Selling your cd's through vendors

[Enidi]

I would really appreciate some help , , opinions and recommendations . Say for example your music is readily available for download and that's being set up along with a hundred physical digipack cds arriving in the mail.

Would you suggest selling the cds yourself? Would you ask the third party sellers who still have an earlier cd release of yours for sale if they'd be interested in selling your new release?

[battema]

IMHO

I'm not a fan of shipping individual CDs. I also have a very low tolerance for the inevitable "excuse me, my shrinkwrap was ripped, I want a refund and 3 additional signed copies sent immediately" bullshit.

That said...the market isn't what it once was. If someone carried your earlier work, inquire about how well it sold. Be flexible with price.

If you expect to sell well in other countries, consider finding a vendor who is more "local" to an area, so that customers aren't paying insane shipping costs. It might also be beneficial for you, as a single "bulk" shipment outside the country.

Best of luck!

[battema]

Also, see where vendors stand regarding downloads. Not everyone may be willing to risk stocking physical media if customers can go get the same album for half the price on Bandcamp.

[Enidi]

Interesting thank you!! Checking out your music now...thanks so much!

[Sputnik]

100 CDs is an extremely small run, too low in my experience for CD replication (i.e. "factory-pressed," as opposed to duplicated CDRs). If you're selling CDRs, first off, don't bother with vendors, and second, make sure you're clear with customers what they're getting.

If you did somehow get a run of 100 replicated CDs, I'd still say with only 100 units, you'd be better off selling them yourself, though sending a few to some select vendors might be worthwhile. If you got more, say in the 350 - 500 range, then working with the vendors definitely makes sense. I don't think they'd care if you already have it on Bandcamp. I can think of dozens of examples where bands have already launched digital and physical products and vendors have still jumped on board (Alco Frisbass is a recent example).

I most definitely think vendors who have carried your product in the past would be open to hearing about what you have, so I think it would be well worth talking with them.

Bill

[battema]

^^ ah yeah, very valid point re: CD-R

[Poisoned Youth]

I would really appreciate some help , , opinions and recommendations

I think the best answer for you would come from discovering what your goals are and if you plan to advertise. As each year passes, it is going to be increasingly more difficult for any small artist to get attention and market share. So even selling 100 CDs + downloads may be more difficult than you realize.

Communities like PE, PA, and Facebook groups can warp the impression that the market is much larger than it actually is. We have seen people on PE advertise all the time, get a few support posts, and then fade away.

John and Bill (who posted in the thread) have a long history here and can leverage the PE base (for what that is worth), but many newer or less active people struggle to do that. I suspect it's somewhat similar at PA. Facebook groups are usually filled with people reminiscing about the past or they are filled with 100 others who use the group to advertise.

If your primary goal is 'spreading the word', then I would absolutely suggest that you engage 3rd party sellers to carry your CD, and list on Bandcamp (and Amazon perhaps). Send downloadable copies of your album to people willing to review it. Even then, don't be surprised or insulted if people do not seem interested. You might be the 500th person to contact them. It's the world we live in now. You might even consider streaming services just so it's there for people to hear.

If the goal is to recoup your money and/or make a profit, I'd still suggest (unless your name carries some cache) you make your album available to as many platforms as possible, because it's very difficult to "draw people to you". If this is a one-off, maybe not. But if you intend to produce more material, it's the best way to gauge interest and build a brand.

Good luck!

[battema]

John and Bill (who posted in the thread) have a long history here

GODDAMNIT YES I AM OLD

[Sputnik]

GODDAMNIT YES I AM OLD

Seriously!

[JKL2000]

I'm not a musician so don't have music to sell, but my mind always goes back to how I first heard of the band Glass Hammer. It was before I knew about the 90s underground prog scene, because Glass Hammer took out an ad in a new magazine called "Fantasy" or something like that. A magazine about fantasy fiction, dragons, and all that shit. It was a n accidentally genius move, because they got terrific response. Rather than competing with a lot of other music ads, they had the only music ad in a publication read by people who might be open to checking out this strange sounding CD! I think they and other bands could make this method work again (maybe GH do so)!

[Top Cat]

GODDAMNIT YES I AM OLD

John, what you fail to factor in, is you began posting here at the age of 12.

[battema]

And while that would explain so very many things about the quality and content of my posts over time....that rat bastard mirror of mine is calling that bluff and then some

[dropforge]

I'm not a musician so don't have music to sell, but my mind always goes back to how I first heard of the band Glass Hammer. It was before I knew about the 90s underground prog scene, because Glass Hammer took out an ad in a new magazine called "Fantasy" or something like that. A magazine about fantasy fiction, dragons, and all that shit. It was a n accidentally genius move, because they got terrific response. Rather than competing with a lot of other music ads, they had the only music ad in a publication read by people who might be open to checking out this strange sounding CD! I think they and other bands could make this method work again (maybe GH do so)!

Was the CD their Tolkien-inspired debut, Journey of the Dunadan? Makes perfect sense.

[Enidi]

100 CDs is an extremely small run, too low in my experience for CD replication (i.e. "factory-pressed," as opposed to duplicated CDRs). If you're selling CDRs, first off, don't bother with vendors, and second, make sure you're clear with customers what they're getting.

If you did somehow get a run of 100 replicated CDs, I'd still say with only 100 units, you'd be better off selling them yourself, though sending a few to some select vendors might be worthwhile. If you got more, say in the 350 - 500 range, then working with the vendors definitely makes sense. I don't think they'd care if you already have it on Bandcamp. I can think of dozens of examples where bands have already launched digital and physical products and vendors have still jumped on board (Alco Frisbass is a recent example).

I most definitely think vendors who have carried your product in the past would be open to hearing about what you have, so I think it would be well worth talking with them.

Bill

Thanks! I'm sorry for reaching out ,..I think I'm out of practice and behind the times . I was quoted a price for a hundred and the same deal applied for 300 cds. Not cdr ..but audio cd , upc, and I have my own artwork which is a huge savings. The same deal is offered up by several companies.

I can't wait to take a break from this..Lol! Once I submit the payment I'm taking a sedative

[Enidi]

I think the best answer for you would come from discovering what your goals are and if you plan to advertise. As each year passes, it is going to be increasingly more difficult for any small artist to get attention and market share. So even selling 100 CDs + downloads may be more difficult than you realize.

Communities like PE, PA, and Facebook groups can warp the impression that the market is much larger than it actually is. We have seen people on PE advertise all the time, get a few support posts, and then fade away.

John and Bill (who posted in the thread) have a long history here and can leverage the PE base (for what that is worth), but many newer or less active people struggle to do that. I suspect it's somewhat similar at PA. Facebook groups are usually filled with people reminiscing about the past or they are filled with 100 others who use the group to advertise.

If your primary goal is 'spreading the word', then I would absolutely suggest that you engage 3rd party sellers to carry your CD, and list on Bandcamp (and Amazon perhaps). Send downloadable copies of your album to people willing to review it. Even then, don't be surprised or insulted if people do not seem interested. You might be the 500th person to contact them. It's the world we live in now. You might even consider streaming services just so it's there for people to hear.

If the goal is to recoup your money and/or make a profit, I'd still suggest (unless your name carries some cache) you make your album available to as many platforms as possible, because it's very difficult to "draw people to you". If this is a one-off, maybe not. But if you intend to produce more material, it's the best way to gauge interest and build a brand.

Good luck!

Thank you so much!! Great insight...Very thoughtful of you to offer your knowledge

[Enidi]

I'm not a musician so don't have music to sell, but my mind always goes back to how I first heard of the band Glass Hammer. It was before I knew about the 90s underground prog scene, because Glass Hammer took out an ad in a new magazine called "Fantasy" or something like that. A magazine about fantasy fiction, dragons, and all that shit. It was a n accidentally genius move, because they got terrific response. Rather than competing with a lot of other music ads, they had the only music ad in a publication read by people who might be open to checking out this strange sounding CD! I think they and other bands could make this method work again (maybe GH do so)!

Interesting experience

[Sputnik]

Thanks! I'm sorry for reaching out ,..I think I'm out of practice and behind the times . I was quoted a price for a hundred and the same deal applied for 300 cds. Not cdr ..but audio cd , upc, and I have my own artwork which is a huge savings. The same deal is offered up by several companies.

Interesting. 300 was the lowest I saw when we recently pressed a CD, but then I didn't look that hard as I basically knew who I wanted to work with. I guess this gives you the option to re-press another 100 - 300 at the same marginal cost if you find yourself selling a lot. There's really no downside to selling through the vendors, and the exposure you get by being in their catalogs and communications would probably be helpful, so if they'd take a few from you, I guess I'd say it's worth it.

Bill

[battema]

FWIW...when I did my last album in late 2019 I used DiscMakers. I originally went for 100 and everything went fine...but at the VERY last step, I noticed that CD had changed to CD-R, so I backed out and started over, making sure to NOT select CD-Rs. Same result. Did some hunting the FAQ and while they don't call notice to it, if you select a value LESS than 300 it automatically changes your order to CD-Rs. So, I got 300.

So for those who may use DiscMakers, be mindful of that little detail if you are planning for a very small run.

[Mister Triscuits]

FWIW...when I did my last album in late 2019 I used DiscMakers. I originally went for 100 and everything went fine...but at the VERY last step, I noticed that CD had changed to CD-R, so I backed out and started over, making sure to NOT select CD-Rs. Same result. Did some hunting the FAQ and while they don't call notice to it, if you select a value LESS than 300 it automatically changes your order to CD-Rs. So, I got 300.

Right, the terms Disc Makers uses are "replicated" and "duplicated." 300 is their minimum for replicated (pressed) CDs. Below that they only do duplicated, i.e. CD-Rs. I don't know who does pressed CDs in batches of less than 300.

[Steve F.]

I don't know who does pressed CDs in batches of less than 300.

No one that I have ever found.

[Enidi]

FWIW...when I did my last album in late 2019 I used DiscMakers. I originally went for 100 and everything went fine...but at the VERY last step, I noticed that CD had changed to CD-R, so I backed out and started over, making sure to NOT select CD-Rs. Same result. Did some hunting the FAQ and while they don't call notice to it, if you select a value LESS than 300 it automatically changes your order to CD-Rs. So, I got 300.

So for those who may use DiscMakers, be mindful of that little detail if you are planning for a very small run.

That's what I'm doing for sure...selecting 300. I pay a sound engineer to do this because I dislike doing it.

[Enidi]

No one that I have ever found.

That's perfectly correct. The hundred is only for cdrs which to me is a huge waste of time