CD or Not CD

On the internet all choruses are equal: Even the smallest ensemble with limited resources can now establish a global presence using digital technology to spread its sound.

Compact discs remain a viable and relatively low-cost medium for capturing and distributing recordings, and just about every community has access to a producer or engineer capable of rendering a quality digital master. No access to a studio or a pristine acoustic environment? Lisa Nauful, manager of Chanticleer's recording program, says that properly produced live recordings are nothing to be ashamed of. They offer spontaneity, authenticity, and immediacy," she says. "You can shut your eyes and put yourself in a seat. Maybe it's not perfect, but it's intimate and it's real."

Even with a well-captured studio or live performance, the production and distribution of discs may be an expense beyond the reach of some organizations. Downloadable digital files sold via the chorus's own website or through an online service like iTunes or Amazon are a cost-effective alternative: no manufacturing, no jewel boxes, no printing of liner notes, no lingering inventory. The financial exposure is minimal, and the return—whether measured in dollars or awareness—can be exceptional.

Yes, discs are a great way to generate revenue at concerts in the afterglow of audience engagement, and it's still nice to be able to hand someone the sound of your chorus, but with digital downloads the product possibilities are endless, and a chorus is no longer faced with the daunting task of filling an entire 60-minute disc. An online sale can be a full album download, individual performances, individual works, customizable playlists, tour programs, seasonal events, or all of the above. The Minneapolis-based ensemble Cantus has found a happy medium by selling prepaid download cards alongside compact discs at its concerts. Each card has a code that can be unlocked at the Cantus website. Cards can also be given away for promotional or educational purposes.

Should a chorus set up and manage its own store to sell CDs and digital downloads? Rich Bradway, associate director of e-commerce and new media for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, answers that question with a question: "Is exposure more important than the bottom line?" If a your goal is to maximize profitability, he says, an ambitious chorus would sell tracks, albums, and playlists exclusively from a custom website using their own system to market, transact, and distribute.

Going directly to iTunes or Amazon is also an option, says Bradway, but with each of those outlets receiving thousands of requests, getting on those services takes an enormous amount of persistence. Even a renowned chorus with an esteemed brand name can have a hard time getting their calls or emails returned. "These companies are staffed with people who know little about the classical music genre at all," he says. "They understand standard fees for Britney Spears, but you have to teach these people who you are and what you do."

Chanticleer generates a significant portion of its earned revenue from a deep catalog of recordings. A grant from the Irvine Foundation enabled Chanticleer to design, build, and staff a state-of-the-art storefront for selling discs and sound files directly to their fans. Joe Ledbetter, who lead the Chanticleer project, says that by building their own storefront Chanticleer maximizes profitability as it eliminates intermediaries: Revenue from tracks from their Warner catalog generate as little as a penny per track from a 99-cent iTunes sale; on sales of tracks from their own recording program transacted via their own site, profit approaches 100 percent of whatever retail price they have set.

But even if revenue is a significant part of your recording program, the best strategy is not necessarily to do it yourself. Third party distributors such as TuneCore, InGrooves, and CD Baby provide services that are often worth the "cut" they take for reducing the time and overhead required to market a recording in a variety of formats, including discs and downloads. Octarium, the Kansas City-based professional chorus, uses CD Baby to market and transact sales of discs and digital tracks. Does the loss of revenue bother Octarium's founder-director Krista Blackwood? "Money is good, but what we care about is getting our music out there," she says. "Having someone else bundle it, distribute it, collect the money, and send us a check is easier than setting up a storefront and dealing with Paypal and credit card transactions and fulfillment."

Which is not to say that Octarium's recording income is not important. CD and digital recording revenues bring in about $6,000 out of their $75,000 budget. "It's not a lot of money but it is a steady income," Blackwood says.

Music journalist Molly Sheridan, editor of the American Music Center's New Music Box, notes that digital downloads are not just for sales: They are now an essential component of marketing and public relations, and much less expensive than shipping a disc. A digital press kit combining a press release, a photo, and a downloadable sound bite enables greater "connectivity" to the press without the traditional costs of printing, postage, and a CD that might easily get tossed. Sheridan says that if a writer or editor can quickly access a sound sample it improves the likelihood that the organization will be featured in an article or webcast.

There are limits to the capacity of sampling to communicate an ensemble's message. "It's very hard to excerpt a slowly evolving minimalist track in three minutes," says Sheridan. "You don't catch the point." It's up to the individual artist or organization to determine what and how much to put out there, she advises. "There is no ideal to determine that. It's like a trailer to a movie. Sometimes it works short and funky. Sometimes you need a longer sell."

Does the ease and enhanced profitability of download sales mean compact discs are the new eight-track? "The CD for classical music is not dead," says Nauful of Chanticleer. "People want to say that but in reality it is still a huge majority of sales." Nauful herself remains a fan of the tangible disc medium. "I like to touch my recordings, just as I prefer to touch my books and The New York Times."