If you’re an indie musician, I’m sure you want some custom vinyl records! I mean ..who doesn’t? It’s awesome to have your music on vinyl, right? It makes you legit!
Many bands are releasing records these days.
The vinyl record format has been gaining a large audience since last year. And I must say that this generation of musicians has released some of the best custom vinyl records in history.
With the large array of options they can choose from to customize their vinyl records there’s no reason why they haven’t made really awesome vinyl. And in those vinyl records there have been similarities just like printed vinyl record sleeves and gatefold vinyl jackets.
But of course, you might be apprehensive with the idea of pressing vinyl records for YOUR album release.
With all the expenses, pressure, and the anxiety of not selling all the units…understandable.
So here’s a suggestion. Why not order vinyl records in only 100 units?
Ahemhem, we offer vinyl pressing in 100 units or less!
Allow us to convince you why you should give vinyl a go:
Table of Contents
Custom vinyl record is one of the greatest merchandise you can give your fans.
Custom vinyl records are investing in. You know why?
They’re awesome. Your fans will love them.
They increase in value especially if they’re special editions. If you press just 100 vinyl records and you become in the same league as The Beatles (why not, it can happen!), then those people who got your 100 records would have something valuable.
That means that pressing only 100 vinyl records is an advantage to you and your fans. It won’t make you seem pathetic. The rarer the item, the higher the value.
Even if you press only 100 vinyl records, you can customize them any way you want!
Vinyl records were giving a great listening experience to the fans who bought them, but another reason why you should press some is the fact that it’s a cool merch your fans will love to collect.
There are a variety of options you can choose from when making your own vinyl record. These options will help you make your vinyl records unique and more personal which makes them worth collecting.
If you’re wondering what parts of the vinyl album can you customize, then let me enumerate them for you!
First is the vinyl jacket which houses the vinyl records. It can differ depending on the number of vinyl records it can house.
Single vinyl jackets house one, gatefold jackets house two, tri-fold jackets house three, so on and so forth.
It can also differ depending on the vinyl record jacket printing. One of it is the Stoughton printing style where the artwork or album cover is printed on paper and that paper is then pasted on the blank vinyl jacket.
Another thing you can customize is the inner vinyl record sleeves which can be printed or not. The actual vinyl records are also very customizable as they can be mono colored, multicolored, colorless, see-through, glow-in-the-dark, picture discs, and more.
Higher cost per unit but easier to sell!
Ordering vinyl records with 100 units definitely isn’t the same as pressing 1000 or 10000 units.
With just 100 vinyl records, you don’t have to spend a lot. This will help you cut cost for its production since you’ll be funding for lesser copies.
If you’re worried about minimum order then there’s nothing to worry anymore because numerous pressing plants have been offering short run vinyl pressings for a hundred units (including us)!
What’s great about this service is that when you order for another batch of the same vinyl record, you will have lesser expenses. That’s because you’ve already paid the fees and expenses for setting everything us–from masters to artwork.
I admit that the first batch for short run vinyl pressing will be a lot more expensive per unit. But this will be just for the first batch since they will have to make a new set up, which is the electroplated groove. After that batch, the succeeding ones will be cheaper.
In my opinion and experience, it’s better to sell only a few more expensive records than to sell many for a lesser price.
Trust me: A hundred units will be sold easily!
With ordering a hundred units for your vinyl record, I’m sure that you won’t be worried about whether you’ll sell all of them or not.
A hundred vinyl records is not that hard to sell since many people are very much interested in the format. But of course, needless to say, you will have to make sure that your vinyl records are worth their money.
Selling a few is better than selling none at all
Out of the reasons I’ve enumerated above, this is probably the most valid and most basic.
It would surely be better to sell a few copies of your album in this format than having made none at all.
Why?
Let us count the ways!
1. It legitimizes you as a musician (wow, you’re really good or else you wouldn’t even think of making vinyl records!)
2. It’s a good marketing tool (people will think you’re awesome especially if your vinyl is awesome).
3. It’s something that will comfort you when feel like a total loser (because at one point in your life, you’re awesome enough to press some records!).
And guess what? First pressings are much more valuable to fans.
You see, these first pressings can also be called the first edition of the vinyl record album which is very valuable, that is if you decide to only sell a hundred units with that design.
CONCLUSION:
Vinyl records are one of the best customized merch you can release for your fans.
With pressing plants offering short run vinyl pressings, it has helped and will surely help musicians escape the burden of selling a thousand copies.
A hundred copies of your vinyl record is not much, but I’m sure it will do wonders for you and your music.
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James Hill is a veteran of the music industry. He first worked at Warner Reprise Records then later joined Interscope/ Geffen Records where he managed producers and songwriters and got his first platinum record for Keyshia Cole’s The Way It Is. He is now helping indie artists with branding and manufacturing through his company Unified Manufacturing, a CD/DVD, custom vinyl records and merch company in LA.
