FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why do all Brown Box Music CDs use the same artwork?

This is done to keep costs low and allow lightning-fast three-day turnaround times. CDs with custom artwork can look cool, but there's a price to pay for that artwork, both for graphic design and layout as well as the costs associated with custom printing. Add to that the delays associated with custom artwork, which can range from weeks to months (ask any musical group who've done a CD with custom artwork and you'll discover just how hard it is to get a consensus and approval on the final artwork). Bottom line, the Brown Box Music approach gives you the most bang for the buck, with no artwork delays or setup charges.

Doesn't my CD need custom artwork to be successful?

Absolutely not. People buy CDs for the music, not the artwork. We've been in the CD duplication business since 1993 and have never had a customer lose a sale because of artwork. Custom artwork can help a musician or group establish an image and get the attention of record labels, but for musicians wanting to get a CD out to the general public, artwork will not stand in the way of sales.

Who are potential Brown Box Music customers?

• Musicians who need a Demo CD that looks professional, yet is very low in cost and can be ordered in quantities as low as 100 CDs.
• Professional and semiprofessional musicians who play at live venues and want to increase their take-home pay by offering a CD to sell at shows. (Many musicians earn more money selling CDs at live shows than they earn from their performance fees. If you don't have a CD to sell, you're losing money!)
• Musicians who have not yet completed their CD project, yet would like to get something out NOW. Because of budget constraints, many musicians can take several years to complete their recording, and during that time they are earning ZERO dollars from the tracks already completed. Offering a CD that contains some of the tracks lets the musician get a product out into the marketplace where it can earn money, while at the same time giving the musician valuable exposure.
• Musicians who already have a traditional CD but have unexpectedly run out of stock and need an emergency supply of CDs while they wait three weeks for a reorder of their "regular" CD.
• Junior High, High School and College bands and orchestras who would like recordings of their live concerts. Also churches and other religious organizations who wish to use the audio medium as a way to communicate with people. (By the way, CDs are excellent fund raisers for schools, churches and other nonprofit organizations.)
• Musicians who are not quite ready to commit to ordering 1000 CDs and prefer to start out small and make sure there is sufficient demand for their music.
• Musicians who have a CD with a small number of songs - even just a single song. The Brown Box Music look and feel fits perfectly with such a CD project.
• "Closet" musicians who just want to have a CD of their own (often referred to as Vanity CDs). They may have no real ambition to pursue a musical career but still have a strong desire to get their music out to friends and family. Here, custom artwork is not required, so the Brown Box Music alternative is a perfect fit.
• Non-musicians who'd like to take advantage of the audio medium. Examples include motivational speakers, standup comics, poets, educators, people who give guided meditations, etc.
• Musicians who want to test market their CD. Key factors include checking for the right ordering of songs, making sure the final mix is right, checking to see if any songs might not belong on the CD, determining just how many CDs to order, etc. Ask any musician who has ordered 1000 custom CDs, only to discover a month later that mistakes were made and had to throw away 950 CDs, just how important test marketing can be.

What's the single most important part of making my CD project successful?

You MUST create a usable master CD. With the proliferation of CD-R burners, more and more people have the ability to burn CDs. Unfortunately, many people do not understand the options that can (and should) be selected with the CD burning software prior to recording, resulting in a CD that can sound fine when played, but will cause the duplicated CDs to have unwanted sounds like clicks and pops. PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW OUR "MASTERING TIPs" PAGE BEFORE BURNING YOUR MASTER CD.

If I sell out of Brown Box Music CDs, can I later switch to CDs that use my own artwork?

Yes! While many of our customers come back and order more Brown Box Music CDs, anyone can migrate to a CD package that uses their own unique artwork, while not having to change the audio content of the CD (although you can if you'd like). What's really cool is that if you migrate to a CD package with custom artwork, the Brown Box Music CDs become instant collector's items.

Tell me about your turnaround time.

Most orders are shipped within three business days after the online order is placed and the master CD is received by Brown Box Music. In the event that problems are encountered with your master CD and a new replacement master is required, delays completing your order should be expected. Be sure and carefully read the "MASTERING TIPS" page to minimize the likelihood of problems occurring with your master.

In the online Design Studio, you have specific recommendations for text like "Group/Performer's Name", CD Title, Credits, etc. Do I have to follow those recommendations, or can I put other kinds of text in those boxes?

You can use the space to include text that best suits the individual needs of your CD project. Most customers follow the recommendations we provide and use the 32 lines in the middle of the back cover for their track list. However, the Design Studio allows you to experiment with as many options as you like. Be creative!!

I have recorded some songs that other people wrote. Do I need to do anything related to copyright issues?

If you are recording songs to which you do not own the copyright, you will need to secure a mechanical license prior to ordering your CDs. This can be done online with the Harry Fox Agency at http://www.songfile.com/limited_license_search.html. We support the rights of songwriters to be compensated for their creative efforts and require our customers to comply with all applicable laws relating to copyright.

I'd like to have a Brown Box Music CD, but do not yet have a recording. Is recording a CD expensive?

Recording a CD can range from doing it yourself for free at home (or the home of a friend) to recording it at a local studio. Another low-cost alternative is to record a live album which can be done using an engineer from a local recording studio, often for just a few hundred dollars. Brown Box Music's laid back packaging modeled around a simple brown box lends itself particularly well to live recordings.

Each Brown Box Music CD comes with a free bar code. Is this important?

Yes. Bar Codes allow you to sell your CDs in stores. They also convey an element of professionalism to help open doors to bookers, club owners, record companies, etc.

What text appears on the inside panel of the CD's front insert?

It explains what Brown Box Music is all about and lets your customers understand why other musicians may also offer CDs that share the same look and feel (click HERE to have a closer look). It also helps position you as a musician who puts a greater emphasis on the music and less on the packaging, with the end result being your music being brought to the masses, where it might not otherwise be done without an affordable alternative like Brown Box Music.

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