If you're a musician, treat physical CDs like your business card. Carry them
everywhere at all times! You never know when you may meet someone whose ear you
want to catch.
But you’d never give out a business card without proper contact information, right?
That seems way too obvious, doesn't it? Yet this is one major marketing mistake I see quite frequently with CDs.
So, always remember to include an e-mail address, phone number and/or website within the credits or art (no matter how conceptual or cool the design is) of your CD package.
[Still burning CD-R demos? Sharpies are your best friend in this case.]
Busy networkers bombarded with new music and Saturday night drunks (a.k.a. would-be fans) alike often forget who gave them a free CD and will surely never remember the Soundcloud URL you told them to check out. And who knows how long it will be before they pick your CD back up to fully examine it.
Unless you have own the market and have an awesome logo everyone can recognize...
Provide all the pertinent details! You only keep 'em wanting more while you're on-stage. In a world of thousands of media choices off-stage, if you lose someone's attention for a second, you may lose it forever. That why it's definitely better to eliminate a huge step in the process: the end-user doing his/her own research to find out who he/she is actually listening to. Lay it all out so there is no question.
Finally, don't forget to include contact info on the actual CD itself, not just the insert/booklet/case. Discs get separated from their proper cases all the time when passed amongst friends or taken in and out of car CD players.
CDs are still a new artist's first and best chance to present a professional image, especially if you're looking to network and prove that you are indeed serious about your craft.
But wait, there's more...
Alternative idea to try: Depending on your friends, family and fans media consumption patterns, you might want to forgo CDs altogether and begin providing 2GB USB flash drives preloaded with your music (in .WAV form) and digital business card or press kit. This makes it extremely easy to rip albums to a PC and/or cloud for mobile device streaming. (Off-topic note: do Apple laptops even have a CD tray anymore?)
But also great about flash drives, you can throw in bonus content: photos, DIY videos, lyric documents, etc. And of course, users can enjoy the flash drive to transport their own personal files.
But you’d never give out a business card without proper contact information, right?
That seems way too obvious, doesn't it? Yet this is one major marketing mistake I see quite frequently with CDs.
So, always remember to include an e-mail address, phone number and/or website within the credits or art (no matter how conceptual or cool the design is) of your CD package.
[Still burning CD-R demos? Sharpies are your best friend in this case.]
Busy networkers bombarded with new music and Saturday night drunks (a.k.a. would-be fans) alike often forget who gave them a free CD and will surely never remember the Soundcloud URL you told them to check out. And who knows how long it will be before they pick your CD back up to fully examine it.
Unless you have own the market and have an awesome logo everyone can recognize...
Provide all the pertinent details! You only keep 'em wanting more while you're on-stage. In a world of thousands of media choices off-stage, if you lose someone's attention for a second, you may lose it forever. That why it's definitely better to eliminate a huge step in the process: the end-user doing his/her own research to find out who he/she is actually listening to. Lay it all out so there is no question.
Finally, don't forget to include contact info on the actual CD itself, not just the insert/booklet/case. Discs get separated from their proper cases all the time when passed amongst friends or taken in and out of car CD players.
CDs are still a new artist's first and best chance to present a professional image, especially if you're looking to network and prove that you are indeed serious about your craft.
But wait, there's more...
Alternative idea to try: Depending on your friends, family and fans media consumption patterns, you might want to forgo CDs altogether and begin providing 2GB USB flash drives preloaded with your music (in .WAV form) and digital business card or press kit. This makes it extremely easy to rip albums to a PC and/or cloud for mobile device streaming. (Off-topic note: do Apple laptops even have a CD tray anymore?)
But also great about flash drives, you can throw in bonus content: photos, DIY videos, lyric documents, etc. And of course, users can enjoy the flash drive to transport their own personal files.
