Filk publishing question - CD or download card option

[hms42]

I am just wondering on this one...

I will publishing another CD for Roberta Rogow this fall and have recently looked into the idea of doing a small professionally duplicated batch of CDs (about 100 or 150 copies) and a larger batch of download cards.  

What I am wondering is - should I do the download cards or do you prefer purchasing CDs?  Both the discs and the download cards will be made available to the filk dealers.    Pricing on the CDs will likely be about $10-$12 depending on the duplication and song royalty costs.   Download cards will be priced a little lower.

Should I bother with the download cards?   I have seen 1 album on filk dealer tables (Ookla The Mok's Nerdvana) as a download card.  (This was available both at Worldcon and at ConCertino 2012.)  The rest of the albums on the tables from both filk dealers were CD only. 

9/21 update -
I held off on the responses for a few days while waiting for 1-2 people whom I know run a few days behind on LJ.   The planned print run will be CD only and possibly making the album available for download purchasing somewhere with the same music.   The print run is going to increase slightly (so I have stock for a while, but not as long as one of Roberta's earlier CDs... I still have over 100 copies of an earlier album in my basement.)

Comments

[lemmozine.livejournal.com]

Personally, I'm pretty much opposed to download cards. I prefer actual CDs.

Perhaps you should ask the filk dealers if people are buying the download cards of Ookla. Also consider the general age of the audience. My guess is that older people will be more biased against the cards.

Most of the download cards I've seen have been for free samplers. I think trying to sell them for money is a little iffy. On the other hand, the investment isn't very high.

[jannyblue.livejournal.com]

This is pretty much what I was going to say.

The one download card I ever got was a "free" bonus if you bought both CDs. I want to say it was $5 if you wanted just the card, but I can't remember.

I remember there were technical difficulties in my getting the download, though it was sorted out pretty quickly.

Personally, I prefer CDs, because I like getting autographs, and you can't really sign those tiny little cards.

[hms42]

Completely understood. Download cards are not being bothered with, for this album.

[hms42]

Thank you for the feedback. I am planning on going with a CD based on everyone's response and not bothering with the download cards for this album.

[tibicina.livejournal.com]

I prefer having an actual CD, but I also know people who would rather have the download cards. (I've also seen some people - Marian Call comes to mind - who printed the download cards on some kind of seed paper so people could do something with the card after downloading things.)

[hms42]

I have to look into that option. That would be an interesting usage for the card afterwards.

[sodyera.livejournal.com]

Honestly, when I buy music by electrical means I will usually make a hard copy back-up anyway, so why go through all that work?

[hms42]

Gotcha. It was not extra work, but an extra expense I was thinking about doing. Maybe when the album becomes available for online sales, I will bother with a very small run of cards.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

Whichever format I buy in, I expect I'll create the other. I *do*have have a strong preference for lossless formats to download (I doubt I'd buy even 320kbps MP3s).

[hms42]

Anything I publish, just ask me for a digital copy via email and I can make it available to you via private link. I have replaced a couple of albums via that method when someone has lost the disc or had damaged it.

[madfilkentist]

The point of downloads is immediacy compared to buying a physical recording. If I'm at a dealer table, download cards actually get in the way of immediacy, since I have to go to a computer, connect to the Internet, and hope the download works. The cards make sense for freebies, but they seem like a lose-lose proposition for sales at a dealer table.

[hms42]

Thanks for the suggestion. It was an idea at the time that is being put on hold till they get more popular in the filk community.

[ericcoleman]

Download cards work great at a show, more and more there are people who don't want the physical product. At a dealers table not so much.

[hms42]

I will keep this in mind if I ever publish an album that justifies it, but I am leaning towards only using them as a promotional giveaway.

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

Other than filk, I buy almost NO physical music anymore.

[sexybass.livejournal.com]

I am opposed to download cards as well and only purchase CD's.

[gorgeousgary]

Just about all my music buying is still CD's. About the only time I buy an MP3 (or other digital format) is if I'm after one particular song (usually for learning something for the folkies).

[filkferengi]

I'm more a both-and, rather than an either-or. When traveling, or if clutter is a concern, a card is definitely the way to go. Physical cds have their appeals [why, hello there, liner notes], but do take up space in my house. I think you've got about the right range for your number of physical cds.