When I was a young girl, I remember looking at the record jackets of my favorite pop artists and listening to all the Top 40 songs on the radio with my younger brother. I used to fantasize about one day having my very own album and thanking all the people who made it possible for me in the liner notes. This past year those childhood dreams turned into reality. Here is my journey, what I’ve learned, and the process of how I produced my first professional-quality CD.
Groundwork
A couple of years ago it became very clear to me that I needed practical business training and skills in order to survive in the world as a performing artist and voice teacher. I developed a lot of important skills while getting my two music degrees, but none of them equipped me to go out and make money at what I loved. I began going to business seminars given by a multi-millionaire and expert marketer, Dani Johnson—and, as a result, my confidence increased. I started placing in competitions, my voice studio grew rapidly, and I began to experience a greater measure of success in every area of my life.
Enter Mark Stoddard, whom I met at my first Classical Singer Convention in 2007. I read his book Marketing Singers and had the chance to meet with him personally. He helped me realize that having a CD would be an incredible income-generating tool and area of exposure for future singing engagements. Marketing Singers is absolutely full of ideas about how to make money singing and selling CDs.
I also had the chance to coach individually with Johnson about how to get started with my CD project. She recommended that I start with an EP (or mini-album), raise all the funds upfront, self-produce and then, when the EP was completed, market it in order to generate the funds for a full-length CD. I set myself a budget of about $5,000-6,000 for a professional-quality extended EP (8-10 songs) and got to work.
Raising the Money
I didn’t have an extra $6,000 lying around, so I went to work to raise it. One thing Stoddard suggests in his book is doing in-home concerts for small audiences. I used this model over and over again in various locations—at the homes of family, friends, and other connections (including Mark himself who, with his wife Liz, very graciously hosted a concert in their home for me last summer)—to raise a large portion of my CD fund. At these private parties, my hosts and I both invited guests and held a modest reception following the program. At some events, we asked for a minimum donation upfront. At others, my host asked the guests for free-will donations during the concert. I had feedback sheets at every event with which I gathered guests’ contact information and comments.
Additionally, I held a fund-raising concert in the church where I was working in Arizona, sold tickets ahead of time, gathered a team of volunteers, and held a reception for my guests. I visited every organization I could think of to promote the concert over a three-week period and I raised the single greatest sum of money from this event.
I found that having a host act as a third-party expert to introduce me, the performer, gave a greater perception of legitimacy to my cause. And I raised the most money from events where we asked for a specific donation amount upfront or where I pre-sold CDs. Many people gave more than the suggested amount, and almost all of them contributed something. Gathering my guests’ information was crucial, as these people were those interested in my career who would potentially come to future performances and purchase more CDs.
I made sure to send thank-you cards to everyone who filled out a feedback sheet and to thank my hosts with a gift of some kind. I also saved money from gigs and teaching income. I made sacrifices. I stopped eating out, going to the movies, and buying unneeded items. I lived simply and saved as much as possible. When production was nearly finished and I was a little over budget, only then did I approach family members to help make up the difference.
Music Selection
My philosophy was to select music for my CD that I found artistically and emotionally satisfying and that my audience would enjoy as well. I used feedback forms at the concerts to determine which songs people connected with. I decided to record songs in a variety of genres that I found were most moving both for myself and for my audiences.
Production
To produce my CD, I engaged musicians in New York and Phoenix. I booked a recording studio in New York and a venue in Phoenix. I hired an experienced sound engineer at both venues to record, edit, and mix and master the music. I employed the services of two graphic artists, a photographer, and a reproduction company. Then I paid reproduction rights for the five songs still under copyright and set up a website where people could go to buy CDs.
I recommend during the process of selecting various services to check each one out as thoroughly as possible and obtain samples from every professional involved. This will be a substantial investment of both time and money, but you’ll want to be happy with the end product. You may be able to find friends to volunteer a service, reduce their fees, or do a trade of some kind with you. If so, have written agreements with each party ahead of time, in case any misunderstandings arise.
Recording
The pianist and the recording studio I used for the majority of the project were in New York, so I went out for a week to lay down those tracks. I recorded at Gurari Studios (www.guraristudios.com) with Christopher Cano at the piano. I recorded the remainder of my CD with the choir and organ at Trinity Cathedral in Phoenix, where I sang for two years. To record those sessions and master the entire CD, I hired the best classical sound engineer I could find locally, Ben Taylor (omniclassic@gmail.com).
During the recording process, make sessions short so you don’t tire your voice. Try to lay down only one or two songs per session. I ended up throwing out a few songs because I tried to do too much in one sitting and it didn’t quite work out. Be well rested, well hydrated, and well rehearsed. Bring in someone whose ears you trust to provide immediate feedback and help guide you in the recording process. Ask the engineer to immediately play back every take if possible. Doing this will help you make the most efficient use of your valuable studio time.
Post Recording: Track Selection, Mixing, Editing, Mastering
After each recording session, my sound engineers gave me CDs with each take assigned to a track. I spent hours going through each song take, deciding how to combine them for the best composite recording. I also posted a website with the best takes, and asked people whose taste and ears I trusted to give me their opinions as well. I eventually came up with what I believe were the best possible compilations of each song. I was able to participate in the editing and mixing process with my engineer in Phoenix, which was a very educational experience. He also mastered my CD for a set fee.
Remember that the more segments you combine to get the best version of each song, the more you will spend on mixing and editing costs. Plan for more editing than you think you’ll need. Be sure at this point to check for volume balances between voice and instruments and get it corrected if needed. This pre-editing process on the artist’s part can be incredibly tedious, but it is crucial to the outcome of the finished product.
After you are satisfied with the mixing and editing, you can have your engineer master the CD for a set fee or hourly rate. Many professional recording artists send their work out to studios that specialize in mastering CDs. It is an option to research and consider.
Graphic Artwork/Photography
Next comes the visual aspect of the CD project. I wanted to use a photo on the front of my album, so I did a professional photo shoot at Still ‘n Motion in Phoenix (www.yaddayadda.org). It was worth the investment—I came away with a fabulous cover shot and several multi-use professional photos.
I worked with a couple of graphic artists before I was able to decide on a visual concept for my project. I was surprised at how difficult it was to verbally articulate what exactly I was looking for, and it took a collaborative meeting in person with one of them to come up with the look I wanted.
I recommend finding a few graphic artists whose work you like and asking them to produce an initial rendering for your project. Be as clear as you can about what you want, and see what each artist comes up with before committing anyone to do the project. Prescreening your artist will help you make the best use of your resources and you’ll have the best chance of getting a professional-looking product.
Licensing
You must obtain a license to distribute any songs under copyright on your CD. Every song written after 1922 is still under copyright. You can do this only after the CD is mastered, as you’ll need the final times for each song you need to license. The simplest way to do this is to create an account at Harry Fox Agency (www.harryfox.com) and purchase the license through them. For each copy made of your CD, you will need a mechanical license—and for digital distribution (iTunes, CD Baby, iLike, etc.), you will need a digital license. The cost for mechanical licenses will depend on how many copies you make of your CD. For digital distribution, expect to pay roughly $45 per song under copyright.
CD Production
Now on to the physical product—the CD! I ordered 500 CDs with a 6-page, full-color jacket, clear jewel cases, full-color on-disc printing, full-color two-sided tray backs, a bar code (necessary to sell a CD in retail stores of any kind), and shrink-wrapping. I emailed several companies for quotes and samples of their product. I found the highest quality materials at Media Fast
(www.mediafast.biz). But their prices were a little over my budget, so I went with One Stop Media Shop (www.onestopmediashop.com)—they matched the lowest price I could find, and the quality was good. If you can, get a printing of at least 1000 CDs (you get more for your money). My budget was rapidly shrinking after all the recording expenses, so I initially went with just 500. Disc Makers (www.discmakers.com) is another reproduction company that has a great product and can set you up immediately with digital distribution of your music through all the major online distribution sites like CD Baby, iTunes, iLike, etc.
For every part of the production, always plan for more time and money than you think you’ll need.
Marketing
I wanted a website to market my CD once it is released. I have also used it to pre-sell copies and process credit card orders from concert sales. I purchased my domain, www.kristinjensen.com, through GoDaddy (www.godaddy.com). I used their website builder, WebSite Tonight, to create my website. It’s user friendly and easy to set up. I pay $9 a month for a 10-page website. They have incredible 24-hour customer service, and I have complete control over the look and content of my website. I use PayPal as my online merchant to process online and credit card orders from events. PayPal is free to set up and easy to add to a website, and their per-transaction fees are very low.
I am now actively using the marketing techniques I have learned from Johnson and Stoddard to sell my CDs. My investment in Dani’s First Steps to Success seminars (www.firststepstosuccess.com) and Mark’s book Marketing Singers (www.marketingartists.com) have been more valuable to my ability to make a living than all my formal education experiences combined. To one extent or another, we are all in sales, whether we are “selling” our package to a conductor or director, to potential students, etc. Having the skills to promote and support ourselves is paramount.
As far as moving CDs, I am finding that I sell the most at events where I am singing and promoting them. I have tried e-mail campaigns and posting announcements on my Facebook fan page, but they haven’t brought substantial results so far. What has worked best for me is to set up gigs—at restaurants, in-home concerts, and other venues—and then have a third-party promote me and my CDs. I’m doing this on a very part-time basis and am still refining my game. I am, however, about ready to place a second order of CDs.
Summing Up
This whole process took me about 11 months from decision time to when my CDs were delivered. I am so glad I spent the time, energy, and resources to do it. It was a lot of work, but I pressed through and now have a beautiful CD to show for it—and an additional source of income that has proved a blessing to me in this economy.
If it is in you to do it, then get busy. Get past your excuses, stay the course, and walk into your dreams.
