Well, after all the problems, headaches and delays, the day when the “Aestas” album is released on digital download and CD has finally arrived.

In the end, we were very pleased with the quality of the CD and cover (Roberta did the artwork) provided by CD Unity in Glasgow, so thanks to Tom at CD Unity. There were a few problems at my distributor, Songtradr, concerning maintenance and other issues, which meant that the release of the digital version, originally scheduled for 2nd August, had to be taken down and re-scheduled for today (16th August). The artwork of the original version showed a faulty version and the ISRC codes, which are necessary to receive royalties, were not as requested. All of those issues have now thankfully been resolved with the help of Songtradr support and we are happy with the result.

The issue of licensing at MCPS is unfortunately still active. Since all the tracks on the album were written by me, obtaining an MCPS licence is not strictly necessary; however, I am a member of MCPS and they recommend that members license their own music. Establishing the correct route for someone in my position has been the problem.

Enough of my problems, it’s now time to celebrate the release and I am meeting up with some family members in Glasgow today for a get together and, although they might not know it, a release launch party. I am greatly looking forward to it.

On the promotion side, I have been active on social media, mainly Facebook and Instagram, as well as on music sites like Bandcamp and SoundCloud. Locally, the Alloa Advertiser is keen to do an article. We shall see how these things help.

In conclusion, it has been a great deal of work and there have been trials and tribulations but, at last, it’s time to celebrate.