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Where to get CDs packaged/pressed?


Blurry

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I've been wondering what a band has to go through to press vinyl. Vinyl targets actual fans so a band doesn't have to make so many, but the packaging is so important to a vinyl release. I wonder why the Barr Bros. haven't put their album on vinyl. What would it cost? Is it just too expensive?

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Blurry I just did a very short run - 100 copies - with Indie Pool and all has gone well so far. I'll report back when I have the product. Great thing about them is they'll press in 5 business days. And they really pare everything down to no frills if that's how you want it, and then you pay extra for every option from shrink wrap to glossy disc face. However I feel that you should only go with them if you're looking for a short run.

If you're looking for 500-1000 copies, talk to Accudub on Bathurst Street.

Bouche, you've guessed correctly, pressing vinyl is prohibitively expensive. However I agree that it is the only way to go. I only went the CD route because the 7" I've planned to press for a while has been held up at the plant (partially my fault for dragging ass).

In fact I played on a friend's record and yesterday she e-mailed me asking whether I thought it was worth pressing vinyl. This was my response:

"On nights when we actually sell merch, we often sell double the number of LPs as we sell CDs. At the very least, they are on par. The CD is a quickly-dying format, when was the last time you bought one? I can't even remember. For the remaining (relatively) few who want to pay for music, many of them want vinyl. If it's not available, they'll simply download or take a pass on you altogether.

Put it this way - paying for your music is now a choice people make in order to support the artist. They're certainly not buying it because that's the only way to hear it - it's not. The tide has shifted in music-fan-land to favour vinyl, so why not cater to the people to whom you will most likely sell most of your records? All of the major chains are carrying vinyl again; all the high-end stereo places are carrying new turntables; everybody from Kid Rock to Coldplay to Neil Young to Neil Diamond is offering their new releases on vinyl. It's a no-brainer.

In short, offering only one of the two dominant formats is equivalent to ignoring half of your potential customer base. I say, make the investment - you'll be glad you did."

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I spent about $1200 getting 500 7inch records pressed... The records are about to arrive this week - Reggae Party is the track - Listen to it here: www.houseofdavidgang.com and it's a split with Friendlyness & The Human Rights.

I'm testing the waters here, dunno what the interest is going to be like. Hopefully good!

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I spent about $1200 getting 500 7inch records pressed...

That's a good deal! You must be doing them without jackets am I right? Just paper sleeves? I bet you'll sell a bunch...what are you gonna retail them for?

My 7" test pressings arrived today...pretty stoked.

Our Huron LPs, if memory serves, cost us about $9 each for 180g records, full colour jacket and label, full-colour plastic download card and hosting, black-and-white insert, plastic sleeve, and shipping. Pretty hefty when you consider that you can manufacture a CD for $2 and change. And the profit margin narrows considerably of course. But it's what people want...I hope they become a little cheaper (or it becomes acceptable to charge a little more for them).

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