500 sold out in minutes - still, Alex signed and hugged hundreds.

Why HMV out of stock? I blame the company Alex allowed the distribution of physicals to - Universal.

No sales reps with spare stock in cars. Bunglers.

It's been so long a major actually had to cope with something people wanted (as opposed to a "priority") that they have forgotten the basics.
Like radio - playing tracks listeners don't want to hear, let alone by people they will stand in the rain to meet...

Wankers.

It's probably the fault of Sony DADC. UMG outsourced manufacturing & physical distribution years ago.

Even if the CD sells 50.000 copies - how can UMG make money on this deal?

DJones wrote:
It's probably the fault of Sony DADC. UMG outsourced manufacturing & physical distribution years ago.

Even if the CD sells 50.000 copies - how can UMG make money on this deal?

Not sure where you get Sony DADC from. Distribution is done by Arvato, but under direction from Universal themselves. I know the day of reps in estate cars has long passed, but even Universal must remember that if the goods aren’t on the shelves, then they can’t sell. (That’s how hits were made in the “old days”. Retailers were bombarded with stock - much of it free). Today, if I couldn’t get a rep to the stores, then I would suggest a stock level for each store being visited by Alex, and supply the stock on SOR. And with the experience of the two PAs now under the belt, I’d be shipping out to the remaining stores now. It could be the difference between a Top 5 or a Top 20 Hit. There is profit still to be made from physical - especially when you have the artist himself working so hard to make it happen. Come on Universal, get stock to the remaining PA stores.

dixie wrote:
[quote]DJones wrote:

Even if the CD sells 50.000 copies - how can UMG make money on this deal?

I forgot to respond to the second question, (above). 50,000 sales of a CD single with a trade price of say, £2.50, gives you a net income of £125,000. I'm not privy to royalty rates etc., but manufacturing has to be no more than £10k. Logistics, two or three thousand. There must be plenty of opportubnities to make some money on this volume.

dixie said:
"Not sure where you get Sony DADC from. Distribution is done by Arvato, but under direction from Universal themselves."

Thanks for the correction dixie.

When UMG sold their factories & distribution systems to EDC (2005) they signed a 10-year-contract with EDC. In 2008 EDC was sold to Sony DADC.

Do you (or someone else) know who did physical distribution in the UK for Sony BMG (2004-2008): Arvato or Sony DADC? Thanks!

DJones wrote:


Do you (or someone else) know who did physical distribution in the UK for Sony BMG (2004-2008): Arvato or Sony DADC? Thanks!

Sony DADC has never carried out distribution for Sony Music UK or SonyBMG. Prior to using Arvato, (owned by BMG's parent company), Sony were distributed by TEN, (a joint venture with Warner Music that they sold to Cinram). Proir to that, Sony Music owned and controlled their own manufacturing and distribution centre in Aylesbury. (This was the facility that became TEN and subseqently sold to Cinram). BMG were distributed by Arvato prior to the merger with Sony.From point of merger, SonyBMG (and now Sony Music) were distributed by Arvato.

Thanks again, dixie!

So after Sony selling the distribution part of DADC to Andersen Bertelsmann/Arvato is the last (former) major still in distribution?

Do you know when/if EMI/Capitol sold their american distribution?

In relation to this ... is coming in at 15 then going straight out of the top 100 some kind of record?

Pumpkinhead wrote:
In relation to this ... is coming in at 15 then going straight out of the top 100 some kind of record?

That's quite normal nowadays. In America, Madonna set a new record last week for an album which was at No. 1 in its first chart week: From 359.000 sales down to 48.000 (minus 87%).