Comments on: The Frustration of Self Distribution http://blog.vivisectingmedia.com/2005/12/the-frustration-of-self-distribution/ Looking at the world of media: from music to RIA. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:39:09 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: James http://blog.vivisectingmedia.com/2005/12/the-frustration-of-self-distribution/comment-page-1/#comment-36 James Wed, 14 Dec 2005 18:04:24 +0000 http://james.fakescience.com/blog/?p=9#comment-36 <p>That’s a great question. Too be honest we dropped the CD idea for Cell Culture due to the costs and jumped right into building the store (and have not yet finished mixing the album, ha!). After talking about this issue with a few local bands and store owners most agreed that it may be better to just sell the CDs then give them away.</p> <p>There is a fine balance between the two in my opinion. Good press helps build the reputation of the band or the label and can open more doors for following releases. But, does it directly translate to more sales?</p> <p>It may be that the translation of press to sales can be blocked by some of the distribution issues. Most people want to buy from a “trusted” store front like Amazon or now someone like CD Baby. They have built a reputation over the years as a place to buy music and you will get what you buy. Unfortunately for smaller labels and sites the reputation is not there yet and less people are willing to take the risks of making the purchase from these sites and therefore more people pass on making the investment.</p> <p>Another possibility is continued press and buzz. A few articles here and there may initially boost a few sales but unless this buzz stays around and grows the momentum can be lost. This means pushing more albums out and cutting deeper into any possible profit. This is where gigging can help, but as you mentioned a lot of acts don’t play out that much. This is definitely something that we are spending a lot of time thinking about and talking to others about. As we come up with ideas I will try to spout them out here.</p> That’s a great question. Too be honest we dropped the CD idea for Cell Culture due to the costs and jumped right into building the store (and have not yet finished mixing the album, ha!). After talking about this issue with a few local bands and store owners most agreed that it may be better to just sell the CDs then give them away.

There is a fine balance between the two in my opinion. Good press helps build the reputation of the band or the label and can open more doors for following releases. But, does it directly translate to more sales?

It may be that the translation of press to sales can be blocked by some of the distribution issues. Most people want to buy from a “trusted” store front like Amazon or now someone like CD Baby. They have built a reputation over the years as a place to buy music and you will get what you buy. Unfortunately for smaller labels and sites the reputation is not there yet and less people are willing to take the risks of making the purchase from these sites and therefore more people pass on making the investment.

Another possibility is continued press and buzz. A few articles here and there may initially boost a few sales but unless this buzz stays around and grows the momentum can be lost. This means pushing more albums out and cutting deeper into any possible profit. This is where gigging can help, but as you mentioned a lot of acts don’t play out that much. This is definitely something that we are spending a lot of time thinking about and talking to others about. As we come up with ideas I will try to spout them out here.

]]> By: gse http://blog.vivisectingmedia.com/2005/12/the-frustration-of-self-distribution/comment-page-1/#comment-35 gse Wed, 14 Dec 2005 00:08:21 +0000 http://james.fakescience.com/blog/?p=9#comment-35 <p>Yah, we've gone through this exact math a number of times. The sad part was that we ended up not releasing a bunch of things because we knew we'd lose (a lot of) money. So we changed strategies and went a little less "professional" and a little more "DIY". Results so far seem decent, though they do make me ask myself about marketing.</p> <p>Related posts: <a href="http://www.antisleep.com/archives/2004-07-29_0272.php" rel="nofollow">The Wordclock limited release strategy</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.antisleep.com/archives/2005-12-05_0329.php" rel="nofollow">Some info about our first release</a> of this style</p> <p>How much success have you guys seen with the "send 250 out for reviews and radio"? Most of our artists don't/won't gig much, but I've not found that type of promotion to equate to much w.r.t. sales. Great reviews, a couple of interviews in pretty notable magazines -- that helped us book better gigs for one band, so they were useful in the big picture, but had no discernable direct effect on sales.</p> Yah, we’ve gone through this exact math a number of times. The sad part was that we ended up not releasing a bunch of things because we knew we’d lose (a lot of) money. So we changed strategies and went a little less “professional” and a little more “DIY”. Results so far seem decent, though they do make me ask myself about marketing.

Related posts: The Wordclock limited release strategy

Some info about our first release of this style

How much success have you guys seen with the “send 250 out for reviews and radio”? Most of our artists don’t/won’t gig much, but I’ve not found that type of promotion to equate to much w.r.t. sales. Great reviews, a couple of interviews in pretty notable magazines — that helped us book better gigs for one band, so they were useful in the big picture, but had no discernable direct effect on sales.

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