Merry Music Project - How To Raise Funds With Music

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* RAISE MONEY FOR ROTARY WITH MUSIC! *

Think producing your own album of music for fundraising as a CD or digital downloads is hard?  It’s not!! Read the steps below and the “case study” to learn how to go about producing an original CD of your own!

Your club, with a modest amount of effort, can produce and sell recorded music as a fundraiser.

Produce and publish Compact Discs for sale.

Create MP3’s to offer as digital downloads on iTunes, Amazon and more!

Start Simply – License Others’ Recordings to Re-sell

1.  Choose a theme the music will follow (Peace, Understanding, Youth, Beach, etc.).

 
2.  Prepare a list of songs to potentially license for the project.

 
3.  Contact music library vendors to license “cover” versions of your chosen songs that can cost between $20 and $100 each for an unlimited copy license.  This type of project is called a “Compilation” album.
Send cover recordings of songs you have licensed to a CD manufacturer (this can cost as little as $2-3 per CD including a cover jacket).  Along with the licensing fees your project could cost as little as: 10 songs x $20ea. + $2 per CD x 1000 CDs = $2,200 or $2.20 per CD.  Your fundraising profits are the markup you sell them for.

 
4.  Submit MP3 versions of licensed songs to iTunes, Amazon, etc. (It’s usually free to list! You just share the proceeds with the listing company and there’s no CD production cost!)

 
5.  Sell – Sell – Sell!!

There are commercial vendors that will do steps 3 through 5 for you, all you need is the idea and a list of songs!  This is the simple way to sell your own unique music project, but can also be the most expensive because of the ultimate licensing fee costs and any vendor consultation fees (so raised net funds could be the lowest).

More Work, But a Lot More Money!

Follow steps 1 & 2 above.

3.  Obtain recording licenses for any of your chosen songs that are not in the “public domain” (free to record by anyone). In the U.S. this is 9.7 cents per song recorded - so one licensed song on 1,000 CDs would only cost $97.00, 10 songs total, $970.00. Add in the CD manufacturing and the per CD cost would be just $2.97 each.

4.  Identify music talent in your club or local area who may donate their services to the project (producers, singers, musicians, recording studios, graphic artists, etc.).  This is a great way to bring your local “music community” together for a good cause!

• Local high schools, university music schools and private music instruction academies are a great source of talent who will be happy to record for free for the exposure your project will give them.
• “One Man Band” performers who work at country clubs, restaurants, etc. can often arrange and produce the instrumental part of a song at home on a computer.  Instrumental, or “Karoke” versions of songs can also be licensed to record an original vocal performance to.
• Even the smallest town will have a suitable recording studio to record any vocals (like a commercial radio or TV station).  Or record a local high school band, church group or other ensemble where they perform! 
• A good local choir or band director (church or school) could easily serve as the producer for the project (producers direct the combining of the instrumental, vocal and technical parts of the finished recordings).

5.  Send your new “master recordings” of the chosen songs to the CD manufacturer.

6.  Submit MP3 versions of new master recordings to iTunes, Amazon, etc.

7.  Sell – Sell – Sell!!

So, Who Would Buy Your Fantastic CD?

Friends and benefactors associated with the charity or project you’re raising the money for! Local professionals/Rotary club members to use as background music at their offices or to offer for sale to their clients/customers.  The friends and families of anyone who donated their time and talent.  Partner with the schools, churches or academies that provided talent to share the proceeds from sales to their membership/student bodies and families!  The prospects are limitless!!