How to get a barcode for your music album ?

South Africa has a blossoming music industry with very unique African style of music which is loved all over the world. There are many artists who have taken their music from a hobby to a professional career however it is a very competitive world. Trying to get your music played on air is near impossible and only those who are seen as serious artists are given a chance. Therefore, more musicians are going back to the CD days which is their opportunity to showcase their work with attractive cover-art and rise above their competitors who might only be carrying around a USB stick with their music tracks.

Having a physical CD allows artist to also approach music stores and have their music added to the collection. However, before any retailer will take on a new product, they need to register it on their point of sale system and to that requires a barcode. Yes those little lines and numbers on the back of the CD, which no one gives a second thought to, is the difference between a hobbyist and a professional. The difference between a retail store taking on your music vs. thanking you for your time but “we will pass”.

So a barcode is important and who better to find out more information about how to buy barcode than Barcode South Africa  (they loved the question they decided to sponsor this post !):

Barcode Info

Each product type sold in a store requires a unique and specific barcode. For example, books and magazines require ISBN and ISSN barcodes respectively. CDs and music albums fall under “general retail products” and they require an EAN or UPC Barcode. This is a 12 or 13 digit barcode that is used in South Africa as well as throughout the world.

Barcode Size

Choosing the right size for your barcode is the second step in the process. 25 mm by 37mm is the normal, standard size for barcodes for CDs. You can also reduce the size to 20mm by 32mm, which is 80% of the standard size. Any smaller, the barcode scanner will not be able to scan the barcode accurately. People often try to make barcodes for CD’s a little shorter than the recommended size. This is not advised, as it can lower the barcodes quality which may lead to it not being able to be scanned properly.

Barcode Format

Thirdly, it is important to decide what format you need to provide to your album printers. Three formats exist and each has their own advantages and disadvantages. EPS format is a layered file and is favored by most designers. This is because it is versatile and is of a higher quality. This means that it is easier to resize. TIFF format is particularly suited for backgrounds that are transparent. The downside of this format is that it is not possible to resize it much. Lastly, the JPEG format is the most popular of the three formats. This file can be utilized by all computers. This is because it is uncompressed and of very high quality. However, you can’t resize this specific format. It is important to chat with your printers to determine the format that will meet your specific needs.

If you need more info on barcode for your product, and not just music but any product you would like to sell in a retail environment, check out the finest quality barcodes at the lowest prices in South Africa : Barcode South Africa.

*Disclaimer: The article was sponsored by Barcode South Africa however as usual all opinions expressed in the article as my own.