Last week I discussed an overview of distributing your music
online. This week’s article is a discussion about the physical distribution of
your music.
Today, physical music is more than just the CD. The packaging that goes with your music
conveys your style and the style of your music.
Make it eye catching, add some images from a stock library, add some
effects to the images, and then layer them one on top of the other.
I use these three main software programs to do the graphics
on my CD cases.
·
Adobe Illustrator
·
Adobe Photoshop
·
Perfect Photo Suite
·
A variety of effects from Photomorphis
I usually use a photo that I take of myself, and then add a
bunch of effects to it, add some text like my name and the album title, and
then convert that to a PDF or JPEG for printing. You can do that for the cover jacket, the
back jacket, and the inside cover. Don’t
forget the image for the CD itself. Try something that matches the album cover
so that they all tie in together.
Don’t forget liner notes as a possible addition. These printed pages could engage your
listener by telling your story, and you can include your lyrics. You may even consider a nice 8 x 10 glossy of
your face for someone’s wall!
You could distribute physical copies of your music by
putting it on a CD and selling it at performances, or you could sell it though
Amazon’s warehouse, and a host of other similar warehouse-stores willing to
store and ship your CD.
I mentioned CD’s above, but you could also press your music
to vinyl. The record players that are
out there today are portable and gorgeous.
Vinyl could be a good way to find a niche audience for your music.
And talking about niche audiences, you could even rip your
music to cassette tape or 8-track.
Now that’s cool!