SUBMIT YOUR ALBUM
Here's what to do: send us one copy
of your completed CD (properly marked with a bar code and a catalogue number.)
Include with the CD your American marketing and tour plans and list the team
working with you. If you are an artist from outside of America, we would be
interested only if you have touring and marketing plans for America.
Send to:
Secretvip Productions
ATT: DEMO
P.O BOX 1986
Powell, Ohio 43065
usa
We work with music such as
contemporary gospel, hip hop, rock, folk, blues, jazz, world and roots music
genres. For our featured artists page
click here.
We will review your submission and
get back to you within one month of receiving it. If you don't hear from us
after a month it means we are not interested in distributing the title. We
will ONLY contact those people who we are interested in distributing. No
packages will be returned. Please do not call our office to check on the
package. We will contact you if we are interested.
Please read the remainder of this
document for handy tips about working with a distributor.
Not every submission received by Secretvip Productions will
qualify for retail placement, but there is a way to still earn your
place on commercial retail shelves. Submit your music for review and
Secretvip will develop an online commerce extension that can be used
to prove the marketability of your project to retailers. Selling
your CD online through secretvip.com allow us to present tangible
demographic information to storeowners looking to understand why it
makes sense to have your CD on their shelves. If you can meet online
sales minimums, we will help retail the placement for your
CD. Every full length CD sold online at secretvip.com will earn you
$7.00 per unit.
How We Market Musical Artists? (Your Product)
We can
help market Christian music CD in three ways.
#1 The Challenge
Each month retail buyers are
approached by American distributors to add thousands of new releases. The
buyers are responsible for strict inventory levels in their stores and must
chose a limited number of titles from the thousands offered. The buyer will
only add the release if they are convinced it will move. Our sales rep's job
is to convince the buyer that it will sell. If the title doesn't sell will be
returned for a full credit. The relationship between the sales rep and the
buyer is an ongoing one, so the rep must be right more often than wrong or
their credibility is lost. Your label must provide us with the tools to sell
your recording. The ultimate goal is to have your title racked in as many
stores as possible. Racking means that the store will order 5 to 25 copies and
will display the title prominently. We usually have to provide extra discounts
for racking quantities.
There are three reasons why a buyer
may order racking quantities of your release:
- If your previous release was
successful.
- If you are receiving significant
airplay on Christian stations or other radio
- If you are touring extensively.
Through our eight regional sales
representatives we deal with about 500 retailers across the country in every
province and territory. This does not mean that your record will be in 500
stores. We cannot force the stores to order. Your job is to create the demand
for your CD that will make them WANT to order it.
Play Copies
When we receive a new title in the
warehouse we ask for 20 to 50 play copies (promotional copies at no charge to
us) and one full promotion kit. These CDs go to our sales representatives who
need to hear the title in order to effectively sell it. After listening to the
recording they give the promotional copies to the stores most likely to play
them. In-store play is an essential and highly effective way of marketing
excellent music which is not receiving mainstream airplay.
Our Sales
Representatives
Our sales reps are busy people. Most
of them represent several other companies. The Sales Reps are not your
promoter or manager. They can assist you with many things and need to know
what you are up to. It is in their interest to sell as many of your recordings
as possible so keep them informed but don't be a pest! We endeavor to keep
them informed of things we know are happening in their region but it doesn't
hurt to send them e-mails relevant to their areas. Don't expect us to return
long distance calls. We are paid on commission so send information by e-mail.
If you don't have a computer think about getting one. It is a good tool for
our industry and may prove an excellent investment.
Never place your recordings in a
store on consignment. Sales reps will forget about your release in all the
other stores they visit. Consigning your recording to the big guys like Media
Play on W. Broad St. in Columbus, Ohio will ensure that we will not be
able to get your recording in any of the many Media Plays outlets across the
country. The database will list your recording as a consignment.
The Media
For every new release you should
expect to give away at least 200 promotional copies. New artists are often
very surprised at the number of promotional copies they must send to the
media. This is not Higher Codes Distribution's responsibility, but the
responsibility of the label. We have a media list to get you started on that
task. And we also do promotional mailings for artists on new releases.
A Release Sheet
If you have a new release coming
out, its essential to produce a one page (8 1/2 X 11 inches) release sheet.
The release sheet should accompany all promotional copies going out and we can
use at least 100 copies.
The release sheet should include the
following information:
- graphic of the cover
- information on the artist
- Key selling points and suggested
tracks
- information on where to file this
particular album in the store
- catalogue number & bar code
- distributed by Secretvip
Productions and our www.secretvip.com
website
Tour Planning
We expect that you will sell your
product off the stage when you perform. It is possible to increase sales in
the stores by using the tour to provide a promotional push. If you are
planning a tour let us know. We can let all the reps across the country know
about the tour and we have a publicist on staff who follows tours. Touring
gives reps another chance to hit the stores with your release if they passed
on it the first time.. Perhaps we can do some co-op advertising (sharing the
cost of an ad between a store, your label and the distributor [us]). With
enough notice, a sales rep might be able to organize an in-store performance
where appropriate. Complimentary tickets for key store employees is a very
inexpensive way to promote your recording. Comps also make great give-away on
radio. Find out which are the best stores where your touring. Pay them a visit
if you have time. Give them a signed poster or a promo CD or just say hello.
When you sell your recordings off-stage be sensitive to the retailers
situation. Do not sell the recordings for substantially less than they are in
the store. If a store is promoting your recording during your tour, mention
them from the stage. If the store does not sell their stock, they are returned
and nobody makes any money. At some point in your career it may make sense to
limit the number you sell at gigs to encourage fans to visit the store. Your
listing at secretvip.com may encourage buyers who have never stocked your
title to carry it in their store.
Price
Once we agree to take your release
we negotiate a price per CD and the terms of payment. For many American
Independent artists we pay for the first shipment once we order the second
batch. It is basically a consignment deal. We usually order 100 CDs at a time.
If your recording is selling well, we negotiate more regular terms based on 60
or 90 days. Keep in mind that a release is not sold till the consumer walks
out of the store with it. Until that point everything is eligible to be
returned to us. Consequently, we may return anything that comes back to us to
you.
Sending Your
Product to Us
Always send an invoice with your CDs
that specifies quantities and costs. We will order CDs from you by phone or
e-mail when we are nearing the end of our supply. As the manufacturer of the
product it's up to you to anticipate when to re-manufacture, so we aren't left
empty handed. If you plan to be away call us and see if we need more. Please
be sure we have updated information on how to get a hold of you. When we phone
to re-order product send it out to us as soon as possible; it means are just
about to run out and need to get the title back in the stores. When you send
us CDs please package them well. Double boxing and padding well with newspaper
saves them arriving with half the jewel cases smashed.
Working Together!
* If you're planning a release let
us know well in advance. Identify a release date and stick to it.
* Be sure you have a bar code and a
catalogue number on your release. For store purposes
* Produce a one page release sheet
* Do a promotional mailing
* Send us copies of your touring
schedule well in advance
* Visit stores in the towns where
you are performing
* Send us copies of reviews
Our second way to help you
distribute your music CD
#2
Online Distribution
Make no bones about it … it is a jungle out
there, and we in the cannibal community can help. We cannibals are here to
serve musicians … but not on a plate.
Whether you are a carnivore, herbivore or even soup du jour; we defy you to
find a music service that gives the musician more value. Once you enter our
village and join the tribe, you’ll begin to experience the power of
secretvip.com.
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