Disc Duplication vs Replication - What's the Difference
Article by CDDVD Now! http://www.cddvdnow.com
CD and DVD Replication (also known as Optical DIsc Manufacturing) is a process of manufacturing your discs.
Disc Duplication is copying data onto recordable media, either CD-R or DVD-R.
Replication is a process of creating a glass master and a stamper and injection molding your discs. The data is pressed into the polycarbonate material, then a layer of foil is applied, a protective layer and then the discs are printed using either a silkscreen or offset printing method.
Duplication uses discs that have a layer of optical dye and the data is burned into the dye using a laser. This is where the expression, "to burn a disc" comes from.
Duplicating CDs and DVDs is a relatively quick and inexpensive process making it the choice for short-run needs. The discs are burned and then the artwork is printed directly on the face of the disc.

There are however instances where CD replication is a better choice.
If you want to make 1000 discs or more, CD or DVD replication will be the least expensive way to go. There are virtually no compatibility issues with CD-R but, in the case of DVD-R duplication, there are still some compatibility issues between some set-top players and DVD-R.
Replicating your DVD (stamping) virtually eliminates all compatibility issues. With stamped discs, you have a much more professional look, too. There are many benefits to replication including 100% accuracy and tremendous price breaks in larger quantities. Many times it comes down to a couple of issues, how many you need and how fast you need them.
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Cookie Cutter Girl Rocks the Cover of Lyrics Inc Magazine with a 21st Century Pop Superhero Interview
Cookie Cutter Girl strikes a pose for the cover of Lyrics Inc magazine this month. A 21st century Pop Superhero, CCG is "freeing women from the mold in which society holds them captive." The Girl Power icon is also interviewed in "Junior's Cave." Dive into her dream world and you just might discover your own Inner Superhero.
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New Nectarphonic Video!!
Fusing a hybrid of trip-hop, hip-hop, rock and pop, Nectarphonic has been compared to the likes of Portishead, The Cocteau Twins, Zero 7 and Radiohead. With their atmospheric groove rock approach, the band has released it's first video.
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CDDVD Now! lowers prices on retail ready CD Production.
December 30 2007 – Castro Valley, CA
Through January 2008, independent musicians and labels can save money on the production of their Retail Ready CDs as CDDVD Now! lowers prices to $888 for 1000 CDs.
“We know that independent musicians don’t have a lot of money to spend on the production of their CDs and we are dong our part to help” says CDDVD Now’s President/Founder Phil Peretz. “We also know that many independent musicians and indie labels also need marketing help so we are including our Center Stage Package at no
additional charge. We want to make sure that these independent artists have all of the tools needed to succeed.”
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Amazon.com to Launch DRM-Free MP3 Music Download Store with Songs and Albums from EMI Music
and More Than 12,000 Other Labels
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 16, 2007--Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced it will launch a digital music store later this year offering millions of songs in the DRM-free MP3 format from more than 12,000 record labels. EMI Music's digital catalog is the latest addition to the store. Every song and album in the Amazon.com digital music store will be
available exclusively in the MP3 format without digital rights management (DRM) software. Amazon's DRM-free MP3s will free customers to play their music on virtually any of their personal devices -- including PCs, Macs(TM), iPods(TM), Zunes(TM), Zens(TM) -- and to burn songs to CDs for personal use.
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HellRazor - Pure Rock and Roll
You will often hear musical artist say that they do not want to be placed in a 'box' and limited by any genre. Rock Artists can be found on the Country Charts and Country Artists might slide into the Alternative field. Not only can todays music cross over from one genre to another but each genre is often split into sub-genre. Rock can be hard, metal, pop.
Alternative can be punk and rock. The catagories are endless. It's a rare occation when a artist fits into one, and only one genre.
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The Freddie Long Band: Award-winning pop/rock group celebrates new year, new faces,
new music with performance January 5th
The Freddie Long Band will be performing at the new Frederick Greene Turtle location on Saturday, January 5th, after taking a brief hiatus from the stage following the departure of original drummer Ken Deater. The FLB will be introducing two new members at the performance, drummer Mike Ball and saxophone player Eric Brooks, and will be playing
many new songs in addition to crowd favorites from their debut album, 'Strangers and Friends'. There will also be drink specials, giveaways, and an appearance by the Jim Beam Girls at the concert. The show begins at 9:30pm and admission is only $5. Those interested in attending are encouraged to arrive early to ensure admission before the venue reaches capacity. The first 50 people to bring
any article, newsletter, printed webpage, or ad that mentions the performance will receive a free copy of 'Strangers and Friends'. You must be 21 with a valid ID to attend.
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Record Label Alternative for Christian Indie Artists
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA. - November 29, 2007.
McConnell Entertainment has been concurrently developing two new music sites that aim to change the way Christian music is commercialized. These disruptive companies are HookUps and MusicStir.com, a duo that is catching the eye of many music industry veterans in Nashville and beyond.
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Information about Barcodes for CDs and DVDs
This article is provided by CDDVD Now! and Indie Artists Alliance.
Why do I need a barcode?
If you are going to sell your CD in stores, through CD Baby, want it to look "Retail Ready" or want it tracked by Nielsen SoundScan, you need a barcode. If you are sending out promo CDs or are just selling your CD at shows, you don't
really need one.
What is a barcode?
According to Wikipedia (Open Source Encyclopedia - used by permission) the definition of a barcode is:
a machine-readable (uses dark ink on white substrate to create high and low reflectance which is converted to 1's and 0's) representation of information in a visual format on a surface. Originally barcodes stored data in the widths and spacings of printed parallel lines, but today they also come in patterns of dots, concentric circles, and hidden within images. Barcodes can be read by
optical scanners called barcode readers or scanned from an image by special software. Barcodes are widely used to implement Auto ID Data Capture (AIDC) systems that improve the speed and accuracy of computer data entry. http://www.wikipedia.com
Where can I get one?
GS1 (formerly The Uniform Code Council) dispenses all UPC bar codes.
http://www.gs1.org/
Indie Artists Alliance: http://www.indieartistsalliance.com/barcode/barcode.htm
CDDVD Now (when you produce your CD) http://www.cddvdnow.com How much do they cost?
If you subscribe directly to the GS1, the base cost is $750.00 plus a yearly renewal fee.
If you register with Indie Artists Alliance, you can register your project for $9.95 and receive your UPC barcode via e-mail (www.indieartistsalliance.com)
If you have CDDVD Now produce your CD/DVD, they provide a barcode for free.
What is Soundscan?
http://www.nielsenrei.com/
Nielsen SoundScan is an information system that tracks sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada. Sales data from point-of-sale cash registers is collected weekly from over 14,000 retail, mass merchant and non-traditional (on-line stores, venues, etc.) outlets. Weekly data is compiled and made available every Wednesday. Nielsen SoundScan is the sales
source for the Billboard music charts.
SoundScan is only able to track those CDs that have a UPC bar code.
Because of CDDVD Now's affiliation with Independent Artists Alliance, CDDVD Now's customers get a free UPC code when they produce their CD with us. This is potentially a savings of $750.00.
Registering your CD
Once you get your barcode from CDDVD Now/Indie Artists Alliance or directly from GS1(formerly the Uniform Code Council), you will need to register your product SoundScan. Download and fill out the SoundScan Title Addition Sheet:
Download U.S. Word version
Download U.S. pdf version
Download
Canada Word version
Download Canada pdf version
The Title Addition Sheet can be submitted to the Soundscan Database Department by email at dbase@soundscan.com Once a title is submitted to SoundScan, it can take up to 10-15 business days for it to be entered into the system. Once entered, the title has the ability to be tracked by SoundScan. Note: In
order to find out if a title is already registered with SoundScan, you may contact Client Services by email at clientservices@soundscan.com (If emailed please include the full UPC code), or call us at (914) 684-5525.For further questions visit the SounScan website at http://www.soundscan.com
What is BDS?
http://www.nielsenrei.com/
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems is the world's leading provider of airplay tracking for the entertainment industry. Employing a patented digital pattern recognition technology, Nielsen BDS captures in excess of 100 million song detections annually on more than 1,600 radio stations, satellite radio and cable music channels in over 140 markets in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico)
and 30 Canadian markets.
Radio formats monitored include Adult Alternative, Adult Contemporary, Album Rock, Classic Rock, Contemporary Christian, Country, Modern Rock, Oldies, R&B (including Rap and Hip Hop), Spanish (including Latin Contemporary, Regional Mexican and Tropical Salsa), and Top 40. Additionally, Nielsen BDS monitors 12 U.S. Music Video Channels and 9 Canadian Video Channels. Executives from all
facets of record companies, radio stations, publishing firms, performance rights organizations, music retailers, independent promoters, film and TV, and artist management are among those who query more than 10,000 reports daily from Nielsen BDS products - ENcore, BDSRadio.com, BDSexpress.com and BDS RealTime. Nielsen BDS information is utilized exclusively by Billboard, R&R (Radio &
Records) and the Canadian Music Network in determining their radio airplay music charts. Nielsen BDS announces Virtual Encode! Now you can submit your CD's and MP3's, free of charge, electronically through our secure Virtual Encode website. To submit your music via Virtual Encode:
Send an email with "Virtual Encode" as the subject to our Client Services Department at clientservices@bdsonline.com for a username and password. When submitting your request, PLEASE include the following information in the body of your email: Your Full Name
Company or Label Name
Contact Number
Primary Email Address
Any Additional Contact Information
You will receive login information and instructions for the Virtual Encode website, via e-mail..
To submit your music by mail
visit http://www.bdsonline.com/submit.html
VideoScan
VideoScan and ACNielsen (a partnership since January 2000, and sister companies under the VNU banner since 2001) seamlessly integrate point-of-sale (POS) data collected by both companies to provide a comprehensive view of the VHS and DVD sell-through business. VideoScan, a leader in video market research since 1993, manages the business on behalf of the partnership. With its strong history
and relationships with studios and electronic/specialty retailers, VideoScan provides industry-wide expertise and perspective. ACNielsen, the leader in data services to the consumer packaged goods industry, brings its powerful analytic capabilities and broad coverage of the discount mass, grocery and drug retailers to the partnership. Together, VideoScan and ACNielsen are the acknowledged
leader in consumer research for the VHS and DVD sell-through industry. The partnership between VideoScan and ACNielsen is known as Nielsen VideoScan. Sell-through POS (consumer purchase) sales data are collected weekly from traditional channels of video distribution including mass merchants, audio/video and video specialty retailers, electronics outlets, grocery stores, drug stores, and
some Internet sites. Nielsen VideoScan maintains this weekly POS data in one of the largest databases of VHS and DVD products in the country. Data is collected on more than 40,000 VHS items and 12,000 DVD items. Virtually every UPC code in sell-through release since 1993 can be found in our extensive database. Complete sales data in all retail channels are available as far back as January
1999 (however Wal*Mart data is included only through 7/28/01). Prior to January 1999, limited information is available in most channels going back to 1993. Nielsen VideoScan's VHS and DVD sell-through data are made available through the Nielsen VideoScan web site and the ACNielsen NITRO data delivery system. Some of the types of reports we have available: Title Reports with sales for each
title categorized nationally, regionally (by DMA) and by retail channel.
Sales History Reports providing week-by-week title sales since 1999 or release date (if later).
Summary Reports providing industry overviews comparing sales from previous years as well as weekly comparisons to the prior year.
Market Share Reports giving annual and weekly market shares by distributor/label.
Top 100 Charts for numerous categories rank the top titles by unit sales. Charts are available for the current week's sales or for cumulative year-to-date sales. Prior year-end charts are also available. Chart categories include distributors and selected genres.
While most of their clients choose annual subscriptions, they also work with customers on a project-by-project basis. They can handle everything from sophisticated marketing and sales research and planning to simple one title sales ad-hoc requests. Nielsen VideoScan's VHS and DVD sales charts are currently published in Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Video Store Magazine, The Los Angeles
Times, The New York Times and others.
For more information contact: http://www.videoscan.com/contact.html
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Lynn 'JULIAN' aKa Cookie Cutter Girl Wins ASCAP Award Scholarship 3rd Year in a Row... Pop Superhero Alerts Indie Songwriters to Music Grant
Lynn 'JULIAN', aKa Cookie Cutter Girl Pop Superhero, has been awarded the coveted ASCAP Plus Award scholarship for a remarkable 3rd year in a row. The Pop Superhero is honored and is alerting all her fellow independent songwriters to join at ASCAP.com and apply for the monetary music award, whose deadline is June 1st. CCG Pop Superhero is also
featured on the cover of the holy grail of music resources: The Indie Bible. View the photo cover at: www.IndieBible.com/jul. Read more about Cookie Cutter Girl in her recent interview for "The COver Zone" at: www.thecoverzone.com/RantsNRaves/julian.html.
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