Tinderbox Music provides distribution for independent artists and labels. Initially, the focus was on major retail accounts supplemented by consignment deals with independent stores in select markets. In less than a year, Tinderbox placed more than 100 titles into major outlets across the country. Although product was stocked in Best Buy, Sam Goody, Tower, Borders, etc., Tinderbox saw more sales at independent mom & pop stores. Tinderbox has recently re-evaluated its role as a traditional distributor and although we continue to supply major retail with select titles, we’ve decided to focus on independent retail and online opportunities. Tinderbox currently has access to over 900 independent retailers across the country. We work on soliciting appropriate retailers based on artist touring schedules, radio airplay and press.
In February of 2001, Tinderbox developed New Artist Direct as an online store featuring the titles in our distribution catalog. Although www.newartistdirect.com has proven to be a successful online store, New Artist Direct’s focus has been to set up individual stores on each artist’s website. If a customer is interested in an artist’s disc, the first place they will look is at the artist’s website. Orders are routed through New Artist Direct to handle credit card processing, order fulfillment, shipping, accounting, etc. The bands are sent monthly reports detailing all transactions (including customer names and mailing information to add to mailing lists) along with payment for any sales.
Tinderbox offers a number of other distribution related services. We can supply UPC barcodes, which are necessary for being carried in a number of retailers. Tinderbox and New Artist Direct has helped organized in-store performances for artists and are capable of providing endcaps, listening posts, and other promotional opportunities in select stores. We also handle title registration, venue and online sales reporting with Soundscan.
Support your local record store:
Amoeba Music (Berkeley, San Francisco, Hollywood, CA)
Atomic Records (Milwaukee, WI)
B-Side Compact Discs + Tapes (Madison, WI)
Bull Moose Music (Portland, ME)
Cactus Music & Video (Houston, TX)
Cheapo Discs (Austin, TX)
Disc Exchange (Knoxville, TN)
Ear X-Tacy (Louisville, KY)
Easy Street (Seattle, WA)
Electric Fetus (Minneapolis, MN)
Face The Music (Eugene, OR)
Fingerprints (Long Beach, CA)
Homer's (Omaha/Lincoln, NE)
Hoodlums (Tempe, AZ)
Kief's (Lawrence, KS)
Lakeshore (Rochester, NY)
Let It Be (Minneapolis, MN)
Looney Tunes (Long Island, NY)
Lou's Records (San Diego, CA)
Music Millennium (Portland, OR)
New World Record (Buffalo, NY)
Newbury Comics (Boston, MA)
Park Avenue CDs (Orlando/Tampa, FL)
Plan 9 (Richmond, VA)
Pure Pop (Burlington, VT)
Reckless Records (Chicago, IL)
Record Archive (Rochester, NY)
Record Exchange (Boise, ID)
Record & Tape Traders (Baltimore, MD)
Record Time (Detroit, MI)
Rhino/Mad Platter (Claremont-Riverside, CA)
Salzer's Records (Ventura, CA)
Schoolkids Records (NC, GA)
Twist & Shout (Denver, CO)
Uncle Sam's Music (Miami, FL)
Vintage Vinyl (Fords, NJ)
Waterloo (Austin, TX)
Zia Records (Phoneix/Tucson/Tempe, AZ)
