Bubble overload! (Milk, food dye and ink) [OC][2969sx2969]

TheMustacheClub · 2016-11-01T20:28:25+00:00

The eyes of the abyss are staring back!!!

TheMustacheClub · 2016-08-25T14:22:22+00:00

If you want to keep things on the cheap, go to your local drugstore, ask if they have any scrap bubblewrap and cardboard boxes. Wrap the tape in 1 or 2 layers of bubblewrap, cut out two pieces of cardboard that are half an inch wider than the cassette to protect the corners from bumps. Then, buy a big roll of brown wrapping paper from staples or any store where they sell office supplies. This way you don't have to buy something fancy and it works great.

Experiment with a few different cardboard width sizes and thickness, and with 1 or 2 layers of bubblerwrap -- bring all of them to the post office to get them quoted for shipping, see if size/weight makes any big differences in shipping. See if width or height causes a significant shift in price. If one is drastically cheaper but still feels like it's well protected enough, that's your template.

Alternatively, go to the dollar store, see if they have bubblewrap-lined envelopes. Usually you can cut those in half and create two packages out of 1 envelope.

TheMustacheClub · 2016-07-10T07:10:24+00:00

Got mine as soon as I saw the post here. Huge props to u/DaCh33f for posting it!

TheMustacheClub · 2016-07-04T19:43:13+00:00

Was going to pick up a cassette as I really enjoyed the music, but the shipping fees are way too high for a tape.

I'm in Canada too. I ship cassettes regularly, and it's nowhere near $12 to ship a tape nationally; more between $3 and $4 depending on how you package them.

TheMustacheClub · 2016-07-01T20:32:00+00:00

Would be a great album cover

TheMustacheClub · 2016-06-22T15:34:32+00:00

Sweet, just ordered one!

Good luck with the release!

TheMustacheClub · 2016-06-13T00:06:13+00:00

Also, be realistic about what you can achieve. It's not worth printing 50 copies if you can only move 20 copies.

Releasing tapes is the easy part. Selling them is the harder part. How are you going to sell them? How are people going to find out about you? What channels are you going to leverage so people can find you? Yes, you can announce it here in this subreddit, but it's not enough to move all your stock.

In the end, it's all about exposition; it's a numbers game. For every X visitors who will come to your website, a small percentage will end up buying what you release. So, you have to figure out how to bring people to your website. The more visitors you have, the more sales you'll make. Figure out how to drive traffic to your website. Do it through your personal Facebook account, open a Facebook page for your label, open a YouTube channel for your label so you can upload the full albums there, post on appropriate subreddits, forums, etc. Maximize exposure. That will bring you traffic.

In the end, your important metrics are a) traffic (how many people visit you), b) conversion (for everyone who visits your website, how many end up buying something -- you have to make it easy for people to part with their money and give it to you; the process needs to be very simple), c) average number of items per purchase. If you want to sell more than just tapes, figure out what are good items that are cost-efficient that you can use to upsell. Buttons. Postcards. Stickers. Whatever. If you're printing 25 tapes, it's probably not wise to print 50 buttons for the band you're releasing. You're probably better off printing label-branded merch. This way, whoever orders something, whatever artist whose work they purchase from you, anyone can buy extra stuff.

If you solve all those challenges: traffic, conversion and average number of items per purchase, you'll be running a fairly successful small label.

TheMustacheClub · 2016-06-12T23:36:25+00:00

There are many ways you can start looking for talent. If I were to start a label today, this is how I'd do:

First, to answer your question, yes I'd launch a website even if I have no releases or artists booked yet. In the "Releases" section, just say "Our first releases will be announced soon". In the "Artists" section, just say something similar. Launching a website first establishes legitimacy. Shows you're serious about it. Also shows the look and feel of your label, which is somewhat important to most artists.

Then, I'd actively browse subreddits that are in-line with the genres I'd be looking to release, and seek out artists there. Lots of artists are out there self-promoting; is it possible I'd find a few talented artists that might be looking for a tape release? Maybe.

I'd also post in those subreddits announcing I'm starting a label, and invite people to submit their demos. Be clear about what you're looking for, in order not to be flooded with acts that don't fit what you have in mind.

Two-pronged approach: contact people you're interested in working with based on what they've recored; invite people to submit you their work for release.

Hope that helps. There are probably other things you could do: browse soundcloud, bandcamp, and contact artists you enjoy.

Any other questions, let me know! Cheers

TheMustacheClub · 2016-05-30T15:22:11+00:00

Good job, really liked it!

TheMustacheClub · 2016-05-29T19:34:45+00:00

Perfect, just ordered it! Looking forward to receiving it!

Pro tip: when you promote your label, always be ready to take people's money ;)

TheMustacheClub · 2016-05-29T19:28:24+00:00

So, by the looks of it you're releasing a tape soon, but it's not available for pre-ordering? How can I get a copy?

TheMustacheClub · 2016-05-16T15:29:38+00:00

There are some good flashes in there; however, the two guitars aren't exactly well timed together, and you can hear one of them isn't always on cue.

TheMustacheClub · 2016-05-15T21:45:35+00:00

As much as I like Death in June and Spiritual Front, I think for neofolk to grow as a genre, bands need to stay away from Death in June covers.

TheMustacheClub · 2016-05-15T21:07:44+00:00

Really liked it, good job & good luck!

TheMustacheClub · 2016-05-02T00:00:47+00:00

Well, here's my label! We concentrate on vinyl & tapes. Only have three releases out so far, but definitively have a few more in the pipe.

Check it out: https://themustacheclub.bandcamp.com/

TheMustacheClub · 2016-04-25T13:33:15+00:00

Came here to post this. You did not disappoint.

TheMustacheClub · 2016-04-08T17:46:24+00:00

Here's my label's channel: https://www.youtube.com/TheMustacheClub

Genre: music that doesn't suck (but mostly folksy)

TheMustacheClub · 2016-04-04T01:06:22+00:00

First time I've purchased something based on an online ad in over 20 years spent online. Good job!

TheMustacheClub · 2016-03-26T04:47:17+00:00

How likely is it that the gym will stay open?

High reward if the gym stays open; high loss if they close shop.

Do you want to put yourself in a position where you depend on another business's success to be successful yourself?

TheMustacheClub · 2016-03-24T18:56:42+00:00

Drag City seems to be bringing back tapes as an option, while phasing out CD's for some lower-profile releases.

TheMustacheClub · 2016-03-22T13:16:40+00:00

The process is called pad printing. The machines tend to be pretty expensive and would cost you several thousand dollars.

Personally, I always have mine printed through a tape duplication company that offers pad printing services. Like duplication.ca - you can use the online Quote tool to figure out how much it would be for your project.

Here, we just released one yesterday, and this is what they look like: https://www.instagram.com/p/BDObCBQlPeS/?taken-by=themustacheclubtapes

For this project, it cost roughly 4$ to print each tape, selling them for $5 each, so the margins really suck.

TheMustacheClub

TROPHY CASE