Is Pressing CDs Crazy?

I grew up on the cusp of CDs and MP3s. For a time, I had both CDs and an iPod-to-radio transmitter in my car, and would switch back and forth between the two. But it didn't take long until the convenience and storage capacity of MP3 players (which functionally was narrowed down to just iPods within a few years) and the ability to use them anywhere with an aux cable, knocked the CD out completely.

Or at least I thought.

I've never been a collector of anything. I received a record player from my brother as a best man gift, and even though I like it, I only have a few vinyl records. I have more CDs left over from two decades ago, but I hadn't added to that collection in quite a while.

Until Montauk Music Fest 2024.

Up until then, I would have said CDs are obsolete. But, when I received one as a promo gift at the Montauk Music Fest opening party, my perspective changed.

I, like many other people, still have a CD player in my car. So, I popped the promo CD in and I loved it. The music was great, but moreover, the sound was so powerful and clear—more so then anything I can stream on Spotify through a bluetooth connection.

And, of course, like any vinyl, CD, or merch collector will tell you, there's something about the physical aspect of it. For my own CD, I spent days perfecting the artwork, listing the lyrics to each song on the inner jacket, and writing credits for the friends who helped me make it possible. Viewing it for the first time in person, it did feel special. It was nice to hold music in my hands again and have a unique representation that you can't quite feel through digital options.

"But do you really think you'll make your investment back?"

Not in dollars, no. But there are plenty of advertising buys where you don't make your money back either—at least not right away.

Ryan Holiday talks about this a lot in his book "Perennial Sellers." It's important for people to get something from you, to feel, very directly, your value, before they spend anything on you. It makes a lot of sense, but there's a concern that giving something away is bad business, in that you lose money (again, initially) and that you communicate to people that your music doesn't have value.

The former reasoning is addressed above, but I also disagree with the second part. I've never felt that music I received for free was any less valuable than something paid for. In fact, a lot of us spent a decade or so not paying for music that we were supposed to—and still falling in love with it. To the contrary, if the music had been stuck behind a pay wall, we simply wouldn't have heard it at all.

Clearly, the model has changed. And there isn't always a singular, clear-cut answer. But what I can be sure about is that having you hear my music, and hopefully fall in love with it, is far more important than offsetting the cost with a direct sale.

So, that's why my CD is free. Of course, you can simply stream the music. But if you want to hold it in your hand, see the artwork, and read the lyrics in the inner jacket, it's all yours. Catch me at one of my gigs or shoot me an email and I'll get it to you (while supplies last).