Should Independent Musicians Put Out CDs? Should I?

by Marisa Torrieri Bloom

It’s hard to believe the compact disc turned 40 just one year ago.

I don’t remember when it was released, yet I’ll never forget the 300 compact discs I owned, which were carefully organized on shelves in my college dorm room.

But when a local indie musician handed me his CD at a recent open mic night, I struggled to recall where I’d stored the last remaining CD player I owned. Was it in the basement cellar? In a box in my attic? I don’t even know where to start looking.

It’s a little sad, really, for many independent musicians – or those of us who aren’t Taylor Swift, or even Taylor Momsen. In the early ’00s, CDs provided a steady revenue stream – I sold about two per month through my distributor, CD Baby. I sold CDs at shows. One time, I made $200 through the sale of 10 CDs at a rock show (thanks, in large part, to my husband’s excellent sales skills). 

In contrast, my band didn’t even make $5 for five songs streaming on Spotify in 2022 and 2023 combined. Tragically, the music is much better.

When I think about the CD’s long history, it brings up fond memories. I’ll never forget the 15 or so years of my youth, between about 1990 to 2005, when I racked up quite the collection of CDs – including rare bootlegs. When I see them on sale in bins at thrift shops, my heart aches a little. I miss those trips to Tower Records, when my curiosity took me on unexpected musical journeys.

But there’s no time to be sentimental. The reality is that most of us want to stream music, cool as it may be to have a tangible product. Also: while some people point to a recent 4% spike in sales as evidence of a resurgence, facts are facts., The cool “vintage” quality of discs doesn’t measure up to the cool “vintage” quality of vinyl, so nostalgia has its limits.  

Also, in the 2020s, convenience is king. It’s so easy to stream music anywhere and everywhere from my phone, in my car, or on a home assistant like the Amazon Echo. My phone pairs with a zillion Bluetooth speakers.

So where does this leave me in trying to market my music? Should I even bother pressing a CD to sell at a show of my love of tangible things? Or should I just accept that my love of CDs will bring me heartache when people buy my CDs only out of a desire to help me (and not to actually pop the CD into a car player)? While I still get excited about having a tangible product, do I really want my kids to have to deal with boxes of CDs in our attic when I’m too old to manage my lifetime of collected stuff?

Side note: My Jeep Cherokee hybrid doesn’t have a CD console. I’m not sure any car made after 2020 does.  

It’s sad, but I think I know the answer to this question. It’s possible I’ll press a limited run of discs (maybe like 20?), but this is more to feed my ego. It’s also possible I’ll press a limited run of vinyl records. But it’s more likely that I’m going to stick to digital and rely on tip-jar contributions to fund my music.

But don’t worry — if you give me a CD of your music, I will still listen to your music. I just can’t promise I’ll listen to the music on the actual, physical 4.7-inch tangible object where it’s stored.

Marisa Torrieri Bloom is the editor and founder of Rockmommy.