Tracks are done ... now what?!
 

This has likely been discussed, but I figured I'd ask anyway ...

I'm a total rookie with recording and home studio, so I need lots of guidance from folks who are wiser than myself.

So my tracks are recorded and they are sitting in my DAW ... now what?
What are the proper steps to get music into the world?

Export as wav file? Any recommendations on licensing? What's the deal with ASCAP? Does anybody have a CD printing company they recommend? Recommendations on website builders that allow mp3 uploading and downloading for album sales?

Greatly appreciate any pointers you can provide.

Don't think I would bother with a physical CD in this day and age.
You could sign up with CDBaby for digital distribution (read over their website and see what you think).

When you say “tracks are done” do mean all recording is done along with the mixing and mastering. If it has not been mixed or mastered yet then I would reach out to local folks who have experience with the next step. A lot can be learned from on line vids but there’s nothing like watching a master do the voodoo that they do so well, especially if they are willing to share their knowledge as well as try to understand your vision.

Good insight! I've been in contact with a couple people who are willing to take a stab at mastering -- and I'm grateful for it! Because I can monkey around in my DAW for days and days, but not get anywhere close the sound that I have in mind.

Good for you. No matter the equipment, there’s nothing like a great sounding room, and an experience set of ears to help get you the best finished product possible.

I have just finished this process via CDBaby and was pleased. They have a sale on now till May 8th which provided some angle to move now after my tracks were mixed/mastered.
A fair amount of legal stuff and set up to plow through........I'd think along the lines of a theme you want for your music, title, and very good picture which will be placed on the CDBaby website. Also, thoughts on some of the introduction narrative which you'll write to provide your message on the site they create.
Best,
Fred
P.s. I see your in Lakeland...........used to work at FSC for a time back a few years ago!

One of the drawbacks of DAWs is that no mix is ever truly finished. You can tweak it for days, weeks, or months. You can even go back in a year or two and pick up exactly where you left off. In the analog days, at some point you had to decide you're finished because setting everything up again had to be time consuming. I hadn't really considered it a drawback until I read that opinion in a book on mixing, but the more I thought about it, the more sense it made.

Thank you, islandguitar and rick-slo for the insight about CD Baby. I will have to make that the first stop in the production "journey." Seems like a great resource!
Yes, my wife and I have been in Lakeland for just under a year now and it's a cool city -- especially the beautiful lakes and greenery around FSC.

There is a huge mixing thread on another site I frequent where the phrase “finished is better than perfect” was put forward as a way to get you stop “tinkering”.

If you want CDs to sell at gigs (or online), consider Kunaki.com or easydisc.net - both of who 'duplicate' (rather than replicate) copies, so there are no minimum orders involved.
They have templates available for the artwork.

It's very true ...although I do go back to old mixes when testing new gear because it helps to hear something new in a familiar context.

Yes. And, I like having the original stems to revisit as my skill at mixing hopefully has improved. Especially since my studio space has now been more thoroughly treated.