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I use a combination of the Mixonic; custom CD-R printing and Jewelboxing; cases to make up bundles for my web clients. I deliver all of the project deliverables (code, images, initial database loads, etc.) as well as video tutorials on using the content management system, photo galleries and other tools installed on the site (using Wink) . The packaging uses one of my templates, but both the template for the CD and the packaging has slots for their logo and company information, so each bundle is completely customized to their company. The packaging really cements the client's confidence in the work done and it really ends up as an inconsequential cost with much higher benefits. It costs a little more than having 100 CD-R's printed all the same (5x more), but $5 is still dirt cheap for a serious web project. When I started doing this, it actually cut down dramatically on complaints about the bill size. They had something in hand to match up to the invoice. I'm amazed at the number of software companies, web design companies and others that just don't take the time to put a bit of polish into their presentation. I've paid $150 for software that came on a store-bought CD-R with Sharpie marker as the "label" and others with a cheap paper label sloppily slapped on the disc.

I use a combination of the Mixonic custom CD-R printing and Jewelboxing> cases to make up bundles for my web clients. I deliver all of the project deliverables (code, images, initial database loads, etc.) as well as video tutorials on using the content management system, photo galleries and other tools installed on the site (using <a href="http://www.debugmode.com/wink/">Wink</a>) . The packaging uses one of my templates, but both the template for the CD and the packaging has slots for their logo and company information, so each bundle is completely customized to their company.

The packaging really cements the client's confidence in the work done and it really ends up as an inconsequential cost with much higher benefits. It costs a little more than having 100 CD-R's printed all the same (5x more), but $5 is still dirt cheap for a serious web project. When I started doing this, it actually cut down dramatically on complaints about the bill size. They had something in hand to match up to the invoice.

I'm amazed at the number of software companies, web design companies and others that just don't take the time to put a bit of polish into their presentation. I've paid $150 for software that came on a store-bought CD-R with Sharpie marker as the "label" and others with a cheap paper label sloppily slapped on the disc.

All right, let Courtney say it again.

The internet gives bands a way to finally break clear of record companies, and here you come along telling us that we need them. Do you work for the RIAA, by any chance?

Distributing CDs cost $4, you charge your customer however much you want and pocket the difference.

Recording your music doesn't cost a fortune, either, as long as you have the gear to make the music (which you obviously already have if you're playing gigs) and can make the basic connection from your gear to your computer's mic jack.

Any questions?

When I first heard this argument, seeing as this was then and still is an Open Source Friendly sort of crowd, I expected an Open Source type solution to this problem. The obvious answer to this (to me) would be to simply stop listening to bands that were contracted with RIAA afiliated record labels (presumably all of them). And ONLY listen to groups that release their music freely. (GNU-type Music, as it were). And I expected /. to become a great place to go if you were looking for tips on good indie bands. But I NEVER hear talk like that around here.

There are difficulties in this.

• As a monopoly, the RIAA has successfully suppressed a great deal of music. One thing they conveniently leave out of their sales figures is the fact that indie labels have been breaking sales records, more or less across the board. (Sorry, I don't have a link right now to show this)
• Social conditioning at this time is that in order to become successful you must:
  1. Learn to play an instrument (optional)
  2. Perform publicly
  3. Record a demo tape
  4. Send demo tape to record company, knowing it'll get thrown in trash
  5. Wait to be "discovered"
• Musicians tend to be conservative where technology is concerned. This makes them late adopters of new technology. Many musicians still prefer analog recording technologies, and its digital recording that has made it possible to record cheaply
• Due to the fact that musicians are still addicted to analog recording, many still don't realize that digital distribution is possible through services like Mixonic, and others.

All that said, consider that I am a musician who is attempting to work within a new paradigm for music promotion, but I'm not professionally-oriented. I'd be happy to offer help to any musician who is professionally-oriented.

Fatchuck's 100% offer is a nice marketing gimmick, but it conveniently neglects to tell artists that they have to have the stuff first beforethey can sell it. If a musician pays out for 100 pro-grade CDs and 100 decent T-shirts, signs up on Fatchuck's for $60, and only sells a handful of each in 12 months, the artist is still out for the cost of making the CDs and T-shirts. It's one thing if it's a touring band that can sell their stuff at gigs, too, but if they can do that, why pay the extra $40/year?

I dare say that CafePress.comand its high base prices are still a better option for a lot of artists that can't afford to pay up front for the goods, although Mixonic tends to offer better rates for CDs. Why there aren't more inexpensive CD creation services like those two really baffles me. (And yes, I know about MP3.com and Ampcast, but CafePress and Mixonic don't ask for $100/year to sign up and don't fill your CD with ads like MP3.com does.)

Mixonic is worth checking out - they've simplified pressing and distribution for musicians by allowing you to upload your cd and then pressing copies on demand. No physical inventory aside from bits.

They keep $4 per cd of your profit charge no startup costs. It's an attractive business model.

How about a website where you drop songs into a shopping cart where each song costs $X.XX plus an additional base fee of $Y.YY for each CD-R needed to handle the volume of data the songs you selected includes?

This same topic recently came up in a mailing list that I subscribe to. Check out:

Mixonic

and

XBurnPro

Also an excellent way for free software projects to provide CD distributions!

Also check out Mixonic. The will do runs as small as one CD, and print your artwork on the CD. I've done it several times through them, and the printing quality is surprisingly good.