CD Pressing

***Please note that there are literally thousands of places to print CDs... These are either places people have brought up to talk about, places I recommend, or places come across on random internet searches.***

One of the heavyweight questions asked by bands that have just spent their time, money, and sanity locked away in their respective recording area to put their lifeblood into disk form is, "Ok, the cd is recorded... now what do we do with it?"

Well, depending on what you're trying to accomplish with your shit is what and where you'll want to go with. I'm only going to talk about short run cds vs. large run cds. Doing a cd completely DIY (packaging and everything) will be saved for another article and time as I'm sure we all have more experience in that route and this has not been explored as much. I'll try to explain what I look for in getting cds pressed, write about some places to look at, and give my recommendations.

-WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Overall in cd pressing I look for quality, price per cd (one of the most important points!), extra options, hidden fees, and turn around time. If you can think of anything I missed here then please comment and let me know. You really want to cover all aspects of what a company offers because each project is different and could make any of the things listed previously more important than the other.

For quality, it's obvious. You don't want to have a cd that looks like shit. It's kind of a bummer to buy a cd that looks like shit. It's part of the experience of buying a cd. Most companies will send you samples of their work with either a self-addressed envelope, a small charge, or my favorite... for free!

Price per cd is so important to me. This is the highest risk when determining what to do. It also is a good way to determine whether or not to go with a short or large run of cds. For example, I feel that any band that plays regularly in and out of town should sell at least 300 albums in their first year supporting it if they do it right. So, let's say that my band recorded an ep that we're going to sell for $5.00.

If I do a short run of 300 cds at $800.00 that is going to mean I am being charged about $2.67 per cd. This means I will have to sell160 cds to make my money back and have 140 cds left over for profit making $700.00. Not so bad, right? The bad thing about this, though, is that you're now out of cds and will have to spend another $800.00 for another run.

If I do a large run of 1,000 cds at $1,200 dollars that puts me at $1.20 per cd. Now initially this will not look as good as a short run of cds because you will need to sell 240 cds to make your money back with 60 cds making that initial profit. It puts you $300.00 in the clear. The big thing to look at here, though, is now you have 700 other cds to send out to radio, out to music review magazines (don't say there aren't any that will review general submissions, I will list some later as I write more articles... and yes, they are nationally circulated magazines), to your grandma... anybody! Also, let's say you sell 100 more cds total. With a large run pressing, you're not losing any money where as a short run press you have to sell another 160 for every run you do or you're going to lose money. Yes, I hate money but it is the only way to make your band function and grow, sadly.

Also, always look into special deals. One company that you go with might have a better regular price but another company might have a better temporary deal that would be worth your dollar.

***Just a quick note... Most short runs are CD-Rs and personally, I would feel like an asshole charging $5.00 for an ep printed on a CD-R. So, with my personal ethics I would calculate the CD-R short run pressed cds at $3.00 which would completely make the short run cds not worth your time.***

Extra Options is something I think people forget about when looking into getting their cd done. What can you do that might make it a little more kickass for a kid that's going to pick up your bands cd? Enhanced cds are not only special but are becoming the norm of having a release right now. Inserts are a good way to maybe push your other merch or a cause you feel strongly about. Most of these things come at little to no cost now and should be taken advantage of. Always exhaust every option you can get out of a company. These small things are only going to help you connect with a listener and make it better for everyone. I know what you're thinking, "I've never heard of a place that has enhanced cds as a free option." but there is, and I will tell you where later in this article/blog thing.

Hidden Fees and Turn Around Time are pretty self-explanatory. A common hidden fee is the 10% over/under which means if they fuck up some of your cds you might have to pay 10% more so they don't lose money on pressing your stuff. The good thing is, some companies sometimes have the 10% under and will give you the extra cds. And turn around time is another thing to look at. This might be where short order cds will win because if you've got a small weekend tour coming up and you know your door money just isn't going to cut it, get a short run of cds so you have something to sell at the show and make some gas money.

-SHORT RUN CDS

Here are some places that I have looked at, been recommended to me, or popped up on a search engine. I'll try to get as in depth as possible but my biggest suggestion is to always research for yourself. It's just too much for me to guide you through all of this.

DollarCD.com. http://www.dollarcd.com
I can't vouch for the quality of this company but everything else, to me, looks very appealing. They only offer black and white print. Your cds will be CD-Rs. It's only a $10.00 one time setup fee for the artwork and packaging and $1.00 per cd for hard stock sleeves and $2.00 per cd for jewel cases. They've got a 1-2 week production period and 2-7 days for delivery. Total turn around time: about 3 weeks after approval. They also distribute the cds through their website for free (meaning you can refer a fan to the site so they can buy it from a secure site). You can also dropship orders to radio, magazines, fans, etc. They will even download MP3s from your website. Very simple instructions to follow. No hidden fees that I came across.

Parasol Duplication http://www.parasol.com/cdmanufacturing.asp
CDR duplication up to 250 with a 25 minimum. Full color artwork on the disk face (printed on white or silver cds) for $1.25 each. Extra costs for cases. Doesn't look like this is their passion in life. They also do large runs.

Latex Records http://latexrecords.com/cdmanuf.html
Has no fee for over/under but effects quantity you will receive. All prices include barcode, assembly, wrap, and ground shipping. They do not do CDRs (they do actual cds). On your first order they will print 1,000 inserts which will save you money in the future. You have to send them quotes for prices but the short run deals they have are: 300 cds/$812.00 for 4 Page 2 Panel layout with 4/1 insert, 4/1 or 4/0 traycard; clear, white, or black tray; 3-color discs at $2.71 each with extra special deals... and the other: full color - 300 cds/$919.00 4 Page 2 Panel layout with 4/4 insert, 4/4 traycard; clear, white, or black tray; 3-color discs at $3.07 each with extra specials.

Oasis Express http://oasiscd.com/music/shortrunCDR.asp
Oasis Express offers runs as little as 100. Can do full color printing. CD-Rs are quality checked. Thermal printing onto the cd (nice!). Turn around time as little as 5 days. HIDDEN FEE: shipping calculated separately. Will design your cd for you for $75.00 for those artistically challenged. For 100 single color (black) printing, cds run from a range of $2.90 to $2.95 each depending on packaging and for 100 full color, cds range from $3.35 to $3.59 each. Oh, I just saw this... if you move up to 300 cds they are not printed on CD-Rs anymore. It's under the Pricing: Start Here on the menu to the left.

Record/Play Duplication http://recordplay.homestead.com/packagepricing.html
As low as 25 cds can be printed. 2 different types of packages that will vary the cost of 25 from $3.00 to $3.80. Also, a Window Package that has a minimum of 50 that brings the cost down to $2.18 each for cd duplication, color print on cd, and white paper window envelopes. Couldn't find much more information on the site but still looks like a good deal. These are CD-Rs.

In my personal opinion, I would only go with a small run if were desperate to sell cds quicky, was going for really cheap black and white demos to send out and sell cheaply, honestly could not get the funding for a large pressing or doing a free compilation cd. I just feel like if you're going to get a cd pressed and try to do something with your music then do it to it's fullest possible extent meaning: have the best quality you can, send out the promotion, send it to labels and such, and tour on a kickass quality cd that people are going to get something out of.

-CD PRESSING (1,000 COPIES OR MORE)

Yes, this is expensive. Yes, you're going to have to be serious about your band or you're going to lose tons of cash. Nobody said being in a band was lucrative or easy. I find it funny how many people think that. If you can make your money back after paying for studio time, cd pressing, and all of the minor expenses (gas for going out of town, free things to your friends, promotional shit, anything you don't do for yourself as a band) then you should consider that a huge success. Anyways, if you're going to do it right then getting a large pressing is a step in the right direction of making it better for your band.

ICON OMNIMEDIA http://www.builtbyicon.com
Ok, so maybe I'm biased but I honestly feel this is the best company to go to. For as little as 85 cents a cd to up to $2.33, this place has so many options all pre-priced and easy to navigate. There is the 10% over/under and shipping hidden fees. Turn around time is 2-3 weeks from approval. The best thing about this place? All of those extra options are here! If you have someone author and enhanced cd (which is simple now with free programs downloadable from the internet) they will press it with NO EXTRA COST. If you find a better deal somewhere else they will match it. The quality is great. For what you get, every other company I have checked out is at least $200 more on the overall cost. Check it out for yourself, please. Some local cds that have been pressed by Icon Omnimedia would be Cryptorchid Chipmunk's new enhanced ep, Librarians' Neo-Rodeo ep, and the Caterpillar Scheme's self-titled ep.

Furnace Manufacturing http://www.furnacecd.com/
I can't really say much about this company since I have never worked with them and you have to do pretty much everything by mail and quotes. They are highly recommended, however. I've seen some albums made from there and the quality is just as good as anyone else's. I'm hoping Mr. Iafrate will share his experience with this company.

CD Forge http://www.cdforge.com
Again, like Furnace, I haven't dealt with this company directly. I think it's because their quote was too high for my liking. They have done some pretty famous indie cds which means the quality is top notch. The site is definitely worth checking out.

There are not many more large pressing places that I would recommend. Whatever you're trying to accomplish should be covered by those three companies at a fair price. If you have thought of something that wasn't covered then feel free to comment and I'll look into it. The only way this blog will be good is if people comment so that everything can be covered.

image #1 was taken from Icon Omnimedia's site. It is for a Daughters cd. Clarksburg, West Virginia native Perry Pete was the bass player for the successful underground band.
image #2 is from Librarians' Neo-Rodeo cd. Artwork by Dave Klug. Pressed through Icon Omnimedia.
image #3 is from the Caterpillar Scheme's self-titled ep. Artwork by Scott Andrew. Also pressed through Icon Omnimedia.