So, You Want To Be A Singer? by Diva Joan Cartwright, Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10 - GIVE-AWAYS AND SALES TIPS SO, YOU WANT TO BE A SINGER? by Diva Joan Cartwright

After producing a demo in a studio, you must be concerned with duplication and packaging. You can do it yourself, which is a lot of labor that you must consider when setting the price of your CD. Unless you have invested in a CD burner ($600-700) you must burn CDs on your computer, one by one, or take your master to a reproduction company to get copies. The more tapes, labels, covers and jewel cases you order, the less they cost per piece. The general amount to begin with is 500 or 1,000.

Compact disks cost from 80 cents to $2.00 each
500-1,000 Labels, covers and cases cost $500
Artwork costs between $250 to $1,500, depending on paper, photographs, graphics, colors, size of leaflet, etc.

You need at least one hundred (100) demo CDs to send out with press packages to radio stations, booking agents, promoters and club owners. Your family and friends can be your best promoters. Fans will buy your product at gigs, only if you display them and remember to offer them to the audience. Always display your product during gigs. A professional DVD of your live performance is a necessity, today.

Sales Tips:

CDs sell from $10 to $20, depending on how much music is on them. Have friends and family buy 5 to 10 CDs as gifts for their friends
Place your music on consignment at small record and book stores for a commission of $3-5 on each sale
The library system will buy your music for each branch (10-30 copies)
Lesser known distribution houses will buy 10 to 100 copies of your product at a reduced price
Expose and sell your CDs and digital tracks on the Internet at sites like CDBaby.com, MP3.com, netradio.com, Cdnow.com, Amazon, Ebay and many more. Surf the net to find the appropriate venues for your product.
Get a PayPal account. This is the best way to manage your own sales. You pay a little for the service, but it's worth it!