Out of the depths of the over-saturated indie rock scene comes a refreshing addition with just enough spunk to stand out. After a year of searching for the perfect blend of band mates, DanseWolf is ready for action. They’ve already wrote and recorded a few songs which are on their self-titled promo CD and are in the process of  writing songs for their debut album coming later this year. Lucky for you we have a sneak peak of their newest song from their practice.

We’ve got lead singer Julz D, Erin Domina on bass, guitarist Andy Lagomarsino and Melissa Moskow on the drums. A definite indie style- lyrics sang with purpose, catchy tempo changes with a ‘driving rock edge’ as Julz put it. “Stray beats and hummed concepts at inception have matured into a true fusion of indie rock, blues and electronic with a backbone of soul” (Read the rest of their bio HERE). Everyone has a hand in writing and their songs range from shady INsignificant others, addiction (thought not what you may think) and even a romantic ballad. We can’t wait for the new album with a pumped up version of the Dansewolf you hear on their promo CD!

Hopefully you are keen on recognizing their jena se qua’ charisma and catch them at all their upcoming shows, starting June 23 at Dragonfly in Los Angeles. Stay connected with the DanseWolf on Myspace, Facebook & Twitter.

We caught up with the wolf pack in their studio for a video interview!

((click here if you can’t view the player))

Also check out a sneak peak of their new song “Smoke & Mirrors” from the studio:

((click here if you can’t view the player))

www.dansewolfmusic.com

-by Michelle Powell

Pack of Blank CD-R’s: $25… Sharpie: $1… An unprofessional disc that is unexciting and doesn’t make the listen excited to hear what’s on it… WORTHLESS

When you put out a demo CD the music you pour into it is a work of art so why shouldn’t the disc be a work of art too! Let’s face it, a sharpie CD just sucks. You potentially ruin the presentation of your product by scribbling the info on it.

Why even make a CD when you could just put an MP3 on your myspace page or on blogs? Well that is pretty passive… Any artist with a decent fan base is likely to tell you that getting something personal and physical into the hands of their fans is an absolute necessity. I go more into depth in this blog on the subject and I will be expanding more on the need to get out on the streets to sell yourself as a brand in upcoming blogs.

The saying “first impressions are everything” hold true even when it comes to a simple demo. I guarantee you If I put a sharpie CD and a basic black thermal text printed disc side by side, anyone would take the thermal disc over the sharpie disc. Same goes with black text versus full color. You get what you pay for when it comes to the wow factor, so you should make a small investment into marketing yourself and have a good quality presentation. In pretty much all of our day to day activities here at Eternite Media (whether it be marketing campaigns, equipment purchases, even sales) we are always looking at our ROI or Return On Investment. Basically, how successful is the results of the investment we put into something, be it time, money, labor, etc. A lot of times it is hard to measure that return when it comes to the actual impression we have made on people. The same is true about your demo CD’s. In a sense, if you get that person to sign up for your mailing list or you see them at your next show, you will know that you have made a good return on that investment. It is up to you to decide if stepping up your demos to professional duplication is a worthwhile investment for your personal goals. Be sure not to forget that your time is money, and often times the added value of quality duplication plus the time you save from creating copies yourself is a much better choice.

That being said, I am in no way attempting to say anyone is less of an artist if they don’t have their demos done with a duplication company. Your content should be your number one priority and is the one thing that truly matters. My goal is to get you thinking about whether stepping up your investment on your discs is a worthwhile expense.

I feel so strongly that I have to decided to offer anyone who has not done work with us in the past an amazing opportunity. Send me up to 10 of your sharpie CD’s and I will send you back the same amount back with our black thermal printed CD’s and your music on it, plus a sample of our full color thermal printed discs. If you have a sticker label or inkjet printed CD I will send you our Full Color thermal discs with your music on it plus a sample of our black text thermal printed discs.
A few details…
-Only new customers who have not ordered disc products from us in the past can participate

-You will need to cover the postage out to Los Angeles and we will take care of the return

-We can transcribe your sharpie CD to black text (we will use a font of our choice)

-If we are sending you full color discs you will need to provide us with your own artwork

-Your content must follow our intellectual property rights policy and terms of services, which we can send you through email
Please contact us at info@eternitemedia.com or 323-284-4733 for full details and to get your free discs. We would love to show you what we can do, and even work with your budget.

I am really excited to offer this and I wish I could do it all the time, but this is only valid for a very limited time- so tell your friends, and get in contact with us today before it is too late!

Ryan Powell
President
Eternite Media, LLC

In the difficult world of marketing your music in today’s saturated market you have to do more then just stick your thumb out and hope to get picked up. When it comes to offering free downloads or access to streams of your music, the instant gratification factor is large and may spark some interest in the short term, but once you navigate away from that site, or that download gets filed away in the massive music library you can be quickly forgot about. With a physical disc, it has a better chance of reminding the person about you for an extended time. When a disc looks great people are more apt to keep it around. Personally, when I buy a CD or someone gives one to me, I stick it in the player in my car and I may listen to it 5 or 6 times. When I download an album (especially one that was a giveaway) I will listen to it once or twice but not nearly as much as one that goes into my car. It takes a very long time for a technology to go extinct so CD’s are here to stay for a long time; heck, some cars still have a cassette player!

When promoting yourself with a CD you are putting a musical flyer of sorts into the hands of the person you gave it to. By simply handing that person a CD you are able to give them all of your vital information regarding yourself and your music before they even listen to it! If your CD looks good and is well thought out you have a great chance that the person you just handed that disc to will actually take the time to listen to it. People like free stuff, and when you hand someone a promo CD that looks great, they want it- even if it is a genre of music they typically don’t listen to. You can put together an inexpensive, good looking promotional disc with a sampling of your music to give away in front of clubs, at the mall or at your shows that will get people to put your CD into their car on the way home. If they like what they hear they are apt to check out the info on the disc and go download more tracks or buy your actual album.

When it comes to marketing your music to Billboard reporters, tastemakers, Internet and traditional radio stations, it is safe to say they get a lot of CD’s. It is also pretty safe to say that they get even more emails and downloads. If you have the means to get a physical CD to them rather then just another spam email in their inbox, you are showing them that you have the desire to spend a little to present them with your work. Don’t fall prey to people who offer to “email blast” the world your music for a fee. Bought lists and spamming is just going to annoy listeners. A lot of the email address’ that send the blasts may have even been blocked. Presenting someone with a gift of your music is much sweeter when they can touch it and they know you personally sent it to them. Of course it doesn’t hurt to contact them and ask if they will give it a listen. If they won’t, it is a waste of your time to send it anyways. When it comes to someone reviewing your music, being able to look at your information while they listen is always a big advantage. Don’t forget about a cover letter with your bio and credits that will also set you apart from the masses.

Here are a couple of good ideas for CD promos:

Keeping it simple

Sometimes less is more. Nothing beats your standard black thermal print with a white paper sleeve. The cost savings means you can get a little more for your money and that means more ears will listen to it. It would be a good idea to drop a business card inside the sleeve with your contact info on it (if you haven’t read our blog on business cards as flyers check it <here>)

Take it a step up

Opt for a clear poly sleeve and a printed insert and you’ve got yourself a rocking promo CD with a lot of real estate to sell your sound. You are keeping your costs down by using an inexpensive poly sleeve but upping the value of the promo with the insert.

Go all out

If you plan on pulling out all the stops and going for a more complete release look such as a jewel case, digipak, or jacket, make sure that your promo is not going to outshine the albums you are putting out. When you want to go all out, get creative! Have the disc be a short sampling of your music, but the have the packaging list the entire album info and instructions on where to download or buy the rest of the album to complete the package.

~

All in all, giving out a physical CD as a promo has some great advantages and is a valuable tool for anyone serious about promoting themselves. Even if your budget is tight, having a small quantity to give out to the people that matter will do you a world of good, but make sure they look professional. If you hand someone a CD with your name and number scribbled on it and another person hands them a full color disc in nice packaging, your disc is heading to the trash. Grab their attention, make it loud and be proud of your creation.

Coming up:
Diving into the retail CD world