If you think that your Hip-Hop buyer is just a person that picks up a certain amount of your CD for a store, than you need to be further informed.
Let me just break it down for you, I won't say names and I'm not tryin to talk some shit or even start something. I just want to put this information out there because this is what really happens, and people need to know.
As we all know, the Bay Area really only have a limited amount of stores that you can get your CDs sold at. Tower used to be a BIG place but now it's gone and is greatly missed. Amoeba is great store, but it's not really Hip-Hop... so other than Moses Music, and a couple other mom and pop stores, the only one left is the one with 7 stores. With locations in Berkeley, San Lorenzo, San Francisco, Newark, Campbell, Pleasant Hill, & Vallejo.
What people don't seem to know is that a Hip-Hop buyer at a big chain store have a lot of power and can manipulate things, especially if they are also an artist(yes, I said IF to be vague, even though there really is one. I can't believe how many people in the music industry that doesn't know this information).
They could...
1. Release their album the same day as a bigger project, with a reason of "using the buzz of a bigger project" or "since there will be a lot of foot traffic coming in" but then buy a small amount of that bigger project so that it will be sold out and people then have a higher chance of buying their album instead (or even worse it could be "lost" for a confinient amount of time).
2. Get artists to get on their own personal projects with threats like "If you don't get on my album, I will pull all your CDs off the stores."
3. Tell magazines that if you do a write up on them that they will help with your "distribution and store placement," even though this is not something they deal with.
4. Pretend like they are helping an artist by telling them to do in-stores in more locations and they will double the order of their CDs. Well "double" sounds great and all but if double is only 3000 units, then they are still fucked.
5. And since they also have to talk to other distribution companies... I'm sure you can use your imagination.
So with all that being blogged about, hope you find this information helpful.
PS: sorry man, I just had to... and no I can't give you that cover.
