Promo pack advice

[framheim]

See i'm sort of torn between two options

1) just send out a leaflet and cd in the hope that the music will shine through (of course not in your opinion because we suck in your eyes )

2) Spend a little time and money, which i rarely have these days, on making the cd lookin snazzy and hope the music does the same job.

go for number 2 but replace the word snazzy with professional and you're onto a winner. if you're gonna do it, do it properly.

[black_matter]

go for number 2 but replace the word snazzy with professional and you're onto a winner. if you're gonna do it, do it properly.

What's the deal with getting a professional cd made with cd producers? would I give them a master copy and they would print say....200 cds with covers etc?

[framheim]

What's the deal with getting a professional cd made with cd producers? would I give them a master copy and they would print say....200 cds with covers etc?

i wouldn't worry about getting properly pressed and mastered cd's if it's just a demo you're sending out, but make sure it sounds and looks as good as you can afford. don't bankrupt yourself on something you're giving away free though. you have to give the impression of being professional though, you want it to be your profession right? then you've got to put some work into it.

[Old Gold]

It's not worth getting hung up on the packaging. Promo packs go to people who will want to promote you in their own way.

Let the music do the talking.

[Guest Jake Wifebeater]

Never does any harm to chuck in stuff like badges and stickers, maybe even a patch if you feel like it. Cheap enough to do.

[davewarden]

(of course not in your opinion because we suck in your

.

Until I become god you dont have to worry about that very much.

[Michael MacLennan]

See i'm sort of torn between two options

1) just send out a leaflet and cd in the hope that the music will shine through (of course not in your opinion because we suck in your eyes )

2) Spend a little time and money, which i rarely have these days, on making the cd lookin snazzy and hope the music does the same job.

Personally speaking, as someone who gets sent a few local promos nowadays (not too many though, I'm not of very much importance...) I'd actually go for option (1), providing that you actually take some time in the leaflet to eloquently explain what you're about. I don't really think it matters if the CD labelling is all snazzy, once it's in the player - and most people won't prioritise demos unless they've had personaly recommendations from someone they trust, so it's not going to make too much difference before then - it doesn't really matter anyway...

[GraemeC]

A biog and picture should fit on 1 side of an a4, the cd should sound and look as professional as you can afford, use a single jewel case or even a cardboard sleeve.....1up will sell you some, and do some sticker labels for them on yer pc.

Oh and three tracks is more than enough.

IMHOFWIW....

[Stupot]

I like to see: 1. A 3 track CD that looks reasonably pro, (not a tatty, grubby stick on label or worse felt tip pen!) A cardboard wallet is fine as long as some attempt has been made to give it a bit of gloss. A plastic see through wallet is fine too if your CD has been properly printed. Make sure the band name, track list and contact details are on the CD body. All the tracks should be strong, no fillers. Make the first track your best. If you can afford to have your CD mastered, then do so. It's not a good impression if the listener has to turn up his CD player in order to hear your music.CDR is perfectly fine. You need to order a minimum of 500 units to get a CD pressed. If you do this, you need to be sure of selling at least 100-150 to break even.

2. A photo of the band. 10 x 12" B&W is the industry standard, but any decent pic is fine.

3. A single A4 bio stating members, influences, bands played with, venues played.

A record label will want to know how many gigs you play a year as well. If you play once every six weeks, a label or promoter will wonder why.Yes I know it's unfair. Personally, I concentrate on the music, but, not all will. If you tour, this is an advantage as you're likely to sell more records.

A lot of the time, your stuff will sit in a pile or end up in the bin. This is normal. Nobody does as much A&R anymore. I listen to demos in the car. If a track jumps out while driving, it's a good 'un.

Persevere.

[black_matter]

Until I become god you dont have to worry about that very much.

I didn't lose sleep. Although my backs been killing me. See you putting me under all this stress!

[Jim Stax]

I like to see: 1. A 3 track CD that looks reasonably pro, (not a tatty, grubby stick on label or worse felt tip pen!) A cardboard wallet is fine as long as some attempt has been made to give it a bit of gloss. A plastic see through wallet is fine too if your CD has been properly printed. Make sure the band name, track list and contact details are on the CD body. All the tracks should be strong, no fillers. Make the first track your best. If you can afford to have your CD mastered, then do so. It's not a good impression if the listener has to turn up his CD player in order to hear your music.CDR is perfectly fine. You need to order a minimum of 500 units to get a CD pressed. If you do this, you need to be sure of selling at least 100-150 to break even.

2. A photo of the band. 10 x 12" B&W is the industry standard, but any decent pic is fine.

3. A single A4 bio stating members, influences, bands played with, venues played.

A record label will want to know how many gigs you play a year as well. If you play once every six weeks, a label or promoter will wonder why.Yes I know it's unfair. Personally, I concentrate on the music, but, not all will. If you tour, this is an advantage as you're likely to sell more records.

A lot of the time, your stuff will sit in a pile or end up in the bin. This is normal. Nobody does as much A&R anymore. I listen to demos in the car. If a track jumps out while driving, it's a good 'un.

Persevere.

Doesn't get any better than that really

:up:

[soundian]

I like to see: 1. A 3 track CD that looks reasonably pro, (not a tatty, grubby stick on label or worse felt tip pen!) A cardboard wallet is fine as long as some attempt has been made to give it a bit of gloss. A plastic see through wallet is fine too if your CD has been properly printed.

I've been told by several A&R and managers that they don't really give a toss what the CD looks like, or even the production, as long as it's listenable. It's the songs they're interested in.

And a permanent marker is infinitely preferable to a tatty, grubby sticker. Even if the pen comes off in your CD player, it'll do a hell of a lot less damage than a sticker will being ripped off at 3000 RPM.

[Jim Stax]

and

I've been told by several A&R and managers that they don't really give a toss what the CD looks like, or even the production, as long as it's listenable. It's the songs they're interested in.

And a permanent marker is infinitely preferable to a tatty, grubby sticker. Even if the pen comes off in your CD player, it'll do a hell of a lot less damage than a sticker will being ripped off at 3000 RPM.

Says the rest. In terms of labels on cd's. Go for a full face proper label or marker pen. Small stickers, as Ian has said tend to screw up the playing of the cd. 'From experience'

[Stupot]

I've been told by several A&R and managers that they don't really give a toss what the CD looks like, or even the production, as long as it's listenable. It's the songs they're interested in.

And a permanent marker is infinitely preferable to a tatty, grubby sticker. Even if the pen comes off in your CD player, it'll do a hell of a lot less damage than a sticker will being ripped off at 3000 RPM.

I was thinking more of the neato type cd labels, which can look not bad if done right. If it was just a gash paper sticker I wouldn't even play it.

If someone has arranged with me to send me something, I don't care what it looks like. If it's unsolicited, it's nice if they've made an effort.

A&R guys always say that to people. Salt, pinch of, for the taking of.

[cow tipper]

imho...

don't bother with a photo. if you're going to include a picture of yourselves then just incorporate it onto the biog itself (something that will photocopy well). very very very few cds get sent out with glossy photos these days. nobody cares and they go in the bin. we're all digital now and can just go to the band's website to see their pretty faces.

biog-wise, just something short to introduce yourselves. list any noteworthy bands you've played with and MOST IMPORTANTLY include all contact info/weblinks and a list of gigs you've got coming up.

don't bother wasting money with fancy packaging for the cd. just have your band name and contact details written on the cd itself and shove it in a plastic wallet. two of the best demos i ever got (union/bloc party and youthmovie soundtrack strategies) just had hand-scrawled cds. the bloc party cd didn't even have the song titles on. and the ymss 'biog' was just a couple of hand written sentences describing their sound and listing the gigs they had coming up in high wycombe...

if you're sending to a&r, then remember most of them have an attention span of no more than 20 seconds for an unsolicited demo as far as the actual music is concerned.

[cow tipper]

I've been told by several A&R and managers that they don't really give a toss what the CD looks like, or even the production, as long as it's listenable. It's the songs they're interested in.

^ truth. i've yet to meet someone who gives a toss about the packaging of a demo.