Topic: Selling Cds

[Geoff16Fryer]

Hey guys i just had a quick question. The majority of the shows that i have taped and will be taping are of the paul green school of rock shows. its where they have kids perform concerts. anyway theres like 30+ kids in some of these shows and i know a lot of them want a copy of my recording. So heres my question. i told them that if they wanted a copy of the 2 shows bring me 6 blank cds. Yet there are some people who still want me to just send them a copy. I posted on there website that if someone wants a copy mail me the cds (basic B+p) yet there are still some that want me to just send them a copy. SO is it wrong to ask for a couple of bucks to cover the cost of the cds and shipping? im not trying to make any money on this at all and i dont want the people that want to hear the show not be able to. also uploading is not an option i thought about that and talked to some people and it just wouldnt work with the people who want copys of the show.

[philR]

if it's the kids in the band, i'd just send them a copy for free.  if it's other people, i would just charge them postage.

[macroint]

I posted on there website that if someone wants a copy mail me the cds (basic B+p) yet there are still some that want me to just send them a copy.

And it's not just the kids that want a copy...I taped a School of Rock All-Stars show in Baltimore w/ Adrian Belew and I had more parents than kids wanting a copy. Granted I made the show available at etree, but I offered to B&P the show as well...and I had several people write with counter offers. I just ignored them or, if I was feeling kind that day, I let 'em know that this is the only deal I'm offering.

SO is it wrong to ask for a couple of bucks to cover the cost of the cds and shipping?

Yeah, it is wrong...

[macroint]

if it's the kids in the band, i'd just send them a copy for free.  if it's other people, i would just charge them postage.

I think that's asking too much of the taper...there are ALOT of kids in these shows as they rotate on and off the stage. When I tape PFunk, I send a copy to a couple of people in the band, but not everyone gets a copy (if they want it, they can make a copy from their buddies). I think you should  send a free copy to Paul Green at the Philly address....

[nihilistic0]

like 2-3 bucks to cover shipping, bubble mailer, and cd's?

I dont see what the problem is.


It looks like you're dealing with people who aren't into trading and all thta jazz.  Since your primary clintelle isn't going for b&p's, it would probably be much less of a hassle to go with what a lot of them want to do

[Chuck]

Figure out what the blanks cost x the number of blanks needed + cost of the mailer  + postage cost = what you could charge them. I'd spell it out that way too, everybody know there is no profit being made.

[bconnolly]

like 2-3 bucks to cover shipping, bubble mailer, and cd's?

I dont see what the problem is.


It looks like you're dealing with people who aren't into trading and all thta jazz.  Since your primary clintelle isn't going for b&p's, it would probably be much less of a hassle to go with what a lot of them want to do

I think a lot of people see it as a problem because you're taking money for tapes, no matter how you slice it.  If they give you postage and blanks then you're not taking anything you can re-use for monetary gain... you're just getting some stamps and some blank cds.  It gets into murky waters when money start changing hands for any reason.

[nihilistic0]

Yea, but I dont like making things a black and white issue.  Theres room for some grey area, especially in situations like this

This guy is clearly not trying to make any money, and Id imagine he would want to get this stuff out to these people with minimum hassle

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

I would make the show available to anyone who wants it for free the first week or so. 

After that, I'd probably make the person do a B&P...  By then I've cleared off the HD of the show and I've moved onto other projects.

Also, if its the band, I'd give them free copies.  Or in the case of this band, where there are dozens of people involved, I would send a copy to the music director and tell everyone to bug that person. 

I agree that it is wrong to ask for money for a show (even if its only for B&P), but I'm also of the opinion that I'm not going to give away all my CDRs just because they supposedly have no monetary value. 

Most of my frrends that are can't/don't/won't do a B&P from me, I get them to pay me back by buying me a beer later...

Terry

[terrapinj]

torrent it or send out a few copies for free as you would for any other band (i hope) to key people who everyone is likely in contact with and when people continue to contact you either refer them to someone who has a copy or to the torrent.

even if you aren't making a profit, it can come off that way to some. if you've sent copies to some and then try to charge for costs for others you will start to get gripes about being unfair etc. i highly doubt most of the kids and their parents are gonna understand the dynamics of a B&P trade.

my .02

[poorlyconditioned]

I would make the show available to anyone who wants it for free the first week or so. 

After that, I'd probably make the person do a B&P...  By then I've cleared off the HD of the show and I've moved onto other projects.

Also, if its the band, I'd give them free copies.  Or in the case of this band, where there are dozens of people involved, I would send a copy to the music director and tell everyone to bug that person. 

I agree that it is wrong to ask for money for a show (even if its only for B&P), but I'm also of the opinion that I'm not going to give away all my CDRs just because they supposedly have no monetary value. 

Most of my frrends that are can't/don't/won't do a B&P from me, I get them to pay me back by buying me a beer later...

Terry

I like the beer idea.

  Richard

[Sparge Master]

Terry came up with a good idea. Just have them mail you a six pack of beer in return for the show

[nameloc01]

oh- my god!!! is it really that big of a fuckin deal to take money for shipping/postage? i mean come on, unless someone is willing to drive god only knows how long to come and pick up a cd personally,is the shipper supposed to eat the loss for the postage??  it seems that nobody really gives a shit about the recoding being copied and circulated freely,but as soon as someone mentions money for any reason the red flags go up.b+p is really the way to go with non-trades,but if its not possible i see no problem at all with accepting money for postage/shipping.i dont (unlike some people) worry myself with passing off the image of being politically correct.(lets all not forget about the roots of this hobby in the first place)

[poorlyconditioned]

oh- my god!!! is it really that big of a fuckin deal to take money for shipping/postage? i mean come on, unless someone is willing to drive god only knows how long to come and pick up a cd personally,is the shipper supposed to eat the loss for the postage??  it seems that nobody really gives a shit about the recoding being copied and circulated freely,but as soon as someone mentions money for any reason the red flags go up.b+p is really the way to go with non-trades,but if its not possible i see no problem at all with accepting money for postage/shipping.i dont (unlike some people) worry myself with passing off the image of being politically correct.(lets all not forget about the roots of this hobby in the first place)

Oh yeah, you can accept herbal products as well as beer.  I usually leave the car at home for a show if I expect to be giving out CDs.  That way I can accept any treats provided by CD recipients

  Richard

[Brian Skalinder]

oh- my god!!! is it really that big of a fuckin deal to take money for shipping/postage? i mean come on, unless someone is willing to drive god only knows how long to come and pick up a cd personally,is the shipper supposed to eat the loss for the postage??  it seems that nobody really gives a shit about the recoding being copied and circulated freely,but as soon as someone mentions money for any reason the red flags go up.b+p is really the way to go with non-trades,but if its not possible i see no problem at all with accepting money for postage/shipping.i dont (unlike some people) worry myself with passing off the image of being politically correct.(lets all not forget about the roots of this hobby in the first place)

'Political correctness'?    (If I had a dime for every time someone mis-used that term...)

It's about the bigger picture, musicians' perceptions of tapers and trading, mitigating the risk involved with pursuing the money-for-CDs model.  Sure, the people with whom I'm engaged in the blanks/postage money for discs transaction may know that I'm not making a profit on the deal.  But then they tell a friend, or the sound guy at the next show, or posts on the band's messageboard that they "bought" the recording (neglecting to mention the actual cost, etc.).  Or they turns around and sell copies of the discs to someone else - but decide to ask for $5 instead of $2 because they doesn't fundamentally understand the musician/taper/fan sharing model.

And then...perception hits.  All of a sudden it gets back to the band that someone is "selling" their live recordings.  The band may not freak, but then again they might.  And they may tell their musician buddies about the asshole taper selling their shows.  And one or more bands may change their recording policy as a result.  All of a sudden, no more live recordings for the band (or the next band, or the one after that, etc.).

It may sound a bit Chicken Little-ish, but it's a very real possibility (and unfortunately, well...reality).  It's happened before, and it will happen again.  Reducing the risk of negative consequences due to selling CDs (even if only for cost of blanks/postage) is -very- easy:  don't sell CDs for money.  It's also -very- easy simply to send someone blanks and postage.