Setting Up In-House Retail Sales
Now, that you are familiar and likely connected with online
music sales sites, such as CD Baby, or combination
online/offline retail sites, such as The Orchard, you are
probably comfortable in having your music distribution
and sales fairly covered. But, what if you could get even more music sales, and
even more profitable income? I'm speaking of consigning your product to retail stores,
but, with one exception...consigning your product nationally,
or even internationally. For all concerned, "consignment" means placing your
music in retail stores on a trial basis, then collecting
payments when it sells, with the retailer keeping a portion
of your sale. You see, as consignment goes, most musicians who
consign their music to retailers, usually limit their
consignment territory to only local retailers, or on a
regional level at most. Their reasoning is that any larger
area will be too difficult to manage. But, that is simply not so, and they are losing a fantastic
amount of money by limiting themselves to their local
regions. So, I am going to show you how you can easily consign
your music to retailers and be able to collect payments
for sales every thirty days (or so) via a "step-by-step"
process. It is important to note that the consignment process will be
most successful if you are already receiving some degree
of promotion and publicity results, such as radio airplay,
press coverage, video airplay or through your music
being played in nightclubs via record pools, of which I
have addressed in a previous article. Otherwise, you may find your ability to move your product
from retailers' shelves almost as difficult as if you did not
have product on them. And, if you do not have some
degree of promotion or publicity, whether you have hired
such a service, or you choose to conduct it yourself,
practically, the only way that you will experience sales is
purely by retail customers' accidental discoveries of your
music. So, ready? 1. Concentrating on retailers (both major chains and
independents) in areas where you are getting radio
airplay, video airplay, press coverage or any other form
of promotion or publicity, contact retailers in these areas
who your distributors may not service. One of the best
up-to-date online sources to use, particularly, for the U. S.
is http://www.yellow.com This is the online version of the Yellow Pages, and you
should look in such categories as "Compact Discs,"
"Compact Disc Retailers," "Music Retailers" or similar
categories. 2. You may prefer to visit local retailers in person,
introduce yourself and make them a consignment offer,
such as the amount that you will need from each unit sale,
etc., and how often you will need to collect payment for
any sales (usually every thirty days is the normal time
frame). Retailers will also expect you to make a written
agreement available to them that spells out the terms of
the consignment. 3. As for retailers outside of your local area where you
are already getting promotion or publicity, you can simply
contact them via telephone and relay the same information
that you do with local retailers in person. In both cases, you should direct them to your website,
whereby hopefully, you have your music streaming for
them to listen, as well as have a bio and other important
information regarding you and your project. You are also free to utilize the retail consignment form
that I have already created, and which you can download,
customize with your own information, then upload to your
own website, that is freely available at
http://www.MuBiz.com/CnsnmtFrm.html 4. Once you have uploaded your customized version to
your website, your retail accounts can then simply
download it from your site, or you can fax a copy to them
if they prefer. You will also note that I have included discounts for
retailers within this 1-page form that are designed to
dramatically reduce the number of returns that are a
commonality with retail consignment and distribution.
The less returns, the more money you make (and keep). Additionally, you will see where I have limited the number
of units to five (5) at any given time. This is to ensure that
there are just enough copies that should sell with no
problem within a 30-day period, especially, if you already
have promotion and publicity occurring in the retailer's
area. This limit also ensures that you have enough
product to reasonably service enough retailers. Also, with this limit, re-orders are more likely to occur
before the end of your 30-day periods. This type of retail
activity looks really great to traditional distributors who,
after seeing your product's retail track record, may contact
you to inquire about carrying your product. This will give
you stronger bargaining power with them, as well as wider
distribution, than if you did not have retail product available
and moving. And, even if distributors do not call, this will allow you to
approach them with an attractive sales history and track
record. Also, be sure to provide local retailers with two copies of
the consignment form to sign (carbon paper between two
original copies still works) so that both you and the retailer
have copies. 5. As for retailers outside your area, or local retailers that
prefer to use the online consignment form, be sure that
they download, sign and either fax or mail the form to you
*BEFORE* you send them product. This creates an
initial record and verification of a purchase request. You
then, in turn, sign the form then return a copy to the retailer
along with his order. 6. When sending retailers product, be sure to *ALWAYS*
send your product via some shipping/tracking method. I
would, personally, use the Certified/Return receipt service
with the U. S. postal service, and I believe that the U. S.
postal service also now has tracking for 2nd Day
Air/Priority mailings as well. These particular services are probably the least
expensive services on the market, but they will ensure
that your product doesn't get lost or stolen en route to the
retailer. They also ensure a record of the retailer having
received your product for those few unscrupulous retailers
that may not wish to pay for your product if they received
it by first class mail, but would sell it and keep its profits. 7. At 30-day intervals, contact your retailers, whether in
person or via telephone, to inquire of any sales that have
occurred. While you can pick up payments locally, you
should have distant retailers forward you a check for
payment that corresponds with the number of unit sales. You could also have them pay you online via a credit
card through PayPal, or another such online service.
This would eliminate lost/stolen checks through the
mail, while guaranteeing your payment quicker. 8. If, for example, within a 30-day period, you have three
sales, with two unsold units with a retailer, you have the
choice of either waiting for the remaining two units to sell
prior to forwarding more product to the retailer, or you can
offer to forward three more units to the retailer. However,
it is probably best to wait until the two remaining units sell. 9. In either above case, once all five units have sold at
any given retailer, begin the complete process over,
starting with the retailer signing or faxing another copy of
the consignment form in order to ensure accurate sales
records and sales continuity for your project. Note: Should your project begin to experience a large
sales volume, you may wish to hire someone, i.e., a
student or intern, to work this aspect of your project, and
whom you can pay a commission for each sale. This will
eliminate your need to pay hourly wages or salaries, and
will further save you money. Kenny Love is president of MuBiz.com, a radio promotion and publicity service that also provides business and career services to musicians. See the corresponding website at http://www.MuBiz.com
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How I Compose a Piece of Music
A number of people have asked about my own methodology for creating a complete piece of music at the piano. At the risk of oversimplification, the steps are as follows:
Learn to Read Music Online
If you or anyone you know wants to learn to read music, it's a lot easier to do than it used to be. The Internet gives us all access to almost unlimited information, and can deliver an incredible array of products and tools right to our desktops. Not surprisingly, there are some really clever products out there that can help you learn to read notes.
Dance Musics Most Popular and Enduring Theme: The Declaration of Independence
It all started with Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" in 1979, perhaps the biggest fluke in popular music history. To follow up her hit "Never Can Say Goodbye", Gloria's label issued a song called "Substitute". The track bombed. Everyone hated it, including the radio DJs and the public. Then DJs started to play the B-Side track "I Will Survive" and the rest is history.
Inspiration Wanted - Apply Within!
One of the biggest stumbling blocks for music students is knowing what to practice. In the early years students listened to their teachers and did what they told them to do, which is still of course perfectly valid. But the real turning point that sets a student on their own path is the ability to self motivate and take the reins without the aid of a mentor.
Guitar Tuning Tips
Most new guitar players and even some experienced ones have trouble staying and playing in tune. I'll try listing here some of the common mistakes and there solutions.
Karaoke Singing
This article is designed to help anyone to enjoy karaoke and improve their singing performance whether it be as a "virgin" karaoke singer or as someone starting out on a singing career. It contains tips designed to help old hands and newbies alike achieve a better karaoke singing style. The best piece of advice is to bear in mind that one of the whole idea behind karaoke is that it doesn't matter how good(or bad) your singing is - you are singing for your own enjoyment. The people in the karaoke bar are there usually because they enjoy karaoke too, so it is not expected that you perform like the next American/Pop Idol. In fact some of the most boring karaoke nights I have been to have been spent watching a succession of pretty decent singers. If I wanted that I would go and see a show.
?Who Else Wants to Get Screwed When Signing a Recording or Songwriting Deal?!?!?
You've got your recording (or songwriting) contract in hand and everything's coming up roses, right? You get your check, finally, but it's not quite what you expected. If you sign not knowing what's owed you then you might be shorted some well-deserved income. So make sure that anything you sign contains a statement to the following areas (preferably in your favor):
The Piano Parent Trap!
"My 6 year old daughter really loves the piano and wants to learn to play, but when I try to help her she gets very upset with me. What should I do?"
New M3 with Competition Package
The new competition package available for the BMW M3 is almost sad as it is wonderful. With everyone knowing of the strong rumors of the M3's power plant changing to a V8, it's almost heart breaking to think about the legendary straight 6 cylinder being laid to rest. The competition package has many pretty neat extras that give the beamer something to beam about.
Buying A Guitar
There are many things to consider when buying a new classical guitar. For instance, whether or not you are a beginner or seasoned professional will determine just what you are looking for and how much you are willing to spend.
Solid-Bodied Gretsch Corvette Guitar
The Solid-bodied Corvette (not to be confused with the Corvette hollow-body arch-top electric, produced from 1955-1959) was Gretsch's answer to the Les Paul Jr. by Gibson. Introduced in 1961, the Corvette Solid-body was a small, light-weight, comfortable electric guitar that was just right for the budding musician.
Patriotic Music: Surprising Secrets About Those Flag-Waving Sounds
Whether played by a marching band, an orchestra, or a rock group, there are patriotic tunes that everyone in America finds familiar, exciting and uplifting. But how much do you know about how these songs were created? And what do you know about the people who wrote them?
History of the Clarinet From the 19th Century
While composers had already begun to write music for the clarinet, such as Mozart with the Clarinet Concerto and Clarinet Quintet, it was the 19th century that saw an explosion of use of the clarinet in the music of most composers of the day. This was mainly due to two factors.
Tips for Buying Digital Pianos and Keyboards
Buying a digital piano could be a very delicate attempt, especially if you have no idea about pianos in the first place. This article is written to help you out how to choose the best digital piano.
Anglican Arrogance: Small-Minded Choirmembers
What is "Episcopal" music?
Living Life Loud
Change is good. Just ask the millions of unsigned artists worldwide trying to get their music heard. Since the music industry is changing drastically, unsigned musicians are able to make their music available to listeners. Record labels are realizing new techniques need to be created in order to promote music, and find new talent.
5 Ways to Enjoy Your Music Files
OK, say you've got one thousand of your favorite MP3 songs sitting in your hard disk. What's the best way to enjoy those files? Most of us probably will use the Windows Media Player to listen to those files. but did you know there are other more innovative and interesting ways playback MP3, WMA and WAV files?
How I Learned How To Play The Guitar After Giving Up In Disgust
I was 17 at the time (the Beatles era), and it was considered cool to play the guitar. I had a little training in music in elementary school where I had learned how to play the trumpet. I remember that the only reason I started the trumpet was because my daddy had run across an old beat up horn that a woman was selling for $10.
Art of the Recording Engineer: From Michael Jackson to Mutant Radio, Matt Forger Speaks Out
Interviewed by Scott G (The G-Man)
What Works Best in New Age Piano Improvisation
Many students want to know how to improvise. What they really want to know is how to be able to keep an improvisation going.
|
