out see that you’re not fly-by-night, but a serious performer who will be around for a while delivering interesting experiences.

While this may not get a label’s interest, you may find people admiring your committment which is a power in and of itself.

Conversely, bands without a schedule, while they may have an interesting single, will have a difficult time getting traction with it because each time you play out is a chance to write a press release about it, to talk about it to people at the show, and your friends.

In this day and age, where everything can be copied and stolen, your exploration and standing in meatspace is more important than ever.

Godspeed to everyone in the business.

OMGosh! What GREAT information! Hope the world is ready for the “informed” release of the new CD to followup “SUGARBABY!”
GLYNACE

I have gotten some really poor advice from well meaning people who aren’t in the music business. I released my first CD last year and it really took the wind out of my sails…and sales. I had a huge following waiting for the CD release, or so I thought. I couldn’t afford to release a single and then the album like you said. Anyway, when the CD came out everyone expected me to give it away for free because I was their friend or relative. I did create value for my CD, that it was a long playing CD by two accomplished musicians, and how great the project came out etc. No one wanted to pay the $15 for the CD. Some of my friends said I should give them away for $5. I told them a high quality CD is worth more than $5. I still owe money for the project and couldn’t afford to give them away that cheap anyway. I have given some CDs to people that honestly wanted one and couldn’t afford it. The next project will be a Christmas one. I may do all digital releases instead of a hard copy and then perhaps I can incorporate some of the advice in the article.

These are all delightful ideas. I particularly like the idea of building value on the stage and insisting that everyone leave with a copy. With the stupendous values offered through Disc Makers, the band that I promote and I have figured that we could get CDs professionally produced in cardboard envelopes for as little as 79 cents each (if purchased in quantity of 1000). And 59 cent each if we take advantage of their $200 off savings certificate. Wow, we could sell them all day for a buck. Because of these great prices, this leaves plenty of room for profit, even after paying studio costs.

Beautiful and timely article. I am an independent recording artist working on “building” buzz for my new project and I have a marketing plan pieced together however, these ideas have given me inspiration and motivation to push harder and smarter. Thanks for placing the battery in my back…JE the “Coatdragger”

thankyou!

My music is good. It’s well written, representing years at this craft. I would not do a gig without planning from the time I loaded the equipment,till the time I turned the key on the lock later that night. I wonder what I was thinking when I put out my last release and didn’t have a marketing plan.
It’s like playing a club and not asking whose got the check?

Great article and very timely for us with a debut album “Crystal Ball” scheduled for a release party here in Seattle this coming September. We knew we needed to “hype” the release and your article and accompanying comments gave us valuable information on just how to do that.

Thanks Disc Makers! You’re always providing educational and though-provoking ways to make a dent in this highly competitive but rewarding adventure. It’s greatly appreciated.

I am a Jazz pianist who leads a piano trio and duo. We’ve just finished our first CD in a state of the art digital studio where I teach, but being a marketing rookie, I appreciated all the help. I’m not quite sure how the pre-release of a single works in Jazz, since the market share is generally much smaller than rock and pop music (which I also enjoy), and the idea of a “hit” single is generally not part of the Jazz ethos. I’m just raising the question of how music style might affect marketing approach.

If you are an undiscovered independent music artist, releasing a single,
or creating anticipation, is not going to do anything. The big artists do it
because they can, everyone else is just trying to be found in the
first place. Most other bands, and artists, sell most of their CD’s at their
shows/gigs. If you don’t have a CD to sell, than you are missing out.
The faster you make a professional sounding CD, and the faster
it get’s out there, the better. Most bands/artists that make CD’s
will never sell enough to make any money, it’s very tough
out there, so much free(or downloadable music). They
can just go to You tube a get free music anytime they want.
CD production companies make their mone on a ll the
want to be music artists, and there are thousands of them.