Posts tagged as:

CDs

New Study Reports on CD and Radio Popularity

by Disc Makers June 25, 2010

Myxer just released a report from a recent study they conducted, showing some very encouraging news for independent artists. The overwhelming majority of their users are buying CDs, and just under half of them use the radio as their primary means of discovering new music.

Despite the rise in smartphone users, and increase in purchases of mobile entertainment content, traditional media channels (including packaged CDs, live events, radio and television) still remain a popular way for people to access new music and artists. Captured in the latest BoomBox report, Myxer today reveals some surprising user preferences as they relate to music purchases, behaviors and trends across its 35 million-member community.

Check out the full results on the Music Industry News Network.

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A Visit from Squid the Whale

by Disc Makers June 24, 2010

Squid the Whale Two members of the Squid the Whale band drove 12 hours straight from Michigan to pick up their 1000 CDs in digipaks. After a full Disc Makers factory tour, we loaded the boxes into their car and took a look at the new album. View video…

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Using CDs and DVDs to Boost Response

by Lee Purcell June 14, 2010

The benefits of CDs and DVDs go far beyond entertainment. They have introduced new opportunities for effective business communication. And that’s especially critical during an era when every marketing and PR expenditure is mercilessly scrutinized.

Discs offer a simple, universal means to convey information to anyone, anywhere. You have to do some serious hunting to find a household that doesn’t have a DVD player, and computer DVD drives will play everything from the latest movie releases to the earliest audio CDs. Read more…

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The Self-Released Album – A Four Part Series

by Disc Makers June 11, 2010

Cameron Mizell, freelance guitarist, producer, and consultant in Brooklyn, has written a four part series about self-releasing an album. Filled with helpful information and resources on everything from your production schedule to digital distribution to copyrights and cover songs, it is a must-read. Read more…

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An Indie That Believes in CDs

by Disc Makers May 11, 2010

The New York Times recently published “An Indie That Believes in CDs,” an article about the Concord Music Group and their continuing success. Glen Barros, Concord’s chief executive, says their label focuses on older folks, those who are committed to “timeless and authentic” music as well as great sound quality. This, in addition to their more balanced business model – all albums in their catalog pull their own weight – has Concord on track to make more than $100 million in revenue this year.

“The future of the music business is very bright,” Mr. Barros said. “People want to listen to great music.”

Read the entire article on the New York Times site.

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Burning Windsor Survives a Tornado – and Doesn’t Miss the Gig!

by Disc Makers May 6, 2010

Burning WindsorBeing an independent act on the road has its various pitfalls and obstacles. Traffic, bad clubs, bad weather, ornery soundmen… that’s all part of the deal. But few bands have ever had to cope with literally being swept off the road by a raging tornado while en route to a gig. That’s just what happened to Vicksburg, Mississippi’s Burning Windsor late last month. Read more…

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Want to Make a Living? Be Everywhere.

by Disc Makers April 19, 2010

Selling OutThe visually-oriented blog Information is Beautiful just posted some interesting stats and graphs displaying how much independent artists must sell through various channels online in order to earn the US minimum wage. It didn’t come as any surprise to us to see CD Baby’s name come up for ALL the channels through which you can sell music to your fans, but it is nice to see what we already knew confirmed by an outside study. Read more…

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NARM President Interviewed

by Leah R. Garnett April 14, 2010

Jim DonioJim Donio, President of National Association of Recording Merchandisers, talks about CDs, vinyl, digital downloads, and the modern-day music consumer.

If you’re an independent musician trying to get your music heard by more than family and friends, you’ve likely heard that you need to get on board with social media and the digital marketplace. But you may be completely confused about what many of the newer tools can do for you or how to access them. Read more…

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Should You Give Your Music Away?
The Great Debate.

by Andre Calilhanna March 15, 2010

No one’s arguing that the changes in the music industry haven’t tipped the scales in favor of the independents. Not only can you forge a path to success without the help of a label, you can choose from a variety of means to achieve it. But that leaves a number of questions on the table, including whether or not you ought to give your music away for free.

As an indie, CD and download sales can be a huge part of the equation in regard to your income. Read more…

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What is a Free CD Worth?

by Scott James March 9, 2010

I recently had someone on the Disc Makers blog ask me about a promotion they were thinking of doing for their upcoming CD. The idea was to give out 50-100 CDs to fans who were willing to recruit a certain number of their friends to join the band’s Facebook fan page. I thought it brought up some things that are worth thinking about. Here was my response:

My first thought is that you might get a better return on investment with Facebook advertising. Read more…

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CD Release Tips

by Scott James February 22, 2010

So you’ve put your blood, sweat, time, and money into making your brand new CD. Now what? Do you have a plan to make it successful, or were you just going to “get it out there?”

One of the best ways to ensure disappointing results with your new CD is to release it with no plan for how to market it. You can do better than that! Time and time again I’ve seen artists release CDs by just “making it available.” They just put out a CD and ask people to buy it. They don’t pick a single and they don’t have a good plan to build anticipation for the release. Don’t let that be you! Read more…

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A Few More Thoughts On Jazz Tribute Shows

by Jason Parker February 9, 2010

There’s been some negative talk about jazz musicians playing tribute shows to other jazz musicians recently. Journalist Phil Freeman discussed the idea in this Twitter conversation, jazz blogger Peter Hum took a little shot in this post, and trombonist Vincent Gardner wrote the most extensive piece on the subject in an article for All About Jazz titled “Let’s Tribute Ourselves”. Read more…

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Free Music = Free Advertising = Smart Business

by Dexter Bryant Jr. January 26, 2010

Free music is free advertising. You, as the music creator and/or promoter, need not pay a single cent to get your music into the ears of consumers. This is assuming, of course, that you’re aware of how to distribute and market your music online with social media and web 2.0 tools and you believe in the power of the mailing list. Read more…

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10 Marketing Basics for Musicians

by Scott James January 20, 2010

With the barrage of new websites and blogs targeting independent artists, it can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to marketing your music. Information and ideas are everywhere and unless you’ve got a strong marketing foundation it can feel like trying to put together a giant puzzle without being able to look at the box. With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of 10 marketing basics to help expose the underlying structure that makes a music marketing campaign successful. Read more…

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Tips to Ensure Success with Mastering

by Disc Makers January 11, 2010

Paul Elliott, senior mastering engineer at Disc Makers’ SoundLab mastering studios, offers a few tips to help artists get the most out of their mastering sessions, as well as some of his own opinions about the role of mastering in the album-making process.

First, prepare an accurate track listing – in the proper order – of all the songs you are sending to the mastering engineer. If there are any alternate mixes, be sure those are clearly labeled and tell the engineer which one you prefer be used. Read more…

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