There’s more social distancing, more quarantining, and more medical emergencies ahead. But it’s heartening to see so many companies rushing to help defeat this crisis — and I am so proud that Disc Makers is among them. Read the post.
Here are three of our most popular Indie Music Minute videos so far, tackling the topics of being your own record label, mixing vs. mastering, and getting a mechanical license for YouTube. Read the post.
Music revenue streams that were once only available to the traditional music industry are now available to independent musicians if you know how to collect them. Read the post.
Music revenue streams that were once only available to the traditional music industry are now available to independent musicians — if you know how to collect them. Read the post.
I listen to a lot of music and listen to a lot of streaming when I drive or while I travel — and I also listen to vinyl. And while I love all of it, when I want the best audio quality, nothing sounds as good as a CD. Read the post.
Disc Makers’ CEO Tony van Veen shares his history with the company, the changes in the industry, and where things are heading. Read the post.
Disc duplication technology has been around for a long time, but clients still ask us what the difference is between disc replication and disc duplication. Let’s go behind the scenes to the Disc Makers replication line to find out. Read the post
Independent artists rely on the tangible media that is the music CD. As a physical representation of their hard work, a means of increasing revenue, and to establish their brand, independent musicians use CDs in ways major label artists don’t. Read More.
It’s easy to get caught up in the buzz of your music career taking flight, so here are five reality checks to ensure a record deal and label are a good fit. Read More.
I divide the people who make the music into five categories: musicians, songwriters, engineers, artists, and producers. Part I looked at the first three. Now we explore the artists and producers – and control freaks. Read More.
I divide the creative entities who make the music up into five categories: musicians, songwriters, engineers, artists, and producers. In this post we’ll look at the first three. Part II will explore the artists and producers. Read More.
When I tell people I’ve been at Disc Makers for 20 years, they often assume that’s when the company was founded. When I say, “No, no, no – Disc Makers has been around for 70 years,” it’s usually followed by a strange silence. I put them out of their misery and follow that up with, “Disc Makers predates the CD by many years. Read more.
Music streaming, MP3s, and digital downloads are in the race for most popular music delivery format, but the physical CD holds first place, especially in terms of revenue, music promotion, and branding for the independent musician. Even with all the benefits of online distribution, independent music artists are ordering more CDs than ever, and there are plenty of reasons why. Read more.
Independent artists ARE more empowered today than ever before, but at what cost? There are followers and there are leaders, and when it comes to making a career out of music these days, being a leader has become a matter of survival. The tech boom, along with the slow strangulation/metamorphosis of many record labels into black holes for intellectual property, has left independent artists with a plethora of tools to produce, promote, and release better products on their own, while simultaneously releasing them into a mire of audience and market over-saturation. Read More.
It’s fun and easy to blame the woes of the world on major labels. After all, they’ve brought us The Pussycat Dolls, Milli Vanilli, and global warming. Oh yeah, there’s also the 360 record deal. 360 deals are common across all types of music labels, and music publishers are also in on the action with versions of their own. Not to be left out, concert promotion giant Live Nation also bangs the drum, having signed so-called 360 deals with the likes of Madonna and Jay-Z. Read more…