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My music lecturer mentioned today that you're, in a way, putting yourself at a disadvantage by uploading your stuff to soundcloud purely because of the drop in quality and that you should only release in CD/vinyl etc. form so there's not as much quality being taken.

I disagree personally. The avg. pair of headphones can't really tell the difference between mp3 or a lossless can they?

I went on to watch a documentary about how mp3's are this awful thing and that you lose 90% of the sound. I still call bullshit.

So what would you rather spend your £500 on?

Imo if you're in a niche genre spending money on online advertising is probably a waste. That said I wouldn't spend £500 on CDs either, that's a fucktonne of CDs and you've gotta distribute them too.

JamesHanvey wrote:So what would you rather spend your £500 on?

Professional mastering for 3/4 tracks then a vinyl run of ~250.

Anything left over would be spent on coke and hookers.

wub wrote:

JamesHanvey wrote:So what would you rather spend your £500 on?

Professional mastering for 3/4 tracks then a vinyl run of ~250.

Anything left over would be spent on coke and hookers.

you wont get mastering and 250 records for under 500 i reckon.

I'm gonna hijack this thread in a minute.

first though, I think online advertising is a massive waste of money. you won't reach the ones you want to reach, as (and let's take '130' as an example) your designated public most likely already follows your every step as soon as there's some kind of information available. a lot of "heads" are thirsty for new stuff, and guys like Plata and Mssingno got much hype coming their way even before they released anything. same goes for Facta's or Beneath's new label.
oh and CDs are dead, don't even think about going down that road.

that being said, pirate mode: anyone know how much mastering and a 100 record run costs, approx.? purely out of curiosity, really.

Pete maybe?

jrkhnds wrote:
that being said, pirate mode: anyone know how much mastering and a 100 record run costs, approx.? purely out of curiosity, really.

Pete maybe?

Agreed in that CDs are probably not the way to go anymore, I have used them as a free giveaway promo tool at band gigs and that, but I think near everyone would rather just have the digital files rather than a cd (I know it's a pain for me to have to rip a cd and my car stereo is ONLY usb or bluetooth). Though if I hear a band or producer I like when I'm at a night, I'll always pick up a cd rather than nothing.

As for costs, mastering, good quality for vinyl, you'll be looking at approx. £60 per track, sometimes less. But that's the going rate for the big mastering houses. The problem with the vinyl production is the price really does soar per unit under 500. At 300 I think it's about £2.75/£3.00 production, maybe a bit less. At 100 I imagine you'd be looking close to £4.50+. And that's if you can get a pressing plant to even pick up the phone at that level of units.

Genuinely if you're looking to promote yourself at a small niche level, you can do a couple of things, the first and foremost, and I cannot stress this enough (outside of making bloody good music), is be a regular face on the scene. Go to related nights, travel if you have to, build up your network, meet like minded producers, promoters, label owners and punters. If you have a budget, consider holding your own event, booking acts you can connect with, and a headliner to draw a crowd. Build up your following , etc.

The number one thing is to put the effort in and get out there and meet people.

This is of course, after you are 100% you are putting the best music you can out into the public domain. Get feedback from friends and other producers, but none of the soundcloud like bs. Only when you are vibing on your own stuff (and regardless of subjective views) people can hear and appreciate the craft of your music, should you begin to think about pressing it.

Moving this over to the production forum also

I had a look & have spoken to some people about it and for a run off 100 it was about £450. larger numbers are way cheaper to do per unit.

thanks for the information. much appreciated!

pete_bubonic wrote:

jrkhnds wrote:
that being said, pirate mode: anyone know how much mastering and a 100 record run costs, approx.? purely out of curiosity, really.

Pete maybe?

As for costs, mastering, good quality for vinyl, you'll be looking at approx. £60 per track, sometimes less.

How much is it for mastering which is only going to be distributed over places like itunes, spotify etc. so, no CD or vinyl involved, just the digital

JamesHanvey wrote:

pete_bubonic wrote:

jrkhnds wrote:
that being said, pirate mode: anyone know how much mastering and a 100 record run costs, approx.? purely out of curiosity, really.

Pete maybe?

As for costs, mastering, good quality for vinyl, you'll be looking at approx. £60 per track, sometimes less.

How much is it for mastering which is only going to be distributed over places like itunes, spotify etc. so, no CD or vinyl involved, just the digital

I think 20/25 quid is the standard, make friends with a mastering engineer and pay less! Though there are other costs involved getting it to itunes. You'll need a digital aggregator account with the likes of cdbaby, tunecore or alike. Plenty about.

This is a great article discussing those costs and who to go with.

http://aristake.com/?post=92

JamesHanvey wrote:

pete_bubonic wrote:

jrkhnds wrote:
that being said, pirate mode: anyone know how much mastering and a 100 record run costs, approx.? purely out of curiosity, really.

Pete maybe?

As for costs, mastering, good quality for vinyl, you'll be looking at approx. £60 per track, sometimes less.

How much is it for mastering which is only going to be distributed over places like itunes, spotify etc. so, no CD or vinyl involved, just the digital

Around 25 - 40 quid per track.

Okay, cheers. Definatley have a read of that. How about, as you said, getting your face out there, attending events etc. Is it just as simple as applying to play a set at a club? Not sure how to go about doing it

JamesHanvey wrote:Okay, cheers. Definatley have a read of that. How about, as you said, getting your face out there, attending events etc. Is it just as simple as applying to play a set at a club? Not sure how to go about doing it

Go to the nights that connect to your music, or that you share a proper passion for. Being a regular face counts for so much. Then when you think you have a good idea of what you could bring to the night, or if something you make, mix or produce could contribute to it, put a mix cd together, or just ask for the promoters email so you could send over a few tunes. If you don't mind playing for a couple of beers, then ask about warming up the night for them.