Blog archives for June, 2010

These days, technology is always available for any
inspiring musician to record, create, and even
duplicate CDs.  The duplication of CDs will involve
CD-R media.  CD-R media prices have dropped a lot
over the last several years, making them affordable
for anyone who wants to use them.

If your band is ready to start selling CDs, your
best option may be to have your CDs replicated.
Replicated CDs are the same CDs that you’ll find
in music stores by major label artists.  They all
have excellent artwork printed on the CD inserts,
nice tray card inserts, screened art on the CD,
and they are even shrink wrapped.

The retail CDs that you buy aren’t duplicated, they
are replicated.  This means that an exact replica
of your master CD has been stamped out on all of
the other CDs.  If you are serious about selling
your music for profit, replication is the way to
go.

The fact is, most stores simply won’t sell duplicated
CDs.  Duplicated CDs can be against the law,
which is the main reason retail stores simply
won’t carry them.  Replicated CDs let the stores
know that the CD is legit, and they will almost
always carry those CDs.

For musicians and inspiring bands, CD duplication
can tend to be a bit more expensive than that
of replication.  To duplicate CDs, you need a
computer with a CD burner, your CD-R media, cases,
and a lot of man hours.

With CD replication, you can get many more copies,
professional artwork, a barcode for inventory, and
cases included.  Replication is obviously to
expensive for those looking to simply back up
pictures and data on a personal computer, although
the prices are just right for musicians looking
to make profit off of their CDs

There are many online music podcast rss feeds to
choose from online. For many of the feed producers, a
podcast feed is a way to distribute non mainstream
music that otherwise would not be able to reach an
audience. These musicians are able to build a following
and share their work from outside of a music culture
that tends to keep out more niche groups. Because the
music industry is oriented towards mass distribution
and marketing, musicians and groups that aren’t
believed to command such widespread fandom are kept
out of the market.

Distributing some of their music by podcast rss feeds,
however, lets them grow a small fanbase and attract
listeners who enjoy their work. These musicians may
support themselves by also selling portions of their
work, or may decide to provide all of their work for
free, as some do.

These musicians may, after growing a fanbase who
enjoys their music podcast rss feed, parlay that
popularity into music contracts within the industry. By
proving that they can support a passionate audience
even with their own meager efforts, a company can
sometimes be convinced of the music’s viability on a
larger stage. By proving that the musicians can support
a dedicated audience and can keep producing quality
work, the group or individual has a better chance of
successfully getting a contract while maintaining their
independent style.