... digital disc duplication UK

So France has come up with the 3 strike rule for those downloading copyrighted material from illegal sources! Any why not? CD replication companies suffer enough as a result from actual disc pirates so why not go that stage further and combat those sitting at home stealing music and movies from illegal sources!

The IP companies are not so happy about this because it puts the responsibilty on them to actually carry out the cut off and to police internet activity all the more closely but surely they should take some of the responsibility due to the actrual nature of the service they provide!

What is the 3 strike rule? Well initially if a user is found to be downloading copyrighted material from sources other than legitimate sites such as iTunes, an email is sent warning them to stop such activity or their internet access will be withdrawn. Strike 1! If they were to do the same, the 2nd warning is to be sent by letter. Strike 2! If they still ignore the threats, their internet provider cuts the service for at least 1 year! Strike 3 and out!!

The idea of course is to encourage the legitimate purchase of music and video etc, either as CD or DVD or from legitimate download where the correct fee is paid. Let’s face it - most people these days would be lost without the internet whenever they want so it just could help with the desired effect. So maybe they are the small fry but collectively every person sitting at home downloading illegal music, video or software makes one pretty big dent in CD replication requirements and legitimate sales of your products. 

There are numerous genres of movies and some come and go while others remain a  continuous success. DVD replication figures show that Horror movies are growing more popular year on year. To date this year total sales have already exceeded those of sales for horror films in 1998 and we still hear all the time that DVD replication is becoming less in demand?

While the appetite is still obviously for consumers to own their favourite movies and with the increasing popularity of Blu-Ray, Digital Disc Duplication still firmly believes demand for discs will continue for some time and not be totally over-run by download or video on demand. Another recent survey concludes that media products bought are actually stored in the original packaging rather than discarding and storing in simple wallets. This again shows that consumers like to own the entire product as intended rather than just a file stored on a hard drive. CD replication volumes may have dropped dramatically recently but only due to the singles market mainly being dominated by downloads. Such changes were inevitable for that market but album sales still increase and the popular choice still remains the humble CD because it FEELS like the real thing and that it has genuinely been produced by your favourite artist!

Marketing companies always come up with some hype to try and convince us how we should be buying products but when it comes to our home entertainment, facts and figures still show we like CDs and we especially like DVDs. Blu-Ray replication will no doubt gradually overtake the demand for DVD but for the immediate future there is plenty of demand for all!

Contact Digital Disc Duplication for your media replication requirements - we offer CD, DVD and Blu-Ray. Don’t believe the hype when facts show sales increasing. You don’t want to lose that opportunity!

So who said DVD replication requirements were declining in the UK? Not Digital Disc Duplication UK! At the start of the month we predicted increasing demand with our article regarding the recession and today official figures are released confirming our prediction!

The latest figures show an increase on 3rd quarter sales by 6.5% over the same period in 2007. Close analysis of the figures show Septemeber sales alone have increased by 7.4% on the same month of 2007. Bearing in mind this quarter is not influenced by the Christmas market, it surely proves positive indications for continued growth and demand for DVD replication.

Digital Disc Duplication UK provides authoring, mastering,replication and duplication services for DVD and can also provide Blu-Ray replication for HD releases. While nobody wants recession in the UK to last, just maybe it results in the boost for home entertainment which ultimately means a boost for those releasing DVD projects. With the Christmas market now in effect, these latest sales figures prove that there has never been a better time to sell DVDs. Nobody unwraps a download for a Christmas present - millions unwrap a DVD! Make the most of this opportunity and contact Digital Disc Duplication UK for a quote on your DVD replication requirements.

Choice it seems is limitless when it comes to selecting what company to trust for your CD replication requirements but what do some of these choices really mean? In recent times there have been many companies offering CD replication that have failed and many of these are in the UK. They include brokers or service providers and the actual manufacturing plants themselves.

It is no secret that many overseas factories offer very low prices for CD replication and as a result many brokers or service providers are attracted to buy these services at low prices. There is often little consideration for the possible consequences and I doubt very much if these factories are ever visited by these brokers in order to check out the facility. It purely comes down to price so they can attract customers based on low price only rather than quality of product or service.

With regard to the factories that have closed in the UK recently it often amounts to similar reasons (although in different ways). GREED! As with the brokers or service providers who seek larger volume due to price alone without the concern of the clients product well-being, the factories in the UK that failed all wanted larger volumes and basically commenced with price wars in order to bid each other out. As one failed, another bought the failed company expecting to win the order book and larger volume but as with any failed company, the problems began long before the doors closed and such problems then carried on to the new owner and as customers are wiser than credit given, many had already moved on hence the problems spilled over to the new owner rather than increasing their order book resulting in further failure.

As with current economic conditions greed is often the cause of failure and rather than caring for clients needs, more revenue is sought which results in clients being let down. Digital Disc Duplication UK are different to this. While we offer great competitive prices we do not try to be simply the lowest priced. Our clients deserve more and the quality of the product and services we provide far outweigh the need for us to simply try to make them cheaper. The couple of pence per CD you save with another provider could cost you hundreds in reputation if you receive inferior product quality!

Digital Disc Duplication - PROUD to be in the UK and PROUD to offer CD replication that is MADE IN THE UK!

Banks are failing, economy is heading towards (or already in) recession, unemployment levels are going up and there is even talk of global depression! What wonderful headlines we all wake up to but why is the prime concern the stock markets around the world? The majority of UK citizens do not own stocks, the pensions are already shot due to stocks (and they were not even aware of the fact they were linked) and yet they still are expected to contribute towards the rescue of corporate failings!

The basis of any economy is the consumer faith within the country boundaries so why can’t the general public be helped rather than the corporations? The very first simple step would be to help provide job security. Wouldn’t it be nice just for a change to buy something that boldly says “Made in the UK”. Well if you are planning your next CD replication project you can do just that! Contact Digital Disc Duplication UK for a great quote on your project and include proudly on the artwork “Made in the UK”.

If only more companies and even the government supported the ground roots rather than the selected few maybe such a mess would be prevented at home! When you look at the fuller picture and notice it is those countries who still manufacture that currently have the fastest growing economies because we have no choice other than to buy their products at times! Notice their governments are not ploughing billions into this so called global rescue package?

Digital Disc Duplication UK supports jobs IN the UK by guaranteeing all product is Made in the UK! It doesn’t take much to do and we are proud to provide this service and see our colleagues in work rather than struggling. Is it worth saving 1 or 2 pence per CD by making them in China where there is also a huge counterfeit problem? We don’t think so and we know our customers are grateful for the added security of their products we provide! When searching for quotes for your next CD replication requirements, ask the companies where they would be made! Digital Disc Duplication GUARANTEES Made in the UK! Isn’t it time we all started helping ourselves rather than other economies?

I have just been reading an article posted on another site from a company offering CD Duplication that basically claims that Mastering is easy and anybody these days can do it! Well that basically contradicts every professional opinion in the industry along with the recording artists intentions when they first set about producing their music.

When such a claim is made it can only suggest one thing - are they truly concerned with the quality of product? I suppose in some sense it is correct in saying anybody can create a master CD but professionally? No way! Why do mastering engineers still receive so much acclaim for their work. Look at the credits on major releases and I bet you will nearly always see a credit for mastering by an engineer not involved with the initial recording or mixing.

Simply using the normalising setting on Nero for example does not create the perfect CD master! Even the creators of the software would never claim that! It is intended for home users and that is why it is simple to use! Professional mastering houses have combinations of specialist hardware and software which enables the engineer to deftly tweak the mix rather than simply flatten the entire program to one level!

Digital Disc Duplication UK respects the fact that not all recording artists can attend mastering sessions at Abbey Road for example but this does not mean they should only be left with the choice of home user software. It also does not mean that anyone with the best hardware and software combinations can produce the best master either! The engineer is the key element for any stage of the production and with this in mind it is possible to produce some great work that compares with the named artists and engineers.

When you are preparing for your next release and require professional CD replication rather than short run CD duplication, bear in mind the importance of the final stage prior to Glass Mastering and Replication. Professional mastering does and always will produce a better result than any home based CD burning software and could make the difference between a good product and a GREAT product.

CD replication is more commonly known to be for music, games and software but how about using a CD for advertising? There are numerous advantages in doing so to consider.

So you have a new range of products or services to be launched and therefore word needs to be spread to notify potential buyers. You turn to your advertising agent or you graphic designer and what do they always start working on straight away? A new catalogue or glossy brochure. As it has been for many years now every page needs designing, pictures need to be taken and artwork prepared ready for printing so that your customer base and targetted audience can receive a copy of this nice new shiny brochure in the mail. Packaging of the brochure is usually custom printed also and the final package weighs quite a bit leaving you with huge postage costs.

So what are the alternatives and how does the CD come into this? Your advertising agent or designer needs to put the artwork together for a brochure so it is a fixed cost. Transfer this cost to creating an interactive brochure and not only will this provide the same means to show your new products but it will allow for possible video clips, back catalogue items, weblinks to current features on your site (and therefore the instant way to show the very latest products without the need to mail out a supplement) and much more.

Then consider the printing costs of the brochure and compare that to CD replication costs. Glossy brochures or magazines would cost pounds per unit while the CD would cost pence per unit! Add this to the weigh difference and consider how much saving would be made in mailing out the CD rather than the brochure!

Another huge saving would be the impact on the environment. Far less material usage for the CD and with options to produce packaging using recycled materials and transport and mailing costs lower due to less weight all result in reducing the carbon footprint for advertising your new products! All of this and you still get your message across but in a far less costly manner (financially and environmentally) and in a modern interactive way.

Digital Disc Duplication UK can help with such projects from start to finish and the savings you will probably feel like an early bonus order of your new products! Contact us today to start your new interactive brochure!

Digital Disc Duplication Ltd are a UK based company providing professional CD replication, DVD replication and Blu-Ray replication services. With competitive pricing for the highest quality of product and service, what areas of the country (or indeed the world) can they cover?

Well let’s take the UK initially. If you are based in London or Glasgow, Bristol or Birrmingham or anywhere in the UK, the cost for the product of your choice is the same! INCLUDING delivery! We will not charge any extra if the finished CDs or DVDs need to travel 500 miles to be delivered to you or just 5 miles! And we go that extra mile as well…..

With facilities in Florida USA as well as the UK, Digital DIsc Duplication can also provide the same high quality replication services for your product in America and therefore avoid the need for costly overseas shipping or the need to research and contact an alternative company for your US requirements. One contact in the UK will look after your complete project from start to finish, from London to New York.

There are many companies in the UK offering CD replication and DVD replication services and very often you will find these specialising in specific areas of the country (normally London) but if required to deliver product outside of their region there could well be the extra service charge for delivery! And overseas???? Forget it!

So if you are searching for CD replication or DVD replication in London, Edinburgh, Southampton or Chicago - remember Digital DIsc Duplication UK can provide the ultimate one stop shop for all! 

Well I’m not going to say “told you so” but news this weekend finally sees a counterfeit CD and DVD operation being raided in Taiwan. But the news also carries the fact that this operation has been KNOWN to be running for THREE YEARS! With discs seized that would result in a LOSS of £130 MILLION for legal copyright owners alone, how much has been lost during the entire reign of this operation?

Orders were being taken via the internet in China with the copying and distribution taken care of in Taiwan and monthly turnover figures of this operation were consistantly growing! How many other similar operations are in practise over there and for how long will they be allowed to continue before any action is taken?

Digital DIsc Duplication UK manufacturing facilities are firmly rooted in the UK and therefore strict anti-piracy rules are adhered to. Can you be sure that all companies offer this security? There are many cheap prices offered by a lot of UK based companies however in order to achieve such cheap prices the actual manufacturing is often sourced overseas. Not only is this putting your master at risk to this pirating activity but what control do you have over the quality of the manufacturing and what happens if something goes wrong? Can you get the job re-done or even refunded? So many possible problems that could occur just because it is cheap! But how much cheaper is it overseas than here in the UK? Well why not try getting a quote from Digital Disc Duplication UK for CD replication or DVD replication and compare for yourself! You will be pleasantly surprised that the cost of security for your project is not that high!

How can you be sure what we say is true? Well check out the recommended manufacturers list of MCPS-PRS-ALLIANCE. Here you will NOT find every company offering CD replication services but you WILL find those that are seen by MCPS-PRS to protect your copyright interests!http://www.mcps-prs-alliance.co.uk/musicforproducts

It has long been considered that the CD is no longer a format consumers want for music and instead digital downloads are quite simply the only way forward. Why is it then some major artists and labels are turning their back on iTunes? When you consider iTunes alone provides in the region of 90% of all music downloads, you would think it to be a bad business decision not to include your tracks on this platform. However this is what is currently hapenning.

Artists and labels release complete albums of work and traditionally, 2 or 3 tracks have been released from these albums as singles for promotion. The goal of course to generate higher sales of the entire album. Singles never created a huge income due to costs involved almost matching that of producing the entire album however with interest generated by these singles the album sales inevitably increase which ultimately generates greater income of which a greater percentage is profit.

It is an accurate assumption now to make the physical single product has pretty much had its day and has been replaced with downloads however iTunes takes the whole scenario one stage further and allows individual track selection and purchase from entire albums as well. Therefore effectively offering an entire catalogue of singles available for purchase. When you consider Apple take 30% of the sale price before any label, distributor and of course artist gets any cut, but if they only sell for example 4 tracks from an album at 79p each, that amounts to a pretty large loss of margin against sale of the entire album.

Some download sites restrict single track sales to actual single releases and entire albums have to be purchased in their entirety but with only 10% of the download market left after iTunes, this again amounts to very low figures. This is probably the reason why some are avoiding iTunes. There are many artists who we would consider as legends, such as The Eagles, The Beatles and AC/DC to name a few that have never licensed their material for iTunes and in fact their physical album (CD) sales have consistantly increased since the 2003 launch of iTunes. Another legendary act, The Rolling Stones, do have their material on iTunes  and have sold more than 6 million individual tracks as downloads but their entire album sales have dropped dramatically. While the download figure sounds impressive, overall profits are far lower than if albums sales had been achieved rather than individual downloads.

Because of such figures recent acts have had albums removed (or never released) from iTunes by their labels as a move to increase album sales and an attempt to avoid an entire singles market.  Kid Rock and Estelle are amongst those whose albums are available in CD format or entire album download (where available) only. I am sure most artists would want to achieve entire album sales rather than individual tracks regardless of who they are. Not only for the profit reasons but probably more important to them is the fact an album is an entire story of work at that time. 

The test of time will be if this bold move proves successful but to date it does seem that consumers DO still want albums and the majority of those still want it on CD!  Digital Disc Duplication UK firmly backs this move - not simply because we offer CD replication but because we love music and truly believe artists should benefit financially from their hard work and talent and more importantly because they should get the choice to present their music in its entire form as intended rather than having it ripped apart.