Bar codes? Can I do em?

[reco]

Hey ya'll I have been kinda wondering....
Can I put bar codes on my cds? or does someone have to do it for me? I would like to do every thing that needs to be done myself.
If I can, were do I get this info.
thanks, I looked into the old postings but saw nothing on this.

reco

[El Barto]

Check out http://www.changingtones.com/reccobiz.html this site has TONS of info...another good central site would be http://musicians.miningco.com/musicp.../msublabel.htm

[Rev E]

You can print the bar codes yourself if you're printing your own booklets. All you'll need is a barcode program that can take a upc code (the actual number) and turn it into a "bar code".

You will have to buy the bar code (the number) from the UPC (Uniform Product Council, I believe). It costed me $300 three years ago. I'm not sure of their web site, if any and my info is at home. If I can find it, I'll send it to you.

Rev E

[David Hooper]

I think that it's about $500 to get hooked up with the Uniform Code Council now.

www.indie411.com has all the links to info you'll need.

dave @ kathode ray

[gordone]

If I remember correctly, CDBaby.net can do it for you when you sign up to sell your disc on their site. I think it was fairly inexpensive and they send you either a gif or a jpeg which you can stick into your packaging if you are doing it yourself.
Hope that helps!
-Evan

[David Hooper]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by gordone:
If I remember correctly, CDBaby.net can do it for you when you sign up to sell your disc on their site. I think it was fairly inexpensive and they send you either a gif or a jpeg which you can stick into your packaging if you are doing it yourself.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think CD Baby hooks it up for about $35. Not a bad deal.

If you're planning on coming out with a lot of products, I'd say go for your own number since you'll be able to use it again and again on any number of different things. If not, CD Baby is a great option.

dave @ kathode ray
www.indiebiz.com

Email biz101@kathoderaymusic.com for a free music promotion course.

[CMiller]

Hey, I found this while perusing other stuff online and I instantly thought of this thread. It's a company that will produce (and pay for I assume) your UPC barcode in exchange for putting their record lable logo on your packaging. They say it's not an exclusive record deal, but I didn't read up on it too much. Check it out though...

http://www.indierec.com/

[dandiaz]

I know this is very late but I figure I'd post in case other people come in looking at this thread.

Actually what happens at Indierec.com is you register your release onto the Independent Records label and we catalog, generate and assign a specific bar code for that release. You also get access to the SoundScan registration sheets and stuff like that. The typical registration costs are $19.95 per release and we don't require the label logo anymore (although you can still use it if you wish). It is non-exclusive and as we venture into other typical label services IR artists would get access to that as well. We also don't take any profits/royalties/etc. from your sales. You keep all that.

The other option as Dave mentioned above is to register for your own vendor code from the UCC (the cost is now $750 with an annual fee on top of that). Basically the UCC provides you a vendor code number that you use to create your own bar code numbers using some type of software. Their web site is http://www.uc-council.org/.

Hope that helps you DIY guys out.

Danny Diaz
Independent Records
www.indierec.com

[jonhall5446]

Pay the $35 and make it easy on yourself

[ryanlikestorock]

Most CD manufacturing companies will include a bar code in the pressing. Check www.anchorcd.com (shameless plug of the company I help out with).

I know bands who have sold a hell of a lot of CDs without a barcode.

[lascalaboy]

what is the benefit of a bar-code?

[Massive Master]

Let's just say that if you're going to sell them in almost any store (even many online stores), you MUST have a UPC code on it.

Trivia time - ALL CD'S bar codes, not including the check digit, end in "2" - All cassettes in "4" - Use that next time you're playing Trivial Pursuit.

[xfinsterx]

Originally Posted by Massive Master

Let's just say that if you're going to sell them in almost any store (even many online stores), you MUST have a UPC code on it.

Trivia time - ALL CD'S bar codes, not including the check digit, end in "2" - All cassettes in "4" - Use that next time you're playing Trivial Pursuit.

What's trivial pusuit?
Tell me the secrets of mastering as well please.
Thank you.

[gullyjewelz]

I personally have been going on and on ad infinitum about what to do about this issue. I had decided that I was either going to go with indierec.com or trimplay.com. trimplay told me that the service was free and all i needed to do was supply the following info--of couse that was a couple of months ago . . . they could have changed as well:

Cd Tile:
Release Date:
Aritist name:
Parent Labe,Distribution Co.:
Sub Label, Label Abbr:
Cd Price: TypeEx)Album,Singles,or Video
Cd Genre:
Your Name:
PH#:
Fax#:If have one

We will not give the info to anyone eles.

Thats the response I got when I inquired with them.

[ds21]

Couldn't get connected to trimplay.com (Spelling?")

[gullyjewelz]

ill try again later . . . when i get home tonight where i can freely surf the web . . . @ work . . . such is a NO NO

LOL

[H2oskiphil]

The last CD I engineered went to a company called Magnetic Media (I think...the band handled that side of it...) in NJ for printing. They included a barcode for nothing, as long as the graphic designer for the artwork left a 1.5"x.75" white rectangle on the back tray insert design.

I'm not sure what other vendors do, but I thought that was pretty cool. They had 1000 copies printed for just over $1K.