manufacturing & distribution

[tonyc2002]

Amato are very very picky about what they will handle now.
They pretty much have given up on techno.

I would say that techno distribution has reached an almost 1 company monopoly stage now.
The pecking order of size is basically this.

Neuton (all other distributers pretty much go through neuton at some point)
Triple Vision
Others.

Dealing with Neuton will get you the best coverage and returns, but again, they are picky.
Triple are good, but deal through Neuton, so you are looking at dealing with 2 sets of middle men before sales point.
Then after that it`s a free for all of "will this company make it through the year?"


I really can`t recommend dealing with vinyl to anyone sane, and if you have any business sense, you will avoid it like the plague, but as techno people, none of us are sane.
It`s an exceedingly expensive hobby to run a vinyl label.
Whereas 4-5 years ago a good release hit 1500-3000 copies.
These days a good selling release does 500!!!!

Is that crazy or what?

ahh just seen this post...

your right....the production costs of an MP3 compared to vinyl are obviously much better, i think ime just in love with the idea...

why have sales dropped so much tho? i cant believe that many dj;s are abandoning vinyl for digital media?

[dirty_bass]

why have sales dropped so much tho? i cant believe that many dj;s are abandoning vinyl for digital media?

Well I think just "being" a DJ was very fashionable in the late 90`s.
It was an attainable goal for anyone. You don`t need to learn how to make music, just spin some records in time, and your a superstar.
Eventually the bubble burst, and the "Fad" buyers as opposed to hardcore fans eventually moved on to other things. Either guitars etc along with the rock revival of this century, or ipods, cd players, ableton etc.
A number of factors have contributed.

-The rave generation have all grown up and moved on.
-Techno being a relatively easy music to make (just bang any loops together) became a saturated market.
-Decline of support by mainstream media (this is to do with market control by the Major music labels, and is a very long, disgusting and sad story)
-Technology changing and moving on
-A complete change in perception of the physicality of "product" ie the digital revolution
-More supply than demand means sales are spread thinly
-Sales were never about active "professional" DJ`s anyway, but more about the bedroom DJ, who have apparently moved on mostly.
-Clubbing being clamped down upon by authorities across the globe (war on drugs)
-Change of music fashion from electronic sequenced music to live, traditional "rock" instrumentation.

All things go in cycles, and dance music had a long run.
I think techno will continue to go underground and remain amongst hardcore fans, until the younger generations "discover" dance music.
but I think we are looking at a decade since the beginning of the decline in 2001-2002
so maybe 2010-2012?


On the plus side, the digital revolution has evened the odds and put people on a more level playing field, by removing the need for masses of capital (to a certain extent), although to be successful in this area, you need to transfer your money from the old method (vinyl manufacture) to the new way (marketing for digital).
It would seem the digital medium is still gaining strength, whilst vinyl is losing strength (although this decline seems to be leveling off slowly), so it doesn`t take a business degree to work out what is happening.

[RDR]

+1 for that last one.

Can i add a note of optimism though?

Releasing good music and having associations with good artists of whatever flavour is always a good thing, learning about the industry through trial and error is good fun. Keep at it and you'll get there in the end.

Also - yes there are a lot of labels out there now, but eventually these will whittle down into larger labels again. Twas ever thus.

The general principles of working in the music industry still hold true though.

Persistance
An eye for quality
The desire to work with others
Good contacts
Never say die attitude
A love for the game
And the willingness and capability to change.
Knowing when chance arrives.

On a personal level i really feel that although this seems like a dark time for techno, things will come around again, they always do.. and even in our darkest times there are opportunities for those willing to stay the course.

OH... and BE diverse... diversity is a great position to start from, knowing outside the box is far better than thinking outside it. Techno is not the be-all and end all, by its very nature it draws from all other styles of music and can be a breaking ground for new genres in one way or another as long as there are people out there wiht a keyboard and talent.

[dirty_bass]

OH... and BE diverse... diversity is a great position to start from, knowing outside the box is far better than thinking outside it. Techno is not the be-all and end all, by its very nature it draws from all other styles of music and can be a breaking ground for new genres in one way or another as long as there are people out there wiht a keyboard and talent.

Marry me

[RDR]

Marry me

no.

[tonyc2002]

learning about the industry through trial and error is good fun. Keep at it and you'll get there in the end.

thats a fair point but i dont want to lose all my money

[rhythmtech]

thats a fair point but i dont want to lose all my money

well dont get into it then

think about digital only.. that wont cost you as much.. just mastering costs.. then if that goes well think about the vinyl end (and a lobotomy!!)

[dirty_bass]

well dont get into it then

think about digital only.. that wont cost you as much.. just mastering costs.. then if that goes well think about the vinyl end (and a lobotomy!!)

Actually the costs can be relatively similar if you are serious about it.
You just transfer your spending from manufacturing to marketing.
It`s a completely different way of thinking, and one I`m still bending my head, and bank balance around.
Now I can pay the artists I want a decent fee for their music, and spend money on advertising, flyers, posters, etc
With vinyl all your money pretty much goes on the plastic, and if you are lucky, you have enough left over to do another. If you are really lucky you can pay your artists more than a few beers.

[rhythmtech]

Actually the costs can be relatively similar if you are serious about it.
You just transfer your spending from manufacturing to marketing.
It`s a completely different way of thinking, and one I`m still bending my head, and bank balance around.
Now I can pay the artists I want a decent fee for their music, and spend money on advertising, flyers, posters, etc
With vinyl all your money pretty much goes on the plastic, and if you are lucky, you have enough left over to do another. If you are really lucky you can pay your artists more than a few beers.

have you ever used those "digital distributers" like intergroove germany.. where they look after getting it onto all the download sites?

was wondering if they're any use..