Number 3 is the best - you can see your face and nice photo.
Number 1 makes it look like you have a beer belly - nothing wrong with that, but maybe not for cover art.
Number 2 looks like you are trying to see if your guitar is warped.
I listened & liked. I looked & liked all three, but I think Number 2 is the best. It’s different & you want something that’ll stick in peoples minds, (even if it does make some of them a little uncomfortable.) I can see me going to Best Buy & asking them if they’ve got it by saying, “You know, the one where he’s sighting down the neck of his guitar?” BUT dont know if the music’s edgy enough to back up the tease since I only heard one cut. If it’s all pretty mellow I’d go with Number 3. It shows how good-looking you are.
I think number 1 is really good; you get the feeling that something’s going on here I you want to find out what it is – I get a little curious, in other words, when I see that cover. (Number 3 is second best, but kind of boring, and number 2 is a little bit weird.)
1,3,2.
Now to see what everyone else said.
Go with #3.
Number 3 is the best for me. As someone already mentioned number two has a classic rock feel. Number 1 is not bad. So it is 3,2,1 for me.
And you rock! Can I be one of your groupies?
Another vote for #1. #3 was okay, but #2 should be avoided at all costs; it just says “poser” to loudly.
The song was okay but it sounds like you played and sang while you were sitting down.
I want to offer a HUGE thank you to everyone who has provided feedback thus far. I expected people to just spit out a number and then scurry away, so I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the amount of detail that is going into these posts. I think I’m going to tally the votes on Friday to give the working dopers a chance to voice their opinion. For now, some responses to your comments:
antonio107 and Thudlow Boink: You are definitely not the only people to have expressed a desire for more instrumentation, particularly percussion. As tempting as it would be to fit my music to that mold, my primary objective is to explore what is possible for one person to accomplish with one guitar. There’s already a plethora of guitar-bass-drums music out there, but I don’t think enough people take the time to push the envelope on a single instrument.
Arrendajo: No, I don’t intend to have a release party. I don’t do parties.
rjk: I find it very interesting that you think #3 is too mellow for the music. Ready or Not is probably the most aggressive track on the album, and the rest of the songs span across a fairly wide spectrum of intensity. Exploration in C Major, for example, is much mellower. It may be true that #1 works well for the title track, but #3 might be better for the album as a whole. I don’t have a strong preference between the two, I’m just playing devil’s advocate for funzies.
YaraMateo: Yes, I specifically wanted a dark stage with just a few lights focused on me. My goal is not to construct an artificial image of myself like so many pop icons have already done, but instead to just focus on my instrument and being the best possible musician that I can be. While the artworks may be too dark for some, I think they adequately reflect my intentions as an artist. And yes, I do need the first 30 seconds. This is not a negotiation! 
Becky2844: There’s certainly something to be said about shooting for something memorable rather than something pleasant, but this is definitely the riskier play considering how many people seem to absolutely hate #2. I’ll have to think about this a bit more; I don’t really have a firm answer to your points yet.
Estilicon: That depends: do you like to has forming babby?
Snowboarder Bo: Very perceptive! The guitar track was indeed recorded while sitting down, though the vocal track was recorded while standing. As with most of my music, the arrangement is very technical and involves a lot of tapping, so when I’m trying to get a nice clean recording, it helps to be sitting down so I can see the entire fretboard. I must confess that I didn’t think anyone would be able to tell.
#1 all the way.
Best of luck and have fun!
1, 3, then 2 only if you can’t get permission from Ryan Malloy to use his image in 1 or 3. (Which, I’m assuming, won’t be an issue…)
I like #2 for this reason also. The others seem like generic promo-shot poses. #2 has some personality and levity. There is a bit of intentional meta-irony with the “Ready or Not” title and the holding of it completely wrong.
#1 for sure!
in order
1,3,2
#1. Not wild about the stencil font, though; I briefly thought your name was “Ryan Wallow.”
I dig those dancing Jell-o shots!
#1,#3, not #2
#3 is a good picture and I would make it my first pick if your name was in the upper left corner going up to your head and not sideways.
Voting is now closed! Thanks again for all of the feedback. The final results have been posted at Ryan Malloy Music for great justice.
#1 is the winner!