Inside the Music Business

[matthewearly84]

It's a necessity to being on Spotify, don't you know

[YeahDoIt]

I rarely make CDs.

[matthewearly84]

Originally Posted by YeahDoIt

I rarely make CDs.

I'm toying with the idea of short run limited edition for physical purposes, spend a little money on them first... Create booklets etc... But sell them at shows and at a price.

[daddymack]

price point is the key, and perceived value is difficult to judge. I rarely see anyone charging more than $10 (~8 euros) per disc, even with great art, booklets, etc. Certainly there is profit to be made there, but not enough bones to pick the meat off.

[matthewearly84]

thats true... the value you put on it will be key, BUT its down to your marketing to put the price on it.
a run of 50 cds, full printed, 16 page booklet, cased and wrapped would cost no more than £220. you sell em as very limited edition at £15 and you can make £500 from it. That more than pays for the studio time

[daddymack]

if you can move them at that price...£15 is ~$25 (~20 euros), which I seriously doubt you can charge successfully at a club/pub show...or even online for an unsigned act.

[8 Foot Manchild]

If you put on a good show and tell people 'we've got CDs in the back', people will buy them.

If you put on a good show and tell people 'go home and download us on iTunes/bandcamp/whatever', they will have forgotten by the time they get home.

That's been my experience, and that's about the only reason any of my bands make CDs - to have something immediately available to physically hand a potential fan before they're distracted by the nine bazillion other sources of entertainment out there.

[Jakob22Music]

Making Cd's is good but not necessity.

1. It just a different look to tell someone they can get ou in stores or buy a physical CD.
2. There's still a group who prefer physical product
3. If you perform allot its good to have

[aj_guitarist]

Its how you market them. If you say its a limited Edition, signed by the band, plus some extras then sure it worth it. But just paying £20 for a normal CD, no chance.

[matthewearly84]

Originally Posted by aj_guitarist

Its how you market them. If you say its a limited Edition, signed by the band, plus some extras then sure it worth it. But just paying £20 for a normal CD, no chance.

Not a chance!

Not even the monsters of rock charge that for an album. They'll include either double disc, large booklet and a DVD for that price

[Joseph Kimbrell]

I generally make CDs...people like to order direct with a autograph, and reviewers seem to take you seriously.

I've come across some reviewers who won't accept your music unless you send them a physical copy.

[Bucksstudent]

No one listens digitally or physically, so I stopped making CDs after my second record.

[Dave Keir]

Made 3 CDs. Full pro-mastered shrink-wrapped efforts. Even professional photographs on the last one! I'm rather proud of them. Maybe a 4th down the line. I sell what I like to call a "roaring trickle" via my website, CD Baby and at gigs. 

Is it worth it? Not commercially, no, but worth can be measured by other metrics. 

I'm prejudiced, though, because I still listen to CDs through a good hi-fi at home. It'll be a strange old day when I stream Mahler's 9th symphony via Spotify.

[Joseph Kimbrell]

Anyone ever used Kunaki or Vervante?