[Dixielandjazz] CD costs

[tcashwigg at aol.com]

With all due respect Mike:

those 58% of music fans are correct, on both counts of their statements.

It's all in how it's done,  I have produced and sold a lot of 
recordings since 1978, on some pretty diverse genres of music, and I 
have sold them anywhere from $6.50 to $8.00 wholesale and made a 
substantial amount of profit at that price for the record label which 
sold about 150,000 copies of each in vinyl no less.  They actually 
retailed for $16.99 to $33.00  each   So Who do you think made the most 
money?  The distributor and the retailer that's who.   Not to mention 
that the main reason that so many small labels do not make money is not 
because they did not sell recordings, but because the distributors and 
the retailers simply did not pay them for the recordings they they took 
on credit terms but had no intention of paying.   The record industry 
is full of ruthless sharks and anybody who ventures there without 
knowing this is simply naive to put it nicely.   I have met 
rattlesnakes and cobras that I trusted more.


I now make and sell CD,s for about $10.00 each  and have not lost money 
or not recouped the investment on any of them yet.

Far too many artists and producers spend far too much money on 
production than is necessary on many products that do not have a proven 
market to sell them to.   Got to shop for the best deal on the studio, 
the engineer, producer, musicians, graphics artists, printers, 
manufacturers etc.   Plus it really helps if you are recording somebody 
and something that the public wants to buy.   Not always an easy task 
however, and not every artist can be a financially successful recording 
act.

But to not listen to the music buyers complaining about the price being 
too high for a CD is reaping just what the Major record labels sewed  a 
long time ago.   They have been raping the music buyers for a very long 
time and have no ideas about stopping anytime soon.   Now with the 
internet and downloads many excellent artists are marketing their own 
music successfully and making far more money than they ever would or 
could with a major record label.

You don't need to have a Million Seller to make money in this business, 
you just need to control costs and market successfully, unfortunately 
many artists want to be the next PET ROCK.

Many of them also make the big mistake of putting out numerous CDs 
before they ever recouped the costs to make the first one, with this 
great dream that if we make it they will buy it.   If you didn't make 
any money with the first one because NOBODY bought it or at least not 
enough in sufficient numbers to get your money back, why would you be 
foolish enough to make another one and keep pouring money down that 
hole in the studio.

I am of course speaking generically here and not saying that this is 
anyone in particular's situation.

If more ( all)  artists would Treat this business like a business 
rather than an ego massage they might be a lot more successful 
financially anyway.   If it were so hard TO MAKE BACK THE INVESTMENT on 
a recording there would not be fifty billion record labels out there 
trying to do it.   The tax write offs alone are worth the investment 
especially for the independent artists who learn how to do it correctly.

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins

-----Original Message-----
From: Vaxtrpts at aol.com
To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Sent: Thu, 2 Feb 2006 15:37:58 EST
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] CD costs


In a message dated 2/2/2006 12:01:15 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,
dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com writes:

Meanwhile,  three-quarters of music fans say compact discs are too
expensive,
and 58 percent  say music in general is getting worse.



>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The problem here for OKOM and ALL jazz groups, especially big bands, is 
 that
the customer doesn't realize what the costs are to put out a CD.  They  
only
look at the price on the product and don't consider what went into  it. 
 Such
as:
Recording/Studio
Musicians
Art work
CD pressing
CD cases
Etc.......................
Most of us (again especially big bands) never recoup all the costs of
recording, even selling CD's at $15 each.
Mike Vax
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