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CD distribution and review help
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CD distribution and review help |
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Subject: CD distribution and review help From: GUEST,Claire Date: 23 Jan 07 - 05:46 PM It is that time again - time to start thinking about distributing the new cd that my band is cutting. We released our last one in 2003, so the laborously collected lists of radio shows, contacts, addresses, etc is probably really out of date. This was such a huge effort last time, that I thought I would check in with you Mudcatters for advice before I undertake it again. Does anyone have any distribution list for radio stations and contacts that they could share with me or point me to a good resource on the web? My band, Round the House, is in the Irish traditional genre, but being out of Tucson Arizona, we are already disadvantaged when it comes to national distribution and we don't really fit into the folk genre of many radio shows - so it is hard to identify where to send the cd. We are really excited about the project, which will be released at the end of February, and we would like to try to get some good air play. As far as reviews go. Does anyone have suggestions for poeple that might review our cd? The earlier it goes out to them the better. And it would be much more effective to set the stage by contacting the reviewer asap to see if they are interested before sending it off blind. Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Claire |
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Subject: RE: CD distribution and review help From: Richard Bridge Date: 23 Jan 07 - 06:17 PM Blackmail a local record label into an introduction to their plugger. Yes I know Payola and Plugola are illegal in the USA but how do you think the music industry works? It'll cost you a few lines. |
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Subject: RE: CD distribution and review help From: GUEST,mg Date: 23 Jan 07 - 07:49 PM Heck, I'll review it and submit something to Victory Music..not sure that they take uninvited reviews but I could try. Then I could pass the CD on to KMUN in Astoria...they have some very nice shows and disk people etc. mg |
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Subject: RE: CD distribution and review help From: GUEST,Claire Date: 24 Jan 07 - 12:19 AM Thanks MG - my e-mail is roundthehouse@att.net if you want to send your mailing information to me. Richard, how exactly do you blackmail a record label -that one is new to me - but hey I'd give it a whirl. I do wonder how to get on the inside track with getting more than one perfunctory line in Dirty Linen. That would be very helpful. If they even said one little nice thing - I could use it in my press releases from now til eternity. Well, maybe I won't need it til eternity, but one can always hope. cheers, Claire |
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Subject: RE: CD distribution and review help From: Sandy Paton Date: 24 Jan 07 - 12:45 AM Claire, why don't you google - folkdj listserv - and join up for awhile. Read the playlists posted by various "folk" DJs and see which ones are apt to use your kind of music. The google response will let you click on the website, and also point you to an article written by Bob Blackman with suggestions for getting airplay. He's a tradition-oriented DJ in Michigan who works for Elderly Instruments as a day job. Good guy! I hope Jed Marum will see your query and respond. He's done an outstanding job of promoting his own self-produced CDs. He could help, I'm sure. You might even send him a personal message, asking for his suggestions. Another good guy. Good luck! |
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Subject: RE: CD distribution and review help From: GUEST,Claire Date: 24 Jan 07 - 10:12 AM Hi Sandy, I will certainly give folkdj a try - thanks for the suggestion. I will see Jed at NTIF in March, so I that is another great suggestion. Hey Jed - if you read this, lets have lunch - I will ply you with beers and you can tell all! Has anyone used the resources on cd baby or found the Oasis distribution to be useful? Those are both other avenues I have thought of. Claire |
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Subject: RE: CD distribution and review help From: GUEST,wayne Date: 24 Jan 07 - 10:55 AM Hi Claire I write reviews for a few small press music magazines so if you want to drop me a line on wayne@snowdonia.net, I'll send you my address. Also, my friend and fellow reviewer David Kidman writes thoughtfully and well for many paper and on-line publications so I can pass one on to him. We both say what we think but we always look for positives and are never (well, rarely!) cruel. Cheers Wayne |
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Subject: RE: CD distribution and review help From: dwditty Date: 24 Jan 07 - 11:22 AM CDBaby! Go to www.cdbaby.net - register/login and look at the section on tips - there is a ton of stuff. In my opinion, Derek Sivers has done more for independent musicians than anyone else - dw |
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Subject: RE: CD distribution and review help From: Jim Lad Date: 24 Jan 07 - 12:48 PM Claire: I've read some of your posts and am hoping to hear you sometime. I would not suggest mailing out to any radio stations other than the odd NPR affiliate. My suggestion would be to get your own "Band Name .com", make a small selection of music available and invite them to come to you. I shudder to think how many perfectly good albums are being used as Frisbees and place mats in radio stations around the world. Don't be giving them away. Right Kendall? As for Festivals and Venues all asking for CDs and Promo Kits.... they have computers too. They don't need any more free stuff and your band can do without the unnecessary expense. |
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Subject: RE: CD distribution and review help From: closet-folkie Date: 24 Jan 07 - 02:07 PM Sandy's advice about the Folk DJ List is spot-on. As well as being able to send messages to all of the other subscribers(offering promo copies of your CD to interested parties), there's instant access to playlists from all over the place. When you see one featuring artists of a similar style, e-mail the DJ and inquire about sending a CD. Going to the station's website is good too. I think it always pays to follow their submission guidelines to the letter, though. Doing this by yourself is exhausting and terribly time-consuming, but it's also rewarding when it pays off and you receive playlists with your name on them. Some shows and their respective DJs are more receptive than others, of course. I added links to all such stations, on my site . Some of these stations are quite eclectic in their format(I'm not really a pure folkie either, so I had to sneak in, so to speak!). Feel free to use the links. By the way, I had a good look and listen on your site(and the CDBaby pages) and I have to tell you that I'm most impressed by your vocals. Good luck with the CD. Steve R. |
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Subject: RE: CD distribution and review help From: Deskjet Date: 24 Jan 07 - 04:08 PM I echo dwditty's comment. I found cdbaby to be spot on.Have a close look at them |
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Subject: RE: CD distribution and review help From: GUEST Date: 24 Jan 07 - 04:41 PM Thanks about the cd baby insight. I will certainly start there. For the last cd I delved into FolkDj, but it was pretty overwhelming and for a person with a full time job and 2 kids, plus a regularly playing band, it was just too much for me to dig through. I wonder if there is any service out there that will distribute and collect the play lists. It would be great to see exactly where our cd is getting air play, but impossible to track unless you can spend several hours a day. After a while, you start to think - am I in this to play music or promote and the answer is always - play music. Jim, we do have a website: roundthehouse.com and we sell on cd baby but I am trying to get outside of our regular arena of interactions. I too worry about giving too many away, but that seems like the price of doing business. One way I have gotten away with not sending out the full cd is to press small promo cds. However, now that we re-pressed our 2nd cd, I will probably send that out. To closet-folkie, thanks for your kind words. It is always good to know someone likes your music. Thanks. Claire |
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Subject: RE: CD distribution and review help From: dick greenhaus Date: 24 Jan 07 - 05:45 PM CDBaby is, indeed a blessing to independents. It has one major drawback--it's often the sole supplier, which means that other retailers, for better or worse, can't purchase the product wholesale. This blocks out many outlets to many customers, such as Amazon and CDUniverse (and, need I say, CAMSCO.) |
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Subject: RE: CD distribution and review help From: Jim Lad Date: 24 Jan 07 - 06:00 PM And now I have it! Listening to it as I write. This is great stuff and you're doing exactly as I suggested with it. There's enough music there to satisfy any concert or festival organizer. As for radio... We're all from somewhere and thus share the same disadvantage. Those on this thread, who are radio hosts are asking for copies and I would take full advantage of that. With just a few exceptions though, radio hosts who don't know you are inundated with free albums and seldom play them unless there is a reason such as a local performance by the Artist/Band. My suggestion would be to arrange small tours and to see that local radio shows are given the opportunity to play your music beforehand. Whole Wheat Radio on the Internet is a favourite of mine because they will play you and it is extremely easy for the listener to get from that site to yours with just the click of a mouse. Still, for my money, the Internet today is reaching far more of the right people around the world than any radio show could ever do. The very best of luck with your new album. Regards Jim |
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Subject: RE: CD distribution and review help From: GUEST,Claire Date: 25 Jan 07 - 02:05 PM Last time, I contacted every dj and radio station that I had pegged as receptive and waited for a reply and agreement that they would like to recieve the cd. This was good becuase I only sent it out to certain people who would actually play it. However, it was tough to find those people and took a whole lot of time. I never heard of Whole wheat radio - I will have to check it out. Thanks to everyone that has responded and agreed to review. Just curious if anyone has used Oasis and the tools they provide for distribution. Best, Claire |
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Subject: RE: CD distribution and review help From: GUEST,Darowyn Date: 18 Apr 07 - 06:59 AM I don't know if this applies to Radio stations in the USA, but I have solid information from inside the BBC, that the people who open the envelopes ith Demo CDs will discard unopened anything in a handwritten cover. If the envelope has a printed label with a Plugging Company logo, it will at least get opened. So get your design programs fired up and print yourself some plugging company labels. My info comes from one of the team that assesses submitted demos. "The Mudcatters' Plugging Company" starts here! Cheers Dave |
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Subject: RE: CD distribution and review help From: Suffet Date: 18 Apr 07 - 07:57 AM Greetings: Dick Greenhaus is right about CD Baby. It is often the sole distributor, but it doesn't have to be. They are non-exclusive, so you can sign-up with CD Baby and still distribute your CD elsewhere. I'm sure Dick will want to add at least one copy to the Camsco stock. --- Steve |
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Subject: RE: CD distribution and review help From: Barbara Shaw Date: 18 Apr 07 - 08:48 AM Dick has said that he doesn't need to actually stock the CD, but if anyone asks for it from him he tells them he can get it. Maybe you should let him know about your CD and also list CAMSCO as one of the places where it can be acquired. For our 1st CD, I got a lot of inquiries for copies from radio stations after a review appeared in a national magazine. It's a good idea to send out copies to the appropriate magazines along with contact information for them to print. |
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Subject: RE: CD distribution and review help From: GUEST,Sharon G Date: 18 Apr 07 - 09:55 AM Hi there Also in the same band with Claire (Round the House). Thanks for the suggestions- we've followed up on most of them and have the cd on CD Baby, efolkmusic.org and tradmusic.com. I found the listing of radio stations on efolkmusic.com to be somewhat useful in locating stations that play folk music, although the list is somewhat broad and ranges from bluegrass to celtic to singer-songwriter and beyon. It's a bit time-consuming to locate the shows and specific dj's to contact. I found about 15 or so that seemed appropriate, emailed them and send the cd if they respond. Most of them are happy to get the CD, and we've gotten a bit of airplay now in various parts of the country. Also, the celticmusicmp3 podcast has been getting our music out there recently. Sharon |
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