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# 5 Ways To Influence Fans To Buy Physical Music
- URL: https://www.hypebot.com/5-ways-to-influence-fans-to-buy-physical-music/
- Published: 2014-10-29T13:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2014-10-29T13:00:00.000Z
- Description: By Nick Moorhead on Sonicbids.com People don’t buy CDs anymore. I still buy a couple of CDs a month, but that’s because I’m a music journalist who's too lazy to steal music online like. Continue reading [https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2014/10/5-ways-to-influence-fans-to-buy-physical-music.html]
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: DIY Advice & Tips, Music Business, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-01-21 10:38

[![Records](https://a1.typepad.com/6a016766638dee970b01bb07a15301970d-200wi "Records")](http://a1.typepad.com/6a016766638dee970b01bb07a15301970d-popup?ref=hypebot.com)

By [**Nick Moorhead** ](http://blog.sonicbids.com/author/nick-moorhead?ref=hypebot.com)on [Sonicbids.com](http://blog.sonicbids.com/5-ways-to-influence-fans-to-buy-physical-music?ref=hypebot.com)

[People don’t buy CDs anymore](http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6236365/album-sales-hit-a-new-low-2014?ref=hypebot.com). I still buy a couple of CDs a month, but that’s because I’m a [music journalist](http://blog.sonicbids.com/topic/ask-a-music-journalist?ref=hypebot.com) who's too lazy to steal music online like everyone else (torrents confuse me). When I tell people about the latest CD I picked up at [Newbury Comics](http://www.newbury.com/?ref=hypebot.com), they either yawn and change the subject or look at me like I rode into town via horse and buggy. The point is, if you want someone to buy your physical media, you have to go above and beyond these days. Here are five ways to help your fans make that purchase.

## 1\. Visually compelling covers

If your [cover](http://blog.sonicbids.com/how-to-get-quality-album-artwork-on-a-diy-budget?ref=hypebot.com) is a legitimate piece of art that people might display on their coffee tables or in their shelves, they're more likely to buy the album. [Vampire Weekend’s](http://www.vampireweekend.com/?ref=hypebot.com) covers are always simple but excellent, prominently featuring the band's name in that distinct Futura font. Many metal bands have eye-popping covers; Opeth’s *Heritage* and [Dragonforce](http://www.dragonforce.com/?ref=hypebot.com)’s *Maximum Overload* are so cool aesthetically. Meanwhile, [Kanye West](http://kanyewest.com/?ref=hypebot.com)’s *Graduation* cover was created by an actual modern artist. Beauty is the in the eye of the beholder, but just make sure your cover isn’t a total bore to look at. ([Aphex Twin](http://www.last.fm/music/Richard%2BDavid%2BJames?ref=hypebot.com)’s recent *Syro* totally failed that test.)

[![Record copy](http://a3.typepad.com/6a016766638dee970b01bb07a15383970d-150wi "Record copy")](http://a3.typepad.com/6a016766638dee970b01bb07a15383970d-popup?ref=hypebot.com)

2\. Limited edition bonus tracks

Include a few songs that are only on limited editions. Sometimes, these won’t end up on [iTunes](http://www.apple.com/itunes/?ref=hypebot.com) or [Spotify](http://blog.sonicbids.com/6-easy-steps-to-streaming-success-on-spotify?ref=hypebot.com) for quite a while – if at all – and this can incentivize completists to purchase a physical copy.

## 3\. Extra swag and merch

Include stickers, patches, posters, T-shirts, and any extra additions you can think of that might make fans want a physical copy of your music. Besides, all that [swag](http://blog.sonicbids.com/5-reasons-why-people-arent-buying-your-merch?ref=hypebot.com) can be great[publicity](http://blog.sonicbids.com/4-ways-to-not-get-publicity-for-your-band?ref=hypebot.com)!

## 4\. A variety of formats

There’s a certain contingent of fans who fetishize music collections; the only problem is, CDs might not be what they want. Release on [vinyl](http://blog.sonicbids.com/jack-white-has-changed-the-vinyl-game?ref=hypebot.com), or even old-school [cassettes](http://blog.sonicbids.com/cassette-story?ref=hypebot.com), to ensure that you’re hitting all your markets and giving yourself the best chance you can.

## 5\. Lyrics in the liner notes

Especially if your words are hard to decipher (like in fast hip-hop, loud metal, or just if you have a weird voice), putting your [lyrics](http://blog.sonicbids.com/how-to-write-songs-that-get-stuck-in-peoples-heads?ref=hypebot.com) on paper can be a major draw for fans. I still treat the lyrics to [Earl Sweatshirt](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl%5FSweatshirt?ref=hypebot.com)’s *Doris* like a favorite book of poems.

*What's your strategy for selling physical copies of your music? Let us know in the comments!*

**Nick Moorhead* is a music journalist who's been writing about indie rock, hip-hop, and everything in between since 2011\. Before that, he was project manager at Cybersound studios in Boston. A graduate of Trinity College and Startup Institute, you can follow him on [Twitter](http://twitter.com/twitter?ref=hypebot.com) [@MoorheadNick](https://twitter.com/moorheadnick?ref=hypebot.com).*