More on our Promo CD

[Raymond McCullough]

We've had some feedback from you on this and I think more detail would be useful.

 

First, this is a Promo CD only - NOT a commercial product, which would be on sale to the general public.   A Promo CD is a professionally produced quality CD, aimed at those people who are going to play on air, write about, or otherwise promote your music.  Most radio shows still prefer a proper CD (NOT a CD-R, which often fails and ends up in the bin!), though there are some who may accept new music via electronic means - e.g. Airplay Direct.  The 3 copies you will receive are NOT for you to sell, but for you (and your band) to see exactly what we are sending out to stations.

As there are no sales, the only way to cover the cost of production, (creation, levelling & CD design, plus production of 500+ glass-mastered CDs); and distribution, (packaging & mailing out internationally); is for the artists involved to share this cost.  We have based our idea/pricing on some existing models:  Country Music Hot Disc - Rush Released and New Christian Music - NCMdisc - both of which are recommended if your music overlaps into those genres.  I have used the NCMdisc for my own music and was very impressed with the airplay and feedback received.  There is also another Australian, Sounds Like Cafe CD, who are currently running their 32nd opportunity on SonicBids.

Sounds Like Cafe charge $5/submission, plus another AU$500 for those 'Selected' to be on the CD (reduced from AU$900!)  Both NCMdisc and Country Music Hot Disc charge the equivalent of $325 - plus another $80 (approx.) to be placed in the first 6 on the CD.  I know several of the artists who have used these latter two services, many of them for several different tracks.  We have based our ideas on these two, who have been doing this for quite a while.  But, initially anyway, we will not be charging extra for premier placing on our first CD - in other words, ours will be on a 'first come, first served' basis!

We have something in the region of 2-300 stations and other destinations (e.g. magazines, journalists) for the CD at present, but we hope finally to be able to send it out to around 400 stations, etc.  Some of these will be networks, which will result in airplay on many other stations.  

One change to what we previously stated - we will NOT be taking a deposit for the CD.  We have been advised against this.  To be on the CD, the full amount ($295) must be received, via Credit Card, or PayPal payment.  

We recommend that you check out the website links above, so that you understand the basis of the project.  Then have a good think about what you want to achieve with your music and how/if this Promo CD can fit in with your strategy.  Some artists are happy with live gigs and some airplay within their own area.  Some have already achieved some success and have a marketing/promotion system in process.  But for many of you, this may be a way of reaching a new market in one go - as opposed to manufacturing, packaging and mailing out individual CDs all over the world?

We will be expecting feedback from stations and presenters, in return for their receiving the CD.  We will be passing on this feedback to the artists participating as soon as we receive it.  Hopefully, there will be requests for more music as a result!  We have several hundred great artist and bands playing on our station and podcast show, whose music deserves to get out there to a wider audience.  If we can help to accomplish that, we will be well pleased!

One more thing!  Many of you are aware of local stations and folk/acoustic shows on your local radio. You may have had some success in getting airplay on these stations.  Perhaps you would consider sending us information about shows you would recommend, so we can add them to our list for the CD.  A contact email address, host name, show name and station would be very helpful.

Don't forget our other ideas for promoting your music - we received a station liner from Canada within an hour of sending out the previous email!  It is now airing on our Live365 station!  

Some of you have already joined our Celtic Roots Café - the new name for our Ning network site - where we now have 32 videos, many artist photos, a forum and a blog.  We'd love to see many more of you over there.  A simple status update there will post to FaceBook and Twitter in seconds.  Do the same thing with your videos, website  links, etc.  Share your music!

We'll be in touch again, soon.

[If you're reading this, but you didn't receive the original email, that's because we don't currently have a working email address for you!]

Beanneacht Dia!

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Raymond