#1
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Using CDBaby and similar
For anyone that has created an album and used CDBaby or a similar service, what are the specifics I would need to know. I have read their tutorials but I'm still not sure. I would assume I would need to upload .WAV files for each track. Do you also need DDP files? Is there a specific file quality (44.1Khz/16BIT?) or any specific mixing/mastering guidelines I should consider?
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https://www.mcmakinmusic.com |
#2
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I have used CD baby for making some CDs, three different projects for solo piano albums.
You upload wave files 44.1 khz/16 bit, as you noted. They have a service for mastering but you can simply upload what you want if you are satisfied with your results. I also downloaded files for doing artwork. I did the artwork for the CD wallet in PhotoShop. After I was done with the artwork, I uploaded PDF files for printing the CD wallet. I don't remember any need for a DDP file. For runs of less than 300 CDs, they will use CDRs. For 300 or more, if I am remembering correctly, they make replicated CDs. I have had some problem with CDRs playing on some portable CD players, particularly older Bose players. On each of the three projects I did, I ordered 300 CDs. I ended up with CDRs, however, on re-orders where I wanted only 100-200 additional CDs. That's where I ran into some CD players, generally older ones, not being able to play the CDRs. I solved that problem by buying high quality CDR discs myself, making new copies, printing the artwork on the CDR (white coating on the discs), and then using the original CD wallet. The CDR discs I made always worked, so apparently the quality of what I was buying was better than whatever CD Baby was using. They would never respond to these issues about the CDRs not playing on some customer's players. All in all, however, I was satisfied with working with CD Baby. Out of the 200 CDRs I would get on re-order, I might have 3-5 customers where the CDRs would not play on their players. - Glenn
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My You Tube Channel Last edited by Glennwillow; 10-07-2021 at 02:54 PM. |
#3
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Over the years I have put together five CDs (my tunes and my artwork) for CDBaby. However over the last couple of years they have changed their policies and focus. It's more about digital streaming. You can online upload your music (I'd use 16/44.1 wav files) to them and some artwork. They can distribute it to various streaming services. Prepare to be paid a small fraction of a cent per stream. I think you can still send them CDs but they won't market them to the public directly. I would not bother with physical CDs at this point.
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Derek Coombs Youtube -> Website -> Music -> Tabs Guitars by Mark Blanchard, Albert&Mueller, Paul Woolson, Collings, Composite Acoustics, and Derek Coombs "Reality is that which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Woods hands pick by eye and ear
Made to one with pride and love To be that we hold so dear A voice from heavens above |
#4
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Just prepping for my latest release through CDBaby
1) Yes, WAV 44.1/16 bit 2) Artwork - album cover/photo - this shows as a little icon in all the places that stream, so make sure your name and album title are on it! 3) Regular service vs 'Pro' - if you already have your (original) songs registered with BMI/ASCAP/SESAC, the Pro service doesn't give you anything extra, your royalties are already being collected. CDBaby takes care of the streaming royalties (per play) including youtube,etc. 4) Bar code/UPC - CDBaby charges an extra $20 for one. Use some place like Kunaki to print physical copies (CD-Rs) - you can order just 1 - to get a free barcode. 5) Don't use CDBaby (Discmakers) to do your CDs, if you are getting any made. There are much cheaper places around. I'm using Atomicdisc.com this time. Yes, CD-Rs may not play in older machines - not because they are CD-Rs, but because they were burned at a faster rate (x32 for example) than the CD player can read.
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Mike My music: https://mikebirchmusic.bandcamp.com 2020 Taylor 324ceBE 2017 Taylor 114ce-N 2012 Taylor 310ce 2011 Fender CD140SCE Ibanez 12 string a/e 73(?) Epiphone 6830E 6 string 72 Fender Telecaster Epiphone Dot Studio Epiphone LP Jr Chinese Strat clone Kala baritone ukulele Seagull 'Merlin' Washburn Mandolin Luna 'tatoo' a/e ukulele antique banjolin Squire J bass |
#5
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I used CDBaby for a cd but it was 20 years ago so nothing from that experience is likely to be relevant now. More recently, I have used them for streaming. It's a convenient one-stop shop for getting your music on a variety of services, however, I believe CDBaby still requires 44.1/16 and some services are now accepting higher resolutions so it may be worth it to look for other companies offering the same or similar service.
This article might be helpful... The Mastering Guide to Audio Formats and Delivery Mediums As for physical cds in 2021, they're a hard sell unless you're playing gigs where you're allowed to set up a merch table. For most people that get cds made now, the "million seller" joke applies... Friend: How are your cds selling? Musician: It's a million seller! Friend: Really??? Musician: Yeah. I have a million of 'em in my cellar.
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Jim 2023 Iris ND-200 maple/adi 2017 Circle Strings 00 bastogne walnut/sinker redwood 2015 Circle Strings Parlor shedua/western red cedar 2009 Bamburg JSB Signature Baritone macassar ebony/carpathian spruce 2004 Taylor XXX-RS indian rosewood/sitka spruce 1988 Martin D-16 mahogany/sitka spruce along with some electrics, zouks, dulcimers, and banjos. YouTube |
#6
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1993 Bourgeois JOM 1967 Martin D12-20 2007 Vines Artisan 2014 Doerr Legacy 2013 Bamburg FSC- 2002 Flammang 000 12 fret 2000 McCollum Grand Auditorium ______________________________ Soundcloud Spotify |
#7
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CD Baby seems to have moved away from the physical CD model. I recently got an email saying they had far too many of mine in stock - they had 1! I was a tad embarrassed until social media lit up with many others reporting they'd gotten the same email, and were also being told that "1" was too many! So I think they're just not going to sell CDs anymore. As far as formats, I've done mastering projects for a few people in the past year who used CD Baby, including Anton Emery and Luke Gaard both here on AGF. One person reported they wouldn't take a DDP file, while another said he used that successfully, so I'm not sure what the situation there is. The last physical CD I did, a year or so ago, I used Discmakers, which I think is what CD Baby uses, so I just cut out the middle man.They took a DDP file. The whole CD issue seems to have gone past the tipping point over the last year - not that we haven't seen it coming for a long time. Very few people want them. I saw a really cool band last weekend, and thought I'd buy a CD. I started toward the merch table until I remembered that I actually no longer have a CD player myself! (Well, I do, but it's in a box that I've have to unpack and connect to the computer.) So I'll go buy a download from bandcamp. I did an event with another guitarist last month who has a huge catalog, and I was amused to see his merch table setup. He didn't put out any CDs, but he was selling things like jewelry made from his used guitar strings... He also had some thumb drives, and a few vinyl's, but no CDs.
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Music: Spotify, Bandcamp Videos: You Tube Channel Books: Hymns for Fingerstyle Guitar (std tuning), Christmas Carols for Fingerstyle Guitar (std tuning), A DADGAD Christmas, Alternate Tunings book Online Course: Alternate Tunings for Fingerstyle Guitar |
#8
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In the past, I looked heavily into the differences between CDBaby and Distrokid. I think they both offer great solutions, but it seemed, at the time at least, that CDBaby was more of a do it once and be done with it situation where Distrokid required a yearly payment or they would pull your songs. That's kind of why I am leaning toward CDBaby, but that may have changed.
Guys, I realize this is going to sound really stupid, and I know it's going to be expensive, but this album is more of a "hey, I made an album" situation than anything else. I sincerely know that nobody will want to buy it, but that's not really the point for me. I would prefer to order just enough CDs (that actually work!!!) to distribute to friends and family and to keep a few for myself. I would LOVE to make an actual vinyl copy or two as well. I had someone design the album cover as a Digipak and I like how it came out. When I started recording music, I knew from the beginning it had one goal: To leave something of me behind for my children. This will be a nice way to do that, or at least I think it will. So, for my purposes, I am looking at buying only a small number of CDs, maybe a vinyl or three, then just mostly doing it through distribution to Amazon, Youtube Music, Pandora, etc. So, given this information, what do you recommend?
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https://www.mcmakinmusic.com |
#9
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a commercial place to do? Personally got the supplies needed and did CD-Rs myself. Sort of fun doing all the details yourself but it will require some homework and take up some of your time.
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Derek Coombs Youtube -> Website -> Music -> Tabs Guitars by Mark Blanchard, Albert&Mueller, Paul Woolson, Collings, Composite Acoustics, and Derek Coombs "Reality is that which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Woods hands pick by eye and ear
Made to one with pride and love To be that we hold so dear A voice from heavens above |
#10
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Yea I used CD Baby for my latest album back in March, which Doug mixed/mastered. I don't think I used a DDP with them, I just uploaded each .wav file.
CD Baby works fine, I only used them because my first cd is through them as well, and its easier to the piles of money and streams flowing in to one place.
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http://wwww.celticfingerstyleguitar.com Albums: The Isolation Waltz Noone Lasses Youtube Music on Spotify |
#11
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Over the years I have made CD projects for a particular purpose or person. I did a jazz CD project for my dad's 80th and then again, his 82nd birthdays. I did another project for my first grand daughter when she turned 3 years old. In all these cases I bought some high quality CDRs and made my own CDs. I bought jewel cases and printed my own artwork and inserts. It is so much cheaper and so much more convenient to print and duplicate only what you need. And the quality of what you will get will be no different from CD baby, maybe better. You can buy a CD printer for all the money you are going to save. I don't think CD Baby will do a project for less than 100 CDs. The only time I would use a commercial company to make CDs is when I know I will be able to sell 300-500 CDs. - Glenn
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My You Tube Channel |
#12
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Few end users want CDs anymore.
You can go cheap and use blank white CD-Rs or pay a bit more for blank CD-Rs that have your art work printed on them already. If I wanted a small run of CDs to sell I'd probably go with Kunaki or a similar service. Many of my friends just use Bandcamp and offer digital downloads, which many people want. A few years back when I last went out to see live music the bands were offering "digital download" cards at their merchandising table. The cards were priced somewhere in the $8 range and provided a link to download their music and some media such as "liner notes" and such. |
#13
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Atomicdisc.com - 50 (CD-R) is the minimum quantity. This is my first time using them, they seem to be easy to deal with, my CD is in production right now.
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Mike My music: https://mikebirchmusic.bandcamp.com 2020 Taylor 324ceBE 2017 Taylor 114ce-N 2012 Taylor 310ce 2011 Fender CD140SCE Ibanez 12 string a/e 73(?) Epiphone 6830E 6 string 72 Fender Telecaster Epiphone Dot Studio Epiphone LP Jr Chinese Strat clone Kala baritone ukulele Seagull 'Merlin' Washburn Mandolin Luna 'tatoo' a/e ukulele antique banjolin Squire J bass |
#14
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50 cds made for $95 is a very nice price. 20 years ago, the best price I could find was about $5 a pop and a 300 minimum.
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Jim 2023 Iris ND-200 maple/adi 2017 Circle Strings 00 bastogne walnut/sinker redwood 2015 Circle Strings Parlor shedua/western red cedar 2009 Bamburg JSB Signature Baritone macassar ebony/carpathian spruce 2004 Taylor XXX-RS indian rosewood/sitka spruce 1988 Martin D-16 mahogany/sitka spruce along with some electrics, zouks, dulcimers, and banjos. YouTube |
#15
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Another inexpensive place to use for CD-Rs is Kunaki.com - you can get as few as you want, but they only offer jewel box cases, no digipacks. I used to think CD Replication was needed because otherwise you can lose all the metadata, but that's not true. I know someone who had CDs done (guessing by Discmakers) and the metadata was incomplete/missing on many tracks.
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Mike My music: https://mikebirchmusic.bandcamp.com 2020 Taylor 324ceBE 2017 Taylor 114ce-N 2012 Taylor 310ce 2011 Fender CD140SCE Ibanez 12 string a/e 73(?) Epiphone 6830E 6 string 72 Fender Telecaster Epiphone Dot Studio Epiphone LP Jr Chinese Strat clone Kala baritone ukulele Seagull 'Merlin' Washburn Mandolin Luna 'tatoo' a/e ukulele antique banjolin Squire J bass |