selling records

[james_face]

If I have a thousand records pressed up how and were do I sell y records
besides the internet, any ideas

[sypher deus]

Go around to a few of your local record stores.........indie stores are your best bet cause chain stores usually won't bother with you. Get yourself a pack of invoice papers from your local office supply store.Go to the record store and ask to speak to the buyer. If he/she is not there come back when they are. Bring 5 cd's to each store and ask if you can set up a consignment account.They'll take the cd's off you hands and attempt to sell them. Check back in one month.If your promotion has been good and the cd's sell they'll pay you for the cd's you've sold and fill out an invoice for 5 more. And so on and so on.With consignment you set your suggested retail price and the record store will take a cut.....usually 20%.

[james_face]

how does one promote his\her record?

[sypher deus]

Many ways.........
1.Get a few copies to the local college radio station for the DJ's to play during their local hour/set.
2. Find a few local newpapers that do a local music review and send them a copy and a one sheet.(paper with all of your info and backround as an act and info on the album.)
3.Guerilla promo.Get in the streets.Give away cd's at the local venue when touring shows let out to get the word out.Posters.3x5 postcard ads.Put a few flyers on a public bus,subway,or el.Get a few friends and backpacks load all that shit in and get walkin.
4.Perform!! The single most important way to promote. Gotta get your live act together and do shows. Even if it's to 10 people.If you're as good as you think you are next time maybe there will be 11.

But dude seriously of that 1,000 discs plan on givin away a few hundred before anyone notices.

[thehouseofshawn]

Also check out cdbaby.com, streaming radio broadcasts, cafepress.com allows you to sell the stuff online, they get a specified amount, and you add to that to what you want to profit. If you don't have a website, that really helps...and tripod has a shoppingcart with paypal set up for you (You don't need any web desgin to be able to build a nice looking site)

[two5tolife]

I think soundclick does 100% commision free (on their end) selling of cds. They just arrange payment, set up a store, etc, you ship the cds and all that good stuff.


www.soundclick.com

I'm sure you're familiar with it. I like all the ideas about promotion, I don't like performing unless I have something to sell or atleast give away, a demo, LP, single, whatever. Press is press is press, ya know?

[sleepnotwork]

Seriously. You have to be ready to give away fully half of your first print run as promos. This is an investment in your career - send them to every magazine, radio station, and (in the case of hip hop) DJ who you think might play or review it. Make sure you have a good one-sheet - that is, biographical information and a brief but punchy description of the music (but be careful about photos - not sending a band photo is better than sending a crappy one, which most of them are).

There's no guarantees in any of this, of course, but the more of your music you get to people who have the power to tell other people about it, the better your chances are down the road.

[sleepnotwork]

And I nearly forgot . . . perform, perform, perform. If you're decent, you'll sell records. If you're actually good, you'll sell a lot of records.