Is the CD Dead or just demoted? Part 5 with Adam Hoffman

Adam Hoffman from the Adam Hoffman Revival chimes as part of this on-going series:

1) Do you think it is important to have your music available to fans on Compact Disc?

I think that having music available on CD is fading. I do think it is important to have some tangible media available at shows. But with download cards and USB recording -- I think CDs are fading.
2) What are the reasons you do or don't make CDs?

I released my most recent album on CD for two reasons: 1) It was inexpensive to do so and easy to mail CDs 2) Ignorance. Well, ignorance is a little harsh, but I wasn't aware of all my options. If I could do it again -- I'd release on USB to provide more content for fans. Maybe include a rad AHR game.

3) If you have CDs available, what price do you sell them at?
The CDs I have are for sale for $10 -- but catch me at a show and I'll give it to you.

4) Have you seen the iTunes LP yet? What did you think?
I haven't seen the iTunes LP -- although I'm about to google it!!!

5) Do you offer FLAC downloads? Can you play a FLAC file on your system?
I don't currently offer a FLAC download. I run my own website -- so gotta keep it rather basic. The trouble with the Indie musician movement is being your own manager, promoter, booker, agent, PR, web designer -- and on and on. Too many hats, I guess -- so I'm not sure how to work a set up for downloadable FLACs.

6) Does your act participate in any carbon credits or green programs to offset the environmental impact of CDs?
Currently, we do not as an act. Personally, I do for my home -- and I am interested in purchasing Renewable Energy Credits for the Adam Hofmann Revival. Not only would it offset the impact of CDs, but it would also promote global cooling since we do enough global warming running electricity for gigs and driving around.

7) Why has there been a resurgence of interest in vinyl records?
For me, vinyl is the perfect vehicle for music. You can have a nice big artwork heavy recording. The package itself is substantial and just plain old feels good to hold. The sound is warm -- I believe it is more of a collectors piece. If you love the music, love the band, and want to really be involved and invested in the music -- vinyl is the way to go.

Is the CD Dead or just demoted? Part 5 with Adam Hoffman

Artists! -Don't take an advance, here's why.

Your manager will push you to take an advance from anyone and everyone who will pay it, Record label, publisher, merch co. etc. Why? They look like a champ for getting you an easy fat paycheck and they barely needed to do any work to get it. So you think, "Wow" this person is really looking out for me!" but in reality they just lost you a lot of money.
How?

When someone pays you an advance they will do everything and anything possible to be sure you never see another penny...even if you deserve hundreds of thousands of dollars.
How do I know this? I almost fell into the trap of doing this to someone this week.

We were contacted by an artist manager this week who was looking for Aderra to record every show on their next tour. The artist is a heritage act that draws about 2500-4000 a night, a pretty good size tour.
We made what I think was a pretty good offer. It would have amounted to about $1,000,000 to the artist by the end of the tour in December. But the manager wouldn't do the deal without an advance of $75,000. We went back and forth, back and forth but at the end of the day he wanted $75k for his artist.

So I started thinking, "I can pay this idiot $75,000, do some tricky accounting and pocket nearly a million bucks!"

Because it would be easy to do. I could suddenly inflate the cost of being on the road and come up with a bunch of excuses why we "weren't making money". But then my conscience got the best of me (as always). I've never fucked anyone over and I am not about to start now. You can call me a sucker or whatever, but I know what I am doing. No way I am going to let that karma swing back on me.

So here is how I would have screwed them...

Simple, make sure my expenses are always almost exceeding sales revenue plus the advance. Target= $1,000,000 minus $75,000. I would have found large expenditures on labor, transportation or cost of goods, let alone for administration costs to fulfill online orders and manage publishing royalties. We would have negotiated away origination fees at venues but quoted book rates back and of course we could always play fast and loose with cash payments from fans.

Have I discovered a truly evil and immoral way to take money out of the pockets of fans and Artists?!

No, nothing that exciting. This is just the way that things have been done since the "advance" has become customary. It is a bit like the relationship between the United Auto Workers Union(UAW) and the big three automakers in Detroit (weird analogy but stick with me): The entire relationship is built on a foundation of animosity and the supposition that either side will take no quarter to screw the other folks over. What does that lead to? Screwing each other over to prevent being screwed themselves. So everyone loses. To the extreme that 2 of the big three auto companies faced bankruptcy without the grace of the U.S. taxpayers after the finacial meltdown in 2008-2009.

If the relationship is built on the belief that "the other guy is going to fuck you." No one wins.

Oh, there may be some short term gains but long term both sides never make as much as if they had collaborated to some degree.

So really, the manger who called me wasn't an idiot at all. After decades in the business he just assumes that I am going to do all of the tricks necessary to screw him and his artist out of money so

of course he demands an advance. That at least ensures he'll gets a few thousand. Even if he loses $1,000,000 in exchange for it

.
My advice to artists is think once, think twice and then figure out how much money you can make long term without an advance.

Artists! -Don't take an advance, here's why.

Is the CD Dead or just Demoted? Part 4 Johnny from Killola Responds

Here is Johnny from Killola discussing their take on CDs:

1) Do you think it is important to have your music available to fans on Compact Disc?

I do. We're not quite out of the CD woods yet, media wise. It's still a comfort to hold a CD in your hands and read a booklet. As long as CD players are the standard dash-imterface in cars, people will probably want CDs.


2) What are the reasons you do or don't make CDs?

We still make them because it's a reliable and tangible music item. You can leave 20 CDs at a radio station after you do an interview... And those discs are a physical reminder of your music/visit. It's an item that a DJ can look at, and remember to play you, and give away to listeners, etc. That element, combined with the fact that people still want it.... Pushes us to still make em.


3) If you have CDs available, what price do you sell them at?

$5 for anything not new... $10 for a new release.

4) Have you seen the iTunes LP yet? What did you think?

Huh?

5) Do you offer FLAC downloads? Can you play a FLAC file on your system?

If someone wants a wav/aif ... I'll get it to em somehow. I haven't messed with FLAC much.

6) Does your act participate in any carbon credits or green programs to offset the environmental impact of CDs?

Nah.

7) Why has there been a resurgence of interest in vinyl records?

They're classicly cool. Music is a ritual when the playback is a process... Just like coffee making. A French press takes a while to make the coffee, and it's not simple... But some people fiend that process. I know I do. The coffee tastes better to me when I make it slowly and mind the process. That's my vinyl analogy. Vinyl=coffee press. Mp3=redbull. Both work and both have merit. Its just: what are ya feelin?

Is the CD Dead or just Demoted? Part 4 Johnny from Killola Responds

Is the CD Dead or just demoted? Part Three Alex Pfender from Yoya responds

I spent the morning today listening to the mixes of the new yOya album, "nothing to die". Great songs, great recording. As the band gets ready to unleash this acoustic/electronic masterpiece on the world I thought Alex might have an interesting take on the current status of the Compact Disc.
1) Do you think it is important to have your music available to fans on Compact Disc?
Yes, because people are still very used to it. The ipod might be the most common way for people to listen to their music collections, but they're used to putting music that they've stolen or ripped or borrowed or whatever on there. It's not like bands are going out selling ipods. The CD, for most people, is still the most current physical representation of music that you buy.

2) What are the reasons you do or don't make CDs?
We make em because that's all we've ever made so, we're not sure if other stuff will work better but we know that our fans have bought CDs in the past. And because practically all releases, major or indie or self, are released on CD

3) If you have CDs available, what price do you sell them at?
$10

4) Have you seen the iTunes LP yet? What did you think?
I saw it briefly about 5 months ago or something, when they did a big press release for it. It seems cool, at first I thought it'd be lame to sit on a computer and look at the art for an album but the more I thought about it the more I thought it'd be cool to check out my favorite new releases that way. I think it's cool. isn't it super expensive though?

5) Do you offer FLAC downloads? Can you play a FLAC file on your system?
No and no. I'm not sure there are enough people that really want it. One of my friends that's got huge online presence says he was hesitant to offer them even after many people requested it, because it was just too much work. I'm not sure if he ever did it.


6) Does your act participate in any carbon credits or green programs to offset the environmental impact of CDs?
Nope. I'd like to learn more about that. I'd also like to just buy non-plastic CD stuff but it's way more expensive to do.

7) Why has there been a resurgence of interest in vinyl records?
There's also been a resurgence of interest in cassette tapes, and I think it's just because there's a lot of confusion about what format is best, or whether formats are any good at all (i.e. should everything just be files). I've also gathered that many people think vinyl sounds better no matter what (this confuses me), and as far as cassettes i think they just have some sort of kitsch value, both in just buying and holding a cassette tape, and in the poor sound quality. A friend of mine that's really into recording onto cassette does so because he thinks modern recordings are too homogenized in their sound due to DAWs and stuff. I also think that because they are linked to classic music in people's minds, that increases their perceived value.


Click Here for some pictures of yOya tracking harmonium and autoharp in my studio.
And you can preview the new tracks on Garageband.com

Is the CD Dead or just demoted? Part Three Alex Pfender from Yoya responds

Is the CD Dead or Just Demoted? Part Two - Mike Madill from MadSound/NPFC Responds

Mike Madill from MadSound and Nineteen Point Five Collective responds to my questions about the current and future status of the Compact Disc.

1) Do you think it is important to have your music available to fans
on Compact Disc?

no.

2) What are the reasons you do or don't make CDs?

cd's are expensive to make and hard to distribute and involve
several-to-many different steps/vendors/shippers, whereas something like
tunecore can allow one person to distribute their music globally for $50
without leaving their bedroom. (i love tunecore)

3) If you have CDs available, what price do you sell them at?

$10

4) Have you seen the iTunes LP yet? What did you think?

yes. about time.

5) Do you offer FLAC downloads? Can you play a FLAC file on your
system?

no, just mp3. FLAC is the digital equivalent of the audiophile system. it's
a niche. yes i can play FLAC files.

6) Does your act participate in any carbon credits or green programs
to offset the environmental impact of CDs?

i haven't manufactured any cd's for many years now. and no i don't purchase
green credits.

7) Why has there been a resurgence of interest in vinyl records?

vinyl is unique. it represents the best of analog quality, and sounds better
in many instances than digital formats. there's also a huge DJ culture who
still want to spin real vinyl, not to mention DJ hero video games. vinyl has
a cult of personality all its own.

Here's the MadSound reel:

VH1 - "Titanic" from Madsound on Vimeo.

Is the CD Dead or Just Demoted? Part Two - Mike Madill from MadSound/NPFC Responds

Is the Compact Disc Dead or just Demoted? Part One

I sent out this brief survey to a dozen indie artists to see whether they still plan on releasing music on CD.

1. Do you think it is important to have your music available to fans on Compact Disc?
2. What are the reasons you do or don't make CDs?
3. If you have CDs available, what price do you sell them at?
4. Have you seen the iTunes LP yet? What did you think?
5. Do you offer FLAC downloads? Can you play a FLAC file on your system?
6. Does your act participate in any carbon credits or green programs to offset the environmental impact of CDs?
7. Why has there been a resurgence of interest in vinyl records?

I'll post responses as they come in.

Is the Compact Disc Dead or just Demoted? Part One