The CD-R is still the most commonly used method today by churches, ministries and evangelists to distribute their messages. Many churches had been using cassettes which were then replaced by CD-Rs in the first few years after the turn of the century, and now there are apps and the cloud. They key is to utilize the format that best reaches your audience, today that means distributing via multiple mediums.
A new church today has a different technology path than an established church. People respond to content that interests them and in a manner which they can consume it easily and conveniently. Is your congregation of the digital age? Is the request for CDs frequent or occasional? While it is somewhat expected that an established church distributes both audio and video of their sermons, a new church’s focus on audio provides needed experience before adding the additional cost, knowledge and workflow of video. There are two paths and one or both paths can be taken at any given time as the demographics of the congregants set forth the path(s). Path A. Distribute your sermons via physical media; CD and (later) DVD. The up front cost ranges from $3,000 to $5,000 for the audio capturing and disc production equipment plus printing and packaging supplies. Ongoing supply cost range from $100 to $300 month depending on discs distributed that month. For a new church the investment is sizeable considering all that is required to seed and grow. Path B. Distribute your sermons via digital media; app and web. The up front cost ranges is $700 - $1,000 for the audio capturing equipment, an app and web platform. Ongoing monthly cost for the platform of $50 - $200 depending on storage and bandwidth. For a new church the startup cost to distribute their content digitally is significantly lower than physically, and depending on the demographics of the church often is the first choice to distribute sermons. Either method that sermons are distributed, the master audio file needs to be captured and managed, we shall start there. 1. Capture the audio signal from the sound board a. CD recorder to create master for duplication, printing and packaging then delivered on site or mailed. The Tascam CD-RW900MKII CD Recorder is the common choice at $349. b. MP3 recorder to create master MP3 for upload to cloud then delivered via app and web. The Tascam SS-R100 Solid State Digital Audio Recorder is a common choice at $499. 2. Manage the master sermon audio file a. Store master CD and associated art file for each sermon on-site so they are able to easily burn, print, package future requests on demand. b. Store master MP3 and associated art file for each sermon in the cloud, ready for distribution as demanded, and with worry free redundancy. The next step is distribution. For CDs the production process requires printing, burning and packaging the disc for distribution to the end user. For MP3s no additional process is required, the end user clicks on the desired sermon in the app or on the web and it is distributed from the cloud. 3. Distribution (and production) of the sermon audio a. Disc production requires two pieces of equipment; a CD/DVD tower and disc printer, plus some media supplies - blank discs, ink, packaging. The overall cost per disc to produce ranges between $.38 to $1.58 each, that doesn’t include mailing cost or amortization of the equipment used listed below, here’s the breakdown. i. A CD/DVD tower ranges from $600 to $1,500 depending on how many recordable drives and if it is daisy chain compatible. ii. CD/DVD Printers that have a self-feeding capacities range from $900 to $8,000 depending on how many discs you can add to the input bin, providing from 20 to 300 discs of unattended printing. iii. Blank discs cost between $.25/ea - $.60/ea depending on brand, coating and integrity. Ink cartridges and ribbons prices are only part of the story. What we really want to know is the cost per impression, which ranges widely from $.03 to $.68 per disc. Packaging ranges between $.10 to $.30 each, not including a mailer and postage if that is the end game. b. MP3’s have no cost to distribute, it’s part of a monthly plan from your app or web provider. Two other important items to note, neither of which are possible with a disc and should be included with a robust platform. 4. Analytics – with digital distribution comes the ability to analyze distributed content to the app and web via the cloud. You know the who, what, when and where of your content…such as which sermons are most impactful. 5. Push Messaging – with digital distribution comes the ability to create a one to one connection via push messaging directly to an app. Users get relevant information and updates such as the bulletin and special announcements. A new church today should consider one or both methods to distribute their sermons. CD equipment and supplies vary in capability and capacity, as do app and web platforms. Knowing who the church serves will ultimately determine which path to head down first. Then do your research and contact your content concierge to help fine tune your strategy.
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