By Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan

Authors of The Indie Band Survival Guide, The Complete Manual for the Do-It-Yourself Musician,
2nd Edition (Macmillan); creators of the 15-hour online course, Making Money with Music
(CreativeLive); and regular contributors to Electronic Musician magazine, including
the free weekly web column, The DIY Advisor.

[Chertkow and Feehan] are the ideal mentors for aspiring indie musicians who
want to navigate an ever-changing music industry.Billboard magazine
 If youre sitting down to tackle making
an album, theres a lot to think about.

From clearing the rights for your cover songs to converting the cover art to the right format, there are a number of issues
that can trip you up, or cause the album to take a lot longer than youd expect. Some musicians get so lost in handling the
technical production of the album that they forget to generate publicity and create buzz about a new release.

This checklist organizes everything that goes into making an album from beginning to end to help you plan everything
ahead of time so there are no surprises. Planning ahead will not only help you make the album as good as it can be, it will
let you focus on promoting your album to maximize your sales. Think of it as your checklist before heading out on a long
trip. You dont need to do everything thats listed below, but our goal here is to list everything you may want to do, so youre
reminded of what you should tackle and when.

Before you start How this checklist is organized

This checklist may be a bit overwhelming at first since it Weve divided the steps in this checklist into three phases:
lists everything. But keep in mind that doing it yourself
Phase One: Making Your Album
does not mean do it all yourself. There are a lot of places
you can go to get help. In the second edition of our book, Phase Two: Preparing for the Album Release
The Indie Band Survival Guide: The Complete Manual For Phase Three: The Album Release Show and Post-Release
The Do-It-Yourself Musician, we discuss how to work with
your fans, friends, and family to help you succeed so you
Check out the updated second edition
can focus on the music and building your fan base. These
of our popular, critically-acclaimed
are the people who form the foundation of your skill,
book, The Indie Band Survival Guide.
opportunity, and business partner networks. But if you
Its nearly 400 pages of practical
cant find what you need within your network to help you
advice covering everything about
with some of the steps of making and promoting an
being a musician and doing it yourself
album, you can also use a host of other services, tools,
without a label. The comprehensive
and professionals.
book tackles topics that include

In this checklist well not only offer you advice for what getting distributed; getting heard; playing live; creating a

you need to do, well highlight all the areas where Disc web, mobile, and social presence; getting publicity; building

Makers can help you. By choosing what to do yourself, a brand; and creating and utilizing your network.

what to have friends and fans help with, and what youd
If youre focused particularly on making money with your
like a professional service to do, you can stay focused on
music, or if you learn better through video presentation
what only a musician can do: working on your music and
than books, you can get our 15-hour comprehensive online
building your fan base.
educational course Making Money with Music through
CreativeLIVE.com.

Helping musicians succeed since 1946 | www.discmakers.com 3

 The Complete Checklist
Phase One: Making Your Album Start your publicity campaign
(Part I: Your own network)...............Page 19
Pre-recording and planning steps........Page 5
Recording steps.................................Page 7 Start your publicity campaign (Part II: The
outside world)................................. Page 20
Mastering and post-production steps..Page 7
Legal steps....................................... Page 8

Replication and digital distribution steps Phase Three: The album release
........................................................ Page 9 and post-release
Artwork and design......................... Page 11 Submit your CD for online sales........ Page 21
Replicate the CD.............................. Page 13 Add your CD to Gracenote................ Page 21

Legal steps (Part II)......................... Page 21

Phase Two: Preparing for the Update your website and web presence
Album Release (Part II)........................................... Page 22

Pick a release date........................... Page 14

Prepare for online sales................... Page 15 Phase Four: Repeat!
Prepare your audio for
promotional purposes...................... Page 16

Plan your album release show, listening

party, and/or tour dates.................. Page 16

Get your album merchandise

and promotional materials............... Page 16

Plan and prepare a publicity campaign

......................................................Page 18
 The number one mistake Ive seen artists make is to not
PHASE have enough product to sell, says Tony van Veen, CEO of
Disc Makers. Whether at a show or selling through the
web, the easiest sale you can make is to a person who has
already bought from you in the past. Think about it youre
at a gig, you have a captive audience excited about your
performance. If youve only got your one, sole album there,
and they already own it, what else can you sell them?
Youve got the opportunity to drive incremental revenue
from these customers, but nothing else to sell. Thats a

Making Your Album place where artists just leave money on the table.

Rather than leave money at the table by focusing all your

time, money, and energy on one album, think of it as a
Whenever we ask our favorite recording engineer, John collection that can be packaged and released multiple
Lisiecki, about recording techniques and equipment, times. For instance, set out to make one main album and
he always waves his hands in the air and says, Youre a series of additional albums or EPs (Extended Play, a
jumping the gun! How you record something is secondary short album of four to six songs) with material based on
to what youre recording. In other words, the music is the the songs of the main album. That way, while youll focus
most important thing. Its the centerpiece of your album, publicity efforts on creating awareness of the main album,
and the most important part of the recording process. It you can also build your discography and back catalog with
can also be the most fun. a series of EPs such as:

Pre-recording and Songs that didnt make the cut (outtakes and b-sides).

planning steps Live versions of some of the songs found on the

main album.
Before you even hit the record button,
Original demos of the songs found on the album.
there are a few things to consider.
Acoustic versions of some of the songs on the album.
Remixes of some of the songs on the main album.
Are you making an EP, an album, or an
A commentary album where you talk about the music
album series?
much like a director talks over the movie on a DVD.
As we emphasize in our course, Making Money with
Music, when it comes to increasing sales of your music, These extras are not only ideal for increasing your product
the formula turns on quantity. It takes a lot of time and line to boost sales, but theyre also perfect rewards to
energy converting one person into a fan who is willing incorporate in any crowdfunding campaigns you may
to purchase your music. It takes less time and energy do. Generating pledges and getting backers to pledge
getting a fan who has already purchased some of your additional funds often turns on the rewards you can offer
music to purchase swag and additional music from you. them. Having acoustic or other versions of your songs
This is where having a back catalog of music to sell available as special rewards going only to top pledges can
comes in. help maximize the amount of funding you receive and
can make the difference between an unfunded and
funded goal.

Helping musicians succeed since 1946 | www.discmakers.com 5

Choose your songs
It should go without saying that your album should
TIP
contain your very best music. This is where the concept of Involve your street team, aka your most die-hard
producing an album series becomes helpful its easier fans. Let them get behind the scenes on early
to cut the songs that arent the best but still give them mixes and get their feedback on your music. Theyll
a home on another release thats a part of the series identify the best songs and maybe even start
(outtakes and b-sides). suggesting a running order or album title. Not
only will this continue to develop the relationship
Focusing on honing your songwriting skills should be a between you and your fans (and make your street
part of this process, and its one of the most difficult things team feel special), it will generate buzz within your
to include on a checklist. As John Ondrasik says in Disc fan base as to what youre working on and start
Makers Songwriters on Songwriting Guide, Songwriting is the promotion ball rolling.
an exercise in failure. For every good song you write there
Consider releasing some of these early mixes
will be dozens of ideas, pieces, attempts that never make
as part of your album series to generate buzz
the cut.
within your fan base. Also, if youre crowdfunding,
Additionally, you need to decide if youre recording all providing early mixes and behind-the-scenes
original songs or if youre including cover songs. If one or access to the process makes great rewards that
more of the songs are covers, then youll need to clear the can boost pledges from backers. To learn more
rights so you can record it. If theyre original songs, then about crowdfunding, watch our classes Elements
youll still need to keep track of who wrote what and who of a Crowdfunding Campaign and How to Run
owns the sound recordings as we recommend later in a Successful Campaign from our online course,
this chapter. Making Money With Music.

Record at home or at a Rehearse

professional studio? Whether you choose to record at a professional studio or
Professional studios cost money, but they have the in a home environment, rehearse and arrange the songs
know-how and talent to make your recordings sound before you step into the studio or begin to record. This will
radio-quality. However, time is a factor since studios save you time and money. Some musicians write out parts
typically charge by the hour. Recording at home costs using sheet music, while others record their practices or
money up front, but pays off over time the more you preproduction demos as guides they can refer to later
record. Of course, one of the hidden dangers of recording while in the studio. Do whatever works best for you, but
at home is you can spend months or years perfecting be prepared before you start the recording process.
just one song!
Fine tune your gear and instruments
Whenever you record, make sure your gear is up to the
task. You dont want to use instruments or cables that
crackle or cut out or amps and speakers that play right
Disc Makers Home Studio Handbook is a great most of the time. If you play drums, make sure you have
resource if youre looking to get recording tips for fresh heads. Put new strings on your guitar a few days
the studio or building a home studio of your own. before the session in fact, you should change your
strings for every 24 hours of play time, especially if youre
recording. If youre recording at a studio, bring extras of
everything as time is money, and always make sure you

Helping musicians succeed since 1946 | www.discmakers.com 6

have fresh batteries! At a recording studio, the meter will mastering studio called The SoundLAB. Keep in mind
be running while youre out at the store buying supplies. that while mastering can make good mixes sound great,
Get them ahead of time. it cant always make a bad mix sound good.

Recording steps Mastering and

Recording is part science and part art. Theres no right way
to record, but many people have an opinion about it. Well
post-production steps
stay out of the debate and keep our tips here simple. Mastering is frequently misunderstood by musicians.
Often its seen as an extra step thats not necessary.

Make mixes, listen, get feedback,

This misconception can be easily dispelled when you hear
and repeat what a mastering studio can do for your music. Getting
Record your parts, listen, get ideas, and make decisions your album mastered will (among other things) equalize
on what to change, add, or re-record. When filming movies, the entire album, edit minor flaws, eliminate hum and hiss,
directors get copies of what was filmed that day (called apply noise reduction, adjust stereo width, adjust volumes,
dailies). Youll want to get mixes of what you recorded so and add dynamic expansion and compression. Mastering
you can get feedback, get new ideas, make any necessary can make the difference when it comes to licensing and
changes, and make sure youre on track. Get others to placement of your songs on TV, movies, and commercials,
listen to your tracks and solicit feedback. and it can get your album noticed and played on radio and
other media outlets where the quality of the sound
Make final mixes is important.
When the time comes, youll produce the final mix.
With more and more musicians recording at home,
Listen to the final mixes on many speakers to hear how
professional mastering can make even more of an
it sounds. Mastering your album after mixdown is highly
impact. As Brian Lipski, senior mastering engineer at
recommended. Disc Makers has its own in-house

Hear what mastering can do for your music

Writing about mastering is like dancing about cooking: your best system challenge it. Compare the
it needs to be heard to be understood. You can hear before-and-after sound quality in your car, through
before-and-after samples of Disc Makers mastering your TV, on a boom box, and with headphones.
houses work online on The SoundLABs website. Put it through the test. Youll hear the difference in
each of these settings and come away with a better
Better yet, you can request a free CD comparing understanding of what mastering is and how it can
before-and-after samples so you can hear it on your really put the polish on your music.
home sound system. But dont just listen to the CD on

Helping musicians succeed since 1946 | www.discmakers.com 7

The SoundLAB at Disc Makers says, If youre recording Decide the track order for the album
and mixing in a small project studio, with less than ideal
This can be one of the hardest parts (especially if youre
acoustics and only a small set of near field monitors, be
in a band as everyone has an opinion!), but determine
aware that certain frequency ranges (particularly the low
your preferred song running order for the album in advance
end) may not be reproduced accurately. Over the course of
so you dont waste time on the clock debating your
many days or weeks working in this environment, your ears
song order.
will become used to this inaccurate sound and you will tend
to over mix or EQ those frequencies to compensate. The
Decide on the amount of space
result may be a mix that sounds severely unbalanced when
played back on systems outside of the studio. between songs
A mastering house usually helps with this as the space
Given the tools and experience mastering engineers have, between the songs helps set the pace of the album.
they can identify the problem areas of a mix and fix it to Sometimes youll want the next tune to kick in immediately,
help you achieve a balanced mix one that sounds great other times youll need to give a song some time to
regardless of the system its playing on. breathe before launching into the next song.

Choose a mastering house

Legal steps
Although you probably need to record somewhere local
Before you can ask Disc Makers to mass produce copies of
to you, you are not tied to home for mastering. Mastering
your disc, there are a few legal issues to clear first. You are
houses are only as good as the specialists they employ
required to sign an Intellectual Property Rights Declaration
and the rooms they inhabit. When looking for a quality
(IPR form) declaring that all the music on your album is
mastering house, youll want to hear examples of their
original and owned by you. If all your music is original,
work and determine if its the right sound for you.
youll check that box and move on. However, if you record
any cover songs or incorporate any copyrighted samples
Have the right formats and ask what files
or loops, you have to provide proof that you received the
they need proper permissions. Thats where the next steps come in.
Confirm with the mastering house which format they
require for your music (i.e. wav, aiff, but never MP3).
The SoundLAB accepts masters on audio CD; data files
Document who owns the songs and
(.wav, .aiff, FLAC, etc.) on CD-R, DVD-R, flash drive, or sound recordings
via upload; Digital Audio Tape (DAT); DDP file set (on CD, If youre in a band or collaborating, co-writing, and
DVD-R, flash drive, or via upload); or 1/2 or 1/4 co-recording your music with another person, you should
analog tape. document who wrote what while youre making it.

Most musicians think mastering houses only work with Items you should document include:
your final mix, however some will ask you to prepare two Who owns the copyright in the song and/or how writing is
separate mixes one with a mix of just the music and split among the songwriters.
another with just the vocals. This allows them to adjust the
Who owns the sound recording(s).
vocals in the mix so theyre not too loud or buried in the
mix. It also allows them to make radio edits by dropping
Additionally, you should document who the publisher is.
obscenities so radio can play the song over the airwaves.
Publishing is too large a topic to cover here. If you want

Helping musicians succeed since 1946 | www.discmakers.com 8

details on publishers, see the chapter on Your Rights
Clear the legal status of all the artwork
in The Indie Band Survival Guide, which covers rights,
ownership, and licensing. Just like you need permission to use cover songs, youll need
permission to use any graphics, fonts, or photographs you
dont own. One way around this is to use pre-cleared and
Get permission to record any cover songs
royalty-free artwork or artwork and photos youve taken or
or use samples or loops commissioned. In addition to paid stock photo services,
Cover songs are any songs that you or your band members there are numerous open source and free graphics
did not write. For instance, if you decide to record your own resources you can use by searching these keywords.
version of Freebird, you need to get permission from the
copyright owner and pay a license fee to duplicate it. All CD Clear the legal status of all the text
manufacturers will ask you to guarantee that youve done
If you intend to print the lyrics to a cover song you got
this before printing any copies of your disc. This is true
permission to record, this needs a separate license. Its
even if you have no intention of selling your version of the
one thing to get permission to record the cover song, its
cover song. Its the duplication of it that makes it a copy
another to type out the lyrics. Under the law, there are
under the law, not selling it.
actually two different things that youre copying. As a
result, youll need to get permission to copy the lyrics to
Additionally, any samples and loops you incorporate into
the liner notes of your album. If you dont, its best to leave
your music need to be cleared as well. One way around this
them off. And, yes, technically you need permission from
is to use samples and loops that are already pre-cleared
yourself to print the lyrics to your original songs!
and royalty-free. Most sample libraries or discs sold at
music retail stores and sites are royalty-free. Also, some
Get permission for guest musicians
musicians create and release their own pre-cleared and
royalty-free samples and loops licensed under Creative Ever see a sentence in a CDs liner notes that reads:
Commons. For example, ccmixter is one such resource. So-and-so guest musician appears courtesy of so-and-so
label? This is usually due to exclusivity clauses in the
labels contract that bind the musician to the label. To the
extent you collaborate or work with a musician signed to
a label, youll need the labels permission for them to
For help and for all the forms youll need, participate. Youll want to ask the guest musician if this is
including an IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) something that needs to be done.
form and design forms, check out the
Disc Makers website.
Replication and digital
If you want more information on recording cover distribution steps
songs, loops, and music copyright, you can also
While compact audio players, the Internet, and distribution
read the Your Rights chapter in The Indie Band channels such as iTunes, Amazon, and file-sharing rely
Survival Guide, which includes practical and on compressed file formats such as MP3s, CDs remain
detailed information on the rights you have to your the highest-quality format to deliver your music. Plus, if
music, how to register music copyrights, how to you want to get radio airplay or do a press campaign, they
license your music, and how to set yourself usually expect a CD.
up as your own publisher so you can fully
profit from your music.

Helping musicians succeed since 1946 | www.discmakers.com 9

 Determine how many CDs to make
Do you want five CDs? 100? 500? 1,000? 5,000?
To learn more about selling your CDs online or Essentially, it all turns on your goals. Are you going to
getting them digitally distributed, head to the promote your release to the press? New media? Are you
members section of CD Baby. going to target college radio? Are you going to focus on
podcasts and music blogs? These decisions will help you
Selling at shows has a lot of components to it, reach a decision on how many CDs youll want to make.
and is a broader topic that we cover in our book.
Read the Your Gigs chapters in The Indie Band To determine the size of the print run that makes the most
Survival Guide to learn more about maximizing economic sense, you should do your best to estimate the
your sales at shows. amount of copies youll need for:

Your press campaign. Determine the number of press

outlets, both new and traditional media, you plan to send
a CD to.
Online distributors such as CD Baby will sell and deliver
Your radio campaign. Determine the number of CDs you
your CD to the world, but youll likely find that the bulk of
plan to send to radio stations.
your CD sales occur at shows. Its the most personal way
you can sell your music to a fan, and its usually an easy Promotional copies. Estimate the number of CDs youll
sale: after a great show, fans often want their own copy of need for promotional purposes such as giveaways,
the music. Plus, CDs are usually the biggest money makers contests, fan thank-yous, etc.
since the cost to produce them is far less than what you Free copies. Determine the number of CDs youll pass
can sell them for. out to your fellow band members, family, friends, street
teams, etc.
If youve released a CD in the past, check your sales
Copies for sale. Estimate the number youll want on
from shows and determine the total units sold, and if you
hand to sell for a profit. If you have past sales figures of
havent started tracking this yet, start doing so. Once you
CD and digital sales of your music, you can use these to
know this, and factor in give-aways and promotions, you
project the number you expect to sell through show CD
can calculate a break-even-point on how many CDs you
sales, online CD sales, consignment sales, and any other
expect to sell and how many youll want to order.
physical CD distribution.
Of course, some fans will prefer digital access to your
Decide on the type of packaging (jewel case, sleeve,
music, and one way to provide it and improve music sales
etc.) and insert
at shows is to offer digital download cards. These cards
allow you to sell digital downloads from CD Baby at gigs, You have a host of options to choose from. Disc Makers
conferences, and wherever you go. offers jewel cases, slim cases, eco-friendly Digipaks and
wallets, jackets, paper sleeves, and more. With regard to
Manufacturing CDs booklets, the options are too numerous to mention.

Depending on how many you order, how fast you need

Merchly offers affordable custom t-shirts, hoodies, hats,
them done, the kind of package and insert you need, and
and promo items for your merch table, with free ground
your shipping choice, your cost per CD could range
shipping on every order.
anywhere from under $1 to $4 or more. Once you know
your cost and number of giveaways, you can determine When it comes to radio campaigns, the CD case you pick is
how many you need to sell to break even. See all of important. CD libraries used by radio stations, journalists,
Disc Makers packaging options and get an instant quote.

Helping musicians succeed since 1946 | www.discmakers.com 10

and reviewers are modeled around the size of a standard also sells blank media, including blank CD-Rs with your
jewel case. So, to the extent your goal is to get your CD in artwork silkscreened on them, which adds a level of
the hands of radio and the press, youll want to keep this professionalism to your small-run CD manufacturing.
in mind.
Digital download cards
However, every rule is made to be broken. George Hrab,
Just like iTunes sells gift cards that allow the purchaser to
a successful indie musician and podcaster out of
buy any music from its site, you can sell your own digital
Pennsylvania, has done a fantastic job packaging his
download cards specifically for your album. Disc Makers
CDs in unique ways to help them stand out from the crowd.
can create custom-printed cards with your albums artwork
For example, one of his CDs comes in a tin box, another in
for downloads on CD Baby.
an embossed paper sleeve, and another in a large DVD-
style box. All of them feature detailed liner notes, photos, On the back are instructions and a unique code that allows
and other extras. Each one stands out as a piece of art, your fans to download your album. This is a great way to
giving his fans a genuine reason to buy the physical CD, sell your music at shows or wherever your fans are. For
and his sales have benefited from this approach. anyone who prefers digital files of your music, just stash a
stack of download cards in your wallet and youre ready to
Get design templates and use qualified design services
sell your music on the go.
If you or you graphic designer is designing your CD cover
and art, always use Disc Makers design templates for your
artwork and supply the art to the specifications
Artwork and design
of our printers. If you dont, it may cost you time and One of the things that separates a CD from an MP3 is the
money down the road to get it right (not to mention artwork, design, and depth of information you can convey.
your own grief and frustration). Below is a comprehensive list of what you may want to
consider for your album art.
If you dont have a qualified designer in your network,
seriously consider using the Design Studio at Disc
Choose a name for the album
Makers. As we talk about in the Get Publicized
chapter of The Indie Band Survival Guide, the press and Think of how the name will appear not only on the album
media often judge your work by how things look. Imagine but also how it will sound when you refer to it on your
what youd think if you were a music critic and got a CD website or through your social networks. Plus, you want to
burned from a computer with a band name scrawled in think of how it will appear within music players
permanent marker. Creating a professionally designed disc like iTunes, Spotify, and other stores.
sends the message that youre serious about your music
and they should take it seriously as well. Get a UPC barcode
If you want to sell your album in a retail store or online
Print your own discs through CD Baby or other aggregators, youll need to have
a unique Universal Product Code (UPC), or barcode. In
Depending on your specific needs for quantities and addition, the primary sales tracking authority, SoundScan,
customization, it may save you money to do your only tracks albums with barcodes. If your release becomes
duplicating yourself. Disc Makers has its own line of CD/ a big hit, but doesnt have a barcode, SoundScan wont
DVD duplicators and printers, priced anywhere from $200 know about your sales. The Billboard charts, as well as
to over $3,000. Keep in mind, this is just the equipment other charting authorities, base their rankings on these
cost. Youll still need inserts, ink, cases, and blank discs SoundScan numbers.
(preferably one without a brand logo on them). Disc Makers

Helping musicians succeed since 1946 | www.discmakers.com 11

 Liner Note Checklist
Must-Haves Optional
Album Title Where and when the album
was recorded
Artist/Band Name
Where the album was mastered
Copyright and publishing
information/notices for: Who played what

Music (original or covers) Producer/Engineer(s)

Artwork Running times for songs

(this is helpful for DJs to know if
Text youre seeking radio play)

Guest musicians
Performance Rights Organization
the songs are registered to Other albums for sale and where
(if applicable) they can be purchased

Track Listing Song notes

Your website Lyrics

Key social networks Thank yous

(Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

Contact Information You never

know where your CD may end up.
Be sure to include ways you can
be contacted.
 Replicate the CD
Once all the artwork is finalized and your album is mixed
Disc Makers offers promotional materials and mastered, youre ready to get it replicated.
including posters, postcards, stickers,
and more that can be printed with your
Collect your materials
CD artwork and logos.
You need five things when you send in your CD order:

Your audio master on CD-R or ready to upload

Your design files ready to mail in or upload
Payment
Hire a professional designer for your
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) documentation
artwork and design
A signed quote form
As mentioned already, the artwork and graphics on your CD
are almost as important as the music inside especially Your audio master
when it comes to promotion and publicity. Make sure your audio master (the disc youre sending
of your finished recording, or the file you are uploading)
If graphic design isnt among your talents, find a
sounds and functions exactly the way you want it to. The
professional graphic artist either in your network, a
finished discs you get back will be an exact match of the
reputable local designer, or via The Design Studio at
master you send (unless youre ordering post-production
Disc Makers. How much CD artwork youll need depends,
mastering), so its important that your master sounds
in part, on your packaging, but in general youll need
exactly the way you want it to, with all of the tracks in the
to design:
correct order and the right amount of spacing between
Cover art songs. Always make a safety copy of your master before
Tray card you ship or deliver it anywhere.

On-disc print
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and mechanical licenses
Booklet/liner notes Before Disc Makers (or any CD manufacturer) can legally
reproduce the product youre ordering, you need to prove
A design studio can do more than just prepare album that you own the rights to the music. Without a completed
artwork. You can also use them to generate a good set IPR form, your order cannot go through to production.
of logo images ready to go for your website, T-shirts,
merchandise, banner ads, and more if you dont have them
yet. Merchandise plays such an important part of an indie
musicians income that its worth time to create a variety of
brand-related images based off your name and logo so you
Get more information and forms related to
can make an assortment of merchandise for your fans to
intellectual property rights, samples,
choose from.
copyrights, and more on Disc Makers website.

Helping musicians succeed since 1946 | www.discmakers.com 13

Proof your design files
Always proof your artwork, and have someone who is not

PHASE
involved with the creation of the artwork proof it as well.
Once approved, any missed errors or misspellings are your
responsibility, and youll have 1,000 or more copies printed
with the same mistake. Its a good idea to proof a physical
copy, not just an online PDF, as theres something about
holding a physical proof in your hands that can help you
spot problems better than checking images on a

Preparing for the

computer monitor.

Proof your audio master

Same goes for the audio master. Listen to it from start to Album Release
finish to make sure its flawless.

Dont hold up the production Album releases are a great way to generate buzz for your
music. This means you need to pick an official release
Your order wont be sent to print or replication until you
date far enough into the future to give you time to do all
have approved your proofs and audio master. If you order
the necessary things to build awareness about your album
a 10-day turnaround but take three days to approve your
and grow any publicity.
proof, youre adding time to the production process. Be
thorough, pay attention to detail, but get your work done
Its best to not set your release date until your CDs are in
quickly to ensure your production times arent delayed.
your hand. If you are going to publicize your album in the
traditional press or do a radio campaign, youll want to
set the official release date at least 8-12 weeks after
youve received the copies of your album from the CD
manufacturing house. If you forgo the traditional publicity
and radio route and focus more on running a new media
campaign (blogs, podcasts, etc), which craves immediacy,
then you can have a shorter lead time. Keep in mind you
still need time to get all your album-related merchandise
including T-shirts, posters, and other items in order.

Of course, this means youll be sitting on the album for a

while before the release date, but fight the urge to simply
release it to the public the moment you get it delivered to
your house. Following the steps below before the release
will help give your album the greatest chance for success
and sales.

Pick a release date

This date will be used on all of your press materials
(whether traditional or new media), fliers for your CD re-

Helping musicians succeed since 1946 | www.discmakers.com 14

lease party, and more. Once you have this date, you track sale, they handle all the business transactions. CD
can work backwards from it to plan out the time you need Baby is the webs biggest distributor of independent CDs,
for the rest of steps in this section. The official release and there are plenty of other outlets from which to sell your
date should give you enough time to make all the physical CDs and downloads.
necessary preparations.
While you can sign up with as many CD stores as youd
like (these are usually non-exclusive deals), there cant be
Prepare for online sales more than one distributor bringing the same album to the
same store (iTunes, Amazon, etc.). CD Baby will sell and
One of the big reasons you dont want to get your deliver your physical CDs (and vinyl!) as well as make your
albums back from your CD manufacturing house and music available in all the major digital distributors including
simply release the album to the public is that it takes time iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music.
to get it in the stores, both physical and digital. Youll want
it available for purchase while youre busy promoting it Create your albums profile and upload
to encourage sales. Otherwise, youre wasting part of the your albums artwork
benefit that your hard-earned publicity is generating.
Most distributors ask you to fill in the details about your
album and songs at their website. Heres what you should
Pick your CD/digital distributor and have available for the online stores:
sign up
Album title
You want to make your album available everywhere. CD
Artist or band name
and digital distributors are your ticket to worldwide sales.
In exchange for the fee and/or cut of the album or song Album summary (a one-line sentence about the album)
Album description
Genre
Track names, order, and timings
Songwriters and publishers
Indieguide.com has an enormous amount
of content related every facet of the music Album cover art ready for upload
industry as well as how-to information to help Your bio/artist description
you navigate your music career so you can
Your website
recognize and make the most of
Key social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
every opportunity.
Your contact information
The Disc Makers Blog is a rich resource for
Your logo
any independent musician. From posts with
in-depth recording tips and interviews with Since your distributor will likely share whatever
producers to step-by-step information you enter into their database with other
tutorials on using social media and creating stores, getting this information right and thinking through
press kits, the Disc Makers Blog provides what youre entering is important. A typo, misspelling, or
actionable insights for independent artists. half-thought-out description about you and your music at
this stage will be replicated across the web, and even if you
fix it, the search engines will keep the mistakes for quite
some time afterwards. Get someone else to check it over!

Helping musicians succeed since 1946 | www.discmakers.com 15

 TIP Plan your album release
show, listening party,
Make it easy for someone to buy your music.
Keep a list of the hyperlinks where your music is
and/or tour dates
sold handy (your CD Baby album page, your iTunes If you play live, your CD release show will become an
page, etc.). These hyperlinks are the ones youll be integral part of the next step your publicity campaign.
going back to again and again as you add them
to your website, a new web presence, in your A live show to support your album release gives you an
newsletter, in your email signature, or on a press additional reason to contact the press and media and keep
release. Youll also want to add them to other them updated. If you dont play live, then throw a listening
offline promotional items you create such as party. As we say in The Indie Band Survival Guide, publicity
your postcards, stickers, and posters. is all about multiple impressions. To the extent you plan
a tour in support of the album, this gives you additional,
If the hyperlink is too long or hard to remember, targeted places in which to focus your publicity efforts.
you can create a shortened URL for it. Services
like tinyurl and bit.ly will shorten lengthy URLs. If you are going to play live in support of your album, start
Some will allow you to come up with your own cementing venues and dates early. While in the past most
custom name. musicians had to play locally or in concentric circles from
where they reside, you now can tour more effectively by
playing shows where your fans are. We recommend using

Prepare your audio for Eventful.coms free and powerful Demand tool. With this
tool, you can target (and budget) your tour based on where
promotional purposes your fans are and where they want you to go.

Make MP3s from mastered WAVs Get your album

If you intend to promote your music through podcasts, MP3
blogs, Facebook, Twitter, or the press, having ready-made
merchandise and
MP3 versions of your music will save you time and energy. promotional materials
Youll want album-related merchandise ready for sale
Tag and name MP3s correctly by your release date.
Audio promotion is not simply encoding WAVs to MP3 Once
you send an MP3 of your music out in the world, you dont
know where itll wind up. You have to fill out the ID3 tags
Album-related T-shirts and merchandise
and add the album art so anyone who ends up with your Since you are doing all of the publicity and marketing for
MP3 on their phone or music player knows who you are your new album, you can get the most out of your work by
and where to find more of it. After all, your music is your having merchandise and T-shirts created to sell along with
greatest sales and fan generation tool. your new album. Merchly offers affordable custom T-shirts,
hoodies, hats, and promo items for your merch table.

Helping musicians succeed since 1946 | www.discmakers.com 16

 Album Release Show and
Listening Party Checklist

Some of the steps youll want to cover for the

all-important first show or listening party of your
album include:
Booking the venue.

Scheduling your CD release show/listening party in advance with

enough lead time for all your publicity efforts to pay off.
Give yourself about 8-12 weeks.

Involving your street team and inviting them in advance.

Sending an announcement to your mailing list.

Updating your music rsum documents, website, and web presences.

Writing a press release about the show/party.

Sending the press release at least 8-12 weeks in advance for traditional
media and one to two weeks for new media (sometimes even the day
before or day of).

Put up posters and get a CD display case to the venue a few weeks
before the show to introduce their regulars to your music.
Posters, postcards, stickers, fliers
Having posters and sending out postcards to advertise your
new album and shows is a tried and true way to generate
The Importance of Video
promotion. Because they have much of your artwork, Disc
Makers makes it easy and affordable to print posters, Whats the biggest music search engine in the
postcards, and stickers for you to help you promote world? YouTube. In fact, video is possibly the
your release. only true viral media on the web. Beyond being
an amazingly powerful medium for generating
Plan and prepare a awareness and sales of your music, it also can

publicity campaign be monetized and generate revenue for you.

To learn more, watch Making Money From
The following material has filled many books, so rather YouTube from our online course,
than go into detail about how or why youll want to do all Making Money With Music.
the steps below, well simply list them out so you dont
forget to do them.

Plan your PR campaign

up a Google Alert with your band name, as well as the
This should be your overall strategy for the album and any
name of your album.
live shows you do in support of it. Most bands do both
a traditional media campaign (newspapers, magazines,
Update your music rsum documents
radio), as well as a new media campaign (podcasts,
music blogs, MP3s, entertainment blogs, Last.Fm). (Part I)
Your music rsum contains the following important
Promotion requires creativity brand elements:
Publicity is not just compiling lists and following steps
mechanically. It can and should be fun and creative. Your bio
Its at the planning stage that you should be channeling Your fact sheets
the same creativity you put into your music to build
Your online press kit
excitement and buzz about your upcoming album.
Your offline press kit
Here are some planning ideas to get you started: Your tour schedule
Hold a contest
Other PR documents with the new album information
Make a video
Let your fans remix a track These are the documents that youll either send out (to the
press, bloggers, music reviewers, etc.) or need updated
Partner with a blog or podcast
online if they have questions or need more information.
Updating these now will save you time and energy later
Set up alerts with your new album name
when you start sending these out or people start asking
and song titles you for them. Plus, by crafting the message, tone, and
Youll want to keep up-to-date on what people are saying language for your release and promotion here, you can
about your new album and songs. This is as easy as setting repurpose the content as you update your website and
web presences.

Helping musicians succeed since 1946 | www.discmakers.com 18

 If you find a website, blog, radio station, or podcast that looks
Prepare PR documents such as
like it may play your music but lacks details about submitting,
press releases reach out to the blogger, podcaster, or website owner directly.
Sending a press release is a simple way you can notify the Always obey the rules of submission. Dont miss out on
media of your album and CD release show. Theyre not that coverage by making a reviewers life more difficult.
difficult to write and there are free press wires that will help
you blast out your release to the media.
Start your publicity
Compile your target PR lists campaign (Part I: your
There are plenty of outlets within your arms reach that you own network)
can target to get your music reviewed and heard. This is a
Theres a lot you can do within your fan network to build
large topic and we tackle this throughout The Indie Band
buzz about your upcoming album.
Survival Guide. But, in short, youll want to compile a list of:

Album review press, magazines, zines, and websites Work with your street team and fans
Traditional local and national press Its people, not technology, who make things happen. Your
New media press fan network is no exception. Dont be afraid to involve them
and ask for their help. Keep your fan network up to date
Commercial, college, and public radio stations
about the upcoming album and give them exclusive cuts
Internet radio stations
from the album as a reward and to whet their appetites.
Music blogs
Involve your fan network early so you can create missions
Music podcasts
and steer their enthusiasm from random acts of buzz to a
Radio stations
coordinated effort thats in line with your overall strategy.
Non-music blogs covering topics in your niche
Non-music podcasts covering topics in your niche Update your website (Part I)
Other websites Once you update your music rsum documents, youre
ready to update your website to announce and feature

Maintain your own website

Dont rely on a social network to act as your website. web hosting service created for musicians.
Platforms like Facebook are important for promotional HostBaby features include responsive design
purposes, but these are your web presences. Every templates, an email newsletter tool, gig calendar,
musician needs a home base a site you control, streaming audio, video, guestbook, and blog/news
with your own domain, where youre not competing page tools. You also get unlimited email addresses
against advertising. @yourdomain. Often overlooked, writing from your own
bands domain name is a simple, consistent, and
If youre looking for a place to build and host your own effective branding and promotional practice.
website with your own domain, check out HostBaby, a

Helping musicians succeed since 1946 | www.discmakers.com 19

your new album. This should include blogging about the Send out your CDs, MP3s, and
upcoming release, but also could include adding songs and
press releases
videos on your site to generate interest.
Finally, its time to reach out and write or send your CDs,
MP3s, press releases, etc. to your targeted media.
Update your web presence (Part I)
Update your web presences with news about your upcom-
Put up posters and flyers
ing album (Facebook, Twitter, Eventful, etc.). Remind fans
about your mailing list and blog so they can stay informed If you purchased album-related posters and flyers, start
as to when the album drops. Add the radio single to your using them to spread the message about your upcoming
web presence audio players. release. Enlist your street team for help in distributing
these materials. Be sure to allow them to keep a few for
themselves as well.
Contact your mailing list
Nothing justifies a new newsletter or email campaign like
Follow up
announcing your upcoming album and shows and following
up with news of the promotion and press being generated. Youll want to verify that everyone received the CD (if
shipped) or MP3 (if sent or linked to through an email or
uploaded to a website). Most musicians fail to follow up,
Start your publicity but this gives you an excuse to make a second impression
campaign (Part II: the and get your name in front of the reviewer, blogger, radio
manager, or podcaster.
outside world)
The media lists youve compiled will become the focus Update your music rsum documents
of this phase. These are the people who should get your (Part II)
album in advance before the public (i.e. the press and
As reviews come in, be sure to update your music rsum
radio copies you planned for in Phase I). The goal is to
documents (bio, fact sheets, press kits, etc.), future press
generate reviews and build buzz about your album before
releases, website, and web presences with any review
the official release date when the album goes on sale to
quotes and clippings.
the public.

Note that how and when you approach the traditional

media and how and when you approach the new media is
different. This is a big topic if you want more information
about this, see the Get Publicized chapter of The Indie
Band Survival Guide.

Set up a tracking system

To coordinate a publicity campaign, youll need to keep
track of who, when, and where you sent your CDs,
MP3s, and press releases to. This can be as simple as
a spreadsheet that you complete as you send albums
or MP3s out, or something more elaborate, like an
off-the-shelf customer/relationship management
software system.

Helping musicians succeed since 1946 | www.discmakers.com 20

 PHASE

The album release and post-release

Most of the hard work will be behind you by this point,

but there are still a few things you need to do namely,
Add your CD to Gracenote
releasing the album for sale to the public. While your music If your fans are putting your CD into an Internet-enabled
is at the heart of what you do, your identity, image, brand, device (a computer using iTunes, for example), the
website, web presence, merchandise, and publicity is what computer is accessing an online database to match
you use to connect with your fans. Its what you need to your information to your CD. The information they see
focus on after the music is released, and its a big part of does NOT come from your actual CD. There are a couple
what we cover in The Indie Band Survival Guide. major databases online, and Gracenote is the largest.

Most of all, celebrate all your successes youve put in a To ensure your CDs song titles will be visible in Apple
lot of hard work! iTunes, Microsoft Groove Music, Amazon Music, and other
players and services, you need to register your album with
Gracenote. Disc Makers does it for you when you purchase
Submit your CD for a Mega Distribution Bundle with your CD order.

online sales TiVo Corporation now provides music metadata and

Youll want to give enough lead time so your CD can album information to AllMusic and other online services.
be available at stores and your music available for Read the Product Submissions page on AllMusic for
download at digital retailers such as iTunes, Amazon, etc. more information.
Unfortunately, timing is everything and the exact digital
release date is not one of the things you have direct
control over.
Legal steps (Part II)
Once your album is released, youll have all the information
Be aware that it can take days, weeks, or even months you need to register:
before your music is completely distributed and available.
1. Your song and sound recording copyright with the U.S.
Copyright Office. Your songs and sound recordings are
copyrighted at the time you transcribe or record them.
However, you should always register them with the US
Copyright Office. Doing so provides third party evidence

Helping musicians succeed since 1946 | www.discmakers.com 21

 that you claim you own the song or sound recording and
establishes a date. It It also gives you additional rights.
Waiting to register after the release ensures you have
all the information theyll ask you to disclose in their
Copyright, publishing, performance royalties,
forms (including the official publication date to the
and licensing your music for profit is a big topic,
public aka, the release date).
so for more information see the Your Rights
2. Your original songs with a Performance Rights chapter in The Indie Band Survival Guide or
Organization. Registering your songs with a PRO such as watch our class, 7 Registrations (You Must
ASCAP or BMI will ensure theyll know where to send the Do) Before Releasing Music from our online
checks when your song generates performance royalties. course, Making Money With Music.

Update your website and

web presence (Part II)
Be sure to update your website and web presences.
Some of the items you dont want to forget include:

Announcing the album is out and linking to all the places

it can be bought.
Promoting where youve been played (podcasts, blogs,
PHASE
websites, radio, etc.).
Posting any new positive album reviews.
Thanking those people and fans who helped make the
album a reality or helped promote the album.
Listing and thanking the blogs, podcasts, and websites Repeat!
that promoted you.
Asking fans/street team to continue to spread the
word and creating missions to keep them organized
Make more music!
and on task.
Work on your next album and repeat the steps weve
Updating websites you maintain presences on to
outlined in this guide. With every album release youll find
announce that the album is out and where it can
the process easier and easier. Youll have your systems
be bought.
down pat. Your name will gain recognition, and youll
Thanking those who helped (and cross-promoting accumulate more fans who can help. Youll start to build
when possible). relationships with the press, bloggers, podcasters, etc.
Asking fans to spread the word through their networks. When youve done that, promotional opportunities will start
to come to you.

Helping musicians succeed since 1946 | www.discmakers.com 22

 About the Authors

Randy Chertkow & Jason Feehan

Randy Chertkow is an IT specialist and Jason Feehan is an attorney. Billboard magazine has called Chertkow and Feehan
the ideal mentors for aspiring indie musicians who want to navigate an ever-changing music industry. Theyve written
three books with major publishers (Macmillan, Random House), teach music business (including a 15-hour online course
on Making Money with Music through CreativeLIVE.com), and are regular contributors to Electronic Musician magazine,
including the free weekly web column, The DIY Advisor.

Beatnik Turtle
The authors band, Beatnik Turtle a horn-powered geek-rock group has recorded 20 albums, released over 500 songs,
and successfully completed a song of the day project where they released one song for every day of 2007 at its website,
TheSongOfTheDay.com. Theyve written music for TV shows, commercials, films, podcasts, theatre (including Chicagos
world-famous Second City), and have licensed music to Disney/ABC Family and Viacom.

The Indie Band Survival Guide, Remixed Making Money with Music 15-Hour
and Remastered 2nd Edition Online Course
(St. Martins Press; 390 pages) Making Money with Music This 15 - hour online course
The Indie Band Survival Guide: The Complete Manual For focuses on how to make money without a label through
The Do-It-Yourself Musician is the ultimate resource for global digital distribution, licensing, merchandising, and
musicians looking to record, distribute, market, and sell royalties. The course also explores entirely new sources
their music. Chertkow and Feehan cover every step of the of income, such as affiliate sales, generating YouTube
process and lay out practical steps to get your music heard, revenue through ContentID, crowdfunding, sponsorships,
noticed, sold, and win fans worldwide. advertising, and more. Learn the seven registrations you
need to do before releasing your music so you get all of the
IndieGuide.com royalties youre owed; the 16 categories of places to get
your music heard so you can boost sales and royalty
IndieGuide.com is a free and open resource based on the
income; the three rules to a successful crowdfunding
authors books. It shares practical know-how, how-tos,
project; and more.
forms, and other information about todays music business.