Bring your own records to the store?

[rsntr]

Again, I have a total label noob question:

Asuming you have a vinyl record coming out with a decent distributor. Would you still bother to bring your records personally to a shop where you would really like to see them being stocked (but where you don't know any of the people working there)? Especially a bit ahead of the official release. Or does it come across as needy/pushy? I know people might perceive that very differently but I feel quite ambivalent about it and I'm interested in the opinion of people who have been in that situation - either as a label or a shop guy.

[Mattias]

If they agree to it then why not? Try it, doesn't hurt!

We did exactly that year 2002 when my first record came out on our own label. Sure it was different then but still.

[Alume]

Its usually guys without distro who come in and ask for a spot in the shop. That doesnt send of a very strong message.

Though, I think its a whole other thing if you got distribution sorted. I'd say get that shit, go over there ask if they'd consider and be truthful about the reason why you've come to see them. Obviously leave a copy or two for them to enjoy.

Everyone likes feathers up there arse.

[Lost to the Void]

When I had a terminally useless distributer I drove around the country with a mate to the shops I wanted my records with and struck individual deals with them.
It can be done, and in some cases it`s much better to meet the record shops and strike up relationship with them.

DIY all the way, most distrubuters are fucking sharks anyway. Salesmen. Yeuch.

[dubdub]

In this day and age, most offline stores will take less than five copies if they don't know you. So it's not exactly a great way of delling records, I think people do it more for the forging relationship and PR part.

If you are wondering, Hardwax doesn't take any self distributed copies from people they dont know, but most of the other stores in Berlin will, depending on the record if course.

[Lost to the Void]

Most online stores generally only take orders of 5 or 10 initially of stuff regardless.
Getting to no.1 on the techno vinyl charts on Juno for example, can literally mean you sold 5 records that week.

[dubdub]

Most online stores generally only take orders of 5 or 10 initially of stuff regardless.
Getting to no.1 on the techno vinyl charts on Juno for example, can literally mean you sold 5 records that week.

Interesting, I knew it was bad for offline shops, didn't know it was that bad online as well

But what about the stuff that sells out instantly then? I mean most stuff doesn't but these do releases exist, where 300-500 copies are just gone in a week.

[Alume]

Well, not sure if this applies to what you mean. But there are groups of people who sometimes buy off a great deal of a release and then sell them for outrageous "rare" prices on discogs.

Usually in the house scene though, not sure it happens in techno. Probably so.

[Lost to the Void]

500 copies is not that common
we are in 150 - 300 territory now

Stuff that sells out instantly quite often just means stock is sold out in the store, it could mean 10 copies were sold.
IT could mean they will reorder with distrib, it could mean they are done, stuff seems to lack longevity these days.

[Alume]

That makes more sense than my conspiracies.

[dubdub]

500 copies is not that common
we are in 150 - 300 territory now

I guess in straight up techno, a lot of the new more minimal-house-y stuff, like say from the Yoyaku distribution seems to shift 500 copies easly, sometimes up to 1000 or even 1500 copies now. But that's a scene that really vinyl focussed (almost every release is vinyl only now) compared to the USB-land that is techno now. For example, this release has 1000 have's just on Discogs https://www.discogs.com/Unknown-Artist- ... se/8012345

[Mattias]

500 copies and above in the land of pure Techno rarely happens anymore unless it includes a lucky repress.

[Lost to the Void]

That makes more sense than my conspiracies.

Oh no, your are right, there are people who buy up shit in bulk to resell at wanker prices on discogs.
Stores like red-eye records and I think hardwax sometimes limit amount of copies per purchase, which is good.

[Lost to the Void]

500 copies is not that common
we are in 150 - 300 territory now

I guess in straight up techno, a lot of the new more minimal-house-y stuff, like say from the Yoyaku distribution seems to shift 500 copies easly, sometimes up to 1000 or even 1500 copies now. But that's a scene that really vinyl focussed (almost every release is vinyl only now) compared to the USB-land that is techno now. For example, this release has 1000 have's just on Discogs https://www.discogs.com/Unknown-Artist- ... se/8012345

I wouldn't take have numbers on discogs as in any way being a realistic correlation to pressing numbers.
Speaking to the pressing plants I deal with it is not common for any genre of dance music to press over 500 unless it is a particularly big release as scheduled pressings are generally 300 and 500 batches from repeat orders.
Represses tend to be 150-300.
On average. Of course there are exceptions.

[dubdub]

Well, I mean the numbers on Discogs would include any represses. I meant 1000-1500 copies including represses, not just the initial run. It's not unrealistic if you do 500 copies upfront and then another 500 copy repress.

I know a few techno people that still regularily press 500 upfront but thats obviously not the norm.

[terly]

Some stores will have a local artists/consignment section but you don't really want to be relegated to that as it often doesn't get too much attention. At least in that case you can say your music is being sold at such and such store if people want to buy it locally.