#1961051 - 06/21/08 11:22 AM
How much do you charge for your CD
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MONTUNOMAN
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I'm in the process of recording a CD. My last CD I went all out and hired a professional graphic artist and it looks real good. But I hate to give it out to clubs/agents or friends/family that my never even listen to it.
I thought maybe on my next CD I'd skip the profession look and keep the production price under a $1.00. At gigs I would just sell it for whatever some wants to pay for it.
How much do you sell your CD's for?
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#1961071 - 06/21/08 12:20 PM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: MONTUNOMAN]
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Jonathan Hughes
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If I see a CD that looks like it wasn't professionally designed, I'll assume it wasn't professionally recorded, and I probably won't buy it.
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#1961082 - 06/21/08 12:57 PM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: Griffinator]
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Jeff Klopmeyer
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My CD isn't done yet. I'm still recording now. However, I don't plan on selling many, except those few that I sell during/after live performances.
Most of my distribution will be through iTunes and Amazon downloads. $0.99 per song (or which I get $0.70) and $9.99 per album (of which I get $7.00). For the CDs I do sell locally, which will indeed be professionally produced, I plan on charging about $5.00, which will more than compensate me for the production costs on an individual basis. Again, it's likely a money-losing deal (i.e., I'm not so confident that a lot of my production run won't end up as coasters). I know that going in.
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#1961146 - 06/21/08 04:20 PM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: Jeff Klopmeyer]
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DeepEddieZilker
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Registered: 04/09/08
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CDs are $5.00.
I made only 7.
I gave away 2.
I have sold 0.
The cover is my own design and the CD itself is adorned with a Sharpie.
I have a fool for a marketing director.
That idiot also made my album available for free, on-line.
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#1961149 - 06/21/08 04:29 PM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: DeepEddieZilker]
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New&Improv
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Our CD's ( my band has 2 out, and are working on a third) are professionally duplicated, with really nice original artwork done by a couple of artist friends of ours. We have sold about 1000 of the first and almost 2000 of the second. We sell it them at gigs for $15 each, most stores and CDBaby have them for about 13.95. We sell to distributors for about $6-$8 each. The bulk of our sales have been at gigs.
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#1961190 - 06/21/08 07:22 PM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: Synthoid]
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daviel
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$10.00, I think - at gigs.
_________________________
"It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down.I had the radio on, I was drivin'
The trees went by, me and del were singin a little runaway, I was flyin' "
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#1961196 - 06/21/08 07:43 PM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: daviel]
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reidmc
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At the gig $10 is the right price. Making change is easy and any less than that begs a perception of low quality/value. And $10 is compatible with both typical download pricing and a slightly higher price via mail order or retail. (Note: fine to go $15 if your gigs are all Hollywood Bowl/Blue Note etc and a house sales commission is taken.)
And I would definitely go with a nicely designed full-color sleeve. Just set a budget for design and printing and stick with it.
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#1961199 - 06/21/08 07:48 PM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: daviel]
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Jonathan Hughes
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"So you would (or did, depending on how old you are) pass up on this one?"
Simple doesn't equal unprofessional. Some of the most beautiful and effective designs are incredibly simple (look into the Swiss (or "International") style of design for hundreds of examples).
I would pass up that album though. Not because of the cover, but because I am one of the approximately two dozen people on this planet who can't stand the Beatles.
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#1961288 - 06/22/08 07:44 AM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: Jonathan Hughes]
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b_3guy
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The last cd I designed is sold at gigs for $20.
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#1961354 - 06/22/08 10:54 AM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: New&Improv]
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Synthoid
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Our CD's ( my band has 2 out, and are working on a third) are professionally duplicated, with really nice original artwork done by a couple of artist friends of ours. We have sold about 1000 of the first and almost 2000 of the second.
Must be an amazing band you got there!
_________________________
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#1961375 - 06/22/08 12:20 PM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: Synthoid]
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B3-er
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We're on our third pressings of our first and second discs. I just sent our third disc to the duplicator. Maybe I'm a perfectionist, but I believe if you're going to do something, do it right.
Charging a low fee for your CD tells the customer that the music isn't worth anything. The same goes for taking gigs that pay next to nothing. If you want people to have respect for the time and hard work you've put into your craft, you have to act like you deserve it.
We sell our CDs for $15 a piece, but usually do a "2 for $20" deal at the gigs, since they are both older releases and are (finally) paid off. The new one that I just sent to the duplicator will sell for $15 at the gigs.
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#1961378 - 06/22/08 12:26 PM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: B3-er]
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B3-er
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I should also mention that a well-recorded, graphically pleasing CD is basically today's business card in the music world. Anybody can make a CD nowadays and most clubs/festivals/promoters require one to even take you seriously. You should budget "freebies" into the cost of the disc.
There are also ways to cut costs and still get a professional product. Every town has thousands of visual artists that you can befriend and work with. You could even trade services with graphic design firms in your town ("I'll play your Christmas party if you design my next CD package"). There are hundreds of small studios that can do professional quality work and that don't charge an arm and a leg.
You could even do both yourself; record and design. The technology is here. Of course, you need to know what you're doing! 
But the bottom line is to have a professional, quality product. And when you do, don't sell yourself short by pricing it low. People place value on something by how much it costs. We automatically think that if something is more expensive, it's better. So why price your CD below market value?
Edited by B3-er (06/22/08 12:27 PM)
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#1961411 - 06/22/08 02:08 PM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: B3-er]
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cnegrad
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I'm all for anything that doesn't devalue music any further than it already has. I mean, I often second guess myself and wonder what the point is of going to all the time, trouble and expense of creating a CD, when there are websites that are selling even the big name artists for only 15 cents a song? I sometimes have to keep reminding myself why I'm doing this....
(BTW, I price our CD's at $15 for CD's and $9.99 for iTunes downloads).
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#1961441 - 06/22/08 04:17 PM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: cnegrad]
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MONTUNOMAN
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How many songs are on your CD, MONTUNOMAN?
Snythoid- there's 15 songs that I did on my Tyros 2, 3 songs from my jazz combo, and 3 songs from my Salsa band. I plan on doing small "snipets" fade in fade outs for agents and clubs and a full length for anyone that wants listen to it.
like I said, my last CD I had professional packed and designed. I made 500 copies and over the last 2 years sold and gave most of them away. It had 10 songs and I charged $10.00. As with my new CD, everything was recorded at home.
I'm still considering going for a home made or very simple design and selling it for donations. I sub for a band that does that and I've never seen anybody pay less than $5.oo and sometimes they'll pay more than $20.00.
More than anything I just see the CD as a way to get my name and music out there for promotional perposes. Perhaps the next time someone that has my CD is having some sort of special event that needs music they'll remember me.
Edited by MONTUNOMAN (06/22/08 04:20 PM)
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#1961443 - 06/22/08 04:24 PM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: Jonathan Hughes]
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MONTUNOMAN
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If I see a CD that looks like it wasn't professionally designed, I'll assume it wasn't professionally recorded, and I probably won't buy it.
So Jonathan, if you were at a club and really enjoyed the band, you wouldn't buy their CD if it didn't have a professional design?
There's a saying I learned here in America " Don't judge a book by its cover"
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#1961446 - 06/22/08 04:38 PM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: MONTUNOMAN]
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cnegrad
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There's a saying I learned here in America " Don't judge a book by its cover"
Good luck with that. Judging by this forum alone (and this is considered a pretty friendly one), you will be summarily judged by most people immediately (though not all), based on your preferred musical genre, whether or not you can read music, whether or not you use a sequencer, your political party, your religion, whether you've attended a music college, your favorite sampled piano sound, favorite sports team and whether or not you're willing to carry your wife's purse. 'Don't judge a book by its cover' sounds great in theory, and most people would like to believe that they live that out, but most people don't in my experience. [/rant]
But to stray back on topic, if you're only selling the CD's after your gigs, then the artwork isn't that important. But if you have occasion to need one for promo purposes, or to sell to someone who hasn't heard you before, then you'll wish that you had quality artwork.
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#1961455 - 06/22/08 05:03 PM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: MONTUNOMAN]
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Synthoid
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Snythoid- there's 15 songs that I did on my Tyros 2, 3 songs from my jazz combo, and 3 songs from my Salsa band.
Judging by what most have said, I'd definitely charge at least $10 - $15 for the CD.
BTW, is it all original material?
_________________________
Korg M3, Triton Classic w/MOSS & EXB09, Kurzweil K2661, Alesis Ion, E-MU Vintage Pro, Roland D-50, and other toys.
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#1961505 - 06/22/08 07:07 PM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: Synthoid]
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MONTUNOMAN
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Synthoid,
Only one tune is an original- it a rumba/flamenco tune. The bulk of it is instrumental covers of standards, rock, country, R&B, jazz standards, techno (thanks to you) and Latin standards -salsa,merengue,cumbia) with vocals. It covers alot of genras. I work mostly as a soloist doing insrumentals versions of popular music, sometimes in a jazz combo doing "Real Book" stuff and also I have an eight piece Latin group. It would probably be best to do three sepreate CDs but for now I see this a demo that shows all the areas I cover.
cnegrad- I just plan on selling it at gigs, giving to friends/family, clubs and agengents (along with a good picture/bio) I have no ambition to try to get anything other than local exposure, no dreams of stardom or anything like that.
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#1961523 - 06/22/08 08:24 PM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: MONTUNOMAN]
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Jonathan Hughes
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Registered: 05/30/00
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Loc: Amherst, NY, USA
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"So Jonathan, if you were at a club and really enjoyed the band, you wouldn't buy their CD if it didn't have a professional design?"
If I really liked the band, I'd probably buy the CD, but I'd certainly be wary of it until heard it; but if I saw the CD in the store, I wouldn't pick it up.
First impressions mean a lot, and a lot of the time you _can_ judge a book by its cover. If you're going to spend a lot of time on one aspect of a project, shouldn't you be concerned with how it is presented to the public? If you wrote a book, do you think it would sell well if you had copied and spiral bound at Kinkos? If decided to get into modeling, would you let your mother do your head shots with her point-and-shoot camera, or would hire a professional photographer?
Professional design doesn't mean it has to be expensive or complicated. There are plenty of graphic designers out there (even students) who can do quality CD design for not a lot of money. I'm a designer, so it's never been an issue on any of my CDs, but if I wasn't a designer, I'd certainly seek one out to make sure that my CD looked like it was created by a professional who cared about his product.
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#1961527 - 06/22/08 08:30 PM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: B3-er]
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Griffinator
MP Hall of Fame Member
Registered: 03/28/02
Posts: 9998
Loc: Lynchburg, VA, USA
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Charging a low fee for your CD tells the customer that the music isn't worth anything. The same goes for taking gigs that pay next to nothing. If you want people to have respect for the time and hard work you've put into your craft, you have to act like you deserve it.
+1*10^1000000000000
Seriously, you are only as valuable as you are willing to stand and demand. If that means you turn down a gig, dammit, you turn down a gig. The minute you cave is the minute you're through being able to command a price.
_________________________
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#1961604 - 06/23/08 05:26 AM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: MONTUNOMAN]
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Synthoid
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Synthoid,
Only one tune is an original- it a rumba/flamenco tune. The bulk of it is instrumental covers of standards, rock, country, R&B, jazz standards, techno (thanks to you) and Latin standards -salsa,merengue,cumbia) with vocals. It covers alot of genras.
I would be hesitant selling a CD of other people's songs.
_________________________
Korg M3, Triton Classic w/MOSS & EXB09, Kurzweil K2661, Alesis Ion, E-MU Vintage Pro, Roland D-50, and other toys.
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#1961671 - 06/23/08 07:55 AM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: Synthoid]
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MikeT156
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Registered: 06/27/04
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Loc: Central PA, USA
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Quote by B3er:
"Charging a low fee for your CD tells the customer that the music isn't worth anything. The same goes for taking gigs that pay next to nothing. If you want people to have respect for the time and hard work you've put into your craft, you have to act like you deserve it."
Response by Griffinator:
"Seriously, you are only as valuable as you are willing to stand and demand. If that means you turn down a gig, dammit, you turn down a gig. The minute you cave is the minute you're through being able to command a price."
I wish there were more musicians on the planet that felt the way you guys do. So often I see decent musicians or even pretty darn good musicians playing for nothing or next to nothing for "exposure", and being take advantage of by everyone. "All in the name of ART" OR "I don't play for the money". Right, that's obvious because they didn't GET any money. Musicians that do that are STUPID.
Now that I ranted again about this sensitive subject, I'd say the least you should charge for ANY original CD is $10.00. That seems to be the going rate, at least where I live, people here are either unemployed or just poor. A popular local trio charged me $15 for TWO CD's, their first one and their newest one. I thought it was more than a fair price and they were happy being able to get something for their work. If you can get more because demand is higher, go for it.
Mike T.
PS to Griffinator: Scot, considering you're a New England Patriot fan, you're pretty smart! 
_________________________
Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Suit case 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Mk III, Oberheim DMX, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist. Lots of Amps, mixers, PA speakers!
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#1961681 - 06/23/08 08:11 AM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: Griffinator]
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Byrdman
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So you would (or did, depending on how old you are) pass up on this one? 
The original cover was all white with the name embossed rather than printed. The one you link to must be a later cheaply produced run. The original is really spiffy. Wish I owned a copy.
<p>
The change must have been made by an accountant somewhere with no soul. They were probably responsible for that serial number too.
_________________________
New Orleans is the only place where you can put the strong beat on the 2 and the 3 and everybody will understand - Eddie Bo
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#1961684 - 06/23/08 08:14 AM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: Byrdman]
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MikeT156
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Quote by Byrdman:
"The original is really spiffy. Wish I owned a copy."
I own a copy, but its not so "white" anymore. I also have an original copy of Lennon/Ono's "Two Virgins" album. They should have kept their clothes on. 
Mike T.
_________________________
Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Suit case 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Mk III, Oberheim DMX, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist. Lots of Amps, mixers, PA speakers!
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#1961689 - 06/23/08 08:29 AM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: B3-er]
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kad
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Loc: Cincinnati, OH
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I should also mention that a well-recorded, graphically pleasing CD is basically today's business card in the music world.
I only agree with that to an extent... A good CD will get you a gig. A good reputation will get you a career full of gigs! Just make sure you are as good live as you are on the CD. 
_________________________
Reality is like the sun - you can block it out for a time but it ain't goin' away...
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#1961691 - 06/23/08 08:37 AM
Re: How much do you charge for your CD
[Re: kad]
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MuMajor
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To the original question: $13.00 in cdbaby etc.
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