JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum My CD is at the manufacturer! Yeehaa!

I have given a play-by-play since the first step of this CD project, so I figure I can share the latest step! My CD is past the proofing stage and "in production." I should have a pile of CDs in hand for my "CD Release Concert" next Friday 8/11.

I'm so excited! I can't wait to see what they look like and how they sound.

This has been an adventure from the start, with a steep learning curve for me MANY times along the way. I could not have done this without many kind people here on JPF.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

Even the release concert has had me out of my depth and my comfort zone many times! I really shouldn't be organizing something like this, and I definitely shouldn't be involved in any PR, but things have fallen into place even without much effort on my part. Had some very stressful moments, but still things have worked out.

Right now, for example, my drummer is scheduled for emergency surgery, and won't be able to sing or play trumpet like we planned, so I have to find another singer at the last moment....but I refuse to stress. I've already seen dozens of problems like this come up, and get resolved. God is good to me!

I'M SO EXCITED!

Thank you all for the helpful ideas, important pieces of information, and encouragement you have given me through this forum. It has been priceless to me, and I'm extremely grateful!

I should have the CDs in hand next week, so expect another post saying, "Want one?"

Thanks so much for your help and encouragement!!! --Jean

Jezz - it's about time!

Congrats, but just so I understand...

You've already scheduled your CD release concert and you don't have your CD's in your hands already?!?

I've seen it over and over, the manufacturer will promise a date and then you won't have CDs on that date, now you're playing a CD release party/show and you have no CDs to sell. Or you cancel and your fans get disappointed. Even worse still - the CDs they send are the wrong ones, something got printed wrong, the audio is screwed up, the list of problems goes on and on.

Essentially it should be the final rule in the process of getting your CDs: Don't schedule the release show until you have them and they're correct.

I know it's tough to wait, but better to be safe than sorry on something as important as this. I know from my own experience and from many others. I did that with my very first CD. I scheduled a release party 2 weeks after I supposed to have them. I got them litterally one hour before the party, and there was an error. Ever since, I've always waited until they're in my hands and exactly what I ordered.

Jody

p.s. - just looking out for your best interests.

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Music That Makes Your Soul Happy!
www.jodywhitesides.com

Congrats Jean -

and Jody's right if anyone's listening... patience IS a virtue.


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Marty my home

Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you
recognize a mistake when you make it again!

Yeah, getting the CDs would have been smarter.

Too late now.

Things don't always work out the way I want them to. I put aside the money to have the CDs manufactured in March, and a few days later, we had a major unexpected expense. Same thing happened in April, May, June, and beginning of July.

Life doesn't always go as planned. Had to have the concert in the summer because 2 band members are in college, and next Friday was the ONLY day between May 1 and September 1 that the entire band could play.

Trust me, this isn't the way I like to do things. But it will work out! Right now, I have a band member who can't sing or play trumpet, and his ability to drum & play acoustic guitar is slightly iffy as well, because of a last-minute surgery. I just found this out late Monday night.

Since I'm not stressing about him, what is the point of stressing about the CDs? I am recovering from 16 months of deep depression and panic attacks, so I'm not about to start stressing over this concert. I have to take care of myself. At this point, I'm still alive, and I finally WANT to be alive....so the rest is gravy! The concert will all come together.

You probably think I'm nuts, and I agree. The thing is, this concert was God's idea (now you REALLY think I'm nuts, I'm sure!), not mine, and I'm just along for the ride. I intend to have a blast, whatever happens, and I know it will be not only okay but really good.

But I will definitely never schedule a release until I have the CDs in hand in the future.....that was my intention this time.....just couldn't be helped. Things happen in life that are not in our control. But after what I've been through, really hit bottom, then went even lower than that!....I know what it means to surrender, and that's where I'm at with this concert....same "zone" that I'm in when I get inspired to write a song....putting my trust not in people but in the Big Guy, and staying out of His way.

Anyway, I figure, even if nobody shows, the CDs are not available, whatever....I'm going to have a blast playing with my band. I also know that when God starts something, He finishes it, and finishes well, so I really don't have to worry, no matter how idiotically I do my part! His plans are always bigger and better than mine!

--Jean

Congrats on your project!

If you used Disc Makers for your CD's, I doubt you'll have a problem. If it's someone else, then it's a crap shoot. Just make sure you follow up regularly with whoever it is so you have as much notice of any potential problem as possible and a plan for how you would handle it should they not get there when they're supposed to. Contigencies are all good.

Congrats again,

Brian

Thanks, Brian! The company is keeping me informed via email every time my job goes to the next step, which is nice. They expect to get the whole batch to me in time for the concert, but are shipping some overnight, just to be sure we have a chunk of them earlier.

I guess I won't know for SURE if I hired the right people, until I get the CDs in hand, but so far they have been great to work with, and ahead of schedule.

My contingency plan is to have order forms available. Hopefully we won't need to rely solely on that. I expect things will work out, and if not, I will just roll with it.

If I do another concert, I'm sure everything will go much more smoothly. First time at anything is always a little scary and full of potholes, you know?

Thanks for the good advice, guys! --Jean

Congratulations, Jean!

This is great news Completing a CD is an impressive accomplishment.

Celebrate and enjoy!


Emily

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http://emilysanders.net

Thanks, Emily! I am excited for you to hear it. --Jean

Jean, congrats. No, I don't think you're crazy to say God planned this concert.... God has bigger ideas than ours! Even if the CDs are not in, good things will come of it because you expect them!

Somehow, the universe has a way of making things happen, even if it's a bit different from what we planned. And hopefully, it WILL work out as planned, with CDs beautiful, perfect, in hand, and selling like crazy.

My band, Blue Merlot, has had one delay after another in the release of our first CD as a band. The first delay was named Katrina. The second was named Rita, and there have been other delays since last summer's storms. The project was delayed for many months, but the music was healing, the project took a different direction, and we wound up working with a wonderful engineer (Steve Reynolds, formerly of Ultrasonic Studio in New Orleans) whom we would not have met otherwise. We all CLICKED and really enjoyed working on the project. The CD is being mastered now. Hopefully I'll be in your shoes soon!

Yes, God's plans are bigger. Music is a Divine Gift that wants to get out!

Congratulations and blessings on the project!!

Brenda



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Brenda
www.BlueMerlot.com
www.BandBontheRock.com

Thank you, Brenda! Cool story about your CD project.

My partial shipment arrived yesterday. The rest are en route and should arrive next week. I had some shipped overnight just to make sure we had them for the concert, and YAY! They came!!!

I have to admit, it is very cool to see a "real CD." They look great. I opened one to listen, the rest are shrinkwrapped and ready for sale.

The CD release concert is tomorrow night, and it has had a bunch of snags, just like the CD project did, but everything is working out, piece by piece! For example, my drummer & backup singer had emergency surgery on Monday this week, and could only listen at our dress rehearsal last night. He can't sing or play trumpet for the concert because of his surgery, but he plans to play drums and guitar. I refuse to stress about it. I found a replacement singer, and just dropped the trumpet from the one number. The new guy learned 2 songs he had never even heard before, yesterday morning, with only a chord chart to refer to, made up some nice harmony, came back in the evening to rehearse those 2 songs with the band....and sounded GREAT!

I feel like a ship has sailed, and I'm just sitting on deck thinking, "I hope this is going where my ticket says it is." Haha! It's totally out of my control now! I'm just along for the ride, and trying to stay relaxed about it.

I actually do get in some danger if I try to do too much in one day, so I have to be careful. Lots of people have stepped in to help, and I am fortunate that I have some loyal fans of my music---it seems like some really nice people are touched by my songs, so I have enjoyed meeting and getting to know some great people through the concert planning.

Now I just have to see what happens tomorrow, and I guess it'll be fine. It's not like I'm doing surgery or anything, just sharing my music, which is my best thing. I am hoping to have FUN playing with my bunch of goofballs tomorrow night. They are a good group of people, and I'm SO glad they all wanted to do this with me.

Thanks for your good wishes! I expect to see an excited post from you, when your CDs arrive, also looking great and sounding great! --Jean

Congratulations, Jean. Hope you sell a million of them, maybe two.

Pat

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Waltzing Through A Rock And Roll Life!!

www.patjenkins.net

JL -

Just a quick note to have fun tonight!


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Marty my home

Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you
recognize a mistake when you make it again!

Thank you, guys!!!

I'm nervous and excited, and about to head over to the place.

I hope I get out of the scared phase and into the "zone" by the chorus of the first song. That would be cool. Then I can just have a BLAST!!!

Lots of good food waiting back stage, too.

Thank you for your good wishes!!! I think I need about a thousand hugs before I walk out there! One of my friends who headed up the decorating committee left me a phone message this morning, "Just called to tell you that you rock! You are amazing, and I can't wait to hear the concert tonight! You are awesome!" Haha! Sweet! Just what I needed to hear this morning!

The rest of my CDs arrived today, a week early, so I'm being a positive thinker and bringing all 500. Haha! Don't think I'll need them all, but what the heck!

Okay, heading out the door. Thanks so much, guys!!! --Jean