Hi there,
Not quite sure how it’s April already, but there you go….
If you haven’t checked out the great info at diymusician.cdbaby.com you really should….
Here’s a great example of the type of stuff to be found….
I’ll be back soon, in the meantime if The Record Factory can help out with any of your ‘I want to make a CD’ needs, email me.
Cheers
Simon
“Release dates: Why it’s better to wait!
You’ve heard it said that timing is everything, right? But the right timing can amount to nothing if you aren’t prepared. This is certainly true when it comes to releasing an album. Now if you’re planning to release songs or albums only through digital means, then you can ignore the following advice. Go ahead and release your music online the moment it is finished. But if you’re going to press up CDs (and we hope you do since CD sales still make up the largest portion of worldwide music sales), don’t be in such a rush. Here are a couple things to keep in mind when deciding on a release date.
Don’t book your CD release party until you have your discs back from the manufacturer. We have heard countless stories of people who book their release show first and then are scrambling around like headless chickens because the process took longer than expected. Wait until they’re in your hands. Are the discs in good shape? Right colors printed on the artwork? Do the CDs actually play? Good, now book your show. That probably means you’re looking at 2-3 months away. Use that time to get your promotional machine in gear. Send your discs to press, radio, and bloggers with enough lead-time so that the buzz will be audible by the time of your release party. If you really want to start selling, do a pre-release through CD Baby so fans in-the-know can get advance copies.
Don’t stale-date your album. Music journalists want to feel like they’re discovering tomorrow’s masterpiece, not yesterday’s news. If you know you’re not going to get discs back from the manufacture until October, November, or December anyways, just go ahead and put the following year’s date on the artwork’s copyright info. Book your CD release show for the early part of that following year, too. Waiting just an extra month or two can buy you a whole year of possible press-coverage.”