Self publishing.
It's no secret: thanks to computers, which let learned artists record and produce their music with great quality and at no great cost, and thanks to the Internet, which allows international promotion and distribution, the need for a publishing company nowadays doesn't seem as imperious as before. Self publishing is a possibility, a creature still in diapers that crawls faster every day. Here are a few links that offer information and resources about this interesting alternative.
Caveat: we haven't tried the listed resources ourselves. We're still gathering information and, lest the effort goes to waste, we'd like to share it with you. If anybody has other links to offer or considers that any of the following is dubious, please tell us. Also, bear in mind that we're based in Madrid, Spain. Even though we're not experts at all in these matters, we're certainly more familiar with our local circus. While these links try to convey information of general interest, we lack the stamina to investigate every country's peculiarities.
Let's start with a couple of articles, from Buckman's Magnatune Blog:
- What does a music publisher do for a musician?
- Self-publishing your music - how to do it.
- Advice to Magnatune musicians about music publishing.
Magnatune is a record label (Berkeley, California) created by John Buckman that aims to fit into and account for the Internet reality.
Bemuso (UK based, by Ron Kimberland) contains a lot of information about the music business and how it all works. It's especially oriented to Do It Yourself labels and schemes: how to distribute your own music, how to set up your music site, how to sell your music online, etc. A great resource for independent artists, DIY record labels and self-publishers. Be prepared to spend some time in here, as there's a lot of stuff to learn.
Legal issues aside and assuming that you own the copyright of your work, there are a few online companies that make and/or sell music CDs. We list some of the most popular.
Originally a Print On Demand self-publishing book service, it now makes, distributes and sells
other products, including audio CDs. Authors just need to provide music tracks, cover art
and selling price of their album; Lulu
will then make the CD, handle payments and send it to any interested party who orders one.
They take their cut —commission plus base cost for materials and printer service—
from the list price for each transaction.
Self publishing service for books, CDs and DVDs owned by Amazon
and similar to Lulu. They publish, distribute and sell the
final product on a Print On Demand basis, and keep a share of the list price.
If you've already created and published your CD and just wish to sell it,
CD Baby might be the place. It requires a setup fee and
then substracts a fixed amount for each CD sold. Authors decide the list price and must send
the physical CDs to them; they create a webpage for the product, handle orders, payments and
shipment.