So you've got your album ready. The songs are mastered and the CD sounds great. All you need to do now is send it off to a CD duplication company to make copies for you to distribute and sell.
To make sure that the next step goes well, you need to find a company that will pay as much care and attention to the manufacture of your disc as you have done to get it this far. You also need to know what is on offer and what to ask the duplication company before you give them the work.
Here's five simple ways to make sure your CDs have that professional touch.
1. Screen print or litho print your CD
CDs that you buy in shops are mass produced in thousands using a process called replication. To match the speed that the discs are produced, replicated discs are either screen-printed or litho printed. Screen printing gives a vibrant feel, ideal for bold designs. Litho printing gives the full colour print that you would expect from a glossy brochure. Both methods look great and have the mark of professional job. Digital or inkjet printing can look quite home-made by comparison.
So surely that means you need to produce thousands of discs to get good quality print then?
No, that hasn't been the case for a number of years. Times change and both screen printing and litho printing is available on any quantity of duplicated CDs. On anything over two hundred units it generally works out less expensive than digital printing too. Bonus.
2. Get recognized
Only a few years ago it was quite impressive when you'd put a CD into iTunes and it would automatically tell you the track names and other details. How quickly we get used to things! It's now what most people expect.
iTunes uses a database called 'Gracenote'. This takes a 'fingerprint' of your disc, which it keeps alongside the registered details of the disc, such as artist, track name, album name etc. When a disc is loaded into iTunes it recognizes the fingerprint and imports the relevant information from the online database. Gracenote information can be submitted via the iTunes program. It's important to note that this not the same as selling you music via the iTunes Store; you will need to apply to Apple to do this.
Some systems such as car stereos use 'CD Text'. This works in a slightly different way; instead of accessing an external database, the information is written onto the disc itself. CD text can be written using programs such as Nero. You must have a recorder that supports CD text in order to do this.
3. Make sure you get credit for your music
If your music is played on the radio or in a public place, you may be entitled to royalty payments. In order for these to be made, the recording must be able to be tracked back to you. PPL, the organization that collects these payments uses ISRC codes, which are essentially serial numbers for your tracks.
To obtain the codes, you must pay a registration fee to ISRC and they will assign them to you. The codes must then be embedded into the data using a suitable CD burning program and compatible hardware.
4. Don't forget about the packaging
Unlike many of the things we buy, the packaging for a CD is not thrown away, rather it is kept and cherished alongside your music. So whether you favour traditional jewel cases or something more distinctive, it's something that's really important to get right. A shoddily produced piece of packaging can really do your CD a disservice, as well as making it far harder to sell. Great packaging can lift it to another level.
It's worth noting that for quantities below a thousand units units, digital printing maybe the best option. While the quality of digital print can be excellent it can vary enormously. Make sure of the quality print before you order. You also need make sure that you are aware how closely your print or packaging material will match your disc. Always ask your duplicator for samples so that they can prove they can provide you with the quality you expect.
5. Duplication or Replication - Make the right choice
The main factor is the quantity that you are producing. There's a detailed explanation of the difference between CD duplication and CD replication. A good CD duplicator will have a range of options available which cover both of these and will be able provide a solution that is exactly tailored to your requirements.
But for retail, (i.e. High Street Stores) and for quantities over a thousand, replication is generally the best solution. For quantities less than a thousand or if speed or flexibility is a primary concern then duplication could be better for you. Speak to us to for more information.