Glad I Made it to the Rally This Year!

[Razor7Music]

Hello All--

After attending 4 RR's in a row (2012-2015), I didn't make it for the past 3 years in a row, so I was especially glad I made it this time. I could only be there on Saturday, but I'm really glad I went.

It was great to see some of you again, and of course, the speakers and panels were awesome. I'm always excited to go, and always bummed when it's over. What a great thing to go to.

On a (sort of) side note, I was a little surprised how many of the sponsors from years past weren't there. In the hall I didn't see some of the vendors I'm used to seeing. I actually wanted to speak to someone from CD Baby, and didn't see them there. Just curious why so few were there this year.

Anyway, hope everyone made it home safely!

Cheers!

[funsongs]

Stephen, thanks for introducing yourself face-to-face; IMHO always helps to have that real-people connection.

I, too, noticed the absence of some of the vendors. As for CD Baby, and after the consensus re physical CD manufacturing -
I had a mixed-bag of understanding, and feeling a bit of numbness that I'd taken that route with my recent release of a 10-song album.

The polarizing comments I heard were from
Don't do albums; release one song at a time, digitally - with video on FB or YT, or other social media (even if it's only a slideshow of the lyrics)
to :
It's great that you have a finished product in your hand, that you can give to someone - that shows (the publisher) that you COMPLETED THE WORK.

So - reality is probably some percentage - 95% digital + 5% physical ? I don't know about that, but as a take-away from the rally, I do know that my homework assignment includes going down the digital-release road.

Cheers, all - it was a fun & adventure-packed few days.

[Razor7Music]

Hey Peter--

If you didn't have your photo as your Taxi avatar, I never would have recognized you!

I'm looking at CD Baby to get info about releasing my tracks on iTunes, Amazon, etc. I'm not going to release any physical media with them.

On a side...I thought that one of the reasons Taxi started having submissions for the listening panels was because CD's are so old school. Of course I read where they said folks had a hard time finding the deposit boxes, etc. but I put some tracks on a USB thumb drive instead. I asked the FOH engineer in the main ballroom if I had given him a USB instead of a CD, would they have been able to play it, to which he said, no. They only had a CD player. Not a biggie, but a learning experience.

Take care!

[funsongs]

Hey Peter--

If you didn't have your photo as your Taxi avatar, I never would have recognized you!

I'm looking at CD Baby to get info about releasing my tracks on iTunes, Amazon, etc. I'm not going to release any physical media with them.

On a side...I thought that one of the reasons Taxi started having submissions for the listening panels was because CD's are so old school. Of course I read where they said folks had a hard time finding the deposit boxes, etc. but I put some tracks on a USB thumb drive instead. I asked the FOH engineer in the main ballroom if I had given him a USB instead of a CD, would they have been able to play it, to which he said, no. They only had a CD player. Not a biggie, but a learning experience.

Take care!

Just a word of caution: (as I heard at the rally) be careful & aware of signing CD Baby distribution PUBLISHING documents. As I understand it - since their manufacturing & distribution are SEPARATE COMPANIES - the distributor side presses hard to get you to sign (away) their publishing deal. And, as I think was emphasized at the rally, that can encumber your work when it comes to licensing it to others... just check it out first, is all I'm saying.

Maybe someone with a better answer & recommendation will chime in - which would be helpful to me, too.

Cheers.