New bands are often strapped for cash. Band members end up playing the bass, setting up the equipment, breaking down, cleaning up, driving, and doing their own promotion and marketing. Tasks also include album release, which involves artwork, editing, and manufacturing compact discs. There are many gotchas in an album release with multiple opportunities mistakes. Here are seven of the more common we've seen.

Ordering Your Albums too Late-Make sure you plan! Your CD's will take quite a bit of time to arrive, and after that happens you need to worry about the album art. If you plan ahead, this shouldn't be a problem, but letting it go will result in missed deadlines and a chewing out from your publisher.

Excessive Quantity-On the first release, bands will usually order far too many discs. There was a time when ordering 1000 discs was a necessity, but you can now make discs at home whenever you choose. It is important that you do not spend all of your money on the creation of discs. Make a few discs, then go back for more when you have a greater demand.

Printing Your Own CD Labels-First, paper labels and ink-jet printing on blank CDR media just doesn't look as good as professionally printed CDs. There is a time and place for do-it-yourself, but album release is not one of those times. It is better to have a commercial printing company make custom printed discs for you, even when you have a small order. Ink is expensive and the ink-jet cartridge required for printing on discs run out fast. Add in your time and it's unlikely that printing your own labels will be profitable. You can now have CD-R media pre-printed and then you can record as needed.

Bad Album Art-Manufacturers set specifications for all albums, and a band will need to make sure these specifications are followed. If you deviated from the specs, you will likely find your album rejected. The images presented need to fit the artwork template, and they need to conform to a format. This is something that all bands need to follow, regardless of their popularity or position.

Lack of Digital Strategy-You need to make sure that your album is available to everyone -- in every format. This includes digital formats, and you have to assume that not everyone who wants your album will buy it at the release show. A digital distributor, iTunes for example, needs to have the album when you release it. Make sure your fans know there are digital copies available, and offer several different ways to get them.

Lack of Post-Release Strategy-Releasing an album is not the end of your strategy. As a matter of fact, it is only the beginning. You need to establish the number of discs you will need for promotion, and you will need to build a schedule for making videos. If you want to keep your band alive between album releases, try to become familiar with those who blog about music and maintain the buzz.

There are many potential issues with album releases, but so long as you employ careful planning, these issues do not have to ruin your life, or your band. Make sure you follow the advice presented to you here, and of course make sure you follow the advice of the manufacturer. If you find yourself unclear about anything you can call the manufacturer and ask for a bit of help. With a few simple techniques you will be ready for an album release!