Streaming dominates music consumption.

That does not mean physical music is dead.

For independent artists, physical products can function as merchandise, collectables and direct-to-fan products as much as listening formats.

The three obvious choices are vinyl, CD and cassette.

Vinyl

Vinyl normally has the strongest premium positioning.

Fans may pay more because the product feels substantial and collectible.

Advantages:

  • Higher selling price
  • Large artwork
  • Strong merch-table appeal
  • Collectability
  • Special editions

Disadvantages:

  • Higher manufacturing cost
  • Longer lead times
  • More expensive shipping
  • Larger inventory risk

Do not order 1,000 records because it sounds impressive if you have 50 fans likely to buy them.

CDs

CDs can be inexpensive to manufacture and easy to transport.

They remain useful for:

  • Gigs
  • Press
  • Older audiences
  • Certain genres
  • Signed merchandise
  • Bundles

Margins can be attractive when manufacturing quantities are sensible.

Cassettes

Cassettes occupy a more niche market.

That can be the point.

They can work particularly well for:

  • Alternative scenes
  • Electronic music
  • Punk
  • Lo-fi
  • Limited editions
  • Collector releases

A run of 50 distinctive cassettes may create more excitement than an unnecessary run of 500 CDs.

Manufacture based on demand

Before ordering, estimate:

Expected buyers × likely conversion × safety margin.

Better still, use pre-orders.

If 150 people pre-order vinyl, manufacturing 200 units becomes much easier to justify.

Think about fulfilment

Manufacturing is only half the problem.

You also need:

  • Storage
  • Packaging
  • Shipping
  • Returns
  • Customs
  • Customer support
  • Damaged product replacements

Those costs affect your real margin.

Physical distribution vs direct-to-fan

Traditional physical distribution tries to get products into retailers.

Direct-to-fan sales go through:

  • Your website
  • Bandcamp
  • Shows
  • Fan clubs
  • Merchandise stores

Independent artists may find direct sales more attractive because they keep more margin and know who purchased.

RouteNote and physical music

RouteNote focuses on digital distribution rather than operating its own physical distribution network.

RouteNote does, however, provide access to a Disc Manufacturers partnership through its artist tools.

That allows digital and physical strategy to remain separate.

Use digital distribution for reach.

Use physical releases when fan demand makes the economics worthwhile.