why do smaller bands sell cds?

[dimafleck: the living legend.]

why?

i understand the record industry selling cds, becasue thats what they do... they distribute a totally useless medium and then complain when people don't give a shit to buy it....

why not sell download cards at concerts if you are an unsigned band??

download cards seems like a much better medium these days.

download cards should be sold in stores as well as cds. those, i would buy.

but i just feel jipped paying 20 bucks for a disc that i wouldn't play anywhere because every where i listen to music, its through my ipod.

ITS THE NEW MEDIUM I TELLS YOU.

fuck record stores. fuck all that shit.

the record industry should switch to download cards I TELLS YOU. DOWNLOAD CARDS!! think about it... there are so many places you could sell em.... specially clothing stores catering to specific music tastes... coffee shops. etc etc etc.

download cards.

Edited December 16, 2007 by Guest

[Ol'Hickster]

I think thast a pretty good idea acctually

[dimafleck: the living legend.]

its the new impulse buy sensation.

[Jay Funk Dawg]

I still listen to CDs.

[NewRider]

Download cards would be SO much easier to steal then those bulky CD's.

[dimafleck: the living legend.]

you listen to cds for the same reason my grandmother still listens to records.

[bouche]

I think thast a pretty good idea acctually

ha ha. yeah, like dima is the first person to come up with that.

smaller bands give away music all the time. have you heard of myspace? I'm not sure what he means by Download cards, but iTunes offers prepaid cards.

If you are in a small band and have spent the time to record, you cannot ignore pressing some CD's. That is a small investment compared to the actual recording process.

But going all out to make a cd that is going to cost 20 bones is the wrong way. 5 bucks max, and you'll sell your discs like hotcakes.

[headymamamyrna]

Cheers to your grandmother,Dima!!

[Weirdness]

Reason #1-Compressed music is not as good as the real thing

Reason #2-When your ipod craps out and you lose everything, you're fucked

Having a listen to Wish You Were Here on virgin Blue vinyl right now, LONG LIVE THE INDEPENDENT RECORD STORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[The Chameleon]

I think it is still important to do both. Digital dsitro is key and essential.

However, there is no real substitute for giving people, fans, businesse types, etc.. a physical representation of your work. Something they can hold.

It is also key to have merch to sell at gigs and at this point selling downloads at a show is not as effective.

Cds are still necessary to be taken seriously in the industry but that will eventually change.

[jonyak]

The band I have been playing in has recently just recorded an EP and we are only releaseing it this way. We give you a card and you go to the website and download th EP. I think we are chargeing like 2 or 3 dollars fr the card which has a code on it to download the EP.

I dunno about the bit rate we are offering it at but I think its above 192k.

[Burnt]

Reason #1-Compressed music is not as good as the real thing

Reason #2-When your ipod craps out and you lose everything, you're fucked

Having a listen to Wish You Were Here on virgin Blue vinyl right now, LONG LIVE THE INDEPENDENT RECORD STORE!

What he said.

I've found that the shelf life of a burned cd is generally several years and sometimes as little as 6 months before you start to encounter problems.

The shelf life of a commercially burned cd is longer then I'll be alive so that way I don't need to worry about making multiple copies of everything, just to keep from losing it.

Some of us don't own ipods either as we don't like inferior sound quality and do not bother with mp3's at all.

[AD]

when / if your digital media player craps out, you go to your backup to restore things. when you lose a cd, it's gone. unless of course you make a digital back up of whatever quality floats your boat.

there are benefits to both digital and hard-copy

[hamilton]

Some of us don't own ipods either as we don't like inferior sound quality and do not bother with mp3's at all.

Bingo.

[The Chameleon]

Some of us don't own ipods either as we don't like inferior sound quality and do not bother with mp3's at all.

Bingo.

I agree with this too. As someone in a working band I think is a bad thing to assume everyone that is a fan of yours that may want some of your music has a computer, an i-pod or deal with MP3's. If you do this you could cut yourself off from some people that like your music but are not so digitally inclined.

I for one (as many here know) detest MP3's. If I had my way any of my music would only ever be offered in lossless format.

[jonyak]

I agree with this too. As someone in a working band I think is a bad thing to assume everyone that is a fan of yours that may want some of your music has a computer, an i-pod or deal with MP3's. If you do this you could cut yourself off from some people that like your music but are not so digitally inclined.

I for one (as many here know) detest MP3's. If I had my way any of my music would only ever be offered in lossless format.

IMO it is pretty safe to assume that most people that listen to music have a computer and know about MP3's and how to use them.

What exactly about MP3's do you hate?

[Freak By Night]

As somebody who had 500 CDs pressed and packaged while part of a smaller band, I can attest that the 375 or so unsold CDs make great coasters long after your band has fizzled out. So everybody wins!

[Booche]

I didnt know you were in FerrisWheeler.

[Hux]

Is it Morning?

[Davey Boy 2.0]

spite and envy!

[PassedOutGuy]

[The Chameleon]

As somebody who had 500 CDs pressed and packaged while part of a smaller band, I can attest that the 375 or so unsold CDs make great coasters long after your band has fizzled out. So everybody wins!

It's the fact that MP3's are a lossy format. The minute you encode to MP3 you are degrading the sound quality.

Other than that they are convenient.

FLAC all the way.

..and even though it is 2007 not everyone has nor wants a computer for their home or music listening. I know more than a few people like this.

[Jaimoe]

FLAC all the way.

..and even though it is 2007 not everyone has nor wants a computer for their home or music listening. I know more than a few people like this.

I hate computers for music listening. It surprises me too that there are people who watch movies on a computer.

[jonyak]

I hate computers for music listening. It surprises me too that there are people who watch movies on a computer.

If you have quality hardware (ie: Soundcard, speakers) you will get better sound out of your computer than a stereo.

I mean people will spend thousands on receivers, why not spend a few hundred on a good soundcard as well and then run all your media off a computer. Hooked up to a tv, through a good video card will also give you better resolutions than most dvd players can get, or at worst the same resolution.

[Freak By Night]

As somebody who had 500 CDs pressed and packaged while part of a smaller band' date=' I can attest that the 375 or so unsold CDs make great coasters long after your band has fizzled out. So everybody wins! [/quote']

It's the fact that MP3's are a lossy format. The minute you encode to MP3 you are degrading the sound quality.

Other than that they are convenient.

FLAC all the way.

..and even though it is 2007 not everyone has nor wants a computer for their home or music listening. I know more than a few people like this.

Awesome. People quote me even when what they have to say has nothing to do with what I said!