Joe Wood - If I was going to make a CD today, I’d do my homework, and too many people don’t. First you figure out what you’re making and why. If it’s not a vanity project, and it’s a career move, you make sure it’s the best recording you can make.

Then you need a game plan for the finished product. Too many people have no idea what they’re going to do with it when it’s done. Give yourself a time limit in which to complete it. Break the project down into three-month segments and every three months you must ensure you meet the goals you have set.

It’s tough out there right now, far more difficult than when I was doing vinyl records in the ’70s and ’80s. Just because of the sheer volume of stuff that’s out there, it doesn’t mean it can’t be done. You just need to have a plan.

L&M - What realistically should your three-month goals be?
Joe - I’ll use myself as an example. I used to be a player too, and the first thing I’d do is set up a ‘hit list’ and a ‘hot list’ of people I want to get my finished CD to. A ‘hit list’ is the list of people in the industry that can help you: people who you know and have met; people you should mail your CD out to, and people who should be informed that your CD is out.

The ‘hot list’ is a continuing running list of almost fantasy people that you think you might want to get your CD to. Presidents of record companies, publishers, Paul McCartney’s manager maybe, someone you heard on a TV show who is looking for new music or a new song for a movie…. The ‘hot list’ grows and changes all the time, but within the first three months, get your CD out to everyone on both your ‘hit list’ and ‘hot list’.

L&M - The great Yogi Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might not get there.”
Joe – Exactly. It’s the truth.




Put your CDs on display!

Purchase these countertop display boxes blank or get them customized.

Email us for prices at joe@rdrmusic.com
Quantities as low as 1.

L&M - Let’s assume you are not wanting to make a ‘vanity project’ just to say, ‘Hey, I’ve got a CD too.’ You’re making a career move. What are your options?
Joe - You have to figure out what you’re making. What I mean by that is: Are you making a radio demo? A radio demo is a promo for radio and for the industry at large – something to shop around to see if you can get any bites, maybe get yourself a ‘deal’….

Or are you making an album? This would be a full-fledged product to sell off the stage, or to reach the retail stores.

Or maybe you’re making a CD single. A CD single is just for radio - not for the industry at large - but something to target radio stations with the objective of getting airplay.

Your costs, and the quantity you will need to produce, will depend on what you’re making and what your goals are. And always, always under-run what you’re making. Don’t make more than what you need right off the bat, because it ties up your money in product. You can always re-order later if you run short.

Toll-free phone: 1-800-557-3723

L&M - Let’s talk about actually selling your product. Is the Internet your band’s saving grace?
Joe - I don’t know if it’s a band’s “saving grace” but it is an essential tool. We have solved the problem of selling merchandise online with our new program “SELLNET”.

Our system allows websites to operate with an online order program. This program is given out free.

L&M - How can I get more info about making my own CD?
Joe - I have all the manufacturing information on a website. It’s not sales or pricing or anything, but it’s the stuff you should know.
It’s at www.rdrmusic.com.
Email: joe@rdrmusic.com