Record your album and make sure that it's something that consumers find worth buying. If you don't have a full band, and you happen to be talented with multiple instruments, modern recording technology will allow you to record an entire album by yourself. Note that higher quality recordings with original musical ideas will be appealing to today's audiences. Instrumental rock has seen a resurgence in recent years due the popularity of bands such as Mogwai, Tortoise, and Explosions in the Sky.
Establish yourself as a business, not just a musician. You'll need to acquire a business license and reseller's license. Although the cost of these permits will vary by state, a business license can be purchased for only $20, and a reseller's license might even be free. Keep track of your receipts and expenses in order to remain within your budget. Some basic knowledge of accounting programs will be useful for keeping organized.
Consider sending your album tracks to a recording engineer for mastering. Sonic continuity among your songs is important, and mastering might not be something you have expertise in as a musician. A good recording engineer will charge around $50 per hour, and can master one song per hour. If your album contains ten songs, you'll only be spending $500 to make your album sound on par with professionally released CDs.
Hire professionals to help with album artwork, press releases, liner notes, and advertising. A writer will charge between $100 and $200 per page to create any text necessary for your CD release. Consider enlisting the help of a graphic designer to put together images and text in your CD packaging. If you want to include photos on the cover or in the liner notes, a professional photographer will charge around $400 for a half-day session.
Decide on the scale of your release. If you only wish to release a small number of CDs, you can probably burn the discs yourself and use a high-quality printer to apply artwork to each CD. Alternatively, you can hire a professional duplication service if you wish to stage a large-scale release. If you plan to release more CDs in the future, consider buying a CD duplication device.