Has anyone here actually put a record out?

[El Unicornio, mang]

I hate engineering my own stuff for this reason: it's one big distraction, all that technical stuff. I don't have the same problem when mixing for others: the technical stuff steps out of the foreground as my animal instincts become allowed to function, and I am able to draw some emotion out into the mix. Plus, the artist can go off and play some XBox or whatever and come and comment with fresh ears at a later stage.

I feel the same way most of the time. Ideally I would record all the music, with someone else playing drums and any keyboard stuff (cos I'm shit at both and making drum patterns is boring) then have someone with a similar mindset mix it all. Someday....

[Robot DeNiro]

Just a quick bump to say that I've now got finished CDs back from the manufacturer I previously mentioned (their website is here).  I'm very pleased with the discs, and the company's customer service was excellent.  They fixed a few problems with the artwork for no extra charge, delivered everything on time and were very patient with my stupid newbie questions.  All in all, I'd definitely recommend them.

[Auntie Ovipositor]

Never understood artists who say "I never listen to my own music". If it's not so good that you don't want to listen to it then why even bother? It's like never eating great meals you make.

As someone who doesn't generally listen to his own music, I don't think it's an issue of not liking the music I make, but the amount of time I've spent listening to it while mixing and tweaking makes it hard to listen to - as it does records by other people I've engineered.

Add I also know where all the flaws are. Every single clam becomes like Chinese water torture by the 100th listen, and it only gets worse as mixing goes on.

Playing live, I absolutely enjoy the songs. They happen, then they go away, and I don't have to spend the next month of my life living with them every second of every day.

As far as putting out your own music goes, the best advice I got was to assemble a list of at least 100 people to send promos to, and 200 if you can. That's a good start for a first release, and you should be able to double that by the next. It may seem like a lot of waste to essentially throw away that many CDs, but in a record or two you'll see returns. Nobody's going to magically discover your music, and most people aren't going to connect with the promo you send them. Some percentage of them will look at the cover and not even bother cracking the plastic. But a percentage will listen to it and like it and talk about it, and it goes without saying that the greater the number of people who hear it, the greater that percentage will be.

Unless your music sucks, of course. Then don't bother.

[Brundle-Fly]

Just a quick bump to say that I've now got finished CDs back from the manufacturer I previously mentioned (their website is here).  I'm very pleased with the discs, and the company's customer service was excellent.  They fixed a few problems with the artwork for no extra charge, delivered everything on time and were very patient with my stupid newbie questions.  All in all, I'd definitely recommend them.

I have some of your CDs and a Cassetteboy t-shirt, which always gets nice comments. I have never released a record.

[Neil]

No buying OR selling please...

[purlieu]

I'm actually sending a CD off to get manufactured this week, and the place I'm using also does vinyl.  A friend recently used them for what I believe is termed a 'dubstep white label', and he was very pleased with the results.

Their website is here

These guys are fantastic.  They helped no end when I set up my label.  Every solution was only a phonecall away, and the turnaround on the discs was quick. 
The whole process is an expensive and time consuming pain in the arse though.  I've had my second album for a year now and I'm still sitting on it, not having the time to set up promotion or distribution stuff.  Very annoying as I'm 2/3 of the way to completing the next one.  I'm definitely getting another label to get that out as I don't have the energy to release another CD!
Also, there's a massive step between having CDs and actually selling them.  My first album received uniformly positive reviews, was featured in The Wire and one of the tracks was spun by FSOL on the BBC.  I've still only sold a few hundred, largely to friends and people who've been to gigs.  It's no big - I'm a firm believer as the album as a singular piece of art, so having the final CD with artwork and everything was completion of the project on my part, but there's a definite sense of disappointment when you realise that it's still not really going anywhere.

[Nik Drou]

I've been reluctant to bump the thread as I'm wary of the 'no buying, no selling' rule and this topic pretty much treads a fine line in that regard.  Nevertheless, I have a couple of queries, but I'll refrain from going into too much detail or posting any links.  Neil, feel free to come at me like a ton of bricks should I overstep the mark.

As some of you may know, my record is now fully mastered and in the hands of the pressing plant people, who as I type this are no doubt in the process of lovingly crafting several hundred circular black nuggets of hope.  It's been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, for lack of a better cliche, and I'm looking forward to the next stage of pimping and performing.  Before I can get there though, I've got a couple more things I need some advice on.

Due to the slightly finicky nature of vinyl package deals, I had to order mine sans card sleeves.  I've been hiking across the net in search of a good deal on several hundred 12" plain card sleeves but haven't found anything definitive yet.  Ideally, I wanted them coloured (yellow would be pretty snazzy) but that would probably jack the price up higher than what it's worth.  If anyone knows a cheap, reliable place that could handle this, that would be killer.

Rather frustratingly, I havent yet managed to secure distribution as I'm told I need the physical property in my hands.  I also need a press kit (which seems to amount to a piece of paper detailing how great I am) plus the more hits I have on MySpace, the better.  I have a couple of distributors in mind, but was wondering if you lot had a better idea of how to go about it.  I was hoping to secure a one-on-one interview with them individually until I get a bite, but that idea seems increasingly naive and unfeasible given the amount of people out there now that must also be clamouring for distribution.

I know this isnt really a music forum, so all of you feel free to not really have any advice and simply be entertained by my colourful antics.