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Hop On Pop
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11/9/2009 9:29:34 AM
---- Updated 11/9/2009 9:35:19 AM
Is the CD dead? Am I wasting my money?
Seriously.
My label is no longer investing in pressing of CDs; he claims that it's throwing money into the fire. A waste.
I mean, I'll be available on iTunes and eMusic, but personally, as a musician, if I don't have that physical document in my hand, I feel like my time in the studio has been something of a waste. And I cannot afford to press vinyl LPs. That's for sure.
So... my new album will be a (very) short run of 500 that I'll be paying for, myself. The label will be helping me with distribution, logistics, and promotion. Plus, I'll have the clout of being associated with an established "label", no matter how small that is.
Are you all pressing discs? Are you BUYING them? Or is it all downloads, these days? (Insert ball bearings joke here, Fletch fans.) Are you even buying downloads or are you getting them for free, through torrents, blogs and whatnot?
This could have gone into my "recording Updates" blog, but I think it addresses a wider issue, and I would like more to comment. So... here we are.
Eh?
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Hop On Pop
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11/9/2009 9:39:08 AM
---- Updated 11/9/2009 9:42:48 AM
A broke one.
And I am on only an album-by-album contract with them. It's a friend that owns the label, but he has an established name in the Power Pop genre (at least locally) and is willing to help out with his contacts, promotion, and distribution, and everything else that I mentioned above that I don't have much time for.
He understands that I could be shopping around, and wouldn't hold it against me. But I am pretty certain that there are no labels out there that are interested in a "band" that consists of just a single guy: a married father of 2, who is not willing to leave his family to go out on tour and promote the damn thing. ESPECIALLY since nobody is buying physical product anymore.
But you did not answer the original question, Larree...
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Kevin White
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11/9/2009 9:43:33 AM
Yes, for the most part, it's a waste ... UNLESS you're out playing live and selling them at gigs. Then the investment might pay back.
In the meanwhile, design your packaging, burn a few on your computer and have about 10 or so to go out via internet a/o other side sales.
But 500 to 1k? Coasters ... unless you're gigging steadily.
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Hop On Pop
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11/9/2009 9:51:49 AM
---- Updated 11/9/2009 9:55:36 AM
Yes, for the most part, it's a waste ... UNLESS you're out playing live and selling them at gigs. Then the investment might pay back.
I am going to play some local shows maybe a couple out-of-town, through some contacts that I've made.
But, you see, live I play solo and acoustic (maybe solo/electric). So it sounds NOTHING like the record, where I have a full band playing with me on most of the tracks. (Or at least an electronic facsimile, thereof.)
False advertising?
I am going the internet promotion route: here, a couple other sites, and radio, if I can. Also, as many reviews as I can get.
Yeah, I know that internet promotion will most-likely yield internet-type electronic sales, right? But that's all I got. Like I said, I simply cannot leave the wife and kids behind to go touring.
But, you think that the physical copies despite any electronic/mp3 sales that I achieve will just sit there, huh?
I'm thinking that it's like having your own website. Despite having a MySpace (or IAC) page as your main promotional tool, you NEED your own domain for anybody to take you seriously. Just like I'm thinking that you'll need physical product.
It's a clout thing.
Or, is it an ego thing? A fetish? An obsession/compulsion?
EDIT:
And, for the record, I have maybe bought 1 or 2 songs as downloads, EVER! The rest I have purchased on CD or LP. I don't even own an mp3 player (those downloads I do have, I listen to on my computer at work.)
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Jeff Allen Myers
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11/9/2009 12:27:45 PM
I am on a Christmas Album for charity this year, I recorded "The First Noel" The Album will be sold as a download only, the artwork and liner notes will be downloadable as well with a three to four page booklet with inserts.
The Album can then be burned to disc by the purchaser, and the artwork inserted in a jewel case.
This is the way to go if you want to make any money. As for you Todd, I would do the full CD thing, you owe it to yourself. I would set it up to be sold as a download as well.
Most music is being purchased as downloads today, its a fact.....is it the best? No, but that is what is happening in the market.
As for the IPOD? I understand Larees; disgust ...however,it is how I listen to music...I am willing to sacrifice a bit for the convenience and organization. With the right set up, it sounds pretty damn good too. You can disgree all you like Laree, thats cool...but they are my ears and, no offense I don't care what your opinion is on the matter, as you probably don't care for mine (I am anticipating a rant here :)
Todd, the Ipod and the like are tailor made for you and your extensive library. You can call up a song in seconds, they can be simultaneously organized by Genre, artist, Alphabetized, etc.
I understand there is bit of a sacrifice, but the convenience is worth it. And I might add, there is no reason you can't still have the "Hi Fi" set up. So to all who resist it , that is a personal decision. Most people never had great Hi equipment to begin with, so it;s really not a huge loss. Most never cleaned their records, so they were full of scratches and noise. The MP3 is pristine...
Good Luck with the release Todd...
Jeff
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11/9/2009 12:35:32 PM
I suppose I don't regret printing out 1000 of my first CD but I still have about 700 of them in my closet.
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satch
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11/9/2009 12:49:23 PM
We've almost sold out of our 2nd run of a thousand copies of our first album "Glitttering Cities" and are thinking about going for another thousand... our second album "Ravensong" has sold well through the summer and we will need a reprint of that sometime next year. And we have started to record our third, we will finish it over the winter, in the knowledge that all those people who bought our first two CD's have enjoyed them enough to buy our next offering.
But - and it is a serious factor - you need to be gigging regularly and at different places, different towns and cities and festivals, because if you don't gig a lot you will end up like Scott, with a pile of CD's in your cupboard. You sure as heck won't sell many through iac, or any other omd!
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satch
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11/9/2009 12:59:55 PM
AND, when you gig, you need to have ready-made business cards with your web site address on them, so that you can give them out to everyone who doesn't buy a CD at the gig - and make sure people can buy your CD's right off your own web site. For some reason, people trust an artists own web site more than any omd site, more even than CDBaby! And that way, you get (almost) all of the dosh too.
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Kevin White
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11/9/2009 1:53:33 PM
Satch is right.
If it were me, I'd not do it.
A "few" shows isn't going move that amount of product.
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Auset
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11/9/2009 1:58:12 PM
what a great question...
we were signing papers for our house refi today, and in misc. conversation, our 40-yr-old loan consultant, out-of the-blue said "I love iTunes for listening to samples, but rarely will buy a song. There's nothing like pulling out liner notes, pictures, words, holding them in your hand". I AGREE 100000%.
We made 1000 for our first run of our debut EP, gave away over 600 and sold the rest. We've been out of stock for over a year now, and have missed tons of p/r opportunities by not having something physical to sell. It is a world of instant gratification... if folks are already online, they may be the ones who purchase downloads... but if their at a show, they want something in their hand right then.
Best way to go now is simply, eco. get em in paper packaging, include lyrics and a link online to print lyrics in larger format. A thin enough package can easily fit into a CD-book, etc.
We're finishing the remix and remastering of our debut EP, getting ready to order.. AND into our 2nd project... definitely getting physical product.
my 2 cents.
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LyinDan
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11/9/2009 3:02:39 PM
I like CD's, even though most of my listening is to the MP3's ripped from them. I think of CD's as high quality backup. I do also like to hold it and look at it :)
I'll admit many CD's I've bought in the past several years have been some of the people on this very site, and I will buy them in support of those artists. (Don't tap me for it right now, though, I have other Christmas lists :) )
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Kevin White
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11/9/2009 4:40:15 PM
One can always re-purpose them as ninja stars ...
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My-T-Hi
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11/9/2009 7:31:10 PM
Back in 1981 my first band pressed our own 7" and distributed it through Fast Records. I think we pressed 500, then we did it again a year later.
I'm not sure how many were sold as the record stores did a sale or return thing where they don't pay anything unless it's sold. I think my brother still has a hundred or so of each 7". We sold 10 or so at a re-union gig we did last year..... I'm glad we pressed them.
Now back to 2009... I burn my band's CDs on a PC in batches of 10 to 20, and sell them at gigs. That keeps initial costs low, and I don't end up with several hundred CDs. The packaging doesn't look as good as if I got 500 or 1,000 done but I can sell them to our fans cheaper, and make new CDs more regularly on a budget, so I think that is offering some other advantages to our fans.
On the other hand the band I play drums for went for the 1,000 package, and a bank loan...His CD looks much more professional than mine.... it even has a bar code..... but then again, do I need a bar code?
I agree that a physical product still has it's place, to sell at gigs, and to give to your friends for christmas or something.
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LyinDan
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11/9/2009 7:53:37 PM
There's something about vinyl...I have a lot of it :)
Costs of burning a group of few at a time may be lower, but the longevity of burned CD's is still in question. What if, thirty years from now, your heirs can't play them? All kinds of factors weigh in here, heat, sunlight, etc. It's immediate satisfaction, though, and being able to make CD's on your puter is great. One thing you might consider if you're doing them in small batches is to make one at a time, and burn your signature Lightscribe into each one with a date...now, that's something you can't get mass produced. Also, you have to consider the longevity of the burner you use for making these...cheap burners have gotten pretty shitty, and you'll have to replace them fairly often.
I think pressed CD's have more lifetime...want yours to last 100 years? Yeah, I know, other media will be along then, but still...a genuine copy of the Magna Carta on parchment is worth something, no?
It sort of depends on the worth of the source material. If yours is worthwhile...100 years on a pressed CD has it's merits.
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niteshift
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11/9/2009 8:24:42 PM
If you're not giging, then it's probably a waste. There are companies that do short runs though. But , being an album, it's woth running off 50-100 copies for promos and the like.
cheers, niteshift
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Auset
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11/9/2009 9:46:19 PM
yep LD, definitely the difference between duplicated and replicated is longevity. duplicates are cheaper and don't have the same life span. for cd runs, we replicate.
and i agree Larree... vinyl RULES!!!! not only the sonic warmth and lushness, but time limitation!!! I don't get folks who make 15+ song cds... no one has that kind of attention. our next record is gonna be 9 songs, and yes, we're gonna press some too.
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Bob Elliott
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11/9/2009 10:20:42 PM
I use light scribe to put art work and titles right on the cd. Costs about 90 cents, but I make them as I need them.
Then I tell the audience I have cd's for free in the case. They tip an average of five bucks per cd, my tips are way higher when I bring a bunch of cd's, and I've never lost money this way, surely have made some this way.
But I only make as many as I need, so I like that control, I never extend my finances, and I can always make more.
I wish I could do it with covers, but that makes it cost a bit too much, so I just try to design the cd face in a way I can dig it.
This method has helped me put a lot of cd's out into the world.
Live is where cd's move, internet is not.
I have the same issue as you that what I play live as a solo guy is very different than what is on the cd's, but whatever. I stand behind both.
But I think it will be good for me when I finish this demo of my solo show, because then that would be available at shows, too, and is probably what they're looking for.
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never never band
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11/9/2009 11:39:01 PM
I've made 2 CDs with lots of art and a barcode, we used to get them printed by DCODATA for just over a buck each for 2000.
but fuck that, CD baby sold about 150, we sold all the rest ourselves or gave them away...
now I make CDs on my desktop, simple little paper liner.
I sell em for $5 at my solo gigs, I usually sell half a dozen, and they are more like a business card than a CD really, they have my contact info and I do get gigs from them.
Plus I get another $25 or $35 a gig from selling em.
heh..
this month I have a plan to make 200 CDs of my solo stuff in simple paper liners with all my contact info and give them all away!
During the Film Festivals and the Art Festivals, I have 2 local businesses and 3 coffe shops that are willing to put them by the register.
Free NEVER NEVER BAND CDs!!!!!
HA HA HA!!!
I'm gonna be rich I tell ya...RICH!!!!
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Duane Flock
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11/10/2009 12:49:05 AM
I make my own CD's 10-20 at a time and take them with me when I gig. You can set up your own artwork, and avery has a program for any printer. You can even buy printable CDs too! Don't use the stick on labels because they tend to get stuck in peoples CD players, (which really may not be such a bad thing). hahahaha
When you buy everything in bulk, it's cheaper. Each CD cost me @ $1.00
Being that I manufacture my own CDs, I can make what I need and how I want to make them for any occasion (demos-freebies-ect.)
itunes may be the way to go for getting yourself out there, but when you need a disc, hell, do it yourself............. Shit, we do everything else ourselves anyways!
D.
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listener
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11/10/2009 1:28:57 AM
I tend to agree with Jeff, if you have a specialist CD - like Christian/Christmas, Kids stuff, Memory Lane, Charity, Novelty etc them you can find the GIFT market online.
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Conversation Suicide
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11/10/2009 4:54:18 AM
---- Updated 11/10/2009 4:56:01 AM
My answer to this blog title's question is NO.
Play LIVE a lot. Don't just be a studio Indie Artist. And have merch at those gigs, including your
CDs.
I dig your music, and live performances I've heard, and I know MANY others will too.
-my two cents
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Steve White
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11/10/2009 12:13:00 PM
Hi there!
The way I see it is CD's will be gone soon and it will all be on the download side of things. I'm sure CD sales will still be out there but memory units that play MP3's in the car will be the next big thing or MP4's as that is getting pretty big now too.
Steve
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Jesse Adams
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11/10/2009 12:33:30 PM
CD's are not dead.
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Product Recall
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11/10/2009 1:50:52 PM
Cd's are dying a slow death its true. Downloads are where its at. It's just so easy and convenient, its all about tracks too, not whole albums which is a shame, will this mean the end of well structured album? Will the CD turn into flash cards?
Again gigs are where cd's are real, because they have just heard and felt real music, its an actual product its a real thing it's a person wanting to take that experience home with them. It's a moment.
Getting the boxes of our disc's was just thhe
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Product Recall
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11/10/2009 1:56:48 PM
Cd's are dying a slow death its true. Downloads are where its at. It's just so easy and convenient, its all about tracks too, not whole albums which is a shame, will this mean the end of well structured album? Will the CD turn into flash cards?
Again gigs are where cd's are real, because they have just heard and felt real music, its an actual product its a real thing it's a person wanting to take that experience home with them. It's a moment.
Getting the boxes of our disc's was just the greatest feeling ever.
I got a fucking record y'all
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Product Recall
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11/10/2009 1:56:54 PM
Cd's are dying a slow death its true. Downloads are where its at. It's just so easy and convenient, its all about tracks too, not whole albums which is a shame, will this mean the end of well structured album? Will the CD turn into flash cards?
Again gigs are where cd's are real, because they have just heard and felt real music, its an actual product its a real thing it's a person wanting to take that experience home with them. It's a moment.
Getting the boxes of our disc's was just the greatest feeling ever.
I got a fucking record y'all
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Tom O'Brien
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11/10/2009 3:00:33 PM
I agree that it sure is nice to have a physical thing that you can hold in your hand and read lyrics and liner notes and such. As long as there's tech around to play them on, you can have them forever. But I still have boxes of CDs in the garage and looking back, should have never pressed them without a business plan firmly in place first. You're talking about a product that you're going to sell - it may not be big business, but it's business.
If it's music that's important, just burn what you need as you go. I don't think making pro replications is usually a good bet.
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Austn
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11/10/2009 4:34:45 PM
Hey guys U all R 4getting what CDs,cassettes, vinyls, 8 tracks have been...It's been a way for us, as Rtist & fans to "TIME" capulize our projects & works so we keep organized...relate to an artist time peroid...Then we create best of 1, and best of 2...or captured "LIVE"...N the past the big acts went on "TOUR" 2 promote the album sales and that was where the money was, the show was the Xpense to get the album sales...Presently, mp3's and downloads has had the effect of reversing this...with millions of listeners walking 'round with 100's of Rtist and 1000's of songs N their shirt pocket that they may have listened to once???!!!??? only the acts selling 'nuff downloads can afford to put on a "BIG" show with "BIG" ticket prices and that's where the money is (para, T-shirt,CD promo sales)...U still need a barcode or IRSC code to have product capabile of being worthy...most sites or OMD's need this to B Legit...& then they need to B organized so listeners can find it & then buy it, so until somebody comes up with a better "TIME" reference organiZer ...CD's R it... but 1000's of copies on hand,????unless UR one of "BIG" shows the answer is NO, unless U just got the money to spend................
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11/10/2009 7:10:20 PM
---- Updated 11/10/2009 7:20:40 PM
Everything Kevin and Satch and several others said, plus...
To answer the original question directly, yes - the CD is dead, in the form that we were led to expect and we've been clinging on to in case the whole mp3 downloading thing turned out to be a flash in the pan. But no, it's not dead, it's just changed jobs.
I reckon we have to start looking on physical CDs (and, once the price comes down a bit further, USB sticks) as essential merchandise/promotional stock. The same already goes for vinyl, when it's available.
People do buy CDs off artists they feel personally connected with. I'm sure I wrote about this on someone else's blog recently, but since I can't remember whose, here it is again... Every single one of the CDs I've bought in the past few years has been either at a show I've been to or directly from an artist I know.
I believe charging for downloads is a losing battle on two fronts - firstly most stuff is freely available online in one form or another and secondly if it weren't, nobody would know about it in the first place. If the international collection agencies have any sense at all, and I know that one or two of the people who work for them do, they will stop throwing money into persecuting impecunious music fans and use those resources to consolidate their position on collecting licence fees from online distributors like Spotify, Youtube, MySpace and the rest. This is already beginning to happen and I believe it's a far more sensible option than the old order that the RIAA has been trying to prop up. Maybe we will all end up contributing a fixed fee to the collection agencies via our ISP - in my view this would be a sensible way to go.
So aside from live performance fees the real income that we are likely to be able to expect as artists will be [a] publishing/mechanical/performance royalties from live performances, online and broadcast plays; [b] at-gig and online merchandising revenue and [c] licensing fees if we are lucky enough to get our music picked up by film or TV.
And as so many others have pointed out, the only way to spread the word for real is by doing live gigs, where there is generally a good chance you could make back some or all of your CD production costs in physical sales. This is how a large number of friends of mine do it, including many who have had their brushes with fame and still more who never will, but who are still able to sustain a modest living out of plying their craft.
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Slimdog Productions
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11/10/2009 9:19:03 PM
Todd, the cd is not completely dead. Like people above have stated before, you can sell them to fans at your live gigs and if you want to put your material in a local store, cds are perfect for that. Believe it or not, vinyl records are making a comeback in Hip Hop. To test the market at your local staores, get some cds made at places like disc makers, where you can do 20-50 cds if you like and put them in the stores to see if they sell....
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Conversation Suicide
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11/12/2009 4:59:32 AM
---- Updated 11/12/2009 6:58:04 AM
Oh my peeps, CDs are STILL important for promotion, and for the average fan at a show out there. As well as for using as a business card, as most of us seem to agree upon. CD still viable...
Product Recall has a fuckin' SWEET-ass CD deal with Romulus X Records UK, wherein they make 80% of profit (after covering production costs), and Kenny Colgate, the fearless leader, and label exec, makes 20% of ALL CD sales. They still own their material, and licensing rights, and Kenny & Romulus X Records gets a small 15% licensing fee for all digital distribution of mp3s, etc, while they get 85%. Kenny owns the masters, and THEY own the music, and are not prohibited from distribtuting it themselves, or finding other avenues of digital distribution.
I haven't heard of their music being licensed for Video Games or cartoons, or FILMS (even underground would be GREAT exposure), but they DO have tons of digital outlets, and I HAVE to share these TWO cool stories:
1) Both Kenny and School of Product Recall want me on their label, and to play bass with PRODUCT RECALL. Been in contact with both of these folks for 2 years now. It's REAL, and we're gearin' up for the BIG MOVE in the next few months, to try and get to the UK by FALL of 2010. School, and possibly other members (like POP and BEEF) of Product Recall, plan to be in our underground film: ALL HALLOWS EVE 2010. Stay tuned.
2) I've been disecting their music like I never had before, in order to appreciate fully and learn the damn songs. I gotta say, even though I've been a fan for over 2 years, School on guitar, Pop on vocals and Kenny Colgate on BASS was a bit of Genius. It's OH SO Clear to me now why Product Recall's FUCK FUCK I've got a MENTAL came in 3rd in HARD ROCK/METAL for the year of the INDIE contest, on IAC. Frankly, their music is a well orchestrated and VERY catchy, HARD and melodic mix of PUNK/Metal/Funk/GRUNGE/Screamo and killer fuckin' Rock and Roll Side Show!
THE BEST part, Todd, when I got their CD in the mail, I realized it was as sweetly packaged, as an Indie Label like FAT WRECK CHORDS or SUB-pop even.
AND in order to better learn the tunes, on a crazy whim, I used my "mobile" to go to AT&T's MUSIC site for tunes for my cell phone. THEY were UP in there, with the MAINSTREAM Biggies !!!! Downloading it to the phone was a thing of beauty, and I haven't found a person yet who wasn't impressed by that. Even an INDIE label, like KENNY's can do WONDERS for promotion, and the potential generation of revenue. These boyz wanna do what they love, as long as possible (just like me, and most of the rest of us on IAC), but they won't complain if they can actually QUIT their DAY JOBS in the future....for FULL TIME careers in MUSIC!!
BOTTOMLINE Todd:
Be GOOD to the label first willing to promote you, that you've got going already there in Chicago. Loyalty goes a LONG fuckin' way in forming ties that can help promote Hop on Pop, and your other great music in Cash Cow and Chew Toy.
YES to CDs, and YES to playing LIVE SHOWS, as OFTEN as you and your indie label/promoters can MUSTER.
and of course, ALWAYS work on your craft, practice, write new material and KEEP ON pursuing ALL avenues of digital distribution.
ROCK on TODD, and keep gettin' those GIGS! Can't wait to hear your CD in it's entirety!
-My phifty quid
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never never band
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11/12/2009 2:33:18 PM
hey, my Give Your CD away for FREE idea is catching on!
there are now 4 local musicians who want to do this.
where gonna make a display box kind of like those Putomyo boxes at the coffe shops.
were gonna make 5 track CDs with simple paper liners that are like a business card with contact and booking info.
and we're gonna give em away!
And 2 of us have ordained ourselves as the quality police for the project..
No crap allowed, the idea is to create a small collective of serious composers and performers.
This town is perfect for this because we get entertainment professionals through here all the time, Producers, directors, musicians, actors, etc. I think this would only work in a town like this that is a destination place for wealthy connected entertainment people.
It may not do any good anyway, but it sounds like fun...
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Conversation Suicide
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11/13/2009 1:57:35 AM
Yup. In total agreement with Never Never Band, especially for the LOCAL scene:
Give away of CD's, as an introduction to you and your MUSIC,
is a MUST. At shows, and to anybody that expresses interest, and ALL the FUCK over your li'l or big town.
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11/13/2009 12:56:43 PM
When you walk into a shop where they are selling CD's (actual CD's) tell me what you see.
I will tell you:
They are selling CD's to kids under 16 years old.
They are selling CD's to adults over 35 years old.
All else is sold (by and large) over the internet, maybe through amazon.
So unless you are Jonas Bros or Michael Bubbleboy, you are probably more likely to sell online.
time to get a good lawyer
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Pinedog
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11/13/2009 6:12:58 PM
---- Updated 11/13/2009 6:32:56 PM
Good thread. Kevin and Satch are right on. I did 100 copies first cd...too many. Did 50 this time...seems just right but at almost $4 per unit, i'll probably never break even. Without gigging and live sales, you had best have some major promotion. The whole sales thing is very depressing but it serves to humble you and make you realize that when all is said and done, you had best be making music that is fun for you and that you can be proud of...because consumers have been and will continue to be smothered in an endless sea of musical offerings. My new Cd is better than my first i think...but in the 4 years that elapsed, things have changed considerably. I bet i will sell fewer physical units. Cd's aren't dead...but they are dying. My good friend owns a music store. He said he sold 20-30 Cd's a day "back in the day"...now it's 2-3...and he says the same as you...kids buy... over 35 buy..in between download freebies or MP3's. From here on in, i'm going Indie totally and doing it all at home on an "as needed" basis. More fun anyway. Who says all album covers have to be the same? Got a big fan? Personalize a copy for them. Doing graphics is as much fun as recording!
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11/15/2009 1:05:51 PM
Despite all the worthwhile business advice here, there is another perspective that the artist should create what he wants to create, what he feels like creating, and regardless of the marketability factors, the CD is sort of a good pinnacle to strive for.
It's really hard to say what form the music industry will take 5 or 10 years from now, it all changes very quickly. But one thing there always has been is the record, starting with album format to the present. Perhaps one day in another form, that will be central again.
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Kevin White
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11/15/2009 6:12:18 PM
---- Updated 11/15/2009 6:23:06 PM
Whatever that form may be, Scott ... and I agree w/ you ... it will be digital based.
So it was my birthday yesterday and I got a surround sound system from Denon/Boston Acoustics to use in the studio. I spent today setting it up. I've no clue how to use it yet ... but I learned something as I explored the new digital possibilities.
There are digital formats that stream 6 or more separate channels ... the basis of the 5.1 mixing paradigm. MP3s codecs are being created for 5.1 that will be freely distributed ...
Just like all formats evolve, it will be digital where the world will turn. It's a bit the wild frontier ... so beware of beta vs vhs wars ... and don't jump until a clear leader is established ... but ...
My mind boggles at the creativity that is even capable and cresting the horizon line. So yes, the CD is a method of content delivery ... that like vinyl, has moved on to its place in history.
Yet ...
The colors in my crayon box just expanded, and yes ... I'm excited at the possibilities for future creations. It's the process of creating that excites me, and we're on the cusp of all sorts of potential.
It's not going to stay stereo per se. There will be enhancements.
R.I.P. C.D.
K-
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Hugh Hamilton
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11/16/2009 8:27:12 AM
---- Updated 11/16/2009 8:30:25 AM
While acknowledging that piracy is killing the "established" music industry in general and CD sales in particular it doesn't seem to me that CDs are exactly dead. However...my primary points of reference are a few friends who are longtime veterans of the road, the kind of people you've heard on the radio for decades and who succeeded in having a "music career" with momentary prominence but who are not superstar wealthy. A basic formula which has been shared with me is "hope the tour itself breaks even and make money on the merchandise sales". So...like you, Todd, the bitter reality of the enormous challenge and near impossibility of shooting for even a break-even commercial success IN THE ABSENCE OF TOURING has become clear to me...
Case study: I have a friend who professionally pressed 500 or 1000 copies of his most recent CDs for 2 bucks each. They look good, sound good, and he sells them at gigs. He also sent a few in to cdbaby and accepted the CD manufacturer's online distribution scheme (included in the pressing price). Between travel and various expenses IT IS THE MERCH that provides net income for true musical road warriors...
Let's face it...producing something compelling enough for people to spend money on is a real challenge, whatever the media. I'm both frustrated by that fact, and uplifted by the accessibility of affordable gear to make the stuff in the first place...
Todd! Bottom line - FOLLOW YOUR BLISS!
:)
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The Man With No Band
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11/16/2009 8:48:28 AM
Who said Cd's aren't cool ...
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Conversation Suicide
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11/18/2009 2:53:43 AM
heh....
nice one Sam.
They look great Stapled to a wall full of gig posters too....
film at 11:00 ....
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Pinedog
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11/18/2009 11:53:27 AM
We all know in hard times, people only spend their money on absolute essentials.
My record company, Lean Dog Records, has the solution!
Edible Cd's!!
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Monkey68
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11/18/2009 9:38:18 PM
For me, it's accepting the long-term state, that there won't be a majority physical transfer medium - Super 8, Vinyl, Cassette, Minidisc... Can anyone suggest that CD, DVD and Blue-ray won't go the same way? But the loss of majority status doesn't suggest there won't be a minority interest in the medium - witness vinyl junkies who never even migrated to CDs.
From my point of view, I'm happy when anyone listens to my music regardless of media.
And, as for providing music at gigs, it's not that far in the future when a memory stick with multimedia pre-loaded, and connection to bespoke web resources based upon unique access codes stored on the memory stick are THE thing to be selling at gigs (in silico memory is coming down in price all the time).
But, FWIW, I would still buy one of your CDs if I saw you live, Todd!
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