What does it take these days to release a CD?

Lark during a recording session with Yousif Sheronick

by Kathryn Lockwood

It's so great to have a brand new CD released. The many hours of hard work that you and your colleagues have invested is now in print for the world to hear. When you think about it, your heart gives a little jump with excitement and nervousness.   

So what does it take? 

The journey from discussing an idea about your next CD to having a printed CD in hand is a long one. It's rare these days to be offered  a chance to record a disc, with all of the details taken care of so that you can "just show up and record".

So how does a group get a CD out there without one of those offers?

Here's how!

Sometimes the long sessions require help. Coffee Jeremy?

1. Come up a great program with fabulous guest artists that everyone can become excited about. √

2. Find a record company that is interested in releasing your creation. √

3. Book a fabulous recording engineer. √

4. Book a venue - multiple days. √

5. Start fundraising. √

WAIT - how does one do that?

Lark used several paths to reach our fundraising goal. We successfully applied for a Copland Grant (yay!), we were lucky to have a Pultizer Prize winning composer organize a grant from his University (Thanks Paul!), great board members, and lastly KICKSTARTER.

6. Kickstarter turned out to be a lot of work, but in the end it was worth it.  This is what it took:

Love doing those mailings!

a) make a video (which really means bugging everyone to look into the camera and talk). √

b) work out edits down to the second to save money.  √

c) find video editor (sometimes you have to find more than one as it turned out - urgh). √

d) submit to kickstarter for approval.  √

e) choose rewards and launch campaign. √ 

f) harass friends and family to back your campaign. √

g) bite fingernails until goal is reached. √

h) celebrate when goal is reached. √

i) spend more hours than you can imagine organizing mailings. √

j) go to the post office and mail everything. √

7. Send final edits to Record company and wait for it to be printed and released (thanks Bridge). √

8.  Wait for reviews to come in. √

So now that the CD is in hand and out "there", the question is - did I spend more time rehearsing for this CD or did I spend more time organizing and following through for it?

Perhaps it was 50/50. . . . . .

I guess that's what it takes these days!

Please check out our new Lark CD - we're very proud of it:

COMPOSING AMERICA on Bridge Records

The Album

John Adams: 5 Pages from John’s Book of Alleged Dances with Yousif Sheronick, percussion
William Bolcom: Billy in the Darbies with Stephen Salters, baritone
Aaron Copland: Two Pieces for String Quartet, Lark Quartet
Paul Moravec Piano Quintet with Jeremy Denk, piano

View on the Bridge Records website

- Kathryn Lockwood, Violist of Lark Quartet