JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Recording Studio and Gear Forum How many songs should be on a CD?

I'm a professional guitarist of many years, recently turning my attention to selling my music on recording. Mostly electric guitar instrumental, rhythmic but not distorted guitar, few vocals, rock-type, slightly jazz.I have 70 songs to publish on CD. They are short, perhaps averaging 2 minutes 20 or 30 seconds.In your opinion, would it be better these days to put many songs on a CD, like 20 or more, in order to get a 45 minute CD, or put on only 12, but have just a 30 minute CD?
Twenty or more songs might make the songs look "cheap", but it would give the listener a lot of variety. On the other hand, a 30 minute CD may be objected to as being too short, although sometimes to "keep the listener hungry" might be wise.
Thanks for your time.

I do think buyers of CDs these days have come to expect more than the ten-to-twelve tracks that were a carry-over from the days of vinyl. Twenty, though? Maybe too big a mouthful to chew! My own inclination would be to go somewhere between.

Are all of the songs only 2:15 long? In that case 20 may not be too many tracks. Normally my answer would be around 12, but that would be assuming it gets you to between 40 and 50 minutes.

Generally when I listen to a CD with 20 tracks on it I find myself wishing they had only included the best 10-12.


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Marty my new home

If you look at the glass and see it as half full, drink up!

I think you should take all the songs that qualify as great and put those on the CD. Leave the filler off. Whatever that number is, is your correct number.

Brian

Your CD should have as many songs as you want. My CD should have as many as I want.

I notice the CD's nowadays going between 40 to 60 minutes.

Just by doing the math with a 2 and a half minute song, I would say at least 16 songs.

[This message has been edited by My Name? (edited 08-07-2005).]

I believe that when making a cd it should move you around. I like hearing songs interlude and fit together.

IMO

Let me preface this by saying I am a rank amateur. I have only one CD "out," and I produced it to give away as Christmas presents. I'll do the same with the next one, only I'll try to make it goo enough to sell if anybody wants to buy.

I had 9 songs on my CD. Total length about an hour. Felt (and feels) about right. A couple commercial CDs I have run about an hour, too, I see.

So I plan on keeping the next one to about an hour, too. That'll be 8 to 12 songs, depending on length.

Joe
www.soundclick.com/bands/7/joewrabek_music.htm

IMHO this is one where I would stay within what people have come to expect from 9 to 12 tracks but maybe if some of your music is a little experimental and the song lengths are particularly long or short you could adjust to suit what you are doing.

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This is from the "but what do I know?" gallery: Anything less than 40 minutes on a CD might seem like a rip-off. But 20 songs is a lot to take in. Take only your best songs and put them on the CD. Seriously consider making a few of the tracks longer!

After I mentioned 16 songs for our debut album, Ron, our producer/friend, said to give him "the best 13 the band plays". (Later agreed to consider one or two slow ones that the band has yet to play to be included in the 13). "Friends" for sure, and maybe another slow song, if thought of as the "best 13 possible".

He said 13 songs would be good for time, (at around 40-45 minutes), and not too many songs to hopefully remember most right away. But he said if some other songs not played yet are better than anyone we do, that we should get them in the 13.

John Daubert

Ten to twelve quality songs is a better deal than twenty so-so songs with just a few good songs mixed in.People get bored wading through a lot of songs by the same artist just to hear a few good ones.Having said that,what makes a good song,everyone has different taste in music and what is a good song to one might not be to another.

Everett