Doing an album all professional-like on a small scale

Depends on your friends, I guess. I find that most of the people who knew me as a friend before they knew me as a musician are less enthusiastic about my music than strangers. I'm pretty sure I've sold more albums to people I don't know than people I do.

I don't think it's cool to sell discs to friends and family. I'm not gonna say it's extortion, but that kinda dynamic can come into play. Give it away, but only if they ask for it. And never ask what they think of it, unless you're a total sucker for lip service.

That's my policy.

libcrypt has it right. selling your own cds to family and actual friends is completely lame IMO

With the last album, my parents insisted on taking dozens of copies and selling them to their friends. To their credit, they were probably better salespeople than we were.

I keep trying to avoid letting my mum hear my music at all costs. But then she goes sneaking to the record company and buys the records. Bah.

Never view your family and friends as a resource for buying records, though. It's totally wrongheaded.

With the last album, my parents insisted on taking dozens of copies and selling them to their friends. To their credit, they were probably better salespeople than we were.

Yeah, mine too, and my drummer's parents as well. Why not? Gotta hit that 50-65 demographic.

Haha ok so the vibe I'm getting is "don't be a douche", which I can abide by. It was like not a matter of making bank off of pals, more like a matter of offsetting the costs but whatevs, it is a relatively small expense in the grand scheme and they would appreciate free cd's and I could always sell the surplus to random myspace dudes.

I don't think selling your shit to your friends is some kind of capital offense. Sure, pressuring them or acting like you expect them to buy it is obnoxious, but hey, it's not your fault if your friends have good taste.

I do my best to pay for CD's my friends have done whenever possible, and I think lots of people feel the same. If you like the music, who cares if you know the person making it? If anything, it's a better reason to pay up, because you're supporting further recordings by someone you like and respect.

Look, it's fine to buy something that you *want* to buy. I feel the same way, and will go out of my way to buy CDs by friends I respect.

But it's not OK to just view your friends as a resource for offloading your CDs or making up the costs.

On the other hand, I try to give away free copies to people if I have them to spare. But there is nothing more annoying than people you barely know saying "hey, I'm your friend, I should get one for free, right?" Especially if you are beholding to a record company to account for the copies that you are supposed to be selling.

(Another reason not to go with record companies, that is, then...)

I just give 'em away. I just feel funny about expecting someone I know to pay, even if I don't know them very well. As for family - well they're not really interested, so I don't even give them away.

What about maybe doing a pre-order so you can see how many ppl are interested? (Like a sign-up sheet at your concerts, nothing fancy.) Or say it like, the family/friend/stranger would be helping you make the record, and they'd get a "free" copy or copy once it's done. For $3.

We actually actively try to keep it from our families. It's just so weird.

I shd clarify that family in this instance is same generational (ie my brother and some cousins I'm cool with). I am not about to expose unholy guitar assaults on the decency of my grandma and aunts and shit, they would just look at me funny at get-togethers.