Sure everyone wants their music on a professionally made CD, but is it worth it. If your unsigned, what do you guys do? Have Cd's made or just sell as an MP3 on various sites. Do you see how much interest is generated before making CD's?
CD's or MP3
- Thread starter Rupturemetal
- Start date
Torniojaws
They call me Juha
I haven't sold any mp3s yet (4 euros per album), but I've sold a bunch of CDs (12 euros per album) 
wishtheend
clip the apex
CDs are still viewed as the real deal. I like the idea of putting up mp3s for a cheap price, but then have the CD at shows with maybe an added song or two in of course the higher quality. Plus, if you get cool packaging it's hard to ever beat out the CD. I just like the tangable.
Kazrog
Kazrog, Inc.
My band sells CDs as well as mp3 and lossless downloads with PDF packaging. CDs are fairly pointless when you can distribute high quality formats online, even 24 bit lossless files as NIN is doing.
Metal Overload
Member
- Sep 8, 2005
- 1,778
- 0
- 36
wishtheend
clip the apex
I agree that the method Trent took with The Slip is a way of the future. But - we are all audiophiles so of course we will take a 24-bit DL. Problem with the general public is not everyone is going either burn said audio to DVD-audio for proper listening. Plus, one of the number one places people listen to music is their car, and that's seriously where people can get hooked on a band (just singing along and learning the music).
The younger generation will embrace download music, as everything is carried on an ipod. Plus, $5 direct to an artist for an entire album makes more sense than $14 at a store for the CD.
egan.
daylightdies.com
Cd's are a big part of our livelihood on the road. Generally we still sell far more CD's than mp3's when we are at home too. The (lack of) overhead on d/l's is great tho.
I imagine as we move into the future, venues will have starbucks/itunes stuff going on and we will be able to sell d/l's at shows. Most venues have wifi now so we aren't too far away from that. Perhaps bands could do the itunes album gift card thing you see at Best Buy as well.
I agree with kazrog in theory but in practice we do better with the physical medium. Obviously YMMV.
Personally I still buy CD's and rip them myself.
I imagine as we move into the future, venues will have starbucks/itunes stuff going on and we will be able to sell d/l's at shows. Most venues have wifi now so we aren't too far away from that. Perhaps bands could do the itunes album gift card thing you see at Best Buy as well.
I agree with kazrog in theory but in practice we do better with the physical medium. Obviously YMMV.
Personally I still buy CD's and rip them myself.
Aaron Smith
Envisage Audio
I buy CDs and rip them as well- I just like owning a physical piece of property.
As far as being in a band and being on the artist's side of things, selling CDs at shows is really nice, but on the internet we sell a lot more downloads than physical CDs, and as Egan mentioned, the overhead is fantastic. At this point we sell around 50 or 60 copies of our six-song EP per month on iTunes, the only release we have at the moment. Not huge, but it has been very constant overall. Also, one interesting thing I've noticed is that there is a definite tie between the amount of iTunes sales we get when we actually spend some time sending friend requests to people on Myspace, and when we don't bother.
As far as being in a band and being on the artist's side of things, selling CDs at shows is really nice, but on the internet we sell a lot more downloads than physical CDs, and as Egan mentioned, the overhead is fantastic. At this point we sell around 50 or 60 copies of our six-song EP per month on iTunes, the only release we have at the moment. Not huge, but it has been very constant overall. Also, one interesting thing I've noticed is that there is a definite tie between the amount of iTunes sales we get when we actually spend some time sending friend requests to people on Myspace, and when we don't bother.
Just remember - if you don't release a CD version of the next one, I can't bring myself to buy it. I don't care if it's a Memorex burn from your own computer, as long as it's a CD... but there had bloody well better be one.
Jeff
Loren Littlejohn
Lover of all boobage.
man, all i look for is some good FLAC or similar stuff, i like lossless or 24bit stuff, its hard to find, but when i find it ill pay top dollar for it over the cd.
Kazrog, i'm with torniojaws, wishtheend, and jbroll.... CD is still the real deal, and will continue to be for some time. most peoople have hundreds of things they've downloaded... and what happens when your hard drive dies? computer geeks will have back-up, but 99% of people in the world are not computer geeks, even in the computer savvy world in which we live today. i'll tell you what happens, because i've known several people that it's happened to.... they never download most of what they've lost again... ever. not because they didn't like it, but because it's human nature. If my library hard drive dies i simply reload from my CD's. not all at once, but as i have the urge to listen to a particular CD, i 'll re-import it.
there's also the point that most anything can be had for free from illegal sites and p2p networks.. and that's where most people get the bulk of their digital music library content... even those that buy a lot of stuff on iTunes... and that's exactly what i'll do as soon as CD's go away. the exact moment that CD production stops is the exact moment at which i will never pay for music again. why should i? as shane (kazrog) has pointed out, you can download lossless formats now... FLAC, APE, OGG, etc. i will not pay for them, regardless of quality, regardless of a .pdf, etc.
i liken this mania you "file pundits" share to how, many years ago now, when .pdf became ubiquitous and everyone thought hard copy books would go away... the book publishing industry was in a panic.... it's over a decade since everyone was so damned sure that his would happen, and hard copy books are still with us. and yes, i know that iTunes is one of the biggest, if not THE biggest music "retailer" in world right now... and yet CD's are still here, and still sell. There may well be a slump that will go through a cycle... case and point: vinyl hasn't even gone away yet... new titles are being pressed on vinyl currently at the highest rate since the '90's, and the trend is growing.
files are exactly that... files... they are like cyber-sex; you may have your fun... if you're into that sort of thing, but it's not the real thing. CD's are the real deal, at least until some sort of Blue-Ray based or other enhanced format takes over.
and Kaz... i'd like to point out that NIN has their new CD in every store... obviously Trent doesn't even feel that downloads are going to replace them any time soon.
ps... guitargodgt... you and kaz are both on crack. deviljaw, make sure you buy LaCie hard drives,
there's also the point that most anything can be had for free from illegal sites and p2p networks.. and that's where most people get the bulk of their digital music library content... even those that buy a lot of stuff on iTunes... and that's exactly what i'll do as soon as CD's go away. the exact moment that CD production stops is the exact moment at which i will never pay for music again. why should i? as shane (kazrog) has pointed out, you can download lossless formats now... FLAC, APE, OGG, etc. i will not pay for them, regardless of quality, regardless of a .pdf, etc.
i liken this mania you "file pundits" share to how, many years ago now, when .pdf became ubiquitous and everyone thought hard copy books would go away... the book publishing industry was in a panic.... it's over a decade since everyone was so damned sure that his would happen, and hard copy books are still with us. and yes, i know that iTunes is one of the biggest, if not THE biggest music "retailer" in world right now... and yet CD's are still here, and still sell. There may well be a slump that will go through a cycle... case and point: vinyl hasn't even gone away yet... new titles are being pressed on vinyl currently at the highest rate since the '90's, and the trend is growing.
files are exactly that... files... they are like cyber-sex; you may have your fun... if you're into that sort of thing, but it's not the real thing. CD's are the real deal, at least until some sort of Blue-Ray based or other enhanced format takes over.
and Kaz... i'd like to point out that NIN has their new CD in every store... obviously Trent doesn't even feel that downloads are going to replace them any time soon.
ps... guitargodgt... you and kaz are both on crack. deviljaw, make sure you buy LaCie hard drives,
wishtheend
clip the apex
I just want to add that there is even an collector attitude when it comes to CDs. Some people have acompletion complex that drives them to buy the CD. There is something more personal about paying for something and carrying it in your hand.
Hell, NIN put out their latest album out for FREE in both MP3, FLAC and 24-bit/96kHz wave. Artwork was put in pdf file. But what do I still do, go out and buy the CD yesterday when it came out. It's not that the retail CD will sound any better, but there is just something cool about having it in my hand.
I think bands might go the route of selling CDs with bonus DVDs. It's not hard these days to make a live concert DVD, or even the making of style movies. Just an added incentive to buy physical product.
Hell, NIN put out their latest album out for FREE in both MP3, FLAC and 24-bit/96kHz wave. Artwork was put in pdf file. But what do I still do, go out and buy the CD yesterday when it came out. It's not that the retail CD will sound any better, but there is just something cool about having it in my hand.
I think bands might go the route of selling CDs with bonus DVDs. It's not hard these days to make a live concert DVD, or even the making of style movies. Just an added incentive to buy physical product.
Djabthrash
Member
+1
+ i agree with "wishtheend" on the "collector thingie".
If you play gigs it's very important to bring cds with you.
You should also have your stuff available online for download (for free or not... that's your choice), as it's the most accessible way for people to reach your music.
So basically cd + mp3 is the way to go.
And for the bonus dvd as long as it's no cheapo dvd with crappy content it's always a good way to increase the interest of people.
yeah me, im a hardware junkie, if i can store it on a hard drive i will, with cd's i always liked the fact that i could own a little something and i feel somewhat attached to it, but you know i almost never play a cd again after 3 times, once to listen to it, once to show someone else, and once to rip it.
places like cdbaby and similar options, you have the options and choices to see where your money goes and see what the artist gets.
like i said, im a hardware junkie, no hard copy(CD) for me. i've been involved with computers much longer than i have music. i will buy 3-4 hard drives a month(i love to back up my dvd movies in a library i can access anywhere on my network)
so with high quality lossless downloads, for me at least i get cd quality with none of the extras, which for me cds get piled up and stuck in the closet, i dont have room for mass cd storage, i need that for movies and more audio equipment.
places like cdbaby and similar options, you have the options and choices to see where your money goes and see what the artist gets.
like i said, im a hardware junkie, no hard copy(CD) for me. i've been involved with computers much longer than i have music. i will buy 3-4 hard drives a month(i love to back up my dvd movies in a library i can access anywhere on my network)
so with high quality lossless downloads, for me at least i get cd quality with none of the extras, which for me cds get piled up and stuck in the closet, i dont have room for mass cd storage, i need that for movies and more audio equipment.
Kazrog
Kazrog, Inc.
Until more bands offer lossless files, I will continue to buy CDs. I guess I'm always looking ahead of the curve a bit, but the direction things are obviously going is towards the phaseout of optical media in general. I'm always going to take an aggressive stance with technology issues, but it doesn't mean I'm crazy enough to stop selling CDs (for now.)
Noumenon
Obsidian Productions
I prefer to buy CD's as well just to be able to have the actual item in my hand. It is neat to be able to download an album off iTunes but it is a completely different feeling than having the actual item. I bought the new Bloodbath EP via iTunes the day it came out and then bought the actual CD as well. Having the actual CD to look at was far more enjoyable than just having files stored on my computer.
Chryst Krispies
Vanilla Gorilla
This is 100% true.
It's happened to me and it sucks bigtime. Cd's are the way to go , slowly but surely pluggin them back in. When all your digital shit gets sniped, there's a wicked " Fuck it" attitude that you get and you lose it.
CD'S all the way.
