Create own cd-label

[franz_]

Does anyone know which things you need to do or to possess if you want to create your own legal cd-label? Do you have to have your own company f.e. ?
Someone here who did it or knows how it works?
May be it is diffirent in every country...?


Any help is welcome

Thanks

[richard black]

In most countries there's nothing to it. The only legal condition, pretty much everywhere, is that you have to report each release to the national body that looks after copyright - in the UK where I live it's Music Alliance (MCPS/PRS). They will decide if and how much copyright money you have to pay according to a set formula, and once you've done that, off you go. You'll need to find a CD broker who can act as an intermediary between you and the factories which will press the discs and print the notes and tray card: factories don't normally like dealing with individuals, it's too much hassle for them.

On the practical side all you need is some way of making a Red Book CDR (i.e. Disc-at-once) and 'flattened' PDF files of the stuff for printing, including the CD onbody. Many modern desktop computers will do both with software already installed.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

I'm quite interested in this thread as well, but don't know as much as I would like about it. I imagine it is also advisable to acquire an ISBN for the CD? It seems from the little research I did a while back that individual countries have their own bodies for registering ISBNs for CD (a fee will be payable). I would have thought that any potential retailer eg Amazon is much more likely to take the CD seriously if it has an ISBN.

[daro]

There are a lot of different ways to set up a label, from the very simple to the very complex depending on your overall goals and resources. I expect the legal requirements are different in each country, but there are also a lot of books out there that can guide you through the process.

My own situation is on the more complex side; I have a parent corporation which serves as the label, and to which I've assigned my copyrights in the sound recording in exchange for royalties, etc. There's also a division in the corporation which is set up as a publishing company; it has its own separate name and bank account and to which I've assigned my copyrights in the underlying music, again in exchange for royalties etc. There are also contracts between the publishing division and the parent corporation covering mechanical licenses etc.

You definitely want to affiliate with your country's Performing Rights Society so you can receive performance royalties from radio, TV, etc. In the US, I belong to ASCAP, and the publishing company is also separately affiliated with ASCAP. If you want to have your own publishing company, it's very important to clear the intended name of it with the Society before you set it up, because if you try to do it after the fact and discover that someone else's company is registered under that name, you'll have to start all over.

Barcodes: EAN's (ISBN's are generally for books) or UPC codes, as they're called in the US, are critical if you want to deal with any major retailers (Amazon not only won't take a CD without one seriously, they won't even take it at all). In the US, there are a couple of different ways of getting them. The expensive way is to have your company acquire its own unique prefix directly from the issuing organization. In the US, this would be GS-1, formerly known as the Uniform Code Council. The prefix at the time I got it cost $750, and there's a $150 annual maintenance fee after that to keep it active. What most indie artists do, however, is get the barcode from the company that manufactures the CD, or from a distributor like CD Baby. These companies own a bunch of prefixes, and they'll assign your CD a barcode for about $25. (GS-1 isn't exactly thrilled with this process, but they won't challenge it).

Just as important as a barcode are the International Standard Recording Codes (ISRC). These are assigned not to the CD as a whole but to the individual tracks, and are required if you're going to have any kind of digital distribution, e.g., iTunes. (They're also used to track your music if it's played on the radio). You can get a prefix for free, which you can use to generate your ISRC codes, from whatever organization in your country is affiliated with the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). In the US, this would be the RIAA. (The IFPI website has a lot more information). Some distributors can also provide these codes for you, but you might want to get this set up before you finish your CD, since the codes are usually embedded in the master recording before it's sent to the manufacturer.

[richard black]

Daro's advice holds pretty much word-for-word in the UK, incidentally, just change the names of national organisations.

[tds]

There are a lot of different ways to set up a label, from the very simple to the very complex depending on your overall goals and resources. I expect the legal requirements are different in each country, but there are also a lot of books out there that can guide you through the process.

My own situation is on the more complex side; I have a parent corporation which serves as the label, and to which I've assigned my copyrights in the sound recording in exchange for royalties, etc. There's also a division in the corporation which is set up as a publishing company; it has its own separate name and bank account and to which I've assigned my copyrights in the underlying music, again in exchange for royalties etc. There are also contracts between the publishing division and the parent corporation covering mechanical licenses etc.

You definitely want to affiliate with your country's Performing Rights Society so you can receive performance royalties from radio, TV, etc. In the US, I belong to ASCAP, and the publishing company is also separately affiliated with ASCAP. If you want to have your own publishing company, it's very important to clear the intended name of it with the Society before you set it up, because if you try to do it after the fact and discover that someone else's company is registered under that name, you'll have to start all over.

Barcodes: EAN's (ISBN's are generally for books) or UPC codes, as they're called in the US, are critical if you want to deal with any major retailers (Amazon not only won't take a CD without one seriously, they won't even take it at all). In the US, there are a couple of different ways of getting them. The expensive way is to have your company acquire its own unique prefix directly from the issuing organization. In the US, this would be GS-1, formerly known as the Uniform Code Council. The prefix at the time I got it cost $750, and there's a $150 annual maintenance fee after that to keep it active. What most indie artists do, however, is get the barcode from the company that manufactures the CD, or from a distributor like CD Baby. These companies own a bunch of prefixes, and they'll assign your CD a barcode for about $25. (GS-1 isn't exactly thrilled with this process, but they won't challenge it).

Just as important as a barcode are the International Standard Recording Codes (ISRC). These are assigned not to the CD as a whole but to the individual tracks, and are required if you're going to have any kind of digital distribution, e.g., iTunes. (They're also used to track your music if it's played on the radio). You can get a prefix for free, which you can use to generate your ISRC codes, from whatever organization in your country is affiliated with the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). In the US, this would be the RIAA. (The IFPI website has a lot more information). Some distributors can also provide these codes for you, but you might want to get this set up before you finish your CD, since the codes are usually embedded in the master recording before it's sent to the manufacturer.

daro, thank you for ur explanation! yes, as for my cd, i got the EAN-13 from my distributor (publishing company). i am sure we will need you alot, again ( and often ). warmest, teguh

[franz_]

Thanks all of you for the interesting comments.
The ones who created a cd, please feel free to post a link where I can see the result

[tds]

haven't got the chance to put my cd on a site, but it will be available on amazon.com sometime in the future. cd comes with a 12 page booklet and an outer paper carton covering the jewel case. if you really wanna see, i can download it here. tds

ps. am sure there are many ps.com members who have created a cd. i would like to hear from them also

[franz_]

Well, it could be interesting. Or juste to let hear a sample. Or what you play on the cd.
Oh, and how and where did you record it? Was it really with a very good professional microphone?

[tds]

Well, it could be interesting. Or juste to let hear a sample. Or what you play on the cd.
Oh, and how and where did you record it? Was it really with a very good professional microphone?

the mp3 version is somewhere in the audition room-however, it doesn't do justice to the actual sound of the cd. on the cd: brahms' handel variations, mompou paisajes, and mussorgsky's pictures at an exhibition. it is professionally recorded on a steinway D. warmest, tds

[pianovirus]

tds, if you don't mind, could you share a bit more of your recording experience? Did you produce your CD privately or with a label? Did you contract the recording engineer directly? How many days could you spend recording? That's a bit OT for this thread I know... 

P.S. Once your CD is available on amazon, let us know - I'll surely order one! Ronde, you should record one as well, at some time!

[ronde_des_sylphes]

tds, if you don't mind, could you share a bit more of your recording experience? Did you produce your CD privately or with a label? Did you contract the recording engineer directly? How many days could you spend recording? I hope that's not to OT for this thread.

Yes, I'm interested in hearing tds's experiences too. I've discussed the recording process with my occasional teacher (who has made several cd recordings) and he suggested that three days would be sufficient time for hall hire.