CDs or Download Cards (or neither)?
What is a download card?
Download cards are the size of a business card and they are taking the place of physical albums. There’s a web link on the back where you enter a code (also on the back of the card) and download songs from the album. A lot of bands are releasing vinyl records with a download card attached. It seems CDs are really getting ditched.
I made a record last year with my band Silverseed. We play a gig about once a month or so. We love to write songs and record, but we’re not blowing up the record industry. We have to keep our business in perspective. One way to keep costs down is to only release download cards. They cost about $.50 per card to manufacture. They sit in a little box on your desk. They don’t create much waste. The music is delivered to ninety percent of your listening audience in the form in which it will be listened to. It makes producing an album much more accessible for bands like mine who might only sell 100 cards in total.
We sell most of our albums in person at a show. However, we also sell albums on the Internet to guys (and girls) in their underwear at 3 am. Download cards are great for millennials and younger generations. They know exactly how to use the downloads cards and load them onto their iPods. After they are used they sit around on coffee tables for a few weeks, just like CDs. They may even invoke more curiosity than a CD because they are still a somewhat new format.
So what’s the downside? Well, older folks might not get it. “What is this? Oh my, you have to go on the Internet to this link? What’s a link?” Your grandma may not grasp this concept but, hey, she will probably buy it anyway.
Artwork and liner notes don’t exist on a download card. You’re lucky if you can fit an image, the title, the song titles and a few credits. The physical experience of looking at a record while you’re listening to the songs is not available. This visceral experience is the reason why vinyl records are returning to popularity. Holding a record and appreciating the art is an experience I cherish from my childhood. Kiss Alive II was the first album I owned. When you opened it, there was Kiss in all their demonic glory giving a bloody, sweaty performance. It was awesome! Even with a CD, you can include some cool art and liner notes to add some intrigue to your recording. With a download card, you don’t have any of that – you need to send your fans to a virtual link online. However from there you can give them an experience.
Download cards are a calling card for your band’s on-line presence. On-line you can lead your people anywhere you like. In the days of CDs and vinyl, there was no Internet. It probably sounds like I’m trying to make a strong pitch for download cards here, but that wasn’t my intention when I started writing this. I actually still really like CDs. And, if I had a preference of a band’s CD or download card, I would still choose the CD. It’s tangible. It seems like it’s more valuable. However, from a small independent artist’s point of view, I think the download card wins the argument hands down every time. At the end of the day, it’s all about the music. If you can get your music onto your fan’s iPods, you have accomplished what you set out to do.
Small independent bands work on a small independent budget. Often it’s just one member funding the recording. So consider releasing a download card. The savings might inspire you to make recordings more often.
