Getting Our CD Released

JakeDobner

Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
5 News Pins

Posted on Aug 22 2006 06:21 PM

Instead of asking for labels to send our demo and such to let me ask this question... Anybody have any bad experiences with labels who we should NOT send our record to?

We just finished the mastering. Also any tips on what to send in? Demo... and what else?

We'd rather not self-release the record.

Thanks guys.

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bigtikidude

Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 25520
Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
United States

Posted on Aug 22 2006 06:27 PM

Jake,
I really recomend that you guys do release the cd your selves.
a. you get more of the profit,
b. you really know how many you've sold.
c. most lables (that might do it) aren't really doin a whole lot these days
d. it may be a bit more work, but worth it in the long run.
e. you can sell them in large quantitys to different places that sell cd's online.
and a few stores that do carry surf cds.

I prefer to buy cds from the bands direct,.
but if you do get it released by a lable, congrats on getting them to do it.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

—

Jeff(bigtikidude)

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surfneptune

Joined: Mar 16, 2006
Posts: 923
3 News Pins

Posted on Aug 22 2006 06:34 PM

I think being on a label helps you promote, it sends the message that someone else likes your music. Sort of a small guarantee that your band will be listenable before they (club owner) hears it. A door opener so to speak. My two cents.

—

THe NEpTuNeS

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PolloGuitar

Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 5089
San Francisco
United States

Posted on Aug 22 2006 07:53 PM

I'm curious as to what labels are actually releasing surf music these days. Sean and Double Crown seem to put out the most. Mel and Golly Gee, I don't really know what he's doing 'cause he isn't on SG101. Art and MuSick- maybe one release a year, he is wrapped up with managing the Boss Martians. So who's left? Unsteady Freddie said he was going to start a label at some point. Spinout- have they put out any new surf in years? Yep-roc definitely only wants touring, established bands. and that is the key #1 thing you could say to a label to convince them to put it out- "Yes, we are going to tour our asses off to support this record".
And what do you want a label to do with your CD? Pay for the manufacturing and distribute it, then promote it. You will never see a penny if they only print 1000. How many surf fans are there out anyway? There are only 433 people on SG101 now.
DIY- really is the best alternative. CDBaby will put your music online, in Itunes and distribute to Best Buy stores.
....
--fd

—

Buy Speed of Dark @ Bandcamp
Buy Spin the Bottle @ Bandcamp
My Blog- Euro Tour Blog
Pool Boys on Spotify
INSTAGRAM
Frankie & The Pool Boys on FB
Pollo Del Mar on FB
DJ Frankie Pool Boy on North Sea Surf Radio

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PolloGuitar

Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 5089
San Francisco
United States

Posted on Aug 22 2006 08:05 PM

One more thing. Tower Records filed for Chapter 11 today for the second time in two years. Many labels are refusing to distribute to them because Tower hasn't paid them.
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13845
--fd

—

Buy Speed of Dark @ Bandcamp
Buy Spin the Bottle @ Bandcamp
My Blog- Euro Tour Blog
Pool Boys on Spotify
INSTAGRAM
Frankie & The Pool Boys on FB
Pollo Del Mar on FB
DJ Frankie Pool Boy on North Sea Surf Radio

Top

bigtikidude

Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 25520
Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
United States

Posted on Aug 22 2006 08:19 PM

I remember when I used to work at the Import cd place that I'd hear about tower and warehouse routinely not paying us for months on end.
seems like the download thing is really hitting the stores hard.
maybe it was a good thing I got out.
the only way I loose my job now is if we have a bad drought like inthe 70's and everybody drains their pools again.

Jeff(bigtikidude)
sorry for hijacking the thread.

—

Jeff(bigtikidude)

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JetBlue

Joined: May 30, 2006
Posts: 746
Cool, CA
United States

Posted on Aug 23 2006 10:18 AM

bigtikidude
if we have a bad drought like inthe 70's and everybody drains their pools again.

Sorry for the threadjack, but that was skater heaven.

—

Don

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revmike

Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 3793
North Atlantic
Canada

Posted on Aug 25 2006 12:48 PM

Are there any labels that are releasing new surf regularly anymore other than Double Crown? I was talking to Melanie at Spinout, and she said they are having a hard time moving instrumental stuff. I know many of their recent releases have been a mix of vocal and instro, or just vocal.

Mike

—

Canadian Surf

http://www.urbansurfkings.com/

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bigtikidude

Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 25520
Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
United States

Posted on Aug 25 2006 06:17 PM

thats for 2 or more reasons,
1 people have a hard time tracking down surf/instro cd's.
2 alot of peolple burn cds form their friends.
3 some people are just happy with the cd collection they have, and don't really want to buy more.
4 money is tight for alot of people.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

—

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Top

Double-Crown-Records

Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 1223
42 News Pins

Posted on Aug 26 2006 11:50 AM

To be honest, I think the only reason I break even with Double Crown releases these days is because it is the only surf/instro label that puts out stuff on a regular basis. It was okay to have more than one label back in the day (5-10 years ago) because more people were into it.

For Double Crown, I am really trying to focus on bands that play more than just their home town. The Madeira and The Kilaueas are two examples - both of their CD's are selling well due to them hitting the road. Plus they're selling CD's at their shows - even if it's 5-10 CD's sold per show it adds up.

Having said this - the other reason I decide to release something is simply because I want to. It's all a hobby for me, that I make a little bit of money doing (about $3/hour - hah!). For example, I'd love to do a CD by the German Astronauts, but would it sell? Probably not!

Sean
Double Crown Records
www.dblcrown.com

—

Sean
Double Crown Records
www.doublecrownrecords.com

Surf CD's / Vinyl / Fanzines / DVD's
Aloha Screwdriver - Lunar Wobble CD
The Nebulas - Euphorion LP / CD
Supertubos - The Fourth Drive CD
Continental Magazine - Issue #37 w/17 Song CD

Top

JakeDobner Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle	Posted on Aug 22 2006 06:21 PM Instead of asking for labels to send our demo and such to let me ask this question... Anybody have any bad experiences with labels who we should NOT send our record to? We just finished the mastering. Also any tips on what to send in? Demo... and what else? We'd rather not self-release the record. Thanks guys. Top
bigtikidude Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 25520 Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.	Posted on Aug 22 2006 06:27 PM Jake, I really recomend that you guys do release the cd your selves. a. you get more of the profit, b. you really know how many you've sold. c. most lables (that might do it) aren't really doin a whole lot these days d. it may be a bit more work, but worth it in the long run. e. you can sell them in large quantitys to different places that sell cd's online. and a few stores that do carry surf cds. I prefer to buy cds from the bands direct,. but if you do get it released by a lable, congrats on getting them to do it. Jeff(bigtikidude) — Jeff(bigtikidude) Top
surfneptune Joined: Mar 16, 2006 Posts: 923	Posted on Aug 22 2006 06:34 PM I think being on a label helps you promote, it sends the message that someone else likes your music. Sort of a small guarantee that your band will be listenable before they (club owner) hears it. A door opener so to speak. My two cents. — THe NEpTuNeS Top
PolloGuitar Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 5089 San Francisco	Posted on Aug 22 2006 07:53 PM I'm curious as to what labels are actually releasing surf music these days. Sean and Double Crown seem to put out the most. Mel and Golly Gee, I don't really know what he's doing 'cause he isn't on SG101. Art and MuSick- maybe one release a year, he is wrapped up with managing the Boss Martians. So who's left? Unsteady Freddie said he was going to start a label at some point. Spinout- have they put out any new surf in years? Yep-roc definitely only wants touring, established bands. and that is the key #1 thing you could say to a label to convince them to put it out- "Yes, we are going to tour our asses off to support this record". And what do you want a label to do with your CD? Pay for the manufacturing and distribute it, then promote it. You will never see a penny if they only print 1000. How many surf fans are there out anyway? There are only 433 people on SG101 now. DIY- really is the best alternative. CDBaby will put your music online, in Itunes and distribute to Best Buy stores. .... --fd — Buy Speed of Dark @ Bandcamp Buy Spin the Bottle @ Bandcamp My Blog- Euro Tour Blog Pool Boys on Spotify INSTAGRAM Frankie & The Pool Boys on FB Pollo Del Mar on FB DJ Frankie Pool Boy on North Sea Surf Radio Top
PolloGuitar Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 5089 San Francisco	Posted on Aug 22 2006 08:05 PM One more thing. Tower Records filed for Chapter 11 today for the second time in two years. Many labels are refusing to distribute to them because Tower hasn't paid them. http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13845 --fd — Buy Speed of Dark @ Bandcamp Buy Spin the Bottle @ Bandcamp My Blog- Euro Tour Blog Pool Boys on Spotify INSTAGRAM Frankie & The Pool Boys on FB Pollo Del Mar on FB DJ Frankie Pool Boy on North Sea Surf Radio Top
bigtikidude Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 25520 Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.	Posted on Aug 22 2006 08:19 PM I remember when I used to work at the Import cd place that I'd hear about tower and warehouse routinely not paying us for months on end. seems like the download thing is really hitting the stores hard. maybe it was a good thing I got out. the only way I loose my job now is if we have a bad drought like inthe 70's and everybody drains their pools again. Jeff(bigtikidude) sorry for hijacking the thread. — Jeff(bigtikidude) Top
JetBlue Joined: May 30, 2006 Posts: 746 Cool, CA	Posted on Aug 23 2006 10:18 AM bigtikidude if we have a bad drought like inthe 70's and everybody drains their pools again. Sorry for the threadjack, but that was skater heaven. — Don Top
revmike Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 3793 North Atlantic	Posted on Aug 25 2006 12:48 PM Are there any labels that are releasing new surf regularly anymore other than Double Crown? I was talking to Melanie at Spinout, and she said they are having a hard time moving instrumental stuff. I know many of their recent releases have been a mix of vocal and instro, or just vocal. Mike — Canadian Surf http://www.urbansurfkings.com/ Top
bigtikidude Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 25520 Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.	Posted on Aug 25 2006 06:17 PM thats for 2 or more reasons, 1 people have a hard time tracking down surf/instro cd's. 2 alot of peolple burn cds form their friends. 3 some people are just happy with the cd collection they have, and don't really want to buy more. 4 money is tight for alot of people. Jeff(bigtikidude) — Jeff(bigtikidude) Top
Double-Crown-Records Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 1223	Posted on Aug 26 2006 11:50 AM To be honest, I think the only reason I break even with Double Crown releases these days is because it is the only surf/instro label that puts out stuff on a regular basis. It was okay to have more than one label back in the day (5-10 years ago) because more people were into it. For Double Crown, I am really trying to focus on bands that play more than just their home town. The Madeira and The Kilaueas are two examples - both of their CD's are selling well due to them hitting the road. Plus they're selling CD's at their shows - even if it's 5-10 CD's sold per show it adds up. Having said this - the other reason I decide to release something is simply because I want to. It's all a hobby for me, that I make a little bit of money doing (about $3/hour - hah!). For example, I'd love to do a CD by the German Astronauts, but would it sell? Probably not! Sean Double Crown Records www.dblcrown.com — Sean Double Crown Records www.doublecrownrecords.com Surf CD's / Vinyl / Fanzines / DVD's Aloha Screwdriver - Lunar Wobble CD The Nebulas - Euphorion LP / CD Supertubos - The Fourth Drive CD Continental Magazine - Issue #37 w/17 Song CD Top

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Getting Our CD Released