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Nerol
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8/5/2008 2:56:37 PM
CD Baby sold to Discmakers
Read all about it.
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Hugh Hamilton
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8/5/2008 3:01:53 PM
I was struck by the e-mail purporting to be sent by Derek Sivers (founder of CDBaby) that says, in part:
"You might have seen in CD Baby's 10th birthday announcement last March
(http://sivers.org/bilbo) that I haven't worked at CD Baby since last
year. In fact I've hardly been there since 2002. I designed all the
internal systems to run without me, so that I could be free to go learn
and invent new things."
Just about every bit of e-mail I've ever received from CDBaby purports to be from him personally. He's been masquerading as a hands-on manager but he's "hardly been there since 2002". Well, ok, I suppose he figured out how to make a fortune and not have to keep working at it, good for him (I'd like to do the same, lol). But his method strikes me as a bit deceptive.
Rock on,
H
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Nerol
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8/5/2008 4:12:12 PM
I don't think there's anything deceptive about Derek. He's done a hell of a lot for the indie artist.
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Hugh Hamilton
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8/5/2008 4:26:05 PM
Ah. Which one? It hasn't filtered down to me. Though that's on me, not him.
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Hugh Hamilton
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8/5/2008 4:31:19 PM
Wish to reiterate, for the sake of clarity, that he says he's "hardly been there since 2002" and I didn't sign up til around 2005. Virtually every piece of e-mail I've ever received from the company has had his virtual signature on it, and is written in the first person. Now maybe that's what he does - every quarter or so he spends a little bit of time writing some marketing communications. But I'll stick by my assertion that he has presented the company as being closely managed by him personally, and now he's saying it hasn't. I'm not in a position to judge the full picture, and I'm really not looking to pick a fight with you, him, or his fans. But my initial impression is that there's some fundamental deception in the way he and the company have presented the situation.
Also, I must say, I failed to get a couple of small checks they sent me to the bank before the expiration date. They just sent me another - for the new earnings only. I'm about to embark on a mission to request reissued checks for the amounts I never cashed. I'll let you know how it goes.
:)
H
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Nerol
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8/5/2008 4:42:17 PM
I never had problems with payments, but then I never had them send me paper checks. I used to use PayPal. Now I have CD Baby direct deposit the checks.
All I'm saying is, he started the company from scratch and got it to the point where he no longer had to be there. I'd say that's pretty shrewd. If it was his company and he ran it, and his name was on the bank papers and checks, etc, what difference does it make if he was there or not? If my business could run without me, I'd gladly let it. :)
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Hugh Hamilton
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8/5/2008 4:48:56 PM
---- Updated 8/5/2008 4:50:59 PM
I hear ya, Loren, and as I said I'm not looking to pick a fight. I will say that my particular ethic is to really enjoy working directly with people and part of my admiration of the enterprise was that I believed he was there on a daily business doing his thing. When I saw that statement I essentially smacked myself on the head, said, "DOH! How could I have been DUPED so EASILY???" and chalked it up to falling for the marketing hype. Shame on me!
A word from our sponsor: All Hugo pages are owned, managed, operated, and neglected from time to time by Hugo. Only Hugo. All Hugo, all the time.
You can probably tell by my choice of profile pics anyway (lol). No sane business partner would approve most of my pics.
Tee-hee.
:)
H
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Kevin White
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8/5/2008 5:24:11 PM
Yes.
Business is business.
I'm willing to bet that emails sent under Dirwood's ... um ... Digbush ... um ... Sliver's name (and I'm a CD Baby member) is all part of the agreement. I ignore crap that's crap ... because business is business.
They raise the fees? I'm gone. I pay them for access ... and lose every penny I pay them.
I'm waiting to hit. I don't expect to hit.
But I'm willing to roll fifty bucks on each deal.
Am I willing to roll seventy five?
Goodbye ...
WHAT IS THE POINT OF ALL BUSINESS?
To make money. Simple, huh?
What happens to businesses when they don't provide value for the people who subscribe to them?
People leave. They die.
Simple stuff like that.
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Richard Scotti
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8/5/2008 6:08:45 PM
Has anybody ever used Discmakers? Pros and cons? I know they have a mastering service. Anyone have something mastered by them or mastered by any company? Is mastering a necessary expense? I've always though that if something is recorded well from the beginning then it doesn't need to be mastered but some folks claim it always makes things sound even better.
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Nerol
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8/5/2008 6:33:25 PM
Yes, mastering is important. For one thing, it's good to let some independent ears hear the work. Secondly, the CD sounds like a cohesive unit from start to finish, rather than a bunch of tracks recorded at different times with different volumes, eq's, etc. There are many more reason, but those two, to me, warrant the expense.
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Hugh Hamilton
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8/5/2008 8:52:20 PM
I've changed my profile pic. It has to do with world events - not this thread.
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KENNY COLGATE
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8/6/2008 12:53:04 AM
---- Updated 8/6/2008 1:55:19 AM
I use CD Baby as one of my CD hard copy distributors as well as one of my digital distribution sources and I also use DiscMakers to manufacture all my records.
I have never had an issue being paid from CD Baby in over 3 years, and I have never had a manufacturing issue with DiscMakers...
In fact, BOTH companies have given me excellent support, I always get a quick response from both when I have questions (and I don't have many), and I feel DiscMakers does their best to give me what I need for my artists to have quality CD's manufactured and then CD Baby has distributed their music to the public with no complaints from me or my artists.
I can let all of you know if things change due to the merger, but I highly doubt it.
I live in NJ, have been to DiscMakers personally, met some of the key staff, the place rocks.
I have had correspondence with Derek of CD Baby personally (not via his CD Baby emails), he has asked me to help him with several of his projects and I am considering it. Derek is an innovator, and I think deception really isn't part of his demeanor. I have known for years that he is not been active with the hands on of CD Baby and I have no problem with that. I would love to turn Romulus X over to somebody who can run it without me, but I haven't been so lucky... yet.
Businesses who deal in an industry that has seen the demise of the CD begin must make decisions to survive and I think that is the case here. Plain and simple.
I can think of no two companies better to merge, the help for the Indie artist just got better. Beats the crap out of all these indie labels being merged with the major ones... that will NOT help the indie musician and their music at all. Period.
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the perfect banana
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8/6/2008 1:06:04 AM
When I got CDs made, Discmakers was far more expensive than most of the other choices. I've always heard good things about CD Baby but it's an ugly site to look at.
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KENNY COLGATE
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8/6/2008 1:15:06 AM
---- Updated 8/6/2008 1:54:23 AM
Yes, DiscMakers is more expensive. I have used 3 other manufacturers before them over the years who were cheaper and I got what I paid for. Art files that were switched, wrong barcodes, bad proofs, wrong colors before printing, lack of correspondence when both in the manufacturing stages and the shipping stages... other stuff.
You get what you pay for. I will NEVER switch again, unless the service and support from DiscMakers doesn't justify the cost. The purchase of CD Baby should not alter any of this, if it does I would be surprised...
As far as ugly web site... well... all I know is that people don't care about ugly when it comes to buying music. At least in my case. I have 5 online distributors including CD Baby, some are prettier sites, but they lag way behind in sales. They also take more of the CD cost as well... so ... I like ugly.
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satch
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8/6/2008 1:23:01 AM
CDBaby ROCKS, we have never, in six years of selling CD's, had a problem with them. We have sold hundreds and hundreds of physical and virtual CD's thanks to them - to people who never heard of us until they went to CDBaby and did some browsing and happened on our music. That rocks! CDBaby has provided us with a great service over the years, they have helped us to move units. Their site looks perfectly okay and it loads fast and it all works in any browser you care to try.
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Maria Daines
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8/6/2008 1:26:46 AM
I think it's going to be just fine, I trust the folks at CDBaby & I think someone like Derek, who has such a thirst for new challenges and has the indie musician very much at heart, would not bail out and leave us in bad business hands. I felt a twinge of unease when I read the mail but only for a second because I don't like change when I've got used to something that works, but I think in the long run this may be a good thing, perhaps more opportunities with CDBaby/Discmakers expertise joined and also Derek's new venture seems to be geared up to help us in other areas of music promotion. Hope so :)
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KENNY COLGATE
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8/6/2008 1:29:48 AM
---- Updated 8/6/2008 2:00:22 AM
Satch...
Your first two words say it all... CDBaby ROCKS.
Now it is operated by DiscMakers and they are THE BEST...
In my book, that's a winning combo.
No doubt about it.
Peace, Wizard X
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KENNY COLGATE
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8/6/2008 1:34:33 AM
Richard,
Get your songs mastered. Even the best mixes sound that much better tweaked.
Never had the guys at DM do it, but I hear they do it well..
If you get a price, let me know.... I have guys I know that do it too... and do it well..
Might be able to save you some dough....
Kenny
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KENNY COLGATE
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8/6/2008 1:47:34 AM
---- Updated 8/6/2008 1:53:24 AM
Before this becomes a "Rip Derek Sivers" thread... I think people should see this..
If anything, what he says here helps the Indie artist... as he has done with CD Baby...
Productive advice is a good thing....
Advice F/Artists From CD Baby Founder, Derek Sivers - Click here for more home videos
Wizard X
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KENNY COLGATE
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8/6/2008 2:04:13 AM
---- Updated 8/6/2008 2:09:05 AM
Maria,
I have personally met most of the key people at DiscMakers.
They are totally professional, very supportive of Indie, and are very innovative.
They are THE industry manufacturer and have been for years.
Derek sold his company to a business that knows how to survive in a dying market.
That's not bad business hands... in fact, it is a GREAT business decision and will help strengthen the indie artist's ability to get their music manufactured and distributed more efficiently.
In this case, the change is a very good thing.
Kenny
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Maria Daines
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8/7/2008 12:11:52 PM
Yep I think so too Kenny, I do have faith in Derek Sivers & I've heard only good things of Discmakers too.
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Magnetfisch
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8/7/2008 3:08:03 PM
music business, quo vadis?
well, well, as long as we musicians don't stop makin' music 8-)
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