Found Around: Insight on Physical Distribution for Musicians
Written by Aidan Rush Posted in: Found Around on June 14, 2011
Physical product has gotten a pretty bad rap over the last decade thanks to the regularly declining sales of goods like CDs and vinyl. Yet even though that may be the case, these types of product still account for a 1 billion dollar industry worldwide. And believe it or not, there are even more options for physical distribution today in the digital age. So how does one make sense of distribution deals, and more importantly, how should you go about getting one? Knowthemusicbiz's David Rose compiled an awesome list of some common clauses found in a typical distribution deal in the article below, and also lends some pointers to bands looking to land their packaged goods in retail stores. Have you had success with this? Agree with his strategy? Let us know!
-Aidan
(Knowthemusicbiz) What Independent Musicians Should Know About Physical Distribution
Credit: David Rose
OK, the overall demand for physical recorded music is in a constant and steady state of decline and yes, the number of music retailers that will even stock indie music is shrinking every year. But, as strange as it may seem, sales of physical recorded music is still a multi-Billion dollar world-wide industry. So, does it make sense for an indie musician to ignore this market all together or pursue a physical distribution deal? Well, that depends on several factors covered in this post.
Some Key Points to Know Before Considering a Physical Distribution Deal Demand Drives Sales, Supply Doesn’t
For a retailer to even want to stock your CD or album (and order it from a distributor) there has to be local demand for it first. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that if retailers stock your music, (because it’s really good) they will be able to sell it. It just doesn’t work that way. Retailers won’t have interest in stocking an artist’s music until their customers are regularly asking for it. Demand comes first. Regularly playing live / touring in a particular market is a good way to (hopefully) create local demand.
Sales History
If your band doesn’t have a documented track record of selling at least a thousand or more units through retail it could be very difficult for a distributor to even consider signing a distro deal with you. It may seem like the classic “catch 22” dilemma to require an artist to have a retail sales history before retail sales of their music is an option but that’s pretty much how it works. There are several well known examples of indie artists building up demand from their fan base to the point where physical distribution makes sense, The Avett Brothers and The Civil Wars are great examples.
Start Local
Many local indie record stores will buy local musicians CD’s or albums on consignment (meaning they pay you when they sell the CD’s not when they stock it). Establishing consistent retail sales in your local market is a critical step before considering full national or international distribution.
CD Baby
CD Baby is the absolute best place for indie musicians to start distributing physical product. Any retailer on the planet that wants to stock or sell your music can order it from CD Baby (If you have a CD Baby account and have provided them with your physical product to keep on stock). If you are interested in distributing physical product at retail start with CD Baby.
