Members Axeslinger Posted June 8, 2010 Members Share Posted June 8, 2010 It occurred to me that this might be a useful and insightful thread.. i've noticed a fair amount of people here have Indie cds outs.. i have one out. So, I thought a thread discussing the economics of doing so might be useful to people thinking about do this type of thing.. How much did it cost you? How much did you do in house? Did you have your project mastered? Were you happy with the results? Art work? Graphics? Layout of your 2/4/6/8 panel inserts? CD duplication? Printed labels or direct cd printing? Distribution? Did you make money? break even? Lose money:cry: There is a whole myriad of hurdles to be crossed in doing an Indie cd. All of which directly affect the economics of doing a project.. Anyone want to throw out what they've learned in their experiences for people that follow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members aenemated Posted June 8, 2010 Members Share Posted June 8, 2010 How much did it cost you? approx. $1000. paid for out of the band fund. How much did you do in house? everything was recorded at skull 7 studios in north hollywood. Did you have your project mastered? Were you happy with the results? yes. our producer is a badass. Art work? Graphics? Layout of your 2/4/6/8 panel inserts? my good friend (and photographer to a few no-names like shaq, kobe bryant, billy gibbons, etc - he recently won an addy for his photographer on a squirrel nut zippers record) is doing our photoshoot as a return favor for me building his website. i'll be designing the layout personally when the photos are done. i actually got my start in design doing CD covers back in the mid 90s. it's the only design i actually enjoy anymore. and it's just gonna be a 4 panel. CD duplication? Printed labels or direct cd printing? singer has a hookup for this. i don't know much else about it. Distribution? we're going mostly online - not even printing very many CD's. Did you make money? break even? Lose money:cry: i'll let ya know when it's done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Axeslinger Posted June 8, 2010 Author Members Share Posted June 8, 2010 Wow! I really though more than one person would chime in I have about $600 in my cd. That includes everything from recording software to copyrighting fees to mastering fees to bulk materials to distribution acct fees. I did everything I possibly could in house.. I had my project mastered at Kephas Studios in Pennsylvania.. I can't imagine releasing a CD without proper mastering.. I know some people do it, but the attention to detail I was afforded along with the difference between the initial 32 bit wav files and the finished product was too great to ever consider doing a project any other way. I did the 4 panel artwork & layout myself.. I did the CD artwork, and the tray insert layout as well. There are some very inexpensive programs out there for doing this. I set myself up to do my own printing. I didn't want labels so I set up to print directly on to the cds.. Didn't want labels that get the cd stuck in the players.. i did this with an eye for future projects also. But honestly? After seeing how labor intensive the printing, cd duplication and assembly is, next time I'll get quotes for outsourced pressing I acquired enough material thru http://www.neato.com/ to do 100 copies.. I'm not thinking I'll go much over that in physical cd sales tho they are disappearing faster than anticipated.. I'm leaning on digital downloads from Amazon, Itunes, Rhapsody etc etc. If I break even I'll consider myself extremely lucky.. This project wasn't about money.. But being the business person I've always been, I can't help but keep tabs on everything:facepalm: next Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members richey888 Posted June 8, 2010 Members Share Posted June 8, 2010 There is a whole myriad of hurdles to be crossed in doing an Indie cd. All of which directly affect the economics of doing a project.. Anyone want to throw out what they've learned in their experiences for people that follow? Have your drummer learn to play to a click before the clock starts ticking, use your own gear when possible (drums again), give mixing control away completely to someone you trust. Sorry I couldn't figure out how to make it look like Q&A so good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fullmetalguitar Posted June 9, 2010 Members Share Posted June 9, 2010 I'm in the process of having a new cd put together right now. I did all the photography/artwork myself. Did all the logos and stuff myself and I think it looks pretty killer. It was all recorded at home on my computer. Amazing how good recording software is now. I'm planning to have it available on cdbaby.com. I'm just getting 100 cds made up since I don't want boxes of unsold cds sitting in my closet. I'm certain that I'll go through those 100 cds fairly easily and quickly. After they're gone, I'll assess if I want to print up more. I don't care about making money so much as just wanting people to hear the music. It's the best stuff I've ever done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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