How to Upload Disc 1 and Disc 2 Distrokid
Digital
[Overview | Mastering | Distro | Bandcamp | Publishing, Licensing, Copyrights]
| Overview
With a budget of a few hundred dollars...
y'all tin can become your digital album professionally Mastered and brand it available on all the popular stores and streaming services. A ballpark budget starts at around $twoscore per song for Mastering, plus $l to Digitally Distribute your album and you should let yourself a few months to consummate these processes.
If you're trying to get your music out without spending anything, practise your best to "master" the tracks yourself, gear up your free Paypal and Bandcamp accounts, upload your album to Bandcamp and voilà! - yous've officially released your music digitally.
Be sure to check out the PROMO section for communication on letting the Earth know about your release!
Get Up-to-Spec!
Sound File Formats: You should save your final mixes as high-quality (24 bit is standard) stereo WAV or AIFF files bounced at the same sample charge per unit you've been mixing in. These WAV or AIFF files are what you lot will submit to the Mastering Engineer, what yous will get back from the Mastering Engineer, and what you lot will then upload to digital stores and services (they volition not accept MP3's!).
Artwork: To be safe, save your Digital album cover artwork as a 2400 x 2400 pixel .JPG or .PNG file, at at least 72 dpi and in RGB color mode. (2400 x 2400 pixels is the largest dimension recommended - many stores accept a smaller version, but if you lot commencement with the 2400 10 2400 version, you tin can ever downsize.)
UPC and ISRC codes: To sell your music on iTunes or any of the other major services, you will need to get through a Digital Distributor and they volition provide you with both a UPC code for your album (this identifies your album and monitors your sales) and ISRC codes for each of your tracks (same idea, but for individual songs).
Here is a useful rundown on the applicability of UPC and ISRC codes for indie artists.
If y'all prefer to license your own personal UPC and ISRC codes, you lot tin can observe single UPC'due south for every bit low equally $10.00 and ISRC's are a one-time $95 fee for a company/make prefix.
| Mastering
To take your final mixes professionally Mastered you will need to take a starting budget of roughly $twoscore per song and should plan on waiting 4-8 weeks from the twenty-four hour period you submit your files to the mean solar day yous download your finished masters.
If you're looking for a quick answer to the question "Should I get my digital files mastered?", the respond is "Yes!"
Why?
Because mastering dependably makes your mixes sound better. 😎
Mastering engineers specialize in standardizing and refining the dynamics, loudness, consistency and timing of your tracks. They're experts at applying gratis levels of EQ and Compression, helping each element of your music sound clearer and smoother (they use the kind of Hi-Fi equipment virtually of us tin only dream of putting our mixes through!) For more on the history and effects of mastering, I recommend this podcast interview with one of my favorite engineers, Carl Saff.
If you're not approaching to Master professionally or if you aren't convinced that it's worth information technology, please at to the lowest degree exercise your audience the favor of trying your best to "principal" the tracks yourself!
Mastering Engineers
Here are some recommendations for affordable Mastering Engineers with bully reputations (toll per vocal approximate - and since rates fluctuate based on # of songs/corporeality of time being mastered, these approximations might exist low for a single and high for an album - always double check!):
The Banality Room ($50/song), Lucky Lacquers ($50/song), Sky Onion ($l/song), Carl Saff ($60/vocal), Eureka (Mike Nolte) ($60/song), Focus (Doug Van Sloun) ($60/song), Taloowa ($75/song), Josh Bonati ($85/song), Salt (Paul Gold) ($100/song), Golden Mastering ($100/vocal).
[*2021 update: a great way of finding the right Mastering Engineer is to wait at the credits on whatsoever new music you lot think sounds really proficient so google them and meet what their rates and availability are.]
| Distribution
To make your music available on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, Tidal etc., y'all'll need to sign up with - and pay! - a Digital Distributor.
Annotation: Turnaround times for Digital Distribution are pretty fast these days - from a few days to a few weeks - though you lot can specify your release date when you go through the gear up-up process. Be sure to give yourself enough time - at least a month (manufacture standard is three months) before your release date to get your EPK together, send out press releases, service radio and button your data.
The 3 Digital Distributors I'm most familiar with are Tunecore, CD Infant and DistroKid. All have easy-to-use dashboards that guide yous through the fix-upwardly procedure, offer clear and thorough reports on your sales, and allow you to easily withdraw whatever money you've made past Cheque, Directly Deposit or Paypal.
Tunecore vs. CD Baby vs. DistroKid
Tunecore charges $29.99 to distribute your album for the outset year and and so raises information technology to an annual charge of $49.99, for continued distribution, every year afterwards that - simply they don't have any percent of your music sales.
CD Baby, on the other manus, only charges a ane-fourth dimension fee of $49 per anthology for distribution, but they take a ix% cut of everything you lot sell, for the duration of their service.
DistroKid allows yous to upload unlimited music for an annual price (starting at $19.99/year), and lets you lot continue 100% of your royalties (paid monthly). Definitely the all-time bargain, especially if you're planning to release more than one album. Bonus from DistroKid is that thanks to Spotify'due south minority investment, yous get instant verification on Spotify (including the blue checkmark on your Spotify artist folio) when you submit your music through DistroKid.
Other options
In that location are a number of other Digital Distributors worth checking out, including Stem, Music Kickup, Aded.u.s.a., Ditto Music, iMusician, Catapult and Traxx.infinite. Here'due south a good detailed breakdown of distributors and their features via Ari Herstand at Ari'south Take.
AWAL
AWAL is a cool Distro company y'all may desire to try submitting to. Information technology's curated, so they don't accept everything, but if you manage to perk their ears, they offering good terms for digital distribution (a directly 15% sales commission on a rolling 30-24-hour interval contract) and they are known for actively pitching your record for shop placement and features. To submit your music to AWAL, you'll first need to fill up out a "Bring together Us" grade, which you can find here.
Artist Profiles
A number of the big digital streaming/monetization platforms allow you to independently register and customize your Artist profile, which y'all should definitely practice!
Here are Artist sign-up links for Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music and Pandora.
| Bandcamp
Bandcamp is a dynamic, free service that provides you with a customizable profile, full control over setting prices, and some really useful (free) services for selling merch and generating download codes.
(They as well have some valuable features for fans, like beingness able to "follow" the bands you like, being notified when the bands you follow release new music, a gratis mobile app for streaming your purchases, and options for wish-listing and gifting music.)
Bandcamp has no set-upwards fees and no annual charges. They practise, however, take a fifteen% commission on all of your music sales and a 10% fee on all merch (compare that to iTunes, which takes a 30% committee on all sales.)
If you're an indie creative person and you're trying to put your music out, I encourage you lot to get prepare on Bandcamp regardless of whether you're likewise doing Digital Distribution!
Heads Up!
A mutual frustration with being new to Bandcamp is that in club to collect the coin y'all make on Bandcamp, yous must not only have a Paypal account, but your Paypal account must be a "Premier" or "Concern" Business relationship, which means one time you've set upwardly a Paypal account you'll need to go through an additional process of (gratuitous) upgrading on Paypal before y'all can actually starting time collecting everything you lot've earned. And so if you lot plan to utilize Bandcamp equally a platform for selling your music, get your Paypal account in lodge showtime!
| Publishing, Licensing & Copyrights
As long as yous haven't explicitly signed away any rights, your Publishing and Master Recording copyrights default to you lot.
Information technology is recommended, however, that you do everything you can to professionally establish the rights to your music. This involves registering your "music compositions" and "audio recordings" with the Usa Copyright Office (this can be done together, in one awarding, for $35), registering with a Functioning Rights System (or "PRO") as both a Writer and a Publisher ($100 - $150) and registering equally an Artist with SoundExchange (free). One time these tasks are consummate, you'll be covered in example anyone always records, performs, plagiarizes or wants to pay large bucks to license your songs.
(For a really great, detailed look at the realities of Publishing and Licensing, check out this article, "Agreement the Music Industry: Music Publishers, Syncs and Licensing" by Budi Voogt.)
Performance Rights Organizations
The three major Performance Rights Organizations - ASCAP, BMI and SESAC - collect and distriubte royalties for the "public functioning" of your songs.
For indie artists, your best bet is to choose either ASCAP or BMI (SESAC is pretty exclusive and "invitation just" at the moment). Both ASCAP and BMI allow you to register equally either a "Writer", a "Publisher", or both, only since the royalties they collect get 50/50 to "Writer" and "Publisher", you'll want to register as both a "Writer" and "Publisher" to collect the entirety of your potential earnings.
The grab: there are fees associated with registering. If yous go with ASCAP, you'll need to pay $50 to register as a "Writer" plus another $50 to register every bit a "Publisher". At BMI you'll exist able to register as a "Author" for free only then they charge $150 to register as a "Publisher".
SoundExchange
After registering with ASCAP or BMI, be sure to sign upward as an Artist with SoundExchange. This is a gratuitous registration that covers royalties for "non-interactive" streaming of musical content (such as Pandora and SiriusXM).
Licensing
The practiced news is that if anyone always wants to license any of your music for Movie, Telly or Commercials, since you lot control your Publishing and Master Recording rights, you (or you and your lawyer) tin negotiate and go paid straight.
The bad news is that the competition for Licensing dollars is super intense.
While it's always worth sending an email and mind-link to cool Licensing Agencies like Bank Robber, Musicbed, The Music Playground and Zync, your best bet in terms of getting a Licensing Agency interested in your music is to succeed on other fronts like publicity and radio. If yous generate some fizz, your licensing opportunities - equally well as other opportunities like touring and merch sales - are sure to increase.
Songtradr
Songtradr is a free service that allows y'all to upload your music, set licensing fee prices, submit to various projects, and make licensing transactions all through their platform. If you wind upward licensing anything through them, they have a 17.5% brokerage fee (compare that to Tunecore'due south 20%). Information technology'due south a new service and I don't know their success rate, just I've worked with some of their squad earlier and I would definitely recommend giving Songtradr a shot.
Publishing & Licensing through your Digital Distributor
If you're using Tunecore or CD Infant every bit your Digital Distributor, you may be interested in their options for consolidating your rights management with them. The benefit would be that you may score some licensing opportunities that yous'd otherwise be missing out on. The drawback is that you have to give them contractual permission to place your music anywhere they can, and you may not be happy with where your song gets placed, regardless of the payout.
Tunecore offers a "Tunecore Publishing Deal" for a old gear up-up fee of $75 (plus 15% of royalties and twenty% committee on any Licensing they secure). There'due south a decent chance you won't make that $75 back from it, merely information technology volition definitely offer you a glimpse into online revenue streams and put your music out in that location for licensing opportunities.
And CD Baby has two options: a free opt-in feature for "Sync Licensing" where they volition make your music bachelor (and collect the royalties) for Motion-picture show, TV, commercial and YouTube licensing; and a service chosen CD Babe Pro ($89/Album or $49/Upgrade), through which CD Babe volition handle your PRO registration and collect and distribute your royalties (taking a 15% admin fee).
CD
[Overview | Mastering | Manufacturing | Samples | Distro]
| Overview
It's 2022. Should y'all however make CDs?
Certain, if:
✔ you lot're playing a lot of shows or going on tour (CDs are still a dandy impulse-purchase at the merch table) [*uhh, yeah, this doesn't apply at the moment, but this is the general idea]
✔ you accept a skillful human relationship with your local record store and enough of a local presence that you can nearly likely move some product
✔ y'all plan to do a big publicity and/or college radio button and want to post out CDs for consideration
✔ you desire your music added to the Allmusic.com/Rovi database, which supplies the bio, image and metadata for sites like Spotify [*2021 update: y'all can actually practice this digitally now, past following the instructions under the "My music is a digital release, not a physical product. Tin can it still be listed in the database?" at the above link.
✔ yous have money in the upkeep (approximately $800 for 500 CDs)
No, if:
❌ you hardly always play live
❌ the majority of your focus is online/digital
❌ you expect to become your CD in record stores across the land (this takes a concrete distribution deal, which get-go requires getting signed to an established record label!)
❌ your upkeep is tight... If you only have a few hundred bucks and yous're debating between professional Mastering and making CDs, I encourage you lot to Master!
| Mastering
CD Mastering is the same process as Digital mastering, with the additional consideration of how best to deliver your CD chief to the CD manufacturer. Traditionally, your Mastering Engineer would burn a CD "production master" which y'all would then mail in to the manufacturer, and while this is still a viable option (and typically an additional $25 or so charge for the disc), the current standard is to deliver your CD master electronically as a DDP prototype.
Be sure to let your Mastering Engineer know upfront about the different formats you plan to release your music in.
If y'all're looking for advice on who to use for professional CD Mastering, please cheque out the DIGITAL Mastering department!
| Manufacturing
There are 2 ways to manufacture CDs:
i) "Replication" (the high-quality professional mode)
2) "Duplication" (for depression quantities - basically the aforementioned every bit called-for CDs from your figurer).
300 CDs is the typical quantity threshold for professional Replication. For smaller runs, you lot can either become through a Duplicator, or CD Baby and Amazon CreateSpace have options to duplicate-equally-needed.
Price Breakdowns for Professional person CD Replication
Note the diverse packaging options and that prices do non include shipping (prices effective Summer 2019 - always double-check!):
From Discmakers:
300 CDs in gem cases with total color embrace = $555 ($1.85 per unit of measurement)
300 CDs in full color Digipaks = $657 ($2.14 per unit)
500 CDs in jewel cases with full color encompass = $795 ($1.59 per unit of measurement)
500 CDs in full color Digipaks = $790 ($ane.58 per unit)
1000 CDs in precious stone cases with full colour encompass = $990 ($0.99 per unit)
yard CDs in full color Digipaks = $990 ($0.99 per unit)
From Groovehouse:
500 CDs in jewel cases with total color cover = $795 ($1.59 per unit)
500 CDs in full color Digipaks = $1170 ($2.34 per unit)
thousand CDs in jewel cases with full color cover = $890 ($0.89 per unit)
1000 CDs in full colour Digipaks = $1390 ($ane.39 per unit)
From Nationwide Disc:
300 CDs in jewel cases with full color cover = $778 ($2.59 per unit)
300 CDs in full color Digipaks = $783 ($2.61 per unit)
500 CDs in jewel cases with full colour cover = $915 ($1.83 per unit)
500 CDs in full color Digipaks = $915 ($one.83 per unit)
1000 CDs in precious stone cases with full colour cover = $1134 ($1.thirteen per unit of measurement)
1000 CDs in full color Digipaks = $1134 ($ane.xiii per unit)
The Math
As yous can see, the more CDs you manufacture, the cheaper the cost is "per-unit" - as low equally $0.89 per CD if y'all make 1000.
This "per unit" cost is useful because it allows y'all to gauge what your turn a profit margin will be when you actually sell a CD. If CDs are costing you $ane/unit to produce, just you're selling them at your merch table for $10 each, you lot're profiting $9 on each CD. If you lot make g CDs at a cost of $900 and you manage to sell all chiliad CDs at $10 a popular (that's $10,000!), your total profit is $9100, which is why CDs, in theory, can be a bang-up investment. (To actually sell m CDs, still, you'd probably take to exist doing brisk business online and at at least a few tape stores, in which case your profit margin would be a flake lower because you'd need to cistron in the shipping and packaging costs for postal service orders, the commissions for webstores, and the wholesale price for tape shops.)
Just agree up. Do yous really need 1000 CDs? I can assure you it is extraordinarily difficult to sell thou - or 500 - or even 100 CDs these days, and the well-nigh likely result of making all those CDs is that they will end up taking upwards closet infinite for years to come up.
I think the wisest advice is to try generating involvement in your music online and/or in your community first and if y'all sense that in that location'southward existent demand, that'southward when you start thinking most manufacturing.
Kunaki
Got a hot tip from this reddit #watmm thread nigh Kunaki, an on-demand, no minimums, CD Duplicator. Pros: total-service, cheap and on demand. Cons: Duplication (not Replication) and merely Jewel-cases offered.
| Samples
Beware: if you have any uncleared samples anywhere in your tracks, there is a high likelihood they'll be detected by the manufacturer!
In order to avoid copyright lawsuits, manufacturing companies make sure to clear themselves of liability in the paperwork they take yous sign every bit well as protect themselves by running every project through sample detecting software before going to press.
If they detect the samples you've expertly chopped and woven into your songs, they will pull your project from production, notify you of the detected samples and insist upon appropriate clearance for whatever it is yous're using before your projection can go along.
Getting clearance
Is it worth contacting record labels and publishers about getting clearance to utilize samples? Not unless you've got the kind of money that can get their attention!
If you're interested in trying anyhow, here is some free, thorough, legal advice.
Solutions
Since y'all won't arrive whatever actual problem for submitting music with samples (and who knows, your timing could be just right to slip by!), y'all tin always gamble with the manufacturing plants. Merely be sure you lot're approved for production earlier yous pay them anything!
You can likewise Exercise It Yourself by press inserts, purchasing cases and having the CD faces printed on then called-for the CDs on your computer...
| Distribution
If you're hoping to have your CD in record stores across the country, your best bet is to get signed by a tape label with a national distribution deal - and even and so, in such a competitive market, it requires press, radio play and disquisitional acclaim to be in full effect the week your CD is released to avert beingness only some other ring lost in the store-shelf shuffle.
If this is your dream, and yous desire to reach out to your favorite record labels in the hopes that they will offer you a deal and work tirelessly to go your CD into every store still standing, only:
✔ Etch an email to the label's contact email address
✔ Write a paragraph about who y'all are and what kind of aid you're looking for
✔ Paste in the advisable links to stream your music, and...
✔ Sign off
Chances are you lot won't hear dorsum. Only it's your dream. Perhaps you will! ⚡
So what's the best way to sell CDs, beyond your merch table at shows and from your local record store?
Online Retail
Making your CD available online is every bit piece of cake as signing up with an online retailer similar Storenvy (free) or Big Cartel (complimentary for up to five items or $9.99/mo) - or DIY by creating a Greenbacks Music account and using their free tools for creating a store. Once you're ready, yous tin can link to your storefront from your website and your social media.
If you've set up your profile on Bandcamp, they volition host a gratis merch-store for you lot (they have a x% commission on all merch sales), from which you tin price, sell and link-to your CDs.
And if you're using CD Baby as your Digital Distributor, they offer a gratuitous customizable shop widget you can embed on your site. (CD Babe besides offers what they call "Worldwide CD Distribution" for $49 + $4/CD, assuasive you to sell CD's via their online store, on Amazon and through diverse distribution partners).
Vinyl
[Overview | Mastering | Manufacturing | Samples | Distro]
| Overview
Nothing'south sweeter than the day UPS shows up with a box full of your very ain hot-off-the-press LP's!
Getting there can be a journey, though.
Exist prepared to wait
Making actual records takes fourth dimension. Not merely are in that location multiple steps required before product but the whole vinyl industry is notorious for delays.
$$$
And it takes $$$. You'll need to exist prepared to pay for Mastering, lacquer-cutting, test presses, anthology-jacket printing and shipping forth with the vinyl manufacturing costs.
$four per unit, with a minimum of 500 units, is a skilful rough cost estimate ("unit of measurement" = the finished packaged product).
In other words, 500 12" LP's in custom-printed Jackets will cost you lot $2000. (7" records are about one-half that.)
| Mastering
The same Mastering Engineer you use to master your digital files can create a secondary digital primary specifically tailored to pressing vinyl - it typically takes a petty more than time so there's an additional cost, but engineers and audiophiles will encourage you to exercise information technology. (Yes, of grade you tin just employ the digital master for your vinyl but vinyl manufacturing introduces a different set of quirks and dynamics, and so if y'all want your record to audio its all-time, Chief for vinyl!)
For a list of recommended Mastering Engineers, cheque out the DIGITAL Mastering section.
Cut Lacquers
Afterwards you have your Mastered files there is a second step involved in creating a vinyl master, known as cutting lacquer. This is the process by which the audio from your Master is transferred by a mastering lathe onto the lacquer, cutting the grooves into it. Hither'due south a fly-on-the-wall video demo:
At that place are 2 ways to cut lacquers:
ane) Transport it to a lacquer-cutting specialist (who volition then send it on to the manufacturing plant for production).
ii) Take the manufacturing plant you're using cut the lacquer.
Both options toll about the aforementioned amount of money (approximately $350 for standard 12" or $150 for 7").
The do good of having a specialist do it is that they are actually focusing on you and making your vinyl sound as truthful to the Chief as possible. The negative: the extra time information technology takes to schedule them.
The benefit of having the tape plant do it is efficiency - it'll salvage time and, as long as you're happy with your digital Masters, it should sound fine. But a record plant is cutting a huge amount of lacquer and they're not really promising the service of a "close" listening.
Some lacquer-cut specialists with sterling reputations (they also all happen to be popular Mastering Engineers) (prices per standard 12" approximate):
Heaven Onion ($260), Carl Saff ($330), Lucky Lacquers ($350), Bonati Mastering ($350), Taloowa ($350), Salt Mastering ($370) and Gilt Mastering ($450).
| Manufacturing
Vinyl Manufacturers typically make a distinction betwixt the services they offer: "Vinyl Manufacturing" is one service, while "Album Fine art/Jacket/Insert printing" is another (and may crave its own separate lodge.)
Some people prefer to have their Album Jackets and any insert textile printed by companies that specialize in custom press (such as Banner or Dorado). *Note: 500 is the standard minimum order for 12" jackets (and 300 for 7" jackets) regardless of whether yous use a specialist or the vinyl manufacturer. If you need fewer than the minimum, you'll merely exist left with a stack of extra jackets...
Equally with lacquer cutting, the costs are about the same whether you take the Vinyl Manufacturer print your packaging or send it to a specialist. I advantage of having the Vinyl Manufacturer print the Jackets is that they volition typically insert the records into the jackets for yous at no extra charge (as opposed to having to do them all yourself in your studio apartment.)
Either manner, if you want to keep your LP costs downward, stick with the standard or default options and consider limiting the number of colors on your artwork and labels!
Price Breakdowns for Professional 12" LP Vinyl Manufacturing
Prices include lacquer cut + *standard 12" Jacket printing* but do not include shipping (prices are effective Summer '19 - always double-bank check!):
From United Record Pressing:
300 records with b/due west labels in paper sleeves = $1286 ($iv.29 per unit)
500 records with b/w labels in paper sleeves = $1455 ($ii.91 per unit)
500 4 color LP Jackets = $695 ($ane.39 per unit of measurement)
* Best package deal: 500 records with b/w labels and 500 4 color jackets = $2150 ($4.30 per unit)
+ Digital Download coupons and hosting packet (chiliad coupons) = $275
From Erika Records:
100 records with b/w labels in paper sleeves = $1066 ($ten.66 per unit)
300 records with b/w labels in newspaper sleeves = $1308 ($4.36 per unit)
500 records with b/westward labels in newspaper sleeves = $1465 ($ii.93 per unit)
500 4 color LP Jackets = $475 ($0.95 per unit of measurement)
* All-time package deal: 500 records with b/due west labels and 500 4 color jackets = $1940 ($3.88 per unit)
From Groovehouse:
300 records with one colour labels in paper sleeves = $1394 ($iv.65 per unit)
500 records with one color labels in paper sleeves = $1760 ($3.52 per unit of measurement)
300 records with one color labels and four color Jackets = $1815 ($6.05 per unit)
500 records with one color labels and 4 colour Jackets = $2130 ($4.26 per unit of measurement)
* Best package deal: 500 records with i color labels and 500 4 color Jackets = $2130 ($4.26 per unit)
+ Digital Download cards and hosting package (500 cards) = $349
There are a number of other Vinyl Manufacturers both in the U.S. and abroad. Hither is a good reference list.
Vinyl On Demand
The prices are premium, but if all you're looking for is a limited number of copies of your album on vinyl, at that place are services that will lathe cut each record i-by-i, allowing y'all to make as few as ane copy(!) Keep in heed that lathe-cutting vinyl is done by mitt and non by the precisely-calibrated machinery of a record found, so it is susceptible to volume and fidelity fluctuations, but still... pretty cool.
Hither is some sample pricing from Vinyl On Need (prices are effective Summer 'nineteen and practice not include shipping):
1 vii" record in a blank jacket = $25 ($25 per unit of measurement)
20 7" records in bare jackets = $285 ($14.25 per unit)
1 12" tape in a blank jacket = $48 ($48 per unit)
twenty 12" records in blank jackets = $490 ($24.l per unit)
Other lathe-cut vinyl specialists to check out: Austin Bespeak, One Groove Vinyl, Tangible Formats and Audio Geography.
Qrates
Along with being a (fairly premium-priced) professional manufacturing option, Qrates offers a crowdfunding business model, where yous tin can create what-will-be your production and so crowdfund it through them. Once your project is funded, Qrates handles all the manufacturing, takes a 15% cutting of sales, and either ships your orders (for an boosted 5%) or ships yous the product (yous are then responsible aircraft out the orders yourself).
| Samples
Yep. Just equally with CD Manufacturers, Vinyl Manufacturers are on the look-out for unlicensed samples and will waste no time pulling your project from the production line if they locate whatever unlicensed samples in your music. (The Manufacturing plants are always the i's that will call you lot out, past the way -- the Mastering Engineer and the Lacquer-cutter won't care.)
How have others bypassed the problem? They've taken their chances, and by taking their chances, I mean avoiding the cheaper, high-volume Manufacturers and trying to find smaller Manufacturers who may non have the manpower to run everything through detection software. Merely unlicensed samples are always a run a risk when having your music manufactured, so consider yourself warned!
| Distribution
To go your LP in record stores across the land you lot will need a Distribution Deal, which is typically just an option if you are signed to an established record label. For more details, come across CD Distribution.
Without a Distribution Bargain, your all-time bets for selling vinyl are:
✔ from your merch tabular array at shows
✔ at your local tape store, where you can found a human relationship with the buyer and clerks
✔ from your band website and from online stores and services such as Storenvy, Big Dare, CD Baby, Bandcamp and CASH Music (and by linking to whichever stores/services you're using from your social media)
Cassette
[Overview | Mastering | Manufacturing | Distro]
| Overview
It'southward 2022. Should y'all exist making tapes?
Cassette culture, like vinyl culture, is passionate about the warmth and imperfections of analog sound and the human, tactile pleasure of a physical product.
Is this you?
If it is, there's a pretty vibrant market place for tapes and a manufacturing industry there to support it. Tapes can be professionally produced for nearly one-half the price of vinyl (roughly $2/unit) or even done at home for $i/unit or less.
| Mastering
Yous can apply your Digitally Mastered files for cassette manufacturing, though some people recommend a Mastering handling closer to what you'd get Mastering for Vinyl to brand the best-sounding tapes. Either way, your Mastering Engineer will exist able to make whatever adjustments needed if you lot plan to manufacture cassettes.
Cassette Duplication companies have masters in the post-obit formats: audio-cassette, CD-DA, data CD/DVD and 44.1kHz 16-fleck .WAVs (you can send higher quality but they volition virtually likely downgrade them to 16-bit).
| Manufacturing
There are two ways to go about making Tapes:
1) place an order through one of the scattering of large manufacturing plants that will professionally duplicate, print and bundle them for you
two) order blank tapes, cases, labels and j-cards in majority and do the duping and printing yourself
To get a sense of the toll departure betwixt D.I.Y. and professional person manufacturing, you tin get 100 bare 30-minute tapes, cases, labels and j-cards from National Audio for $92 (or $0.92 per unit - but and then y'all have to practise the duping, printing and packaging at home).
To have National Audio do the consummate manufacturing for 100 30-minute tapes and deliver the finished product to your doorstep costs about $200 (or $2 per unit of measurement).
(If you plan to society supplies in bulk, Delta Media also has great prices on blank Tapes, a variety of cases, Labels and J-cards.)
Price breakdowns for Professional Cassette Duplication
Quotes include printing and packaging just practise not include shipping (prices effective Summer '19 - always double-cheque!):
From National Sound Visitor/Cassetro:
100 up-to-threescore-minute tapes + printing and packaging = $258 ($ii.58 per unit)
250 up-to-threescore-minute tapes + printing and packaging = $510 ($2.04 per unit)
500 up-to-60-minute tapes + printing and packaging = $960 ($1.92 per unit of measurement)
thou upwards-to-60-minute tapes + printing and packaging = $1750 ($i.75 per unit of measurement)
From Cassette Works:
250 up-to-sixty-minute tapes + printing and packaging = $400 ($1.60 per unit)
500 up-to-60-minute tapes + printing and packaging = $750 ($1.50 per unit of measurement)
1000 up-to-60-minute tapes + press and packaging = $1450 ($ane.45 per unit)
From Rainbo Records:
500 up-to-44-minute tapes + printing and packaging = $659 ($1.31 per unit of measurement)
1000 upwardly-to-44-minute tapes + printing and packaging = $1075 ($i.07 per unit of measurement)
| Distribution
As with selling CDs and Vinyl, your most dependable options for selling Cassettes are from your merch table at shows, from your local record shop, and from your online storefront, website, Distributor and/or Bandcamp.
There are a few holy grail names in tape shops, like Mississippi Records in Portland and Burger Records in Fullerton just I take no inside scoop on how to become them to comport your record other than to transport them a copy and hope someone takes an interest.
Here are a few recommended tape-centric sites to send a copy of your finished tape for review (along with sending links to the digital versions of your music to your favorite music blogs):
Tabs Out, Animal Psi, Cassette Gods, Ad Hoc and Decoder.
| Electronic Press Kit
Electronic Press Kits, or "EPK's", consist of all the standard tools you lot'll employ to promote your record. Your Album Artwork, Liner Notes, Bio, Publicity Photos, Music Video(s) and Remixes will all get into your EPK. The all-time manner to keep your Kit organized is to make a folder on your desktop, championship it "EPK", and anytime you lot create something that y'all plan to utilise promotionally, make sure information technology gets in that folder!
Album Artwork
For Digital Distribution, you'll demand to make your Anthology Cover a 2400 x 2400 pixel .JPG or .PNG file, at at to the lowest degree 72 dpi and in RGB colour mode (for physical printing, your file volition need to be saved in CMYK). From hither you tin can downsize the file to whatever dimensions y'all need for promotional purposes. If yous programme to post an epitome of your Album Cover on your website, in your social media, or in your printing release, a best practise is to "Salve for Web" in Photoshop to optimize the file size. If you need assist designing your artwork, endeavor an inexpensive indie designer like Fiverr ($5-$40) or a crowdsourcing site like 99 designs.
Liner Notes
They typically include who played on the record, what they played, who wrote the songs, who recorded it, where it was recorded, who mixed it, who mastered it and whatsoever shout-outs and cheers'southward. Yous'll have options to input your liner notes when you lot fix up your album with a Digital Distributor, Bandcamp and/or Soundcloud. Liner notes are also pretty standard to have in your artwork if you're making any physical products.
Bio
Here's a hush-hush: whatever y'all write in your Bio and/or Printing Release will exist used, oftentimes verbatim, in whatever review or publicity you lot receive. So write your Bio exactly the mode y'all want your audience to read it. In general, your Bio should exist a paragraph or two that quickly covers who you are, where you lot're from, whatever pertinent accolades or printing quotes y'all've received and and so your best attempt at making the record yous're promoting sound, in words, similar something someone would want to take fourth dimension out of their life to mind to. Be honest! Be thoughtful! Be concise! Permit your bio serve as a fourth dimension sheathing of where your band is at - and leave information technology there, no reason to ramble on! P.S. I recommend that you lot write your Bio to be pretty interchangeable with your start Press Release.
Publicity Photos
If you're fortunate enough to get whatever press, they'll desire a high-res (300 dpi at a standard photo size similar 4x6 or 5x7) publicity photograph or ii, and then try to exist prepared. Nix fancy - have someone accept a few shots with a digital photographic camera or smartphone and upload them to your computer. If you have a photo editing application like Photoshop (even iPhoto or Picasso will do), maybe ingather it a bit, and suit information technology to look its best. Be certain to save a few high-res options for press and then "Save For Spider web" copies of the photos to use in your social media and in your press releases.
Video
Music videos, however amateur, are a huge asset to your EPK and my communication is to either dedicate yourself to making one before your release date or find someone skilled and dependable in your social world to help brand a video for you. Once it's done, upload it to YouTube and/or Vimeo and then link to it in a press release and embed it on your website, and in your social media. (Even uploading a "music video" that simply shows your album art while the vocal plays is useful, since it allows your music to be discoverable (and monetizable) on YouTube.)
Remixes
If you know someone whose remix skills you admire, hit them up! A good remix of one of your songs is a great way to cross-pollinate audiences, deepen the involvement in your album and is some other excuse to drum up some social media and publicity buzz. Most people capable of doing remixes prefer to have "stems" of your songs. Yous tin save everyone fourth dimension by making sure, when you're mixing, to bounce stems for anything and everything you think might be worth remixing. My advice is to motion on getting any remixes going as soon equally yous've got your last mixes - it'southward incommunicable to get them finished and into your EPK binder also soon!
| Publicity
If you remember you'd similar to endeavor hiring a Publicist, keep in heed that they are extremely picky nigh who they choose to work with (which is good, since they have to believe they can get y'all some publicity if they're going to take your money!) And they are not inexpensive - wait to pay at to the lowest degree a few one thousand dollars for a publicity entrada, and that's for "Indie Music" publicists.
If you have the confidence in your record and the money in your budget, hither'southward a adept list of cool Publicists to send an introductory electronic mail and listen-link to: Chromatic, Force Field, Terrorbird, Toolshed, Printing Here, Motormouth, Stunt Company, Grandstand and Tell All Your Friends.
For the majority of bands, who are not able to beget or retain a Publicist, getting word out most your music depends on you lot.
⚡ Here is how to do it: ⚡
Press Release Strategy
A good strategy is to do 3 press releases, each serving a distinct but complimentary purpose (if you're also trying to push button a single earlier your anthology, a press release for the single is customary a few weeks earlier yous announce the full album details):
#ane: "The Annunciation" (iv-6 weeks before your release date) -- this is where you announce your release and your release date and provide album details, mind links and social media links to press.
#two: "The Friendly Reminder" (7-x days before your release date) -- ideally you'd build upon your original press release with something fresh - a video or a remix or tour dates or a press blurb -- but fifty-fifty without whatever of that, a "friendly reminder" with the core details can't hurt -- especially if you lot have some press outlets y'all're actually targeting.
#iii: "The Follow Up" (1-2 weeks afterwards your release date) -- the follow-upwardly is probably most effective if you can either quote from some of the press (or social media responses) you've received or have something new to offering (video, remix, tour dates etc). Otherwise you're just kind of banging the drum -- and so again, banging the pulsate is how you enhance sensation in the start identify, so... don't give up!
Creating Your First Printing Release
1. Enquiry and make a thorough listing of e-mail contacts for all the Music Blogs, Magazines and local press outlets you want to send a press release to.
2. Brand sure either the entirety of your album or whatsoever select songs you want to share are properly hosted at a linkable source (such every bit Bandcamp or Soundcloud).
3. Etch a paragraph or 2 announcing, describing and tastefully hyping your upcoming Anthology.
iv. Etch an email to yourself that looks something similar this:
"Your Anthology Title" past Your Band Name
Your 250px x 250px "Saved For Web" Album Comprehend Your 250px x 250px "Saved For Web" Publicity Photograph
A paragraph or 2 describing and tastefully hyping your new anthology. Be honest. Be thoughtful. Be concise! What are the handful of most important and about original things you tin can say about it? Where's your band from? Where was your anthology recorded? What makes this anthology of yours special? The things you say in this section of your press release will oft be used verbatim by people writing most your release, and so one approach is to write this section equally though yous were the music author! Non a bang-up writer? Ask a friend who knows your music to help!
Your Release Date (on Your Release Format(southward)) on Your Tape Label/Banner/or "Self Released"
Stream "Your Album Title/Song Title": your stream link here
Download "Your Album Title/Song Championship": your download link here (optional)
Your Website/Social Media Link one
Your Website/Social Media Link 2 (optional)
Your Website/Social Media Link three (optional)
Cheers!
Your Name/Band Name
Your Contact Info
If you have rich-text-editing capabilities in your email service (like Gmail, Yahoo or Mac mail), be sure to give the layout some Pop! If yous need assist inserting images into your email, here are instructions for Gmail, Yahoo, Mac mail, and Outlook.
5. Test it by sending it to yourself. Make sure your links are working! Once you're happy with it, create another electronic mail to yourself, re-create/paste your content into the trunk of the new email, make sure the Subject area line has all the right info, enter the electronic mail addresses yous've researched into the BCC field and send information technology out! (Using the BCC field on an email addressed to yourself is recommended for majority email send-outs. If y'all have specific blogs that you desire to connect with, it's a good idea to send an email addressed exclusively to each 1, personalizing it however you run into fit.)
Congratulations - you've sent out your first Press Release! 👏
Now What?
Start thinking about how you can make your "friendly reminder" stand up out. Just remember: publicity outlets are under no obligation to be - or stay - in touch. It's safe to assume that if someone wants to write about your music, they'll permit you know. The best follow up is another Press Release (or two), up to and through your release date, anytime you take something press-worthy to add (videos, remixes, tour dates, press or social media blurbs)!
Newsletter Services
Some people prefer to apply e-mail/newsletter services like MailChimp (free), Mad Mimi (gratuitous) or Campaign Monitor (about $10 per entrada) for Printing Releases. The benefits are the custom formatting they offer, besides as, if you lot're into it, the detailed analytics they provide you virtually who is checking out your email and what they're clicking on. One potential disadvantage is that these services make it easy for the bloggers you're sending information technology to to "unsubscribe", and many will...
Paid Campaigns
There are a number of services out at that place that volition promote your music to bloggers, influencers and playlisters - for a fee.
A few of the services worth checking out:
SubmitHub is a service that attempts to connect your goal of getting your music heard by music bloggers to the music bloggers interest in being financially rewarded for taking the time to heed to your music.
There are two tiers: a free "Standard" option, and a "Premium" tier that starts at $1 per credit (a credit allows y'all to send one song to 1 blog in the network and ensures that yous will, at the very least, receive listening notes back from them). Credits get cheaper the more you buy.
Either fashion, with SubmitHub yous get the statistical satisfaction of seeing if and when your song has been at least listened to by any of the blogs in their network.
Crosshair connects the music you submit to playlisters and social media influencers for $250 per campaign.
PlaylistPush does just that - pitches your music to popular playlists for an boilerplate campaign cost of $450.
StoryAmp
StoryAmp is a costless service that helps tailor your press release(due south) and tour date info to Music Journalists and media outlets. Promoting your music through a service similar StoryAmp - especially if y'all're touring - can be a nice compliment to your own DIY music weblog transport outs.
| Radio
To professionally service Radio, you demand to hire a Radio Agent - but Radio Agents, simply similar Publicists, Booking Agents, Licesning Agents and Record Labels, are super picky nearly who they choose to piece of work with. Simply being able to beget 1 is oft not enough. They have to want to piece of work with you lot. And if they've never heard of yous, and y'all accept no inside connections, they probably won't be interested.
Is it worth a shot? Sure! Endeavor sending an introductory email with mind-links to any of the Radio Agencies you'd like to rent. Typical Radio campaigns are a few thousand dollars (sometimes less, depending on duration and whether or non you're sending out concrete copies).
Here'south a list of cool indie Radio Agencies you can try reaching out to: Terrorbird, AAM, Vitriol, Distiller, Fanatic, Pirate!, Crowd Control, Planetary Group, Tinderbox, A man A program A canal and Team Claremont.
If you lot're one of the bulk of bands who can not afford, or can not pique the interest of, a Radio Amanuensis, getting your music considered by radio stations depends on you.
⚡ Here is how to do information technology: ⚡
Submitting Your Music to Radio Stations
*You should submit your anthology to radio stations iv-6 weeks before your release appointment
i. Submit your music to Pandora.
2. Research and make a thorough list of electronic mail addresses for all the College Radio and Cyberspace Radio stations you'd like to contact.
3. Make sure a stream of your album is properly hosted at a linkable source such every bit Bandcamp or Soundcloud. (If you desire to go on your album private, you can do and then on Bandcamp with Bandcamp Pro and on SoundCloud via their "Secret Links".)
iv. Upload a .nada file of your album in Mp3 format to your spider web server or to a fileshare platform like Dropbox, Hightail, Mediafire or Google Drive - or create a Hole-and-corner Download Link to your Album on Soundcloud.
5. Compose a paragraph or two announcing, describing and tastefully hyping your Album (tin be the aforementioned as your Press Release).
half-dozen. Create an email to yourself that looks something similar this:
"Your Anthology Championship" by Your Band Name
Your 250px x 250px "Saved For Web" Album Comprehend Your 250px x 250px "Saved For Web" Publicity Photo
Delight Consider for Airplay "Your Album Title" by Your Band Proper noun out Your Release Date on Your Record Label/Imprint/or "Self Released"
A paragraph or two describing and tastefully hyping your new anthology. Be honest. Exist thoughtful. Be curtailed! What are the handful of most important and most original things you can say near it? Where's your band from? Where was your album recorded? What makes this album of yours special? The things you say in this section of your press release will oftentimes exist used verbatim by people writing about your release, so one approach is to write this section every bit though you were the music writer! Non a nifty writer? Enquire a friend who knows your music to help!
Stream "Your Anthology Title/Song Title": your stream link here
Download "Your Album Title/Vocal Title": your download link here
"Your Album Title's" Tracklist:
one. Name of Runway 1 (Track 1 duration - for example: 4:01)
2. Proper name of Rail 2 (Track two duration)
three. Proper noun of Track 3 (Track 3 duration) *EXPLICIT (Exist sure to mark equally "EXPLICIT" whatsoever tracks with explicit language!)
iv. Name of Track 4 (duration) *Recommended (Be sure to mark as "Recommended" 2 or 3 tracks that yous recommend!)
v. Name of Rails 5 (duration) *Recommended
etc.
Your Website/Social Media Link i
Your Website/Social Media Link 2 (optional)
Your Website/Social Media Link three (optional)
Thanks!
Your Name/Band Name
Your Contact Info
7. Test information technology by sending it yourself. Brand sure your links are working! Once you're happy with it, create another electronic mail to yourself, copy/paste your content into the body of the new email, make certain the Discipline line starts with "DIGITAL DELIVERY", enter the e-mail addresses you've researched into the BCC field and transport it out! (Using the BCC field on an email addressed to yourself is recommended for bulk e-mail send-outs. If you have specific stations that you want to connect with, send an e-mail addressed specifically to them.)
Congratulations! You've successfully delivered your album to Radio. 👊
Follow Upward
If there are specific stations you desire to follow upwards with - in detail your local and/or favorite station(s) - cheque into the Station Managing director's part hours (Station Manager role hours are usually listed on the station's website) or call in and talk to i of the DJ'southward y'all like. ("Hey, I really love this station. I recently submitted some music to you guys and was wondering whether you'd had a chance to listen to it...")
*Also worth considering: both Tunecore and CD Baby accept like shooting fish in a barrel and free options for servicing Internet radio, available to members and subscribers.
| How To Release A Tape
I'm Zach Hangauer and I started the indie label Range Life Records in 2005.
I designed this site to serve as a quick, candid and hopefully empowering guide through the maze of the release process.
If you have any questions, success stories, tips, or want to accomplish out for any guidance, please go in affect: howtoreleasearecord(@)gmail.com
How To Release A Record on Twitter
Life In Music interview (11/26/16)
Interested in Indie Film? Cheque out the new resources site I did all about the Mumblecore moving picture genre: mumblecore.info
New!: I did a podcast interview with ACPG, digging in to some of the site content - cheque information technology out:
Source: http://howtoreleasearecord.com/
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