The "Releasing a new independent album" checklist.

Mark Wein

Mark Wein

Grand Poobah
Staff member
Anything I need to know? I should have mine ready in about 2 weeks.

I am using Discmakers for the manufacturing and buying their CD Baby basic distribution so it'll end up on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, etc.

Are there good places to send it for review? Any cool things that I' not hip to since I haven't released an album in 12 years?
 
maybe cehck out bandcamp too...? *shrugs*
not that we've ever made a sale thru it, but you never know.
 
I am taking notes. I would like to do one within the next two years.

Last album I was involved in was in 1986.
 
what about getting the cd to reviewers at the local papers?
especially college papers and the like.
kids buy stuff, I'm told.
and maybe hit up the radio stations, too?
not sure how you'd go about that for the bigger joints, but I expect you could just cold-call the colleges and the like.
that's what we did.

though half the time our bits never got aired, as we were drunk and very cursy :embarrassed:
 
Bandcamp is probably a good idea. I've purchased quite a few albums directly from there.

While college radio is a great idea for a lot of indie bands, I don't think a blues album will go over too well. Maybe try for a local NPR affiliate?


Sent from none of your fuckin' business!
 
Bandcamp is a good alternative to the CDBaby model, but I don't know if it really provides much supplement if you're already on iTunes and Amazon.

When we put out our last record, we sent a copy to the local paper, the local alternative monthlies, the local independent radio stations, and a few national presences that were genre-specific. In our case, that last category included "alternative country" archiving websites; in your case, you might send it out to the Blues guitar magazines or whatever. Printing CDs is the cheap part, might as well send 'em out, because you're not likely to sell them all :embarrassed:.

And don't be afraid to have them on you--we make very few digital sales, but move real copies pretty steadily. People are still willing to buy "artisanal" music, but they want the face-to-face.
 
yeah, I guess you got a point there, Andy.
I'm kinda thinking in terms of my band, not Mark's stuff :embarrassed:

Mark's realm is pretty foreign to me.
 
Peeker said:
what about getting the cd to reviewers at the local papers?
especially college papers and the like.
kids buy stuff, I'm told.
and maybe hit up the radio stations, too?
not sure how you'd go about that for the bigger joints, but I expect you could just cold-call the colleges and the like.
that's what we did.

though half the time our bits never got aired, as we were drunk and very cursy :embarrassed:
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Chicken Man said:
Bandcamp is a good alternative to the CDBaby model, but I don't know if it really provides much supplement if you're already on iTunes and Amazon.

When we put out our last record, we sent a copy to the local paper, the local alternative monthlies, the local independent radio stations, and a few national presences that were genre-specific. In our case, that last category included "alternative country" archiving websites; in your case, you might send it out to the Blues guitar magazines or whatever. Printing CDs is the cheap part, might as well send 'em out, because you're not likely to sell them all :embarrassed:.

And don't be afraid to have them on you--we make very few digital sales, but move real copies pretty steadily. People are still willing to buy "artisanal" music, but they want the face-to-face.
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I'll take a look at Bandcamp. I do have a Reverbnation account already..I guess being everywhere you can be is a good thing these days.

And since its not a rock album that does change the audience/niche that I'm marketing to. There are a couple of local blues DJ's I know via facebook or Tommy Harkenrider so I'll definitely lay it on those guys and there are a few other players who I think will dig it and might make mention via Facebook to their communities. Since it's not a "pretending its the 1950's" kind of blues album and some of the stuff is more funkier/soul/rock than Stevie Ray Vaughan I know lots of the die hard blues fans won't dig it. On the other hand I didn't make an album for THEM to dig, I made it for myself. If they dig it then its a bonus but I couldn't get excited about playing music contrived to curry favor with the blues nazis.

I figure I will sell some at gigs but I'm going to split that cash with the guys I'm playing with. The online sales and whatnot I'm going to keep.

Since I also have the album transcribed and included in my new book I'm hoping that will cross-pollinate sales, too:

1509237_10152220117267425_1328837822_n.jpg
 
In my experience, it is hard to get reviews, even in local papers, if you are doing "genre" music. Poor pop music seems more likely to get reviewed, and will usually get a good review.

Maybe you can call it Americana; the media seems to eat that up.
 
dodgechargerfan said:
See if there is a way to get the appropriate magazines to do a review.

http://bluesmusicmagazine.com/

or tap into the Blues Societies, amybe?
http://bluessocietynetwork.com/
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Definitely will look into those.
Gary Blanchard said:
In my experience, it is hard to get reviews, even in local papers, if you are doing "genre" music. Poor pop music seems more likely to get reviewed, and will usually get a good review.

Maybe you can call it Americana; the media seems to eat that up.
Click to expand...

Part of the problem is that I don't think the album is what people traditionally consider "blues". I've put the songs that are most bluesy on my Reverbnation page: http://www.reverbnation.com/markwein/song/17636667-pop but I think that it strays into other territories as well. The guys who have the "Thunderdome Practice Diary" have had access to rough mixes of most of the album and Id be curious to hear how they place it stylistically.
 
Gary Blanchard said:
In my experience, it is hard to get reviews, even in local papers, if you are doing "genre" music. Poor pop music seems more likely to get reviewed, and will usually get a good review.

Maybe you can call it Americana; the media seems to eat that up.
Click to expand...

Bilbo+Annoyed.gif
 
Modern Saint said:
I am taking notes. I would like to do one within the next two years.

Last album I was involved in was in 1986.
Click to expand...

Yeah- me too.

Last one I was involved in was never, but I have at least one or two albums worth of instrumental music already written. Enough ideas to "mine" for the rest of my life, & I'm always coming up w/new ones.

I should probably do something w/all this stuff-

I'm not getting any younger you know.

But wait...maybe I am! :idea::eek:

Phew...I was getting worried there for a second.
 
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