Release Plan

Due to the fact that this project is as much an art piece as a record, I feel that vinyl would be the best medium for the pressing. This is because the large format would best show off the amazing artwork from Annie Cutler and the aesthetic of the music fits the time period where vinyl was the main medium for music. My tutor suggested that I pay a visit to Dusty Fingers record shop in High Street Arcade, Cardiff as he had heard they press limited runs in house. Unfortunately, the pressing house was separate and had moved. In addition, they press artwork to the actual LP rather than just pressing standard vinyl. This could be an interesting way to further the idea of an art piece. After contacting them, I found that they will only print one side of the vinyl and so this will not work for the purposes of this project.

My tutor also found a CD printing company called M-T-S Duplication that have a forty-eight-hour turnaround time. I decided that a ‘digipack’ would also be a good way to show off the art as the continuous panels and lack of plastic to distort the visual would feel similar to a vinyl cover. In addition, plastic cases are very flimsy and breakable and plastic is a material that we need to begin phasing out. I contacted them to confirm this and they sent me the templates which I assembled with the artwork in Photoshop before having them checked. The front cover features the artwork with just my name as I have decided to leave the EP without a title. This is mirrored on the back with the track listing, the image connecting on the spine to give a tessellating appearance. The inside front features the album credits and sleeve notes and behind the CD holder is a photograph of me performing taken by the wonderful Katie Ren. The CD itself will also feature a segment of the artwork.

As was discussed in my research project, I will ask artists to create little sketches in response to the tracks that can be included in a special or deluxe edition in the form of stickers, patches and/or badges. This is a different way of going about the idea of a limited edition release as they would usually just contain bonus tracks and expanded sleeve notes. This will create a more engaging and exciting experience for the buyer. This special edition may be something that is received by those who pre-order the EP, giving an incentive and making each pre-order copy a one of a kind item that will not be available again. The buyer also has something to show off the fact that they pre-ordered that is separate to the CD itself. The deluxe edition would include an extra written note from me about some of the meanings, a random selection of the stickers to make it unique, and possibly a live version of one or both singles. Some examples of the drawings can be seen here and more would have been created if it wasn’t for that fact that many of my artistic friends are under the same time constraints as me. I will have the individual pictures signed so that each print credits the artist.

The singles for the release would be ‘Can’t You Tell?’ and ‘Voices On the Tapes’ as they are the right length and structure for this purpose while still giving an idea of the overall tone and feel of the record. Due to the fact that this is only an EP and not an album, two singles may be giving too much away but this would be a conversation to be had with the label or other officials when planning the real release.