How I Sold My Limited Vinyl Run in 2 Days

By Tony van Veen, CEO of Disc Makers

I want to show you exactly what I did to sell out of a very limited colored vinyl run for one of my old bands. But first, here are two pieces of context that you should know.

First context is this: I’ve spent years teaching artists to make money from their music. My advice consistently is to use streaming and social media for awareness, then get potential fans to your website where you collect their email addresses, and eventually sell them something like CDs, vinyl, merch, concert tickets.

Something happened recently where I thought: Let me put this to the test myself.

The last time I actually did this was before the internet, after all. This brings me to context number two.

I was contacted last year by someone from Berlin who has an indie label that specializes in reissuing old, obscure punk rock records. He had found a 7” EP of the first band I played in back in 1983 and wanted permission to reissue it. After I picked up my jaw from the floor, I contacted my ex-bandmates, got a thumbs up, and gave him the ok.

That band was called Kremlin Korps. Hey, it was the ‘80s, Reagan was president, the cold war was running hot, and we were anti-establishment punk rockers. What can I say?

We didn’t get paid for this. In true punk rock fashion, my bandmates and I received 15% of the production run – some black vinyl, some blue – as “payment.” It was up to us what to do with it.

So here was my conundrum:

I had a small number of 7” records…
Of a band named Kremlin Korps…
That had broken up in early 1984… 42 years ago.
That had zero fans… no website, no social media, no streaming presence.

So I thought: Let me practice what I preach, but do it in a very limited way.

I wasn’t going to build a website or a social presence for this defunct band. I wasn’t going to set up a mailing list and start mailing extensively. Heck, I have a day job.

I was just going to use some of the tools Disc Makers offers artists, then make a pitch to my friends. And guess what – I sold out of my blue 7” vinyl recordsyou will target, and I have only a couple of black vinyl copies left. When those are gone, I’m donating all the proceeds to charity.

How I sold the records

Let’s walk through the steps I took to sell my limited colored vinyl run from a broken-up punk band with no fan base.

Step 1: Make it available

I uploaded the tracks to streaming sites through CD Baby, since I already had an account there. That process was really smooth. I set the release date 3 weeks into the future, so I could have physical and digital drop the same day.

I also set up an account with Spinney Mediayou will target, sent my vinyl records to them, and set up my two titles in their dashboard. They are Disc Makers’ partner for physical distribution and order fulfillment, and when you make your CDs and vinyl with Disc Makers, you get a free 6-months subscription. Spinney has their own direct-to-fan online store, which is super handy.

Step 2: Link your accounts

Then I did a critical registration piece: through CD Baby, I linked up Kremlin Korps to my Spotify for Artists account. This way, I’m able to see all my Kremlin Korps stats. And through Spinney Media, I linked my Spinney account with my 7” singles to my Spotify account so that I could sell my vinyl right from my Spotify profile.

Spinney also set my vinyl up with big online retailers like Walmart and Amazon. Note that if If I had a website and a Bandcamp page, they would have linked there as well to fulfill any orders. But I decided I wasn’t going to bother doing that for a band that has been defunct for four decades.

Step 3: Make it visible — front and center

To raise the profile of my 7” vinyl record, I went into my Spotify for Artists account, where there’s the opportunity to promote content at the top of the artist page with the artist’s pick. I selected my record and added a custom message: “Get our EP on vinyl while they last!”

So, when I went to my Kremlin Korps artist profile, my physical 7” EP was featured front and center. If fans want it, I’ve made it super easy for them to find it, and when they click on it, they’re taken right to Spinney’s checkout screen.

Promoting the record

I mentioned, I don’t have a website or a mailing list for this band. I have a day job that keeps me pretty busy, so I didn’t want to bother setting those up. I decided that instead I was going to do one social post. Just one! And yes, I was breaking my own rule that you need to repeat your marketing message, but I didn’t have that many records to sell.

Now, my social post was not a run of the mill “record out now” post. One of the things I’ve preached is that in order to engage fans, you have to be a storyteller. You can’t just spam them with “buy my record” messages. You have to engage them.

So I told the story of being contacted by the guy in Berlin, meeting him, and reconnecting with bandmates I hadn’t seen in over a decade. I included a link to Spotify, where the record is featured. If I had done more posts or emails, I would have also linked directly to my Spinney selling page.

Within 2 days, I had sold out of my blue vinyl records.

Now, I don’t want to make this into a bigger deal than it is. I only had a small handful of records to get rid of, so it wasn’t that hard. But I also didn’t do any real marketing – just one post, no emails, no website, no ads.

Conclusion

If I could sell out the blue vinyl copies of an old punk band that hasn’t been around for 43 years and which has no fan base, then an artist like you who is currently active can certainly sell records and CDs to your fans! It’s a great way to make few bucks to support your music endeavors.

Don’t ignore your friends. Most of the people who bought my records were friends, family, and former colleagues. When you do your marketing and messaging, be sure to reach out to your friends and acquaintances, too.

Remember the simple steps you must take for your release:

Schedule your drop date a few weeks into the future, and drop your physical and digital albums on the same date.
Set up easy physical fulfillment with Spinney.
Through CD Baby, link up your Spotify for Artists account, get the app, and watch your metrics.
Feature your physical media on your Spotify artist profile.
Tell stories in your marketing.

Now, I did this for fun. I don’t aspire to be a successful musician – I haven’t sat behind a drum kit in over a decade.

You, of course, can – and should – do more than I did. Repeated messaging on socials. Capture names for your email list. Email your fans with special offers or signed copies. None of this is hard. But unfortunately, too few artists actually do it — because it’s work. And then they lament they’re not making it.

The tools we have to reach a large audience cheaply are so great. Use them, and you’ll see revenue coming to you. I promise.

You can watch the original version of this blog as part of our Indie Music Minute series on the Disc Makers YouTube Channel.