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ME: I want this car here in the ad, the one for $6990.
SALESMAN: I'm sorry, that unit has been sold.
ME: Got another one like it?
SALESMAN: Yes, right here.
ME: I'll take it.
SALESMAN: Ok, that'll be $9950.
ME: Sorry, that's not what I meant. I thought it was $6990, too. I guess I'll be going now.
SALESMAN: Uh, wait. Let me see what I can do to knock off some of this. (SALESMAN leaves and comes back a while later.)
SALESMAN: We can sell it to you for $8995.
ME: $8995 equals $6990, I don't think so. See ya...
SALESMAN: Wait, wait... (Leaves again and comes back.)
SALESMAN: Uh, $8550. That's as low as we can go.
ME: Believe it or not, $8550 is not $6990. Have a nice day...
SALESMAN: (Pulling out an invoice.) Look, see this price on the invoice? It's $8550, we can't go lower than the invoice, Ok?
ME: Let me see that... I don't see anything here about rebates and incentives. I happen to know that the manufacturer adds other profits that are not displayed on the invoice. You probably have a good $2000 to negotiate with here. It's $6990 or nothing. I'm paying cash and I am sure that there are other dealers that would be willing to help me spend it.
SALESMAN: Maybe you could finance part of it or get a used car...
ME: No, that's not my game plan. My motto is, "Plan your work and work your plan". This is not my plan. Either I pay $6990 in cash for this car or I walk home.
SALESMAN: Let me see what I can do. (Leaves and returns again.)
SALESMAN: This is it. $7220, any lower and I'm unemployed. Ok?
ME: Ok, I'll take it.
In the above real-life example, the salesman is helpless in the face of a customer that knows exactly what he wants and knows how the sales pitch goes down. The customer is informed with the facts about invoices and goes into the dealership with a specific plan. All intimidation tactics and attempts at compromise fall flat due to the customer's willingness to walk away from the dealership emptyhanded. This approach works in every area of business.
Dealing with CD manufacturers is a lot like dealing with any other group of slimeball salesmen. Manufacturers will print a price in a magazine and then tell the customer that the price doesn't include mastering, films, cases and other "non-necessities. " Even worse, they, the manufacturers, inform the consumer that any attempt by the consumer to make their own films, masters and so on will result in "untimely delays and extra charges" because the consumer will inevitably botch the job and force the manufacturer to do everything again from scratch.
When dealing with manufacturers, remember the following items:
1. There's always tomorrow. If the sales rep starts with the "You need to do this today" routine, just leave. There is no such thing as a here today, gone tomorrow deal. Salesmen of this type are the bottom-of-the-barrel lot that make a living off of the unsuspecting. There are always other manufacturers willing to take your money for much less hassle.
2. You can always do it yourself. You can order the raw discs and jewel cases and package everything yourself. In a worse case scenario, you can print up the traycards and inserts on your printer, cut them out and insert them in the cases. If you deal with a manufacturer in this manner sincerely, the manufacturer will usually cut the crap.
3. There's always someone looking to undercut their competitors. Even when you find the no BS good deal, check out other manufacturers and tell them exactly what others have offered. You can often find better bargains if you know what you're doing. And always go back to your original manufacturer to give them a chance to at least match the offer.
4. If possible, stay local. Staying within the city or state gives the musician power to litigate if the manufacturer strays from the original deal. Dealing across state lines can be hazardous to your bank account because it is hard to verify what the dealer tells you. If you do decide to deal across state lines, get everything in writing and do as much of the packaging as you can yourself. Horror stories like, "Gee, we didn't receive your inserts. We can print up new ones for only $2000." abound in this industry. Buyer beware, stay local.
When I printed my first CD, I did it out of state. There came a point where the manufacturer had received my non-refundable deposit and started to play games. Knowing that I would not let them keep the deposit without my receiving a product, the manufacturer started piling on charges for all kinds of things. One by one, I took the responsibilities on myself and refused to let the manufacturer handle anything that would result in extra charges.
When the manufacturer said that my designs would cost extra to transfer to film, I made the films in town. When the manufacturer hinted that the films would not be "to spec", I printed the inserts in town and stated that I would stuff the cases myself. When the manufacturer said that my DAT would need to be remastered for $600 extra, I produced the CD-R in town. When the manufacturer rejected the CD-R, I told them to keep the deposit, return the CD-R and forget the whole deal. I also stated that I was going to take out full page ads in all the publications that they advertised in and state exactly how they dealt with their customers. I meant it and they knew I wasn't kidding.
They relented, took the inserts and "remastered" my DAT for $200. It was not pretty but I got the job done. I swore that I would never let anyone take advantage of me again.
My next project was locally produced. There was still a lot of BS but dealing with them face-to-face made all of the difference. They still got me on a couple of minor things but overall I had a much better time producing my CD.
Submit your CD manufacturing horror stories to: Franklin Emsley