A week from release

It’s been an intensely busy last few weeks. The other day, after getting feedback from a lot of colleagues and friends (thanks to Neil, Arden, Dave, Silence, and Adelaide, among others), I finalized the master on the album, and uploaded and submitted it to my distributor (I still use CDBaby, mostly because I already have an account with them, and they only charge a one-time fee to distribute music).

I’m processing a mixture of pride, excitement, anxiety, and a little depression. I’ve been working on this thing in one form or another for eight years now. (Ye gods.) But CDBaby’s guide encourages artists to submit music three to six weeks before their planned release date, because the various distribution channels all have their own review process and that could take time. So when I finally was ready to upload and submit, late Wednesday night, I had a sinking feeling that my “release date” of June 20 was going to kind of a let-down, where the album wouldn’t actually be available where most people would be looking for it.

Ultimately, CDBaby expedited their inspection process (for an added fee, natch), and delivered the album to all the channels on Friday (yesterday). And later that day, I got an email from Spotify for Artists telling me to get ready for my release, because it was scheduled. So CDBaby was covering their butts and managing expectations, and in all likelihood the album is going to be released promptly on Friday pretty much everywhere you find new music, including Spotify, YouTube Music, and iTunes.

It will also be on Bandcamp, and available to order as a CD, because those are things I have direct control over and could set up on my own. (They’re all set.) So my mood has shifted back to excited.

Now…all I have to do is “promote” it. Which I still kinda have no real idea how to do. Artists who are trying to make a living at this need to invest heavily in a release and promotion strategy. I would love to make back the modest (but real) investment I made in production costs (distribution, ordering a small run of CDs for events), and maybe just maybe make a little on top of that, which I will donate to ASAN (Autism Self Advocacy Network) for the next two years.

So I’m going to post about this on social media, in relevant groups. I’ll run an ad campaign on Facebook and maybe Threads (knowing that the returns they provide on that get smaller and smaller over time). I’m not looking to bleed much money. Most of what was invested in making this album was time and talent, mine and others.

And I plan, if I can keep the energy up, to post about the process of making this album, the incredibly talented and generous co-creators who made it possible, what I learned doing it, and what these songs mean to me. And my hope is that if you listen to this music, and you find meaning, comfort, beauty, or joy in it, you will actively share it with people around you and encourage them to check it out. I’m an obsessive hobbyist who’s a part of some niche communities, and I’ve made something I’m really proud of (however much my inner critic nags at me).

I did the thing. The album is done. And it will be out there for you to experience in less than a week.

Okay, so we’re doing this.