Why Your Records Packaging Matters

Matt Bacon
Aug 31, 2018 · 5 min read

So I just spent a weekend hanging out with some of the folks at Prophecy Productions, one of my favorite clients right now. We had a lot of interesting conversations, but there was one which we came back to again and again, one that defined why the label could start in the mid 90s when the founder was a teenager and end up one of the most important independent labels in the world of dark and transcendental music. This of course comes down to one question, a defining thesis which has shaped the label and allowed it to be one of the most exciting companies that I have ever gotten to work with, and that is packaging. Packaging is the key to growing not just as a company but maintaining an ongoing fanbase of niche fans who are passionate about the music and who want to stay involved in the scene over the long term. I know this can be tricky and expensive, but it’s worth digging into when you can.

So why does unique packaging work? Well at the end of the day, people have a million records. They have five million CD’s. They can listen to whatever they want on Spotify. Most of the audio content they own is in the same set of formats and most of those formats are not interesting and don’t use a lot of thought provoking formats. They aren’t making you ask questions or find out more about the band. They are just there. Don’t get me wrong, that’s totally fine. I think it’s important to have the meat and potatoes stuff. But you also want to get people talking and give dedicated fans a deeper look into who you are and what your brand represents. This is where we start to look into options that are more interesting over the long term. This is where you begin to think and make a point of investing in a product that is going to fully and concretely represent your vision and what your vision can represent for those around you and those who might be interested in your music.

“vinyl record wall decor” by Jason Leung on Unsplash

Now let’s be real, a lot of this costs money which you don’t have and a label isn’t going to want to invest in you early on. This isn’t the labels fault by the way, they rightfully need to make their money back and you can’t be the one begging for too much. That will just make them not want to work with you. You need to appreciate the vinyl format exists for a reason and you need to respect that. Not every label either has the options and infrastructure to provide unique and top notch packaging in the way that some of these other companies can. That’s fine. That’s part of the struggle. What I’m saying though is that you need to start thinking about ways to differentiate your packaging. Physical product CAN be a sales driver, you just need to figure out why people are going to look at what you have on offer and what will make them care.

Of course there’s a ton of ways to DIY your own unique product and packaging. I don’t want to go to far into detail with this but the long and short of it is if you create additions to the packaging and spend time customizing individual units people are going to be more interested because they are going to be getting something they don’t see all the time. This can mean a huge variety of things, but think about how people are more likely to want to buy a signed record and then push that idea to the logical extreme. One idea is to include a set of handwritten lyrics with every record you sell, another idea would be to offer runs with unique packaging. While new colors of a record can cost a lot of money, getting an alternate cover shouldn’t cost nearly as much and you can use it to help manufacture demand for what you are trying to do. Once you have that manufactured demand more interest is going to organically happen because people will see you are creating custom products for the fans.

“man holding black and gray vinyl player” by Andrew Santellan on Unsplash

I know that some of you are poopoo-ing me and acting like none of this matters and that the meat and potatoes shit is always going to succeed. Maybe you’re right. To some extent there will probably be a market for standard physical products for the next few decades, but I am a fan of making money. So if I can do something extra that is going to get people talking about my band and make my band some more money then I am going to fucking do it. There is so little money involved in this in the first place we might as well invest our time and energy into something that has been shown to make money and develop brand loyalty. In 2018 that’s all you really have anymore. Even the biggest bands are doing this. If Ghost is fucking releasing 8 tracks and unique album formats every other month, then maybe you can trouble yourself to get off your high horse and create some content that is going to stimulate buyers rather than just make them think that you are another boring band they can ignore. I know that sounds harsh, but I don’t know how else to paint it.

Music lovers and vinyl collectors are a unique breed. They like to pour over the exciting and intricate details. They like to have content they can really sink their teeth into and explore. They like to investigate the different options available to them and really get invested. These are the people who are spending money on music. Spotify and Apple Music payments aren’t really cutting it for anyone these days, but physical product is. Digital streaming revenue can be good passive income, but if you don’t generate buzz in a tangible way then it’s meaningless. Despite all this technology we’ve built up, humanity is still the same, and if they see something tangible and cool, they will spend money.

Written by

Consultant and label exec in the world of heavy metal. Works with Ripple Music and Prophecy Productions among others. Follow on Instagram @mattbacon666

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