Artist Advice Column: Pressing Your Music To Vinyl Pt. 3


Friday, December 6th, 2019 |

Over the past two weeks, we have been looking at the steps one needs to take to press their music to vinyl. If you have a label who will do all of that for you, wonderful, but for smaller, independent artists, it is good to know what you will have to figure out before making this big investment. We have gone over other considerations like number, cost and timing, in two previous columns, but now we look at other important factors in art, liner notes and storage / shipping.

  1. Art:

Next to the actual music, art may be the most important part of a vinyl record. It draws people in when they are digging at record stores. It sets the mood for the entire album. People buy vinyl not just for the actual record, but also for the whole experience of having a beautiful case and the liner notes all in one place.

Make sure whatever design you pick will look good on a vinyl sleeve and have something for the back as well. If you get a special one made for vinyl, go ahead and use that, but don’t make it too dissimilar from what people are familiar with on the web. Art is something worth spending the extra money on because a good design will go a long way. Some people may buy the record just because of the art, even if they aren’t in love with your music. If you can collaborate with a visual artist who has their own work, that is even better since you can create a collector’s item for both sets of fans.

  1. Liner Notes:

In addition to the art, liner notes are a vital part of the record owning experience. Song credits have become less common in the streaming era. Services are starting to fill in credits for releases, but they can be incomplete, notably outside of major label pop music. This is where you can see who played drums on a song, who made the artwork, or who was the mastering engineer on the album. It is fascinating for fans to pour over this information and see what other work those people have done. You can be creative with the liner notes with fonts, writing styles and colors.

You can also write a special note to your fans in the liner notes or have a guest writer come in and do it. This is your chance to get creative with how you present what is normally pretty straightforward information.

  1. Storage / Shipping:

This plays off of what we said with cost and number, but it is worth diving into more detail. Unless you have a retailer or service dealing with the storage and shipping of your vinyl, that will be up to you and your team, if you have one. You may have to store your entire order before it can be shipped to fans. That may take up a lot of space in your apartment, or a storage facility. Be prepared for those extra costs, even if it is just taking up half of your bedroom. If storing in another facility, make sure it is suitable for storing vinyl so there aren’t leaks, it isn’t too hot and it isn’t too humid.

Shipping costs need to be considered into your overall pricing plan. Also work out where you are willing to ship your vinyl to because of distance, price and local tariffs / taxes. If you are doing the packaging yourself, make sure the record is protected in cardboard and shipped with care. Damaged vinyl in transit will make customers mad and be a waste of money.


Get the latest news and updates.


Subscribe

Testimonials

The Winter Music Conference represents a chance for Beatport to connect directly with our customer community. Having a strong conference means we have a platform to embrace the entire spectrum of electronic music culture. We are proud to support the resurgence of this great event.


Jonas Tempel

Beatport, Co-Founder

I feel fortunate to have been part of the first-ever WMC. Over the 35 years, it has grown to give us an international forum where we exchange music and ideas. As an attendee and host of many of the award shows, I am proud each time I see new young talent emerge and then become world-renowned. We all have so many Winter Music Conference moments of hearing a seminal breakthrough record for the first time as well as a new DJ with star quality. Magical moments in my career.


Daniel Glass

Glassnote Records

Winter Music Conference was the cream of the crop of conferences. Every label owner, label A&R, DJ and artist knew they had to go network at the Fontainebleau where the conference was hosted. The conference was not only one of the most important time of the year as it relates to dance music but it was also a place where records were broken and became summer hits. Some of my best DJ memories are from the events I played during WMC in the last 20 years.


Erick Morillo

DJ / Producer / Label Boss - Subliminal Records

WMC is and has always been the lifeblood of the dance music scene. Never missed a year since ’96, I can’t imagine Amsterdam Dance Event or Ibiza Music Summit existing without the blueprint that WMC originated. Seeing this revived is absolutely essential to reunifying the North American scene surrounding electronic music and its fringes.


Tommie Sunshine

Producer/DJ/Activist/Netflix Host

I first went to WMC ’87, the year I started Big Beat. It was an incredibly inspiring congregation of indie labels, DJs, artists, songwriters, producers and dance music lovers dedicated to breaking and discovering new music. WMC has been instrumental in furthering the dance and electronic cause; keeping the community connected, vital and relevant, and serving as an amazing springboard for talent. It’s a fantastic crucible for the future of dance music. Long may it live.


Craig Kallman

CEO & Co-Chairman Atlantic Records, Founder Big Beat Records