Getting Your CD into the Marketplace is Only the First Step
by ICX
I received a question from a reader recently about getting distribution for his self-produced CD. I've also had a few friends in the past year get very excited about the possibility of signing with a new local label because the label had distribution through one of the major labels' independent distribution arms. Never mind that the label had no promotional and marketing budget; it's associated with a major label, so it must be the answer to all our problems!
I tried my best to caution them and anyone involved in trying to get their musical products to market. It's a mistake to think that getting your CD into stores is the answer to getting a significant amount of sales. Think about it: When you walk into Tower Records or FYE and see a CD by an artist you never heard of, are you going to pick it up, check it out and possibly buy it? Of course not.
And that's assuming it would even make it that far. Just because your album has distribution through a major network system doesn't mean it will ever get out of the warehouse. All the chains, and even the mom-and-pop independent stores, have buyers. They look through the catalog of new releases and pick what they will stock. If there are no requests for your CD, no buzz happening around its release, and no push from a record label, there won't be any orders from the stores. Why would they want to carry something that no one knows about?
Basically, it all still comes down to promotion. You have to get the word out in the street, whether by a promotional blitz, touring, word-of-mouth or local radio play. It's still going to take hard work and a lot of effort (not to mention some financial backing) to make it to the stores, and then you have to hope that sales follow.
No matter who may be distributing your product, you will have to do marketing and promotion, or the distribution is meaningless. To get the music, and your name, out there, you have a few options. If you have financing, you can hire a publicist and/or promotion company and they will publicize it for you. You can hire radio promotion people to try and get airplay, which is what you need if you want to break in a major way.
To do it yourself, you would have to take the example of a band like Hawthorne Heights. They each spent four hours a day on the Internet, using Myspace.com, purevolume.com, musicgorilla.com, etc. They also played live incessantly, anywhere and everywhere they could. Any website where they could promote themselves and get people to listen, they were working. It's a lot of work, but there's really no other way if you want to release the CD yourself.
There are a number of CD replication companies that include Internet distribution in their deal. If you order at least 1,000 CDs, they will have you on iTunes.com, Amazon.com, CDBaby.com or any number of other prominent websites. This is a great way to get your product available in the marketplace, but again, it won't work by itself. You need to get that marketing plan in place in order for people to know where to go to look for your music.
If you are a band that has an extensive touring schedule, that can be a big help. Make sure you let people know, whether it's by announcements at shows, printing on photos, cards, T-shirts, etc., that you are on websites that sell your music. Not only will you lead people in the right direction, but it gives you some credibility if you can land on a respected site such as iTunes.
Physical distribution can start in local stores; most will take your product on consignment, especially in small-town stores that try to promote local artists. If you show a few units being moved, which will be evident from Soundscan numbers, you will be able to go to larger distributors with some ammunition under your belt.
But even if that happens, keep in mind that distribution is not the panacea many believe. It's merely a tool that you will have at your disposal, and that can only be used with the right promotional plan behind it.
If you have any questions concerning this column or any other music business topic, send them to me at How To Succeed In The Music Business, P.O. Box 1422, Hightstown, NJ 08520. Or e-mail them to me at CaptainHal@aol.com.
