How many CD jewel boxes does it take to tile your bathroom walls?

In hopes that you will never discover the answer to that question, Oasis offers you solid tools to promote and market your recording. It's good business for both of us: The faster you sell them, the more audience you'll develop and the sooner you'll be back for more CDs!

Create Your Plan of Action
It's best not to wait until the cartons of CDs arrive on your doorstep; plan ahead!

1. Plan to make your CD package attract customers', promoters' and media attention visually.
2. Plan to get your CD played on the radio.
3. Plan to make your CD retail-friendly.
4. Plan to make your CD available on the internet.
5. Plan to stay in touch with your customers.
6. Plan to keep on promoting!

1. Packaging That Attracts Attention and Interest
Plan NOW to make your CD visually attractive to customers, promoters and media. It's not too soon to start the art. One great way to make your CD package stand out in a crowd is to choose one of Oasis' alternative packaging options to capture the eyes of your audience.

As you imagine your cover art design, you might find it helpful to study your favorite CD covers. Bear in mind that potential customers, A&R reps, and promoters WILL judge your CD by its cover, at least in part, and they may not connect with your artist's rendition of your clever cover idea. When you have a draft of your cover art, show it to fans of your style of music. Ask them to tell you truly whether or not they love the cover and why.

Make sure your artist has Oasis' Templates for CD Booklets and knows how to contact Oasis to coordinate the technical aspects of preparing your artwork.

Reprise: It's not to soon to start the art.
top

2. Get Your CD Played on the Radio
The Oasis Sampler Program is a proven tool - Samplers get radio airplay for Oasis clients. We send out the Sampler CD, and we'll send you a copy of the mailing list we use. Your part in this promotion is to follow up with the DJs who receive the Sampler.

You might choose to mail an introductory letter to the entire list or, if your promotional budget is limited, you might plan to contact only the stations in the geographic area through which you'd like to be touring in the next year or two. For example, if you're performing locally and you want to tour, mail regionally. If you're touring regionally, mail to adjacent regions. Include in that mailing a self-addressed, stamped postcard that asks the DJs if they've played your song on the air, and if they'd like a copy of your CD. Ask for comments - it's a great way to collect quotes and learn where you can expect radio support immediately. When you plan to do a tour, send out a mailing about your gigs to the DJs and promoters in the cities you will be traveling through.

You can continue to use the Oasis Radio List to keep DJs informed about any honors and awards your CD receives and, of course, about your performance schedule. Make sure the DJs have your album in time to give you performance previews and airplay.

See our Resource links for more information about promoting your performances and recordings.
top

3. Make Your CD Retail-Friendly
It's crucial that your product look good when it's displayed. Here are some pointers.
• Pick a great looking package.
• Get a great graphic design, either through your own graphic designer or Oasis DesignWorks.
• Make use of the Oasis-exclusive 5 retail display you get free with every order.
top

4. Get Distribution
When your CD gets airplay in another town and listeners want to buy it, how will you make that sale? Through Oasis, you can get internet distribution without having to hustle and wait for some label A&R guy's attention and approval. It's in your control. Through Oasis, you will be able to sell your music directly through the popular indie music site CD Baby--entirely at our expense. You will also receive digital distribution through The iTunes Music Store, Rhapsody, and all of the other top paid download sites. You will also receive Brick&Mortar distribution in physical record stores nationwide, on demand, through one of the most important distributors in the country, Super D.

In addition, we recommend that you create your own website that includes your contact information, performance dates, interesting stories and images, and which links to your distributor(s) for online sales. If you're working with Oasis, you can actually do this entirely for free for the first six months, through our partner HostBaby. Update the site as often as you can to keep your fans interested. (This is uniquely easy with your free HostBaby site, which is set up specifically for the needs of musicians and their fan base and touring schedules.) Many independent artists with limited CD manufacturing budgets are putting song lyrics and photos on their websites in order to save money on graphic design and printing.

Finally, post your electronic press kit with Sonicbids and get it out to the venues and promoters you want to work with. It's more economical than sending bulky press kits, and with Oasis it's free for an entire year.
top

5. Stay in Touch with Your Customers
Encourage your customers to sign your mailing list, both online and at your gigs, so you can let them know when you'll be back in town and when you have a new CD release. Remember to ask for email addresses, too; emails save the cost of printing and mailing expensive newsletters and postcards. Email addresses change frequently, though, and without notice. Sending occasional "snail" mail to home addresses (address correction requested) is the most reliable way to stay in touch with everybody.
top

6. Plan to Keep On Promoting!
Use our Resource Links to tap into the music industry's hidden gems.
top

	Return to main menu		Step 6