Ideas For Bonus Content To Add To Your Releases

When you put together a release of either your own music or somebody else’s, these days it’s common to go further than just including the tracks themselves and artwork.

Some stores, like iTunes or Bandcamp allow you to include other things in your release, aside from the music.

This could be some samples, shorter edits, an acapella, or it could be something like a video, a PDF of exclusive information or an interview.

Are there realistically things you can put in which will add value? There’s no shame in keeping things simple.

Here are some ideas for possible bonus content you might like to include in your release:

(This info has been taken from one of over 60 lessons in my course Successful Self Releasing)

Videos

• Making of the release
• Official music videos for the tracks
• Footage from touring
• Live videos of the artist or band
• Lyric videos
• Interactive videos (Facebook now do 360 degree videos)

Audio

• Track-by-track commentary, on how and why you made the tracks, the inspiration, the process, any other relevant and interesting information
• Re-edits, other versions (acoustic, ambient, instrumentals), special mixes (or re-mixes) of the tracks
• A sample pack based on (or inspired by) the tracks
• The original stems, to allow someone to remix one of the tracks
• Live recordings
• A single mixed track of the album (common with mixes where each track is separate. They often include a “mixed” version)

Documents

• Lyric sheets
• Extended credits and “making of” notes
• The sheet-music or orchestration for tracks
• Letters or notes from the artist or band (poetry even!)
• A book or short story from the artist

Other

• An app to go along with the release
• An online game to be played with the release
• The project files for the tracks (along with stems for remixing)
• Special plugins or VSTs for re-working tracks

You get the idea. This is really just about considering the options, pushing the limits and making sure you’re not just thinking inside the box.

Have you thought about any other ideas similar to this? What about artists who have done this already; any unusual packages?