Although slowly disappearing, Red Book Audio CD (or in short “audio CD”) is still widely spread format and therefore shouldn’t be neglected! You probably won't need one if you're making a dance record these days, but bear in mind that classical or jazz market still inclines towards the good old CD.
Some background information:
- In 2012 Adele's album "21" sold 3 374 000 physical copies compared to 2 841 000 digital copies.
- 10 albums sold more than 1 million copies in 2012, which is impressive as yearly sales totaled at 316 million copies only!
If you want to release your music on a CD, you can use the DDPi service, where the DDP image will be made available through a secure download.
The way DDPi -or what is sometimes referred to as DDP image (Disc Descroption Protocol)- works is that all the audio and metadata is securely stored in set of digital files, which can be then safely used for duplication/replication. I zip these files together to prevent any loss. The advantage of this format is that everything is embedded in one digital file, which minimizes the margin for errors. With the DDP image, the pressing plant gets a product, which is less likely to get corrupted than a physical master. This is the new standard for the delivery of masters.
Before the DDP image will be finalised, I will provide you with a download link to a personalised 128-bit encrypted player, which will contain the entire project in full quality. This will allow you to approve your CD before the final delivery (including all the metadata). Please note that unfortunately, this option is only available to Mac users!
PS: I can also create DDP images from already mastered material. For prices, click here.