Selling my cd's...(how)HELLLP!!

[CANINE704]

I just finished making a cd with 20 songs on it, I plan to get it mastered and packaged but my question is how do I get it in stores?..How do I sell it outside of stores? I always hear people say they started out of their trunk but how?... When my cd's start selling how will record companies know ?...Do i need to get them barcoded?...If so how ... I know these might be crazy questions but i've give up on the old demo to the record company routine I gotta get off my ass and create a buzz But I need to know how thanks....

 

[donkeystyle]

play shows and get a fanbase....................most stores wont carry ur stuff.........ur going to have to go to small independantly owned stores and put ur stuff on consignment.........

some bigger stores have local artist sections, so just check around

hastings is a pretty big supporter of local talent.......also the sam goody in my town used to do consignment of local bands, so u could check them out too.

oh and both of those stores will put a barcode on them for their store...........the only reason u would need a barcode of ur own is so you could track ur sales through soundscan, but most of the stores ur gonna be going through won be using soundscan......and to get ur own barcode costs like 7 hundred bucks or something like that........typicallly only companies get barcodes because of their outrageous price........

what you get with ur 700 bucks is, i believe a 4 number code that identifies ur company to put in front of the rest of the barcode which you create and identifies what the product is..........

basically, the first four identify your company as "insert your company/record label here" and the last digits identify what album it is

at least that my understanding of the whole thing

 

[stray411]

what you get with ur 700 bucks is, i believe a 4 number code that identifies ur company to put in front of the rest of the barcode which you create and identifies what the product is..........

basically, the first four identify your company as "insert your company/record label here" and the last digits identify what album it is

at least that my understanding of the whole thing

Good info here, similar to my reply to the same question in the Hip-Hop Forum. Just wanted to clarify on UPCs. You are 100% correct, the first 4 digits of the UPC are to identify the company and yes that costs in the neighborhood of $750 to register with the UCC. However, this registration allows you to release something like 10,000 products. If you pressed up 100K on your album that would be considered one product.

Well not too many of us we be releasing enough products to justify the cost. This is why duplication houses like DiskMakers, CDBaby and ESP (to name a few) will register their company UPC and then sell you the other portion of the barcode for a nominal fee of around $20. If it's what you're looking for, this can still be tracked through SoundScan.

Just wanted to point that out to avoid any confusion between the two posts.

Stray

 

[RDuke]

If you ever want your CD in retail stores, make sure you get a UPC barcode. It's also needed for SoundScan sales reporting. I'd go with the piggyback method mentioned above.

Set up inventory accounts with online stores like CD Baby and CDstreet.

Get used to hearing the word, consignment. That's about the only way you'll get into stores unless you have a record company marketing for you.

Set up an artist web site. Offer customers a way to make purchases from there. You can link to the online stores, and take PayPal (or similar) orders. Offer samples of your music.

Send promo's out, though you normally won't have any luck with commerical radio. They have their own corporate play list. Instead aim at college radio, public radio, etc.. Follow up on your promos and track it.

Join a performing rights organization like BMI or ASCAP.

Rick

 

[David Hooper]

Make sure you go to CD Street because they can get you hooked up not only online, but also with one of those credit card machines that will handle sales at your live shows.

Good point about the fan base. The problem isn't getting records into stores...it's getting them out of stores. Sell them on your own first.

 

[clifchamb]

You may also want to consider submitting your cd and promo to amazon.com and other online retailers. Why sell only locally when you can sell worldwide?

Then link Amazon to your website, also submitt some songs to MP3.com so that others can hear them and then order your CD at amazon etc.

Also promote the hell out of your CD with forums and discussion groups (i.e. invite people to check you your sample song on your website or mp3.com, they will buy the CD if they like it)

Be doing this we got the attention of a management company that has now taken over the promotion of our band to record label etc. You don't make as much money doing it this way, but you get a lot more exposure

Hope this helps

clif

 

[Jack Hammer]

There are independant companies that will do your marketing for you. They can take care of all of the requirements such as bar coding, finding distribution etc. Various arangements are available however, you first need to find the right oompany to work with. One such comapny is Monaco Entertainment. They are located in New York City. It is run by a guy named Nate Hinkson, this is basically what he does. I believe the can be found on the internet at MONACOENT.BIZ.

The advice above is actually pretty good and accurate. If you do not choose to have an independant company do your marketing, then you should be preapred to do alot of work.

Either way, I am a firm bliever in the power of independant music companies and self-help. In that regard, I truly wish you the best of luck and hope you will make it ag reat success.