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Vinyl cutting U.K. pressing?


PunkPonyPrincess

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7 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

I'm surprised you're not doing your own sleeve artwork...

No, this is way better than anything I would have produced. Plus I want a different perspective on visuals. Everything gets claustrophobic otherwise.

Will do when it’s pressed.

 

Edited by PunkPonyPrincess
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Do it :) It’s fun and so much better than having a file on Spotify. If you haven’t already then set up a band page on Bandcamp - you can sell the 7”s, badges, tshirts, downloads etc. and it’s somewhere to gather your audience’s details so you can mail them news of new releases. Put your Bandcamp url on the sleeve of the 7. Sleeve looks cool.

Good luck 

 

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21 hours ago, PunkPonyPrincess said:

I oppose streaming services, despite their inevitability i’m content to be unknown and exist outside of Spotify/Tidal/Apple/Google and Amazon (and all the attention grab stuff most bands seem to require and want to indulge in). 

RESPECT. 

I wish more bands had the courage to stay outside these crap companies (including Facebook) but what I see is a lot of "DIY ETHICS" BLAH BLAH BLAH while getting advantage of "services" that are the least "ethic" thing around these days. 

ETA: and the farthest from anti-consummerism

Edited by oZZma
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20 hours ago, PunkPonyPrincess said:

It is by its very definition vanity publishing  
    n  the practice of the author of a book paying all or most of the costs of its publication

no one in their right mind would want to get involved with me.

Almost all music publishing is "vanity publishing" by now, unless one is under a major. 

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It’s so very simple to avoid these online services.

I think DIY publishing is a much better term  than “vanity” — although it is (albeit a term that comes with assumptions about being unpublishable). I’m not interested in even engaging with that. The single is what it is. 

Anyway, just got the go ahead i’m using the mighty Dubplates and Mastering in Berlin to master and make the plates for this. €280 for two tracks incs plates. I won’t attend this one, but I trust them  to not mess it up. 

Edited by PunkPonyPrincess
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1 hour ago, PunkPonyPrincess said:

It’s so very simple to avoid these online services.

I think DIY publishing is a much better term  than vanity publishing — although it is (albeit a term that comes with assumptions about being unpublishable). 

No it's not that simple... Using them makes your chances bigger, and your self-promotion easier. That's why all that blah blah blah so-called "punk-hardcore" bands after all are using them. Almost all of them. Even the more preachy ones. Even Fugazi. At this point I'm totally disenchanted about all those bands, all that they made and seemed "authentic" and sincere doesn't seem genuine to me anymore. Now it seems like an "image" thing like any other. Luckily I never cared much about those aspects, I only listen to the music and leave the other stuff aside. 

As of vanity or DIY publishing, it's vanity if you go to a studio and pay for it. Which is what most "DIY BLAH BLAH BLAH" bands do :laugh1:

 

ETA: Fugazi put their music EVEN ON AMAZON. No need to explain why Amazon is one of the worst s##t companies ever, it has been discussed here not long ago. So after all this "diy ethics" talk seems to me no different from any "lifestyle brand".

Spare me. We already have Apple and all that crap for it. 

Edited by oZZma
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We released our last album on vinyl though Media Hut, they were very helpful and patient with me as I was doing the artwork, it is very much a vanity project, sales have not been very good tbh, sold far more CD's, in spite of all the hype lots of people haven't got a turntable, some haven't got a CD player either, most people seem to use streaming these days 

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1 hour ago, PunkPonyPrincess said:

It’s so very simple to avoid these online services.

I think DIY publishing is a much better term  than “vanity” — although it is (albeit a term that comes with assumptions about being unpublishable). I’m not interested in even engaging with that. The single is what it is. 

Anyway, just got the go ahead i’m using the mighty Dubplates and Mastering in Berlin to master and make the plates for this. €280 for two tracks incs plates. I won’t attend this one, but I trust them  to not mess it up. 

There isn’t much danger of getting a bad cut or pressing these days as vinyl now has to compete with other technically superior formats, so it would be economically unsound for the manufacturers to produce anything sub-standard. 

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1 hour ago, oZZma said:

No it's not that simple... Using them makes your chances bigger, and your self-promotion easier. That's why all that blah blah blah so-called "punk-hardcore" bands after all are using them. Almost all of them. Even the more preachy ones. Even Fugazi. At this point I'm totally disenchanted about all those bands, all that they made and seemed "authentic" and sincere doesn't seem genuine to me anymore. Now it seems like an "image" thing like any other. Luckily I never cared much about those aspects, I only listen to the music and leave the other stuff aside. 

As of vanity or DIY publishing, it's vanity if you go to a studio and pay for it. Which is what most "DIY BLAH BLAH BLAH" bands do :laugh1:

We’re getting away from recommendations for pressing companies, but ok.. On the one hand as you say streaming makes chances bigger and self promotion easier but as you also say, using them makes those bands seem less genuine and authentic and less sincere. 

My instinct and response to that Is to keep it small and what I find is personally manageable; definitely don’t give away right-to-play your assets to corporations like Spotify that pay $0.0014 per complete song play, not because of the money (there is no money or promotion in any of this for me) but because the relationship with corporations seems unhealthy.

I DIY recorded a few songs  in my living room. Just bass/drums/vocals no guitar or synths or computers. I’ll press a few up because it’s nice. It’s manageable like this. 

Edited by PunkPonyPrincess
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8 minutes ago, PunkPonyPrincess said:

We’re getting away from recommendations for pressing companies, but ok.. On the one hand as you say streaming makes chances bigger and self promotion easier but as you also say, using them makes those bands seem less genuine and authentic and less sincere. 

My instinct and response to that Is to keep it small and what I find is personally manageable; definitely don’t give away right-to-play your assets to corporations like Spotify that pay $0.0014 per complete song play, not because of the money (there is no money or promotion in any of this for me) but because the relationship with corporations seems unhealthy.

I DIY recorded a few songs  in my living room. Just bass/drums/vocals no guitar or synths or computers. I’ll press a few up because it’s nice. It’s manageable like this. 

Just to be clear: I don't mean to sermonize about your choices, I haven't even read the whole thread. Just I love to see how even HUGE bands like Black Flag or Fugazi who are big enough by now to be in the position to say "F### OFF" to those companies, don't do it. They conform. 

Also I see many smaller bands who for some reason believe that filling their mouth with "DIY ethics" is cool, and then going for the "studio/producer with a name" because they need "validation", LOL. I really don't care what people do, just spare me this insincere pseudo-whatever stuff. (again, not you) 

 

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30 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

There isn’t much danger of getting a bad cut or pressing these days as vinyl now has to compete with other technically superior formats, so it would be economically unsound for the manufacturers to produce anything sub-standard. 

What I mean is being in Berlin I won’t be able to be present and listen and approve the master in person and there is a lot that can change to the sound at the mastering stage, not just for the purposes of getting the plates made for vinyl but all aspects of the sound. I will approve it remotely but it won’t sound as they hear it, here is an area for messing things up. But Dp&M have mastered some terrific records and their reputation is solid so I can forgo being there as a necessary safety net. As with graphic designers, sometimes you just have to leave them to do their work.

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On 13/09/2019 at 09:50, PunkPonyPrincess said:

This is true. I might think about going above £7.99. I’m not releasing on any of the digital or streaming services although there will be a download code and i’m hoping to just keep my music to physical copies as i’m not interested in gaining any more attention than what is personally manageable. Which is not much.

If you leave rough cut up on Soundcloud, someone will share/pirate it. Might only cost you a couple of dozen sales but...

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On 13/09/2019 at 02:49, PunkPonyPrincess said:

I’m making a double a sided petulant scream into the void.

You're making a tangible double A-sided petulant scream into the void. I shall think of you as a pamphleteer of dissent in an age of digital glut.

I have no practical suggestions to add to this useful thread, merely encouragement and respect for the process you have chosen.

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  • 1 month later...
13 minutes ago, PunkPonyPrincess said:

One of the great joys of making a vinyl record is the download code card insert art because you discover it costs literally nothing to say ‘thank you’ and put your own fursona on the back…

 

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Nice :)

Who’s doing the download hosting & codes ? Do you mind telling us what the cost is please? When I’ve looked into this it’s a reasonable expense on top of the other costs.

 

EDIT - I see it’s bandcamp, do they supply you a certain amount of unique codes?

Edited by tedmanzie
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Bandcamp provided me with 200 unique codes off the bat. I bought another 100 for just $3 total to make the first pressing of 250 inserted when the pressings are sleeved and bagged... the remaining 50 are given away to reviewers, radio play, gifts, buddies and so on. Laser labels are £2.50 for 20 sheets containing 189 labels a sheet. 

Codes are an interesting idea, print off download cards for ppl to buy at gigs or QR code at the merch desk, Is that even a done thing?

 

 

 

Edited by PunkPonyPrincess
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All download codes stickered and sent off for adding to the Vinyl art shrink wrap.

So, to use up the rest of the download codes, an experiment is to print up 100 to sell at gigs, like the vinyl inserts, these same download code stickers go on a nice 8” piece of glossy card for that “something to look at/something to take home and stick it on the fridge or in the record collection” totem.

These can also be added to press packs and as giveaways.

 5A7C17CA-5EE7-4840-911D-462D075312F5.thumb.jpeg.06cbbb11e468e36f7a23783412cae0f5.jpeg

Vistaprint had a 50% off voucher so these cost me about 68p each to produce. which is about what Bandcamp/PayPal takes from every online sale of a £4 EP.

 

PS sorry if this is old hat to some of you, I’m really new to this and sharing the process.

 

Edited by PunkPonyPrincess
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20 hours ago, PunkPonyPrincess said:

PS sorry if this is old hat to some of you, I’m really new to this and sharing the process.

It's a pleasure to see this developing, and it's also a great service on your part to demystify the process. Please keep us posted.

Many congratulations on the young 'un, which weighs in at a tidy 12".

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

And now the final stages, promotion promotion promotion promotion

“Four hard-hitting gender politics pop punk bangers – essential listening” - Loudwomen.com

1A7B64EA-8E29-4D15-88BF-BDB702E88406.thumb.jpeg.dd01fecd7dd50ccf328c9682c25d5a2e.jpeg

56D57310-8CBA-4B5B-87E4-4AA13F5BEB53.thumb.jpeg.13d96f02b7f039bcd82a7236f58de899.jpeg

1A9C8F04-528C-4E51-9905-DC759FC384B3.thumb.jpeg.cebdab79d2fedb3f62568c3109a6020f.jpeg


...and promotion (the download cards do well, usually 10 or so a gig depending on size which is not bad for a solo support slot, which is where I am really happiest anyway)

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well this is an awfully big adventure, the next two songs for release are about to begin recording.

 

 

 

Edited by PunkPonyPrincess
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