Making records is an opaque process. There are a lot of steps to take and decisions to make that don’t always explain themselves very well. This is not intended to be a guide to making records – please see the Simple Machines Mechanics Guide, or for a detailed explanation of making the record itself I really like the explanation at Aardvark Mastering – but I am sharing this information in the hopes that it will help clarify the process of making and pricing a new record.
Vinyl + outer jacket manufacturing: $5846
Insert printing: $70
Layout/design fee: $282
BBC royalties (paid in advance): $2185
International shipping (test pressings etc): $273
Total: $8656
Edition of 1000 copies
Each copy costs $8.66 to manufacture
After production costs are recouped, all proceeds will be split 50/50 between the band and the label
Proceeds from all digital sales belong 100% to the band
email hello @ jabsjabsjabs . com with any questions or for information about vendors
Keep in mind that paypal takes $1.47 from each sale of this record (0.49 fixed fee per transaction + 2.99%)
If purchased through bandcamp, bandcamp takes an additional $2.40 from the sale
LP mailers cost $1.50 each. Media mail costs $4.47 for a single LP sent anywhere in the U.S.