How to get your stuff into Parker Library's LOCAL MUSIC collection ...

This entry covers how to get your stuff into Parker Library's LOCAL MUSIC collection if you are someone other than the Meese kids or the guys in 3OH!3 or another Colorado performer who has, for all intents and purposes, "made it."

I'm writing this mostly because people ask about this, but also because not knowing the deets has prevented a few folks -- namely me* -- from seeing a good CD get into our Local Music collection.

Once I actually was in tears when our ace cataloger Erica once sent a CD back to me.

(No. Not really. But it does hurt to have her send stuff back with a note* like the one she sent me that time. I'll try to dig it up.)

I wrote up some of this in a posting entitled You're not a household name until I say so on the Colorado Music Buzz blog. This is a little more comprehensive.

BTW, on another matter, the guy from 93.3 who does Locals Only has a really good FAQ on his myspace -- http://www.myspace.com/alfradio -- about how to get your CD played during that show. This only covers how to get your CD into Parker Library's Local Music collection, but I would recommend trying to get your CD on the radio more than anything else other than being reviewed in Westword or in Colorado Music Buzz or another publication of merit. KTCL has a ton of power. So does 101.5. GOD I LOVE them.

So ... here are the details from our trusted, ace cataloger Erica on how you can be sure your music will get into our extensive, ever-growing, groove-a-licious Local Music collection at Parker Library, straight from Erica's email to this blog:

*** Begin transmission from Erica ***

As for what we need on a local CD (or any CD) in order to catalog it is:

* Name of the band, tracklist, copyright date. It helps to also have the copyright holder or record label but that's not absolutely necessary.
* We cannot accept anything burned onto a data CD-ROM, like the ones you buy in a 20-pack at Walmart.
* The CDs need to have the information printed upon them (or in the liner notes), not hand-written.
* And we can't accept demo copies (it is the same with advanced copies of books -- they're not the "real" thing, so they don't get cataloged). We're can only accept the end-product.

Any additional information is always great, such as standard identifiers and record label numbers, band members' names, name of recording studio, etc, but the aforementioned are the basic standards to get a CD into the catalog.

*** End transmission from Erica ***

Hope that helps. If you want us to purchase your CD because for some reason we haven't -- note that we are pretty good about keeping up on reviews, but it can sometimes take a while to get from purchase to catalog -- please, please, please do let us know. email me at jstraub@dclibraries.org.

If you would like to donate a copy, you do not even need to email me. Just mail the CD to me with a note that you are donating it.

Please address the package with the CD you would like to donate like this ...

Jeanie Straub
Local Music coordinator
Parker Library
10851 S. Crossroads Drive
Parker CO 80134

If you would like for us to purchase a copy of your CD, just email me and tell me about your CD. Send a link to your myspace so I can just click and listen.

(PLEASE, please: With all your fans, just make it easy. Don't say "Google me." Ever.)

If you were reviewed in Westword or Colorado Music Buzz or The Denver Post or an online publication, do tell. Just send the link.

Any compelling information that will make me want to buy your CD, spill it!

If I want to buy your CD, I will ask you to mail it with an invoice. Same address. Just add the invoice this time.

*** DO NOT SEND ME A CD WITH AN INVOICE UNLESS I HAVE EXPRESSLY SAID I WANT TO BUY A COPY FOR OUR COLLECTION. ***

And don't think I won't remember. I will remember.

Do you want me to come check out your band so I can Twitter about it? Let me know. Don't bombard me with invites. Just one will do.

OK. That should cover it. (Other than please link to us on myspace and follow us on Twitter.)

Thanks for making Colorado's music scene hot. Ciao for now!

___________________________________________________

* I tracked down a few of Erica’s notes / emails to share, mostly because she can be very funny:

Erica 01:

Ugh! Jeanie! I can't put this one in the system. It's not a 'real' recording and there's NO info. on the disc for me to use. How could they do that?!

Erica 02:

You can't kill me for Oblio Duo's lazyass ways. They're the ones who went out, bought a CD-ROM and burned their recording onto a normal disc...then markered their name on it. And you know what? That just pissed me off. I was going to write them to tell them they've been doing this long enough that they know how to get it out there professionally. I mean, come on! They made liner notes! They can't get a real CD? Really? Please.

And that's why their CD will not show up in our catalog. They're only hurting themselves.

Erica 03:

Haha! Getting the information from the band does nothing! If that worked, I'd've been doing it all along. No, I need the discs to be printed (not by hand) with the correct information, such as copyright information, name, title. Pretty much, we just don't accept CDs burned from a computer. It's the same as the "we don't catalog demos" standard. Technically, if I cataloged that CD, I'd have to put the information from the actual CD in the record and I dont think any band wants their album (or band name) to be Magnavox recordable compact disc 250S 1000mb. (I just made that up, btw)

There are a lot of CDs that don't have that information visibly printed on the actual CD (Stone Temple Pilots used to be really good at that, the bastards). But the information is in the packaging. And the CDs aren't homemade, burned from a PC.

Send anything you want over! As you know, if I can't catalog it, I'll just send it back. I'm hoping Oblio Duo and the Archers will re-release their CD from a better source than their basement.

Erica 04:

I have no idea why you have four copies of EAOD's The Great Collapse. I figured it was a replacement copy. I noticed, as I cataloged it, that such was not the case. If circulation doesn't pick up, sneak a copy into Castle Rock's music collection and one into Highlands Ranch. They don't have to know. :)