by Kenny Love
Even though I covered previously, to a degree, the power that record pools yield, I would like to further expound on their significance in getting the music ball rolling. Record pools, without a doubt, are not only your most economical outlet for making the public aware of your recording, but they are also the fastest. In my opinion, there exists no faster direct contact with potential buyers of your product than this outlet. Not with radio, video, or the print media. Now, take the process of submission to radio, video, and the print media. In each of these avenues, you must submit your product, often among tons of other competing artists, then wait (who knows how long) only to find out if radio and video outlets will air it, or if the print media will write about it.
Fortunately, there are Record Pools. To reach club DJ’s in great numbers nationwide, you should approach record pools. Record pools are centralized organizations of member disc jockeys that pay a fee in order to obtain new music to play in their clubs. These pools are located all across the country.
The jocks chart the recordings (in this case, yours) according to club response for a certain time period, say 30 days. After that time, they submit their reports to the pool, which puts the result in their computer. The computer then calculates the results on how well your recording fared to club response, which they provide to you.
This documentation is vital information that you can use in your press kit to influence radio, press, larger record labels, and many other industry contacts. In other words, it gets you a "track record" (pun intended).
In fact, an ideal plan is to exercise and complete this process first and get the results (since the time frame is only approximately 30 days) before submitting to radio, video, or the print media. This way you have some bonafide ammunition and will not be considered to simply be shooting blanks, so to speak.
The pools and their member jocks are extremely influential all across the country. The way this works is that you provide the pools with a certain quantity of recordings that correspond with the number of their membership disc jockeys that play your particular style of music.
You can do a search online to find record pools. They are even broken down into music formats, how many copies of your recording they will require, contact address, personnel, etc.
Now, here is a viable plan of action:
1. First, contact a national music wholesaler, explain your process, and get an arrangement with them to make your recording available to retail. You also need to make sure that the wholesaler has a catalog and that your recording will be listed for retailers to find.
2. Get your recording to the pools in the Top 10-20 U.S. metropolitan cities, i.e., New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc.
3. If you have not pressed up your product yet, this is even better because you can include the telephone number of your wholesaler on your recording’s cover, as well as your own company’s number for more information.
4. With the first three steps done, the disc jockey’s start to play your recording.
5. If it’s a "hit," naturally, club patrons will approach the DJ and inquire about you and your recording.
6. They look at your cover, then go to their area retailer, creating a buzz and demand. The area retailer finds your recording through the national wholesaler’s catalog and can immediately place an order. And, with enough requests, the retailer will probably begin to place larger orders.
Now, imagine this happening in the Top 10-20 markets at the same time. But, the best thing about all of this? This entire process can be completed within only 30 days.
And, these initial orders will provide strong documentation for you verifying to disc jockey’s, reviewers, larger record labels, distributors, etc. that your product is, indeed, already "moving" and in demand.
As I said before, it DEFINITELY is a much faster process (and a lot less political) than radio or video airplay, or even print reviews, and one that should be actively and aggressively explored. And most times, a street buzz is all it takes to get radio moving quickly.
Since releasing his initial recording, Kenny Love, a former Music Education Major, has had the opportunity to work in many varied business aspects of the music industry; recording artist, producer, author, journalist, promoter, booking agent, & public relations specialist. He has also appeared in television, radio, & print interviews as a music business consultant. His new report is titled, "Alternative Routes to Recording Success." Get more info at http://www.etwebs.net/kennyl/ar-to-rs.html .
Copyright ã 1998 by Kenny Love