CD
Prerelease
Checklist
Presented at July 18, 2011 meeting of
SONGWRITERS ON CENTRAL
Feel
free to print this off. If you have questions start coming to the
meetings or contact Erick at info@erickhovey.com
or visit his website for the best of Iowa blues... www.erickhovey.com
Free current listings of blues and americana stations available upon request.
THANKS ERIC.
PRODUCT PREP.
Copyright: recommended for added protection in the event of a law suit.
Tracking and Royalty Collection
UPC:
Universal Product Code (Bar code). Used to
track inventory, distribution, and sales.
Nielsen
has SoundScan & BDS (Broadcast Data Systems) Tracks
sales & Reports real spins respectively.
Performance
rights organizations: 3 in
ISRC:
(International Standard Recording Code). The
digital fingerprint of a song used for royalty collection.
Sound
Exchange: collects royalties from Satellite ,Internet radio, Cable TV, etc.
for streaming sound recordings.
Information Display
CDDB
(Compact Disc Data Base) Displays info. on
Windows Media Player when online.
All
Music: Displays info. on any media player
Gracenote:
Registers info. for iTunes. Yahoo, AOL, etc..
ID3
Tags: Shows Artist, song, year, genre info. for iTunes, WMP software, and
hardware like iPod, Sony Walkman
Packaging
Green:
Recycled paper, natural inks, biodegradable sleeves.
Spine:
Easy to read in a rack.
Track
info: Intro to voc., length, end (cold or fade) as an insert.
Contact
& Track info. on disc too : Could get
separated from packaging.
WEB PREP.
Create
an official website. Gear it to the music
industry audience / Offer both high
& low res. files for various media applications.
Download
page: Song description (tempo, mood, feel, subject matter), lyrics,
instrumental versions, bit rate choices.
Distribution:
Aggregator or direct
Data
base, file management: Keep
track of mailings, airplay, press, contacts etc./ Keep a journal of activity /
Prepare bios, requests, followups, links, etc. to quickly
copy and paste or print when needed.
WORK IT
Traditional:
print media &, radio (2-3 mo. lag time)
New: blogs, podcasts, websites (1 wk. lag time
Social
Media: MySpace, Facebook, Twitter (ongoing).
Radio Why
radio? Many DJs promote their shows in types of media (all of the above) outside
of the actual radio broadcast. /
Spins on shows that are syndicated, allow an artist to get a song out to
millions of listeners at once.
Prospect:
Learn how to find & navigate radio station sites./ Find submission
policies (full length mastered CDs favored over mp3s) / Locally produced
programs / Show or DJ address if possible / Start big with syndicated and
reporting stations but have some print media presence first.
Submit:
1 page bio/coverletter with wide margins.
Follow
up: 2 weeks domestic, 3-4 international (some stations prefer you check
posted playlists)
Fan
hot spots
ID
tags: Hi this is
& your listening to
Give
away: Often results in play of entire CD. / Works well at Public Radio fund
drive times.
Interviews:
Skype for international. / Landline better than cell.
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