Of course, one thing I failed to mention is that when you order a production of 1000 CDs you are getting *CD* discs, whereas the places that do small runs are *CD-R* discs. That matters to some people, I guess... some distributors or retailers won't take CD-Rs, or some consumers claim that their players don't play them (maybe true if they are really old CD players). I am told that the primary reason it costs almost the same to do 1000 as 500 is in the printing process as opposed to the pressing of discs. I'd much rather pay twice the price per unit for 500 and sell or comp all of them, than to get a good deal on 1000 and then be stuck looking at all the product that no one wants a year from now. But if a label came to me with a deal offer and wanted to press up 1000 CDs of one of my albums, I don't think I'd refuse on ecological grounds...

The most ecological solution is to do what Jane Siberry and other artists have chosen to do and stop releasing physical product entirely, in favor of downloads, but then there are consumers who dislike compressed audio formats and as far as I know, all the major download distributors only offer compressed music files for sale. The reason I feel the need to get actual discs pressed with packages and all is twofold. One, I like to be able to hold something in my hand and show it to someone with the sense of pride that I made it, and somehow you don't get that sense of creative accomplishment when all you've got to show is a link on a computer screen where someone can go pay to download your music if they want. More importantly, I want CDs I can give to friends, comp out to radio and press people, and sell at gigs. So, I will be personally responsible for the production of more *stuff* that uses lots of resources and fossil fuel energy in the manufacture and distribution of it, and ends up as landfill, to satisfy my creative impulses. And I will console myself with the excuse that, hey, at least the music I will put out there is *good* music and not commercial crap like all the millions of CDs that get released and marketed by the tens of thousands of lame American Idol and MTV wannabes each year...