'Ask Eliza' is a regular MusicSA column by the site's Project Officer that attempts to answer your questions about the local music scene. You can view the latest topic, respond to all topics in the Forum, check the rest of the Archives for past topics, and/or email Eliza a new question!

Ask Eliza - So You Recorded a CD, Now What

  
15/01/2006

So We've Recorded a CD – Now What?  January 2006

Welcome to the latest 'Ask Eliza' column – a quarterly feature of industry advice.

Seems like lots of local acts have had their hands full behind the scenes, with a stack (!) of CD launches before Xmas, and many more to come in 2006.  Which prompted the latest question – one young SA band is nearing completion of their debut EP, and has asked, "What's the best way to get this thing out there?" 

Well…..that all depends on what you want to do with the CD in the first place.  Is your main goal to 'gain exposure', to build an audience, or to make sales?  I say focus on the first two, and the third will come.  If you focus on making sales first (as a relatively new band), you'll probably end up with a box or two of beautiful CDs sitting under your bed for years.

Think of a CD as part of your press kit, part of your overall promotional push; along with your biography, your live shows, and your website, it represents your band to the industry and to the public. It's a tool for getting people to notice you, and how well that works will reflect how much effort you put in. 

If you don't have a specific 'marketing plan', now is the time to write one, or at least get used to making lists!  It may sound wanky, but never forget that music is a business.  And a crazy one at that.  Chances are you've spent a lot of money on recording/pressing/artwork etc for the CDs, and even if you don't make it back in sales (very tough), you can make the money work for you if you have a clear idea of who should receive the CD and why.  Also, be prepared to spend much more on the proper marketing of it – plenty of bands spend all their cash on producing the CD, only to have nothing left to promote it. Postage alone is expensive!  Honestly, have you got enough to send it out to just 100 people, at say $5 per pack (including postpak & postage)?  Plan now.

Be realistic about your pressing and projected sales – do you really expect to sell 500 CDs, or would it be more useful to reserve 150-200 to try and sell, and use the rest to give away to industry contacts for exposure?  You can always press more if needed.

So who should get your CD?  Just think of the type of 'exposure' you want. 

Want airplay?  Send it to local community stations (e.g. 3D, Coast FM, Wow FM etc), commercial stations who are friendly to unsigned acts (e.g. NOVA's Homebrew program), consider using the AMRAP service (for a fee, they send your CD to every community station in the country relative to your genre).  Only send it to Triple J if it's been properly pressed (no CD-Rs – they won't bother with them), properly mastered (so you sound as good & loud as the international acts you're 'competing' against), and looks professional. First impressions count, and you don't want to blow your chance for national airplay with a crappy effort. Triple J loves new bands, but they don't suffer fools. Have a really hot package, or wait til you're truly ready.

Want reviews?  Send it to street press, uni press & other music editors (e.g. Advertiser/Sunday Mail) - and invite them to your launch. Do your online homework and find out who offers reviews. Not all are credible (and just getting friends to talk it up in forums is a no-no... you're not fooling anyone).  Then add your reviews to your press kit. 

(For hints on press kits, check the past Ask Eliza article.  You may have a hot CD, but if it's presented badly, you're making it harder for yourself).

Want label interest? To find out which ones might be interested in your type of music, I highly recommend getting yourself a  Music Index SA  guide (MISA) and AustralAsian Music Industry Directory (AMID). These invaluable guides have descriptions of most if not all labels locally & in VIC (MISA), and across the country (AMID).  Choose carefully – don't waste your time & CDs by just sending them to everyone listed.  And forget about those who say they don't accept unsolicited material. They need to hear about you (through press, airplay, reviews etc) first before they'll approach you. Avoid making yourself a nuisance – it looks unprofessional and you won't be taken seriously. 

Want to build your audience?  A CD launch is a chance to make a big noise. Consider advertising the gig on community radio and in street press, rather than just hoping for mentions in dB Magazine's PuffNStuff or Rip It Up's Local Hype. Let people know you have something to buy! Somehow tie your poster art in to the CD artwork – that way people will recognise the CD when they go looking for it in shops.  And obviously have the CD for sale at the launch, and all future gigs. Consider mentioning where else people can buy it later, if they don't want to part with beer money on the night.

Carry the bloody things with you everywhere – you never know who you'll bump into. Even if you don't carry your whole press kit with you at the time, as long as you have a CD to give someone, and a way for them to find out more about you, you've made the most of a spontaneous opportunity. 

Is your web address on your CD?  It's one thing to have your contact details on it, so people can track you down if they like what they hear – but give them a way to learn about you instantly, too. A website is invaluable that way.  Whoever likes the CD, whether industry or punter, can find your site easily, see what you've achieved, find out when your next gigs are, read the latest review, etc. Hello, snowball effect.  The CD is now working for you in many ways – sales or not.

Clearly, all of the above (airplay, reviews, a live presence) will help you to SELL the CDs, too. 

As for 'distribution' (getting your CD in retail stores) – you can handle a bit of that locally first.  Try taking some in to Big Star, Borders, Uni Records  – they have good local sections. Then let your fans know (via email lists, announcements at gigs, info on your posters, etc) that they can buy your music there.

Have you got a barcode?? That will make it easier to get some retail places to stock it for you.  Some local production companies can help with that (e.g. Disc Edits) — again, check the MISA.

Make your CD EASILY available online. Look into online distributors (careful though – lots of crooks out there), and have a look at other band websites, to see where they sell their stuff online.  Of course have it for sale through your own website. Register for PayPal so people can be confident in sending you money securely  ('send us a cheque' is never appealing). At the very least, mention on your website where people can buy it in stores.

Should you look for an 'official' distributor?  Well, yes, by all means - since it gives you wider circulation of your CD than you can probably manage by yourself.  A good place to start is with those supportive of independent acts (e.g. MGM) – again, check the MISA and AMID for appropriate ones. 

However, please keep in mind that official distribution can be almost COMPLETELY USELESS if you don't already have a profile, or if you're not prepared to work very hard to promote yourself directly to the consumers. 

Sure it 'sounds good' if you can say "Our EP is distributed nationally through MGM" or whatever, but think about what that actually means: your CD goes in a catalogue for retail outlets to potentially choose for their stock.  Do you think they're going to order a stack of CDs from a band that they've never heard of?  If your CD does end up in a bunch of interstate stores, do you think it's going to SELL if no one's ever heard of you?  You have to have a very good relationship with your distributor to get noticed, and more importantly, you have to do the legwork yourself.

If it's your first EP, and you've never had a gig in Melbourne, never been on their community radio stations, don't have a web presence that introduces you to folks interstate (e.g. Myspace, various forums)….chances are that distributing your CD in VIC is not going to be particularly successful.  So have a look again at the hints I mentioned above about airplay, reviews, launches/gigs etc, and be prepared to do it all over again interstate.  

It's a ton of work promoting your own CD. The good news is, if you're up for taking it seriously, there is no shortage of places to send it/sell it.  Even in the worst case scenario -  you don't get the  response you're after -  at least heaps of folks in the industry have now heard of you, and will potentially recall your name next time. Actually, the worst case scenario is if you do nothing at all with the CDs – and that's entirely in your own control.