Featured
When I Do Your Graphics … What I need from you
Compile all material that you want to include in your design: photos, text, original artwork to be scanned, logos, etc. …
Recent Articles
Blog
Featured
The Blues Masters featuring Big Al Carson – 4th Edition
With Bill Wilson’s great artwork on the cover, Misha’s great recording, and Al’s funky vision, it is bound to be one of Al’s best releases. …
Crescent City Duplication sold to Louisiana Red Hot Records
New Orleans – January, 2020 Diana Thornton and Mike Hogan have sold Crescent City Duplication to New Orleans-based SunRea Enterprises, Inc., parent company of Louisiana Red Hot Records, Inc., who will continue offering CD/DVD duplication services to the Greater New Orleans region. Diana still operates Crescent Music Services, which Diana founded 22 years ago in 1997 (originally with mastering engineer Parker Dinkins) to offer CD
Introducing Webinar Wednesdays
Join Diana Thornton and other music industry pros for a free webinar series covering a variety of topics musicians need to know about CD design, manufacturing, mastering, packaging and more. These focused webinars are chock full of information, tips and techniques from experts to give you the tools work more effectively with professionals or do it yourself. …
Reasons You Should Never Scrimp On Your Photo Shoot
Promotional photos are a huge component of a musician’s marketing and branding. It’s necessary to have just the right images to effectively market your music and its message. …
5 things that can delay or degrade your CD/DVD project
1. Lack of quality photos for cover/insert Frequently I am sent low resolution or poor quality photos for the insert and even for the cover. I usually recommend reshooting them, but of course it’s too late by the time people get to the design phase. So we “make do” and I have to try to work my Photoshop magic on substandard photos. If your music
Remote Design Sessions
Usually when I design a CD or DVD, my client and I can do everything over the phone and email. They upload their photos and text to me, we discuss the design concept they are looking for over the phone, I put together a draft and then email them a jpg or pdf to review. For most projects, this works well and smoothly, and allows
Beth Patterson – Forward
A digital only USB release with Digital Liner Notes. …
Wendell Eugene – If I Had My Life To Live Over
Special Anniversary Edition 2013 – Wendell turns 90 and celebrates his 75th anniversary this year as a highly skilled trombonist and a New Orleans Jazz Legend. “I know over one hundred tunes; much more than the young guys will ever know,” says Wendell. This recent release showcases just a few of his favorite songs.
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra – Envisioning Louisiana
This deluxe double disc CD/DVD digipak with a booklet is a yearly release from the LPO. It is an exclusive limited edition.
Songs for Junior Rangers – National Park Service
2012 Parents’ Choice Gold Award from the Parent’s Choice Foundation 2013 National Parenting Publications Award (NAPPA) Silver winner
Songs for Junior Rangers Wins 2nd Children’s Music Award
My latest design for the National Park Service, “Songs for Junior Rangers” has been named a 2013 National Parenting Publications Award (NAPPA) Silver winner, …
Creative LIVE Online tutorials
I never stop learning. Especially with all the new software, technology, and skills to keep up with. I discovered a website that offers free workshops – often multiple days worth. They cover a wide range of subjects, from photography to business to music to meditation. The live viewings are free, but you can buy the option to watch at your convenience later. I like to
The Beatles Records on Vee-Jay – Digital Edition
“Hot Off The Presses” so to speak is the Digital redesign and reissue of a book I designed over 15 years ago. I did all the layout, design and image work. Author Bruce Spizer, a New Orleans attorney, published this book as his first in a series of 9 books total, chronicling the recordings of the Beatles in America and UK. Primarily geared towards collectors,
Digital Liner Notes Design
Liner Notes are NOT DEAD! Get Itunes compatible Digital Liner Notes with your next album. …
Blue Note App
Experience the sights and sounds of the legendary Blue Note Records with this iPad app. …
Kermit Ruffins – We Partyin’ Traditional Style
Designed by Cynthia Kinney, KERMIT RUFFINS’ latest doesn’t disappoint. www.basinstreetrecords.com. We also created an Itunes Digital Liner Notes file from the digipak artwork for downloads.
Dukes of Dixieland – Celebrating Satchmo
CELEBRATING SATCHMO, performed and taped at Old U.S. Mint in New Orleans, was produced for PBS. The DUKES OF DIXIELAND celebrate 40 years in 2014, and claim the spot as the oldest continuously operating jazz band in New Orleans. Featuring Louis Armstrong favorites such as Mack the Knife, What a Wonderful World, Struttin’ With Some Barbecue and You Rascal You, Celebrating Satchmo is a tribute
John Fohl – Teeth and Bones
Teeth and Bones is the third solo album from this fantastic New Orleans based musician. 30 plus years in the music business has found John recording and touring with a wide range of artists including Dr. John, Clarence ‘Gatemouth’ Brown, The Blind Boys Of Alabama, Shemekia Copeland, Charley Musselwhite, The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Klaus Voormann, Johnny Sansone, Shannon MacNally, and many others. Along the way
Joe Krown, Walter Wolfman Washington and Russell Batiste, Jr. – SOUL UNDERSTANDING.
New Orleans style funk and soul doesn’t get much better.
Jason Marsalis – In A World Of Mallets
JASON MARSALIS on the Vibes with a “swinging mix of post-bop jazz, bluesy swing, and contrapuntal post-bop sections” (allmusic.com) for his IN A WORLD OF MALLETS. And what fun when the CD cover was painted onto a cake for the release party. Basin Street Records
Fi Yi Yi and the Mandingo Warriors EP
The heartbeat of New Orleans Mardi Gras Indians, FI YI YI AND THE MANDINGO WARRIORS released their first album. This EP features music written by Big Chief Victor Harris and members of the tribe.
Davell Crawford – My Gift To You
DAVELL CRAWFORD‘s MY GIFT TO YOU is phenomenal. This new Basin Street Records release is a deluxe package with a 24-page booklet that includes lyrics, original photos, and commentary from Davell. In addition, we created an Itunes liner notes PDF booklet for downloads.
Cutting Edge Showcase Schedule
Brochure and postcard
Beth Patterson – Hippocampus
HIPPOCAMPUS features her original painting on the cover, a special photo inside, and some serious musical energy under the cover. I always have a great time working with Beth.
Al “Carnival Time” Johnson – Beyond Carnival
His first full CD, released on Rabadash Records. Hopefully the first of many. …
More CD Covers
Many more CD covers that I’ve designed through the years.
JOIN THE RECORDING ACADEMY
THE PLACE WHERE MUSIC PROFESSIONALS MEET In addition to honoring the best of recorded music each year through the GRAMMY Awards, The Recording Academy is a 24/7 member services organization. The Academy offers an array of professional development and networking opportunities for its members and the music community at large. The Academy also offers numerous benefits to its members…including discounts on duplicating CDs, rental cars, hotel rooms,
SECURITY FOR WORDPRESS (AND OTHER THINGS)
Recently my Crescentmusic.com site was hacked. It still worked, and no one visiting the site was in danger, but some nefarious degenerate had piggybacked another site onto my server, buried deep in the file structure. I discovered it when my site would not allow me to update things. It took hours and hours to clean. There were thousands of files I had to delete and
Dropbox
I use dropbox to sync files to my ipad. …
Photo session with Beth Patterson
Last weekend Beth and I went to the LA Rennaissance Festival so I could practice taking pictures of people. …
Bruce Daigrepont – Jamais de la Vie
This is a reissue of an overseas release. www.brucedaigrepont.com
Carbonite
I use Carbonite to back up my computer to the cloud. It works in the background and anytime a file is added or changed, it copies it to a secure server so that if (when) your computer crashes, is stolen, hit by a virus, dropped or you accidentally delete a file (ack, I’ve done that), you can just go online and it’s all there for
LinkedIn for Musicians and Filmmakers
I started using LinkedIn a lot more lately. I have really really tried to be a regular Facebook user, but alas, after the 10th cute kitten picture, I get frustrated and log off and I LOVE kittens. I realized I was missing so many important posts because they were buried under 10 pages of kittens and deep thought quotes. And if I’m missing other people’s
5 most forgotten CD design elements
When I design or layout a CD or DVD for a client, they are responsible for providing me with the text and photos they want to include. After over 400 projects, I have noticed a few commonly forgotten elements. I don’t have time read everything, as I am usually concentrating on the design, but I do try to watch for a few critical things. #1