get a epson stylus photo r300. they can print directly on the cd, but you gotta have inkjet printable cds. but if I was you, I would skip all that burning and printing and find the local mixtape cats, they'll have the hookup on cds graphics and all that. you gotta work them niggas though or else they gonna try to do the middleman shit and bump the price up 25%.
Get a consignment form, take ten cds into your local record store, talk to the manager and get your shit on consignment, if your talk game is vicious or you got a big name on the cover you can negotiate good placement. then move out to the burbs. hit every mom-n-pop store you can find. call them at least once or twice a month (or more if you moving units) so you can collect and reup them if they sold some. Depends on the store, but its gonna vary from $1.50 up to $3-4 that you'll be gettin for each cd they sell. it may seem like a bad deal but when you think about it, you can get 1000 cds with inserts and all that for 65-75 cents each from them mixtape cats.
throw an event. get some t-shirts printed up and pass out flyers telling cats where to buy your cd.
pay a well known dj to host your shit, the money you pay him will be worth it trust me. get some well known locals to spit if you can. if they got enough name in the area then break bread with them. put their names on the front cover
make sure your shit sounds crispy. if you can do it yourself then cool but if not then invest in it.
remember, you're building a brand, if your first product is wack then you might as well flip your name for the next cd and every one after that. put some dough behind it. get pre-orders from your friends/family/fans, flip your gear and buy it back when you sell the mixtape, get a line of credit, do whatever you need to get that doe and make that product right.
stay away from the latest instrumentals. use as many original beats as you can, and for the rest, use classic beats. that way its harder to date the mixtape, so it stays fresh longer. matter of fact, just do an album, but in mixtape format with the dj and bomb effects and cuts and all that shit.
and last, even if the mixtape is old to you, its new to most people, so keep hustlin that joint for the next year or 18 months. get your niggas on the block to hustle for you just cut them in on the profits. send them niggas to all the spots they normally go to but with your cds in the trunk, your shit bumpin on their system, and your t-shirt with your logo on their chest. everybody on here got a ready-made street team if you look at it that way.
