Can I Change Mp3 on Cd Baby Once Submitted

Digital

[Overview | Mastering | Distro | Bandcamp | Publishing, Licensing, Copyrights]

| Overview

With a budget of a few hundred dollars...

you can get 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 $50 to Digitally Distribute your album and you should allow yourself a few months to complete these processes.

If you're trying to get your music out without spending anything, do your best to "master" the tracks yourself, ready up your free Paypal and Bandcamp accounts, upload your album to Bandcamp and voilà! - y'all've officially released your music digitally.

Be certain to cheque out the PROMO section for advice on letting the World know about your release!

Get Up-to-Spec!

Audio File Formats: You should salvage your last mixes as high-quality (24 bit is standard) stereo WAV or AIFF files bounced at the same sample rate you've been mixing in. These WAV or AIFF files are what you will submit to the Mastering Engineer, what you volition go back from the Mastering Engineer, and what you volition then upload to digital stores and services (they volition non take MP3's!).

Artwork: To be safe, save your Digital album cover artwork as a 2400 ten 2400 pixel .JPG or .PNG file, at at least 72 dpi and in RGB colour fashion. (2400 x 2400 pixels is the largest dimension recommended - many stores accept a smaller version, but if y'all starting time with the 2400 x 2400 version, you can always downsize.)

UPC and ISRC codes: To sell your music on iTunes or any of the other major services, you will need to become through a Digital Distributor and they volition provide you lot with both a UPC code for your album (this identifies your anthology and monitors your sales) and ISRC codes for each of your tracks (aforementioned idea, but for individual songs).

Here is a useful rundown on the applicability of UPC and ISRC codes for indie artists.

If you lot adopt to license your own personal UPC and ISRC codes, you can notice single UPC'south for as low as $10.00 and ISRC's are a one-time $95 fee for a company/brand prefix.

| Mastering

To have your final mixes professionally Mastered yous volition need to have a starting budget of roughly $40 per song and should plan on waiting iv-8 weeks from the day you submit your files to the day y'all download your finished masters.

If you're looking for a quick answer to the question "Should I get my digital files mastered?", the answer is "Aye!"

Why?

Because mastering dependably makes your mixes sound improve. 😎

Mastering engineers specialize in standardizing and refining the dynamics, loudness, consistency and timing of your tracks. They're experts at applying free levels of EQ and Compression, helping each element of your music sound clearer and smoother (they use the kind of How-do-you-do-Fi equipment well-nigh of united states can merely 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 lot're not budgeted to Master professionally or if you lot aren't convinced that it'south worth it, delight at least do your audience the favor of trying your best to "main" the tracks yourself!

Mastering Engineers

Here are some recommendations for affordable Mastering Engineers with nifty reputations (price per song estimate - and since rates fluctuate based on # of songs/amount of time existence mastered, these approximations might be low for a single and high for an album - always double check!):

The Boiler Room ($fifty/song), Lucky Lacquers ($50/song), Sky Onion ($50/vocal), Carl Saff ($threescore/song), Eureka (Mike Nolte) ($60/song), Focus (Doug Van Sloun) ($60/song), Taloowa ($75/vocal), Josh Bonati ($85/song), Salt (Paul Gold) ($100/song), Gilded Mastering ($100/vocal).

[*2021 update: a great mode of finding the correct Mastering Engineer is to look at the credits on any new music you call back sounds really good and then google them and see what their rates and availability are.]

| Distribution

To make your music bachelor on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, Tidal etc., you'll demand to sign upward with - and pay! - a Digital Benefactor.

Note: Turnaround times for Digital Distribution are pretty fast these days - from a few days to a few weeks - though you can specify your release date when you become through the fix-upwardly process. Be sure to give yourself enough time - at least a calendar month (industry standard is 3 months) before your release date to get your EPK together, transport out printing releases, service radio and push your data.

The three Digital Distributors I'm nigh familiar with are Tunecore, CD Baby and DistroKid. All have easy-to-utilise dashboards that guide you through the set-up procedure, offer clear and thorough reports on your sales, and allow y'all to easily withdraw any coin you've fabricated by Check, Direct Eolith or Paypal.

Tunecore vs. CD Baby vs. DistroKid

Tunecore charges $29.99 to distribute your album for the offset year and then raises information technology to an annual charge of $49.99, for continued distribution, every year afterwards that - but they don't accept any percentage of your music sales.

CD Babe, on the other manus, only charges a old fee of $49 per anthology for distribution, but they take a 9% cut of everything you sell, for the elapsing of their service.

DistroKid allows you to upload unlimited music for an annual price (starting at $xix.99/year), and lets you keep 100% of your royalties (paid monthly). Definitely the best bargain, specially if you lot're planning to release more than than i album. Bonus from DistroKid is that thanks to Spotify's minority investment, you get instant verification on Spotify (including the bluish checkmark on your Spotify artist page) when yous submit your music through DistroKid.

Other options

In that location are a number of other Digital Distributors worth checking out, including Stalk, Music Kickup, Aded.us, Ditto Music, iMusician, Catapult and Traxx.space. Here's a expert detailed breakdown of distributors and their features via Ari Herstand at Ari'southward Take.

AWAL

AWAL is a cool Distro company you may want to attempt submitting to. It'southward curated, so they don't take everything, but if you manage to perk their ears, they offering good terms for digital distribution (a straight 15% sales commission on a rolling 30-twenty-four hours contract) and they are known for actively pitching your record for store placement and features. To submit your music to AWAL, you'll start need to fill up out a "Join U.s.a." form, which you tin can find here.

Artist Profiles

A number of the big digital streaming/monetization platforms permit yous to independently register and customize your Creative person contour, which you should definitely do!

Hither are Artist sign-upwardly links for Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music and Pandora.

| Bandcamp

Bandcamp is a dynamic, free service that provides you with a customizable profile, full command over setting prices, and some really useful (free) services for selling merch and generating download codes.

(They also have some valuable features for fans, like being able to "follow" the bands you similar, 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 prepare-up fees and no annual charges. They do, yet, take a 15% commission on all of your music sales and a x% fee on all merch (compare that to iTunes, which takes a 30% commission on all sales.)

If you lot're an indie creative person and you're trying to put your music out, I encourage you to get prepare on Bandcamp regardless of whether yous're also doing Digital Distribution!

Heads Upward!

A common frustration with existence new to Bandcamp is that in order to collect the money y'all make on Bandcamp, you must not simply have a Paypal business relationship, just your Paypal account must be a "Premier" or "Business" Account, which means one time yous've set upward a Paypal account you'll need to get through an additional process of (free) upgrading on Paypal earlier you can actually start collecting everything you've earned. So if you program to use Bandcamp equally a platform for selling your music, get your Paypal account in lodge outset!

| Publishing, Licensing & Copyrights

As long as you oasis't explicitly signed abroad whatever rights, your Publishing and Chief Recording copyrights default to you.

It is recommended, however, that you do everything y'all can to professionally establish the rights to your music. This involves registering your "music compositions" and "sound recordings" with the U.s. Copyright Role (this can be done together, in i application, for $35), registering with a Operation Rights Organization (or "PRO") as both a Writer and a Publisher ($100 - $150) and registering equally an Artist with SoundExchange (complimentary). Once these tasks are complete, yous'll exist covered in case anyone ever records, performs, plagiarizes or wants to pay big bucks to license your songs.

(For a really smashing, detailed look at the realities of Publishing and Licensing, check out this article, "Understanding 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 performance" of your songs.

For indie artists, your best bet is to choose either ASCAP or BMI (SESAC is pretty sectional and "invitation only" at the moment). Both ASCAP and BMI allow you to annals as either a "Author", a "Publisher", or both, merely since the royalties they collect get 50/fifty to "Writer" and "Publisher", you'll want to register every bit both a "Author" and "Publisher" to collect the entirety of your potential earnings.

The catch: there are fees associated with registering. If you go with ASCAP, you'll demand to pay $50 to register as a "Writer" plus another $50 to annals as a "Publisher". At BMI you'll be able to annals equally a "Author" for free just then they charge $150 to register every bit a "Publisher".

SoundExchange

After registering with ASCAP or BMI, be sure to sign up every bit an Artist with SoundExchange. This is a complimentary registration that covers royalties for "not-interactive" streaming of musical content (such every bit Pandora and SiriusXM).

Licensing

The good news is that if anyone ever wants to license any of your music for Picture show, TV or Commercials, since you control your Publishing and Master Recording rights, you lot (or you and your lawyer) can negotiate and get paid directly.

The bad news is that the contest for Licensing dollars is super intense.

While it's always worth sending an email and listen-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 you lot generate some buzz, your licensing opportunities - every bit well equally other opportunities like touring and merch sales - are sure to increase.

Songtradr

Songtradr is a free service that allows you to upload your music, set licensing fee prices, submit to various projects, and make licensing transactions all through their platform. If you wind up licensing anything through them, they take a 17.5% brokerage fee (compare that to Tunecore'southward 20%). It'southward a new service and I don't know their success charge per unit, just I've worked with some of their team before and I would definitely recommend giving Songtradr a shot.

Publishing & Licensing through your Digital Benefactor

If you're using Tunecore or CD Babe as your Digital Distributor, you lot may exist interested in their options for consolidating your rights management with them. The do good would be that you may score some licensing opportunities that yous'd otherwise exist missing out on. The drawback is that yous take to give them contractual permission to identify 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 one-time fix-upward fee of $75 (plus fifteen% of royalties and 20% commission on any Licensing they secure). There's a decent chance you won't make that $75 back from information technology, but it volition definitely offering you a glimpse into online revenue streams and put your music out there for licensing opportunities.

And CD Babe has 2 options: a costless opt-in feature for "Sync Licensing" where they volition make your music available (and collect the royalties) for Movie, TV, commercial and YouTube licensing; and a service called CD Baby Pro ($89/Anthology or $49/Upgrade), through which CD Babe will handle your PRO registration and collect and distribute your royalties (taking a xv% admin fee).

CD

[Overview | Mastering | Manufacturing | Samples | Distro]

| Overview

It's 2022. Should you yet brand CDs?

Sure, if:
✔ yous're playing a lot of shows or going on tour (CDs are however a great impulse-purchase at the merch table) [*uhh, yep, this doesn't apply at the moment, but this is the general idea]
✔ you have a expert relationship with your local record store and enough of a local presence that you tin about likely move some product
✔ you plan to do a large publicity and/or college radio push and want to mail service out CDs for consideration
✔ y'all 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 tin can actually do this digitally now, by following the instructions under the "My music is a digital release, not a physical product. Tin can it still exist listed in the database?" at the higher up link.
✔ you have money in the budget (approximately $800 for 500 CDs)

No, if:
❌ you hardly ever play live
❌ the majority of your focus is online/digital
❌ you lot expect to go your CD in record stores beyond the land (this takes a concrete distribution bargain, which first requires getting signed to an established record label!)
❌ your budget is tight... If you only have a few hundred bucks and you're debating between professional Mastering and making CDs, I encourage you to Master!

| Mastering

CD Mastering is the same process equally Digital mastering, with the additional consideration of how best to deliver your CD main to the CD manufacturer. Traditionally, your Mastering Engineer would burn a CD "production master" which you would and so mail in to the manufacturer, and while this is nonetheless a feasible option (and typically an additional $25 or so charge for the disc), the current standard is to evangelize your CD master electronically as a DDP image.

Be sure to let your Mastering Engineer know upfront nearly the different formats you plan to release your music in.

If you're looking for advice on who to employ for professional CD Mastering, please cheque out the DIGITAL Mastering section!

| Manufacturing

There are ii ways to manufacture CDs:

i) "Replication" (the high-quality professional manner)
two) "Duplication" (for depression quantities - basically the same as called-for CDs from your estimator).

300 CDs is the typical quantity threshold for professional Replication. For smaller runs, you can either become through a Duplicator, or CD Baby and Amazon CreateSpace take options to duplicate-as-needed.

Toll Breakdowns for Professional CD Replication

Note the various packaging options and that prices do non include aircraft (prices effective Summer 2019 - e'er double-bank check!):

From Discmakers:
300 CDs in precious stone cases with total color embrace = $555 ($1.85 per unit)
300 CDs in full colour Digipaks = $657 ($2.14 per unit of measurement)
500 CDs in jewel cases with full color embrace = $795 ($1.59 per unit)
500 CDs in full color Digipaks = $790 ($1.58 per unit of measurement)
yard CDs in jewel cases with total color comprehend = $990 ($0.99 per unit)
1000 CDs in full colour Digipaks = $990 ($0.99 per unit)

From Groovehouse:
500 CDs in jewel cases with full colour embrace = $795 ($1.59 per unit)
500 CDs in total color Digipaks = $1170 ($2.34 per unit)
m CDs in jewel cases with full color cover = $890 ($0.89 per unit)
1000 CDs in full colour Digipaks = $1390 ($one.39 per unit)

From Nationwide Disc:
300 CDs in gem cases with full color comprehend = $778 ($2.59 per unit)
300 CDs in full colour Digipaks = $783 ($two.61 per unit)
500 CDs in jewel cases with full color embrace = $915 ($one.83 per unit)
500 CDs in full colour Digipaks = $915 ($1.83 per unit)
one thousand CDs in jewel cases with full color comprehend = $1134 ($1.13 per unit)
one thousand CDs in full color Digipaks = $1134 ($1.thirteen per unit)

The Math

As you can run across, the more CDs y'all manufacture, the cheaper the price is "per-unit" - as low as $0.89 per CD if you make thousand.

This "per unit" cost is useful because it allows you to gauge what your profit margin will be when you actually sell a CD. If CDs are costing you $1/unit to produce, simply you're selling them at your merch table for $10 each, you're profiting $9 on each CD. If you lot make one thousand CDs at a price of $900 and you manage to sell all m CDs at $10 a pop (that's $10,000!), your full profit is $9100, which is why CDs, in theory, can be a groovy investment. (To actually sell k CDs, still, you'd probably take to be doing brisk business organization online and at at least a few record stores, in which example your profit margin would exist a scrap lower because y'all'd need to factor in the shipping and packaging costs for mail orders, the commissions for webstores, and the wholesale price for record shops.)

But hold upwards. Do yous really need 1000 CDs? I tin assure you it is extraordinarily difficult to sell 1000 - or 500 - or fifty-fifty 100 CDs these days, and the most likely issue of making all those CDs is that they will end upwardly taking upwardly closet space for years to come up.

I think the wisest advice is to endeavor generating involvement in your music online and/or in your community first and if you sense that at that place'south real demand, that's when you start thinking virtually manufacturing.

Kunaki

Got a hot tip from this reddit #watmm thread about Kunaki, an on-demand, no minimums, CD Duplicator. Pros: total-service, cheap and on demand. Cons: Duplication (non Replication) and only Precious stone-cases offered.

| Samples

Beware: if you take whatsoever uncleared samples anywhere in your tracks, at that place is a high likelihood they'll be detected by the manufacturer!

In social club to avoid copyright lawsuits, manufacturing companies make sure to articulate themselves of liability in the paperwork they have you sign every bit well as protect themselves past running every projection through sample detecting software before going to printing.

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 earlier your projection tin can keep.

Getting clearance

Is information technology worth contacting tape labels and publishers about getting clearance to use samples? Not unless you lot've got the kind of money that can get their attention!

If you're interested in trying anyway, hither is some free, thorough, legal communication.

Solutions

Since you won't go far whatsoever bodily problem for submitting music with samples (and who knows, your timing could be just right to slip by!), you tin can always hazard with the manufacturing plants. Just be sure you lot're canonical for production before you lot pay them anything!

Y'all can also Do It Yourself past printing inserts, purchasing cases and having the CD faces printed on and then burning the CDs on your reckoner...

| Distribution

If you're hoping to have your CD in tape stores across the country, your best bet is to get signed by a record label with a national distribution deal - and even then, in such a competitive market, it requires press, radio play and critical acclaim to be in full effect the week your CD is released to avert beingness just another band lost in the store-shelf shuffle.

If this is your dream, and you want to attain out to your favorite record labels in the hopes that they will offer you a deal and piece of work tirelessly to get your CD into every shop still standing, but:

✔ Compose an electronic mail to the label'due south contact email accost
✔ Write a paragraph well-nigh who you are and what kind of help you're looking for
✔ Paste in the appropriate links to stream your music, and...
✔ Sign off

Chances are you lot won't hear dorsum. Merely it'southward your dream. Perhaps you will! ⚡

So what's the best style to sell CDs, beyond your merch tabular array at shows and from your local record store?

Online Retail

Making your CD bachelor online is as easy as signing up with an online retailer like Storenvy (free) or Big Cartel (free for upward to v items or $9.99/mo) - or DIY by creating a Cash Music business relationship and using their free tools for creating a store. One time you're gear up, you can link to your storefront from your website and your social media.

If you've set up your profile on Bandcamp, they will host a free merch-store for you (they take a 10% commission on all merch sales), from which yous tin price, sell and link-to your CDs.

And if you're using CD Baby as your Digital Distributor, they offer a costless customizable store widget you can embed on your site. (CD Infant also offers what they call "Worldwide CD Distribution" for $49 + $4/CD, allowing y'all to sell CD's via their online store, on Amazon and through various distribution partners).

Vinyl

[Overview | Mastering | Manufacturing | Samples | Distro]

| Overview

Naught's sweeter than the day UPS shows up with a box full of your very own hot-off-the-press LP'due south!

Getting there can be a journeying, though.

Exist prepared to wait

Making actual records takes fourth dimension. Not merely are in that location multiple steps required before production simply the whole vinyl manufacture is notorious for delays.

$$$

And it takes $$$. Yous'll need to be prepared to pay for Mastering, lacquer-cutting, test presses, album-jacket printing and shipping forth with the vinyl manufacturing costs.

$4 per unit, with a minimum of 500 units, is a good rough price estimate ("unit" = the finished packaged product).

In other words, 500 12" LP'southward in custom-printed Jackets will cost you $2000. (seven" records are nearly half that.)

| Mastering

The aforementioned Mastering Engineer you use to chief your digital files tin create a secondary digital chief specifically tailored to pressing vinyl - it typically takes a trivial more fourth dimension then there's an additional cost, merely engineers and audiophiles volition encourage you to do information technology. (Yes, of grade you can just use the digital principal for your vinyl but vinyl manufacturing introduces a different set of quirks and dynamics, so if yous want your tape to sound its best, Chief for vinyl!)

For a list of recommended Mastering Engineers, check out the DIGITAL Mastering department.

Cutting Lacquers

Afterward you have your Mastered files there is a 2nd step involved in creating a vinyl chief, known equally cutting lacquer. This is the process by which the sound from your Principal is transferred by a mastering lathe onto the lacquer, cutting the grooves into information technology. Here'south a fly-on-the-wall video demo:

There are two ways to cutting lacquers:

1) Transport information technology to a lacquer-cutting specialist (who volition so send it on to the manufacturing plant for production).
2) Have the mill yous're using cut the lacquer.

Both options cost about the same corporeality of money (approximately $350 for standard 12" or $150 for 7").

The do good of having a specialist do it is that they are really focusing on you and making your vinyl sound as true to the Master as possible. The negative: the actress time information technology takes to schedule them.

The do good of having the tape plant do it is efficiency - it'll salve time and, as long equally you're happy with your digital Masters, it should sound fine. But a record found is cut a huge amount of lacquer and they're non really promising the service of a "close" listening.

Some lacquer-cutting specialists with sterling reputations (they too all happen to exist popular Mastering Engineers) (prices per standard 12" estimate):

Heaven Onion ($260), Carl Saff ($330), Lucky Lacquers ($350), Bonati Mastering ($350), Taloowa ($350), Salt Mastering ($370) and Gilded Mastering ($450).

| Manufacturing

Vinyl Manufacturers typically make a distinction betwixt the services they offer: "Vinyl Manufacturing" is ane service, while "Album Art/Jacket/Insert printing" is another (and may require its own split up guild.)

Some people prefer to accept their Album Jackets and any insert material printed past companies that specialize in custom printing (such equally Imprint or Dorado). *Note: 500 is the standard minimum guild for 12" jackets (and 300 for 7" jackets) regardless of whether you apply a specialist or the vinyl manufacturer. If you lot demand fewer than the minimum, yous'll simply exist left with a stack of extra jackets...

As with lacquer cut, the costs are well-nigh the same whether you have the Vinyl Manufacturer print your packaging or send it to a specialist. 1 advantage of having the Vinyl Manufacturer print the Jackets is that they volition typically insert the records into the jackets for you at no extra charge (as opposed to having to do them all yourself in your studio apartment.)

Either way, 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!

Toll Breakdowns for Professional person 12" LP Vinyl Manufacturing

Prices include lacquer cutting + *standard 12" Jacket printing* but do non include shipping (prices are effective Summer 'nineteen - e'er double-cheque!):

From United Record Pressing:
300 records with b/westward labels in paper sleeves = $1286 ($iv.29 per unit of measurement)
500 records with b/w labels in paper sleeves = $1455 ($two.91 per unit)
500 iv color LP Jackets = $695 ($one.39 per unit)
* Best package deal: 500 records with b/w labels and 500 4 color jackets = $2150 ($four.thirty per unit)
+ Digital Download coupons and hosting package (yard coupons) = $275

From Erika Records:
100 records with b/westward labels in paper sleeves = $1066 ($10.66 per unit of measurement)
300 records with b/w labels in paper sleeves = $1308 ($iv.36 per unit)
500 records with b/westward labels in paper sleeves = $1465 ($ii.93 per unit)
500 4 color LP Jackets = $475 ($0.95 per unit)
* Best package deal: 500 records with b/w labels and 500 iv color jackets = $1940 ($3.88 per unit)

From Groovehouse:
300 records with i color labels in paper sleeves = $1394 ($4.65 per unit)
500 records with one color labels in paper sleeves = $1760 ($iii.52 per unit)
300 records with i colour labels and 4 colour Jackets = $1815 ($six.05 per unit of measurement)
500 records with one color labels and iv colour Jackets = $2130 ($iv.26 per unit)
* Best bundle deal: 500 records with i colour labels and 500 4 colour Jackets = $2130 ($iv.26 per unit)
+ Digital Download cards and hosting parcel (500 cards) = $349

There are a number of other Vinyl Manufacturers both in the U.S. and abroad. Here is a good reference list.

Vinyl On Need

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 volition lathe cut each record one-by-one, allowing you to make as few equally 1 copy(!) Keep in mind that lathe-cutting vinyl is done past hand and not by the precisely-calibrated machinery of a record plant, so it is susceptible to volume and fidelity fluctuations, but still... pretty absurd.

Here is some sample pricing from Vinyl On Demand (prices are effective Summer '19 and do non include shipping):
1 7" record in a blank jacket = $25 ($25 per unit of measurement)
20 7" records in blank jackets = $285 ($fourteen.25 per unit)
1 12" record in a blank jacket = $48 ($48 per unit)
20 12" records in bare jackets = $490 ($24.50 per unit)

Other lathe-cut vinyl specialists to cheque out: Austin Signal, 1 Groove Vinyl, Tangible Formats and Audio Geography.

Qrates

Forth with existence a (fairly premium-priced) professional manufacturing choice, Qrates offers a crowdfunding business model, where y'all tin create what-will-exist your product and then crowdfund it through them. Once your project is funded, Qrates handles all the manufacturing, takes a 15% cut of sales, and either ships your orders (for an boosted five%) or ships y'all the production (you are and so responsible shipping out the orders yourself).

| Samples

Yep. Just every bit with CD Manufacturers, Vinyl Manufacturers are on the expect-out for unlicensed samples and will waste no fourth dimension pulling your project from the production line if they locate any unlicensed samples in your music. (The Manufacturing plants are always the one'due south that will call yous out, past the way -- the Mastering Engineer and the Lacquer-cutter won't care.)

How have others bypassed the trouble? They've taken their chances, and by taking their chances, I hateful fugitive the cheaper, high-volume Manufacturers and trying to find smaller Manufacturers who may not have the manpower to run everything through detection software. Merely unlicensed samples are always a gamble when having your music manufactured, so consider yourself warned!

| Distribution

To get your LP in tape stores across the land you will demand a Distribution Deal, which is typically but an option if you are signed to an established tape characterization. For more than details, run into CD Distribution.

Without a Distribution Deal, your best bets for selling vinyl are:
✔ from your merch tabular array at shows
✔ at your local record store, where you can establish a relationship with the buyer and clerks
✔ from your band website and from online stores and services such as Storenvy, Big Cartel, CD Baby, Bandcamp and Greenbacks Music (and by linking to whichever stores/services you're using from your social media)

Cassette

[Overview | Mastering | Manufacturing | Distro]

| Overview

It'south 2022. Should you be making tapes?

Cassette culture, like vinyl culture, is passionate about the warmth and imperfections of analog sound and the human, tactile pleasance of a physical product.

Is this you?

If it is, there'due south a pretty vibrant marketplace for tapes and a manufacturing manufacture at that place to back up information technology. Tapes can be professionally produced for about half the price of vinyl (roughly $2/unit) or fifty-fifty done at abode for $i/unit or less.

| Mastering

Y'all tin can utilize your Digitally Mastered files for cassette manufacturing, though some people recommend a Mastering treatment closer to what you'd become Mastering for Vinyl to make the all-time-sounding tapes. Either way, your Mastering Engineer will be able to brand whatever adjustments needed if y'all plan to manufacture cassettes.

Cassette Duplication companies accept masters in the following formats: audio-cassette, CD-DA, information CD/DVD and 44.1kHz 16-bit .WAVs (y'all can send higher quality but they will nearly probable downgrade them to 16-bit).

| Manufacturing

There are two ways to go virtually making Tapes:

ane) place an order through one of the handful of large manufacturing plants that volition professionally duplicate, print and packet them for you
2) order blank tapes, cases, labels and j-cards in bulk and do the duping and printing yourself

To get a sense of the cost difference between D.I.Y. and professional manufacturing, you can get 100 bare 30-infinitesimal tapes, cases, labels and j-cards from National Audio for $92 (or $0.92 per unit - but and so y'all accept to practise the duping, printing and packaging at home).

To have National Audio do the consummate manufacturing for 100 30-infinitesimal tapes and deliver the finished product to your doorstep costs near $200 (or $2 per unit of measurement).

(If you program to order supplies in majority, Delta Media also has great prices on blank Tapes, a diverseness of cases, Labels and J-cards.)

Price breakdowns for Professional Cassette Duplication

Quotes include printing and packaging merely do not include shipping (prices effective Summer '19 - e'er double-cheque!):

From National Audio Company/Cassetro:
100 up-to-lx-minute tapes + printing and packaging = $258 ($ii.58 per unit)
250 upward-to-60-minute tapes + press and packaging = $510 ($two.04 per unit)
500 up-to-60-minute tapes + printing and packaging = $960 ($1.92 per unit)
1000 up-to-60-infinitesimal tapes + printing and packaging = $1750 ($1.75 per unit)

From Cassette Works:
250 up-to-60-infinitesimal tapes + press and packaging = $400 ($ane.60 per unit)
500 up-to-sixty-minute tapes + printing and packaging = $750 ($1.50 per unit)
1000 up-to-threescore-infinitesimal tapes + printing and packaging = $1450 ($1.45 per unit)

From Rainbo Records:
500 up-to-44-minute tapes + printing and packaging = $659 ($1.31 per unit)
1000 up-to-44-minute tapes + printing and packaging = $1075 ($one.07 per unit of measurement)

| Distribution

As with selling CDs and Vinyl, your most dependable options for selling Cassettes are from your merch tabular array at shows, from your local record store, and from your online storefront, website, Distributor and/or Bandcamp.

In that location are a few holy grail names in record shops, similar Mississippi Records in Portland and Burger Records in Fullerton just I have no within scoop on how to go them to carry your tape other than to send them a copy and hope someone takes an involvement.

Here are a few recommended tape-centric sites to ship a re-create 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 Printing Kits, or "EPK's", consist of all the standard tools you'll use to promote your record. Your Album Artwork, Liner Notes, Bio, Publicity Photos, Music Video(s) and Remixes will all become into your EPK. The all-time way to keep your Kit organized is to brand a folder on your desktop, title it "EPK", and anytime you create something that you plan to use promotionally, make sure it gets in that binder!

Album Artwork

For Digital Distribution, you'll need to make your Anthology Cover a 2400 x 2400 pixel .JPG or .PNG file, at at least 72 dpi and in RGB color mode (for physical press, your file volition need to be saved in CMYK). From here y'all can downsize the file to whatever dimensions you demand for promotional purposes. If you plan to post an image of your Album Cover on your website, in your social media, or in your press release, a best practice is to "Save for Web" in Photoshop to optimize the file size. If yous demand aid designing your artwork, endeavor an cheap indie designer like Fiverr ($5-$40) or a crowdsourcing site like 99 designs.

Liner Notes

They typically include who played on the tape, what they played, who wrote the songs, who recorded it, where it was recorded, who mixed it, who mastered information technology and any shout-outs and thank you's. You'll have options to input your liner notes when you set up your album with a Digital Distributor, Bandcamp and/or Soundcloud. Liner notes are besides pretty standard to have in your artwork if you're making any physical products.

Bio

Hither's a secret: whatever you write in your Bio and/or Printing Release will be used, frequently verbatim, in whatsoever review or publicity you receive. Then write your Bio exactly the way you want your audience to read information technology. In full general, your Bio should be a paragraph or two that quickly covers who you lot are, where you're from, whatsoever pertinent accolades or printing quotes you've received and then your best try at making the tape you lot're promoting audio, in words, like something someone would want to take time out of their life to listen to. Exist honest! Be thoughtful! Be curtailed! Allow your bio serve every bit a time capsule of where your band is at - and leave it there, no reason to ramble on! P.S. I recommend that you write your Bio to be pretty interchangeable with your commencement Press Release.

Publicity Photos

If y'all're fortunate enough to become any press, they'll desire a loftier-res (300 dpi at a standard photograph size like 4x6 or 5x7) publicity photo or two, and then endeavor to be prepared. Nothing fancy - have someone take a few shots with a digital camera or smartphone and upload them to your estimator. If you have a photograph editing application like Photoshop (even iPhoto or Picasso will practise), perchance crop it a bit, and suit it to look its best. Be sure to save a few high-res options for press and then "Save For Web" copies of the photos to utilise in your social media and in your printing releases.

Video

Music videos, however amateur, are a huge nugget to your EPK and my communication is to either dedicate yourself to making one earlier your release date or find someone skilled and dependable in your social world to help make a video for y'all. In one case it's washed, upload it to YouTube and/or Vimeo and then link to it in a printing release and embed it on your website, and in your social media. (Even uploading a "music video" that merely shows your anthology art while the song plays is useful, since it allows your music to be discoverable (and monetizable) on YouTube.)

Remixes

If you lot know someone whose remix skills you lot admire, striking them upwards! A good remix of one of your songs is a great way to cross-pollinate audiences, deepen the interest in your anthology and is another excuse to drum upwards some social media and publicity buzz. Most people capable of doing remixes prefer to have "stems" of your songs. You can save everyone time by making sure, when you're mixing, to bounce stems for anything and everything you call up might be worth remixing. My advice is to motion on getting whatever remixes going as shortly as you've got your terminal mixes - it'south impossible to get them finished and into your EPK folder too shortly!

| Publicity

If you lot remember you lot'd like to try hiring a Publicist, keep in listen that they are extremely picky almost who they choose to piece of work with (which is good, since they have to believe they can get you some publicity if they're going to have your money!) And they are not cheap - await to pay at least a few thousand dollars for a publicity campaign, and that's for "Indie Music" publicists.

If y'all have the confidence in your record and the coin in your budget, hither'southward a skilful list of cool Publicists to ship an introductory email and mind-link to: Chromatic, Force Field, Terrorbird, Toolshed, Press Here, Motormouth, Stunt Company, Grandstand and Tell All Your Friends.

For the majority of bands, who are not able to afford or retain a Publicist, getting word out nigh your music depends on yous.

⚡ Hither is how to do it: ⚡

Press Release Strategy

A good strategy is to do 3 printing releases, each serving a distinct only complimentary purpose (if y'all're also trying to push a single before your album, a press release for the unmarried is customary a few weeks before you lot announce the full album details):

#1: "The Announcement" (4-half dozen weeks before your release date) -- this is where you announce your release and your release date and provide anthology details, heed links and social media links to printing.

#2: "The Friendly Reminder" (7-10 days before your release engagement) -- ideally you'd build upon your original press release with something fresh - a video or a remix or tour dates or a press blurb -- only fifty-fifty without any of that, a "friendly reminder" with the core details tin can't hurt -- especially if you have some printing outlets y'all're really targeting.

#iii: "The Follow Up" (1-2 weeks afterward your release appointment) -- the follow-up is probably well-nigh constructive if you can either quote from some of the printing (or social media responses) you've received or accept something new to offer (video, remix, tour dates etc). Otherwise you're only kind of banging the pulsate -- then again, banging the drum is how you raise awareness in the first place, and then... don't give up!

Creating Your First Press Release

1. Research and make a thorough list of e-mail contacts for all the Music Blogs, Magazines and local press outlets you want to send a press release to.
two. Brand sure either the entirety of your album or any select songs y'all want to share are properly hosted at a linkable source (such as Bandcamp or Soundcloud).
3. Etch a paragraph or two announcing, describing and tastefully hyping your upcoming Album.
4. Compose an e-mail to yourself that looks something similar this:

"Your Album Title" past Your Band Name
Your 250px x 250px "Saved For Web" Anthology Cover Your 250px x 250px "Saved For Spider web" Publicity Photograph

A paragraph or two describing and tastefully hyping your new album. Exist honest. Be thoughtful. Be concise! What are the handful of most important and virtually original things you tin can say about information technology? Where's your band from? Where was your album recorded? What makes this anthology of yours special? The things yous say in this department of your printing release will often exist used verbatim by people writing about your release, so ane approach is to write this department as though y'all were the music writer! Not a great writer? Enquire a friend who knows your music to help!

Your Release Engagement (on Your Release Format(south)) on Your Record Label/Banner/or "Cocky Released"

Stream "Your Album Title/Song Title": your stream link here
Download "Your Album Title/Song Championship": your download link hither (optional)

Your Website/Social Media Link i
Your Website/Social Media Link 2 (optional)
Your Website/Social Media Link 3 (optional)

Cheers!

Your Name/Band Name

Your Contact Info

If y'all have rich-text-editing capabilities in your e-mail service (like Gmail, Yahoo or Mac post), be certain to requite the layout some Popular! If y'all need help inserting images into your email, here are instructions for Gmail, Yahoo, Mac post, and Outlook.

five. Test it by sending it to yourself. Make certain your links are working! Once you're happy with it, create some other email to yourself, copy/paste your content into the body of the new email, make sure the Subject line has all the right info, enter the e-mail addresses you've researched into the BCC field and send information technology out! (Using the BCC field on an email addressed to yourself is recommended for bulk electronic mail transport-outs. If you have specific blogs that y'all want to connect with, it'south a skilful idea to send an email addressed exclusively to each one, personalizing it however you lot come across fit.)

Congratulations - y'all've sent out your first Printing Release! 👏

Now What?

Start thinking about how you tin can make your "friendly reminder" stand out. Merely remember: publicity outlets are under no obligation to be - or stay - in touch. It'south prophylactic to assume that if someone wants to write almost your music, they'll allow yous know. The all-time follow up is some other Press Release (or ii), up to and through your release date, anytime you have something press-worthy to add (videos, remixes, tour dates, press or social media blurbs)!

Newsletter Services

Some people prefer to use email/newsletter services like MailChimp (gratuitous), Mad Mimi (free) or Campaign Monitor (well-nigh $10 per campaign) for Press Releases. The benefits are the custom formatting they offer, every bit well as, if you're into information technology, the detailed analytics they provide y'all about who is checking out your email and what they're clicking on. I potential disadvantage is that these services make it like shooting fish in a barrel for the bloggers y'all're sending information technology to to "unsubscribe", and many volition...

Paid Campaigns

There are a number of services out there that will 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 past music bloggers to the music bloggers involvement in being financially rewarded for taking the time to listen to your music.

In that location are two tiers: a free "Standard" option, and a "Premium" tier that starts at $1 per credit (a credit allows you to send one song to ane weblog in the network and ensures that you will, at the very to the lowest degree, receive listening notes back from them). Credits get cheaper the more you buy.

Either style, with SubmitHub you lot 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 simply that - pitches your music to pop playlists for an boilerplate entrada cost of $450.

StoryAmp

StoryAmp is a costless service that helps tailor your printing release(s) and bout appointment info to Music Journalists and media outlets. Promoting your music through a service similar StoryAmp - peculiarly if y'all're touring - can be a nice compliment to your own DIY music web log send outs.

| Radio

To professionally service Radio, you demand to hire a Radio Agent - but Radio Agents, just like Publicists, Booking Agents, Licesning Agents and Record Labels, are super picky almost who they cull to piece of work with. Simply existence able to beget i is oftentimes non enough. They have to want to work with you. And if they've never heard of you, and you accept no within connections, they probably won't be interested.

Is it worth a shot? Sure! Try sending an introductory electronic mail with listen-links to whatsoever of the Radio Agencies you'd like to hire. Typical Radio campaigns are a few thousand dollars (sometimes less, depending on duration and whether or not you lot're sending out physical copies).

Here's a listing of absurd indie Radio Agencies you can try reaching out to: Terrorbird, AAM, Vitriol, Distiller, Fanatic, Pirate!, Oversupply Command, Planetary Group, Tinderbox, A human being A plan A canal and Squad Claremont.

If you're 1 of the bulk of bands who can not afford, or can not pique the interest of, a Radio Agent, getting your music considered by radio stations depends on you.

⚡ Here is how to do it: ⚡

Submitting Your Music to Radio Stations

*You should submit your album to radio stations 4-half-dozen weeks earlier your release date

i. Submit your music to Pandora.
2. Research and make a thorough listing of email addresses for all the College Radio and Internet Radio stations you'd like to contact.
3. Brand certain a stream of your album is properly hosted at a linkable source such every bit Bandcamp or Soundcloud. (If you desire to keep your album private, you tin can exercise so on Bandcamp with Bandcamp Pro and on SoundCloud via their "Secret Links".)
4. Upload a .zilch 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 Hush-hush Download Link to your Album on Soundcloud.
5. Compose a paragraph or two announcing, describing and tastefully hyping your Album (can exist the aforementioned every bit your Press Release).
6. Create an email to yourself that looks something like this:

"Your Album Championship" past Your Ring Name
Your 250px x 250px "Saved For Spider web" Album Cover Your 250px x 250px "Saved For Web" Publicity Photo

Please Consider for Airplay "Your Album Championship" past Your Band Name out Your Release Date on Your Record Characterization/Imprint/or "Cocky Released"

A paragraph or two describing and tastefully hyping your new album. Exist honest. Be thoughtful. Be curtailed! What are the handful of near important and most original things y'all can say almost it? Where's your ring from? Where was your album recorded? What makes this album of yours special? The things yous say in this section of your press release will often exist used verbatim by people writing about your release, and then one arroyo is to write this department as though you were the music writer! Not a great author? Inquire a friend who knows your music to help!

Stream "Your Album Title/Song Title": your stream link here
Download "Your Album Championship/Song Title": your download link hither

"Your Album Title'south" Tracklist:
1. Proper noun of Track i (Track 1 duration - for example: four:01)
two. Name of Track 2 (Track ii duration)
3. Name of Track 3 (Track three duration) *EXPLICIT (Be certain to mark as "EXPLICIT" any tracks with explicit language!)
4. Name of Runway four (duration) *Recommended (Be sure to marker as "Recommended" 2 or three tracks that you recommend!)
5. Proper name of Runway 5 (duration) *Recommended
etc.

Your Website/Social Media Link 1
Your Website/Social Media Link 2 (optional)
Your Website/Social Media Link 3 (optional)

Thanks!

Your Name/Band Proper noun

Your Contact Info

7. Test it by sending it yourself. Make sure your links are working! Once yous're happy with it, create another email to yourself, copy/paste your content into the body of the new email, brand sure the Subject line starts with "DIGITAL Delivery", enter the electronic mail addresses you lot've researched into the BCC field and ship it out! (Using the BCC field on an email addressed to yourself is recommended for bulk email send-outs. If y'all have specific stations that y'all want to connect with, ship an email addressed specifically to them.)

Congratulations! You've successfully delivered your anthology to Radio. 👊

Follow Upwardly

If at that place are specific stations you want to follow up with - in particular your local and/or favorite station(south) - check into the Station Managing director'south office hours (Station Managing director office hours are usually listed on the station's website) or call in and talk to one of the DJ'due south y'all similar. ("Hey, I really love this station. I recently submitted some music to you guys and was wondering whether you'd had a gamble to listen to it...")

*As well worth considering: both Tunecore and CD Baby have like shooting fish in a barrel and gratis options for servicing Internet radio, bachelor to members and subscribers.

| How To Release A Record

I'k Zach Hangauer and I started the indie label Range Life Records in 2005.

I designed this site to serve as a quick, aboveboard and hopefully empowering guide through the maze of the release process.

If you lot have any questions, success stories, tips, or desire to reach out for any guidance, please get in touch: howtoreleasearecord(@)gmail.com

How To Release A Record on Twitter

Life In Music interview (11/26/16)

Interested in Indie Film? Check out the new resource site I did all about the Mumblecore film genre: mumblecore.info

New!: I did a podcast interview with ACPG, earthworks in to some of the site content - bank check it out:

stelzerorked2002.blogspot.com

Source: http://howtoreleasearecord.com/

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