SELECT NAIL L ABELS
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L ABEL TESTIMONIALS
PAU L KO E H L E R , A N T E N N A FA R M R E C O R D S “NAIL has been an excellent retail partner for Antenna Farm Records for several years now. The rapid changes in the industry over the past decade have led to a great deal of uncertainty and the need for nimble-footed innovation in all aspects of marketing music. Physical retail in particular has faced the hardest road, but we feel that NAIL has risen to the challenge. Utilizing an array of modern social networking tools combined with the long-standing relationships with buyers, NAIL is able to effectively get the word out on our priority releases. Combine that with a strong, curated catalog of labels on the NAIL roster, and we know that, as a label, we are in good company and the NAIL brand is a strong one.”
V I QU E M A R T I N, R E V E L AT I O N R E C O R D S “We are pleased that working with NAIL has been so straightforward. Getting our check so soon and with no complications is amazing. Sales statements, chargebacks, and credits have all been promptly issued and clearly explained, which is a small miracle in the music industry! You guys are all extremely helpful in making this smooth sailing.”
S E T H R O S N E R & Y U LU N WA NG , P I R E C O R D I NG S “From our first release in 2001, NAIL has consistently and successfully worked to place our recordings in stores across the US and Canada and to ensure maximum exposure for our artists and their works. As Pi Recordings’ visibility has risen, NAIL has been there with us at every stage to help grow our audience. Thank you, NAIL, for taking a chance on a label from the start. We look forward to many more years with you.”
B E N S C H U L M A N, C O N T R A P H O N I C , I NC . “NAIL always seems to be adopting new methods and services to help their labels grow. As a niche label, we feel just as cared for and just as important as some of the larger indies that belong to the same distribution family. It is incredibly comforting to know that our work is given the same level of credence and confidence as labels with perhaps a larger reach and scope than ours. And to boot, the entire staff is all incredibly nice to work with!”
ne ws & RE VIE WS Various Artists Black Sabbath: The Secret Musical History of Black-Jewish Relations
Various Artists The Roots of Chicha 2 Barbès Records
Idelsohn Society
“What do Billie Holiday, Cab Calloway, Johnny Mathis, and Nina Simone all have in common? Besides stellar voices, they were among many black American artists who sang Jewish songs. This rarely-told American story is chronicled on a new compilation called Black Sabbath: The Secret Musical History of Black-Jewish Relations, which uses music to connect these two seemingly disparate groups.” — NPR Weekend Edition
Y La Bamba Lupon Tender Loving Empire
“Back in 2007, Brooklyn label Barbès released The Roots of Chicha, a collection of psychedelic, surf-influenced electric cumbias from ’60s and ’70s Peru. The compilation was a surprise success, so much so that, on October 12, Barbès will be releasing a second volume. The Roots of Chicha 2 will feature 16 more selections from the genre, which was largely unknown outside of Peru until the past few years.” — XLR8R
William Parker I Plan To Stay a Believer: The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield AUM Fidelity
“That one would categorize Y La Bamba’s providential debut, Lupon, as religious mysticism—a collection of hazy, whispering ballads steeped in polarizing art-folk and sacred Mexican lore—would be fitting … at once curious and deeply haunting … The rustic warbles of Mendoza fuse faultlessly over the band’s instrumentation, itself a sort of wilderness folk avant-gardism. Wondrous and magical, Lupon enchants at every turn with moments of sudden and unexpected beauty.” — Filter
“The 11 tracks included on William Parker’s wonderful new album approach Mayfield’s music with a freewheeling, joyful abandon that evokes the original productions without trying ape them … At times we get gospel-tinged uplift, at times we get soulful swing, at times tight soul groove and at times full-blown freak-out, but what never falters is the clear-eyed joy and righteous purpose that has defined the music of both Mayfield and Parker throughout their careers.” — Other Music
Kathryn Calder Are You My Mother?
The Birthday Massacre Pins and Needles
File Under: Music
Metropolis Records
“Calder seems intent on celebrating life’s varied slopes and valleys … ‘If You Only Knew’ would make for a harvest-fest dance gem, and the piano-recital pomp of ‘Low’ is less a requiem than a cozy rallying cry for navel-gazers everywhere. Members of The New Pornographers, Ladyhawke, and Frog Eyes chip in, but Calder’s confident voice and commanding presence anchors it all.” — Paste
SoundScanned over 3,000 units in a single week! “The latest from the gothic alt rock superstars ... this album does contain some of the best songwriting the group has ever done and will most assuredly satisfy fans both old and new. With the legendary Dave ‘Rave’ Ogilvie returning as producer, Pins and Needles ... is well worth the listen and the purchase.” — ReGen
of Montreal False Priest
Jen Wood Finds You In Love
Joyful Noise
New Granada Records
“The latest release from of Montreal can be summed up in a word: bonkers. False Priest, the 10th album from wildly imaginative and exuberant frontman Kevin Barnes, is a gloriously unpredictable sonic joyride.” — Robin Hilton, NPR Music
“An atmospheric, ambitiously arranged and piano-driven wonder … More interested in breaking hearts than breaking ground, Wood’s lyrics of loss and disillusionment dissolve almost subliminally into her voice, an instrument of sweet, sad, simple power.” — Alternative Press, HHHH
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Typhoon
A New Kind of House Selling Points • RIYL: Arcade Fire, Beirut, Otis Redding, Noah and the Whale, Sea Wolf, The Decemberists, Dr. Dog. • First pressing on white vinyl with digital download card. • Will tour the US, with multiple summer festival appearances including SXSW. • Full long lead and tour press by Steven Trachtenbroit at Big Hassle Media. • AAA and CMJ radio campaign.
Overview Portland indie orchestra Typhoon turned many a critical head in 2010 after releasing their epic Hunger and Thirst on Tender Loving Empire. They were named one of Portland’s Best New Bands by the Willamette Week, toured in support of Yann Tiersen, and opened for Belle & Sebastian and Avi Buffalo. A New Kind of House is the sequel to that 2010 epic. With these five multi-movement song cycles, A New Kind of House is far more than an EP. This fully realized recording finds the 12-piece ensemble at the height of its power, ready to take SXSW 2011 by storm. Rest assured, you will hear much more from Typhoon in the coming years.
Press Quotes “The hottest band in Portland right now.” — OPB “A dynamic force, possessing a unique sound and an explosive energy.” — Portland Vanguard
“Awe-inspiring.” — KEXP
Genre: Alt Rock Label: Tender Loving Empire CD: TLE 28 Price Code: G (SRP $8.99) Number of Discs: 1 Digipak; Box Lot 45
LP: TLE 28 Price Code: O (SRP $13.99) Number of Discs: 1 LP Jacket; Box Lot 15 Street Date: 3/8/11
5% PREORDER DISCOUNT
Featured Artists
Track Listing The Honest Truth • Summer Home • Claws pt. 1 • Kitchen Tile • Firewood
Key Markets
ALSO AVAILABLE Hunger and Thirst
Hunger and Thirst
CD: TLE 24 Price Code: N (SRP $12.99)
LP: TLE 24 Price Code: N (SRP $12.99)
Hometown: Portland, Salem. Also: Seattle, Boise, Eugene, Bend, Spokane, Ashland, Sacramento, Davis, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Diego
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STREET DATE MARCH 8, 2011
COVER STICKER: “Morton’s songs take on the human condition: pain, loneliness, sickness, and death; grace, redemption, and illumination. It is all there. And if you think that sounds like a bummer, you’d be very wrong.” Verbicide
Kyle Ray Morton, David Patrick Hall: vocals, guitar Toby Yuuki Tanabe: bass, vocals Devin Gallagher: percussion, glockenspiel, vocals Nora Zimmerly: percussion, toy piano, vocals Alex Fitch, Pieter Larsson Hilton: drums, vocals Tyler Allen Ferrin, Ryan McAlpin, Eric Stipe: trumpet, vocals Jen Hufnagel, Shannon Rose Steele: violin, vocals
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Selling Points • • • • • • •
RIYL: Nine Inch Nails, 16 Volt, Ministry, Angelspit. KMFDM’s first single in over nine years! Preview of new full-length album, expected April 2011. North American tour planned for Spring 2011. Cover art by longtime KMFDM artist Brute! Sound samples available on Metropolis website. Full servicing to radio, press, and club DJs.
Overview KMFDM Krank
Genre: Electronica/Industrial Label: Metropolis Records CD: MTP 701 Price Code: K (SRP $5.99) Number of Discs: 1 Jewel Case; Box Lot 30 Street Date: 3/8/11 U.S. ORDERS ONLY
ALSO AVAIL ABLE Greatest Shit CD: MTP 676 Price Code: 2J (SRP $19.99)
Get ready to krank it to 11 as KMFDM proudly announces their first new single in over nine years! Krank follows in the grand tradition of KMFDM’s many “five-letter” singles such as Boots (2002), Light (1994), Money (1992), Virus (1989), and more. Krank contains the two latest anthems, “Krank” and “Day of Light,” and features multiple versions of each one for a total of five tracks, providing almost 25 minutes of music. None of the tracks found on this single will be on the band’s forthcoming 2011 full-length album; the Krank single is the only place they can be heard.
Track Listing Krank (Kaptn’ K Mix) by Sascha K. • Krank (Komor Kommando Mix) by Sebastian Komor • Krank (Knark Mix) by SKOLD • Day of Light (Revenge Mix) by Bill Reiflin • Day of Light (24/7 Mix)
Key Markets New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tampa, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Antonio, Boston, Denver, Houston, Seattle, Portland, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Detroit, Pittsburgh
U.S. ORDERS ONLY
Selling Points • • • • • •
RIYL: Seabound, Edge of Dawn, Covenant, Wolfsheim. Debut from Jimmyjoe Snark III (The Weathermen) and Frank Spinath (Seabound). Guest appearance by Miss FD; remixes by Iris, Edge of Dawn, and Acretongue. Street teams will distribute promotional materials. Sound samples available on Metropolis website. Full servicing to press, radio, and club DJs.
STREET DATE MARCH 8, 2011
Overview Ghost & Writer Shipwrecks
Genre: Electronica/Pop Label: Metropolis Records CD: MTP 702 Price Code: Q (SRP $15.99) Number of Discs: 1 Jewel Case; Box Lot 30 Street Date: 3/8/11
5% PREORDER DISCOUNT U.S. ORDERS ONLY
It feels like an eternity since Jimmyjoe Snark III (a.k.a. The Weathermen), exploded onto the EBM scene with the track “Poison.” Singer Frank Spinath, on the other hand, is known for his comparatively more recent projects Seabound and Edge of Dawn. Spinath managed to persuade Jimmyjoe to collaborate, and the result is finally here! In their own words: “Our songs are like short films. Like the characters in a film noir, the protagonists in our songs are often fighting a losing battle because they romanticize too deeply that which they cannot have, and so they collapse. Musically the album is characterized by a certain effortlessness, like old movie theaters or carousels. It resonates not only with playfulness, but also with a deep romantic desire.”
Track Listing From Hell • Hitman • Capsized • Nightshift • Man on a Wire • Minefields (feat. Miss FD) • Integrity • Fraud • From Hell (Iris) • Hitman (File Not Found) • Capsized (Edge of Dawn) • Nightshift (Diskonnekted) • Man on a Wire (Versus) • Minefields (Ghost) • Integrity (The Alpha Conspiracy) • Fraud (Acretongue)
Key Markets New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tampa, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Antonio, Boston, Denver, Houston, Seattle, Portland, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Detroit, Pittsburgh
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Little Me Will Start A Storm SEE MORE NR BOOKS: http://www.naildistribution.com/nail_NR_Books.html
NAIL FAMILY CORE NAIL MARKETING TE AM Nate Snell, Label & Product Manager, nate.snell@allegromediagroup.com Nate was originally hired by former NAIL President Alicia Rose in 1997. After growing the duplication division to the point where it was able to stand on its own as a viable company, he subsequently helped launch CDForge with NAIL founder Mike Jones, where he was acting President. Nate ultimately left CDForge to start Melody Talent Management, representing Nashville by way of North Carolina group Roman Candle. He spent time touring and performing around the US, which ultimately culminated in the band signing a deal with V2 Records. Says Nate, “It’s amazing to come back to NAIL bringing a decade’s worth of experience, a fierce spirit of independence and a mission to help independent labels achieve their highest goals.”
Andrea Aiello, Assistant Product Manager, andrea.aiello@allegromediagroup.com After moving to Portland in 2001, Andrea immediately began an internship with NAIL. Now, as Assistant Product Manager, she serves as Nate’s “right-hand woman,” handling everything from stock issues and pricing questions to NAIL’s in-house promotional materials, B2B and consumer emails, and website updates. Much of her time is spent on NAIL/Allegro’s various new release books, unequivocally praised as the best in the industry. In addition to coordinating the process, a strong background in English and a head full of random ephemera makes Andrea a perfect de facto editor for all NAIL/Allegro publications. Did you accidentally call California the Sunshine State, or omit one of the parentheses in Sunn O)))? She’ll catch it!
Scott Nance, NAIL Digital Manager, scott.nance@allegromediagroup.com Scott came to Allegro Media Group in 2008 with a history of executing effective marketing plans with IODA. He is a total music geek and has worn many hats within the industry, including music writer, concert + stage promoter, and working for an independent label that had a national touring act signed to Universal Music. Scott also has practical publicity experience, having worked for two public relations agencies. Scott runs Allegro’s digital operations with great pride and enthusiasm for NAIL’s labels. Far from a digital content freak, Scott loves vinyl and can often be found digging through the stacks in record stores. Raised by a family that often attended jazz and blues events, Scott is fanatical about many genres including but not limited to hip-hop (especially the ’90s Golden Era), electronic, soul & rare groove, metal, reggae & dub, punk rock, and generally anything that stands out as exceptional music.
Amy Micallef, Internet Marketing Coordinator, amy.micallef@allegromediagroup.com Amy is a recent graduate of the Lundquist College of Business at the University of Oregon, where she studied marketing. At NAIL, Amy handles digital promotions, social media, and assists Scott Nance with digital operations. Amy manages a digital update for digital retailers to keep them informed of tour dates and relevant news. When it comes to music, she has quite an eclectic range of favorites ranging from ’80s and ’90s pop to blues, R&B, indie/alternative rock, German electro, jazz, and more.
CORE NAIL SALES TEAM Peter Wiley, Eastern Region Account Manager, peter.wiley@allegromediagroup.com Virginia Papaia, West Coast Account Manager, virginia.papaia@allegromediagroup.com Steve Clarke, Inside Sales Account Manager, stephen.clarke@allegromediagroup.com Brian Poore, National Accounts Manager, brian.poore@allegromediagroup.com Rusty Allison, Southeast Account Manager, rusty.allison@allegromediagroup.com Bobbi Lee, Special Markets Account Manager, bobbi.lee@allegromediagroup.com
E X TENDED FAMILY EXECUTIVE TE AM Joe Micallef
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Rico Micallef
President & Chief Operating Officer
Vince Micallef
Chief Financial Officer
M ARKETING & L ABEL SUPPORT Ted Lambeth
Inventory Manager
Damon Sgobbo
Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing
John Shaw
Vice President of Operations
Terri Sauer
Corporate Controller
ALLEGRO ENTERTAINMENT CANADA Bill Ott
Elly Winstead
General Manager
Amelia Dupree
Manager of Studio Product Development
Freedom Williams
Vice President of Special Markets
Chris Crass
Special Markets Sales Executive
Donavin Jewell
SOFTL AND
Sales & Marketing Coordinator Sales Support Manager Sales Support Assistant
Tim Hay
Jonathan McNally Kim Pullen
Business Affairs Manager Accounts Payable
GR APHICS
Pat Nugent
President & Chief Executive Officer
Ray Creighton
Eric Garland
Senior Vice President
Lindsey Hiefield
Vice President of Merchandise
Steve Turmell
Vice President of Western Region
Graphics Manager Senior Catalog Designer
John Shaw
Alan Burnside
Graphic Designer
Stacy Dutton Graphic Designer
Lisa Gurney
MUSIC DESIGN Dan Godden
Graphic Designer
General Manager
SALES
Product Manager/Inventory Control
Tom Sims
Inside Sales Rep
Liz Doan
Vice President of Corporate Development
Mike Marshall
Director of Special Markets Sales
Karen Onofrio
Director of New Business Development
Don Spielvogel
Director of DVD Sales
Garrett Davenport Bobby Ringkjob Inside Sales Rep
Beth Shirtz
Inside Sales Rep
Lori Bowman Inside Sales Rep
Paxton Scott Inside Sales Rep
THE BILLBOARD Q & A : JOE MICALLEF
“THE PROBLEM IS NOT THAT THERE IS NO DEMAND FOR MUSIC, BECAUSE THERE IS MORE DEMAND THAN EVER. WHAT IS CHANGING IS THE WAY THAT MUSIC IS BEING MARKETED AND MERCHANDISED.” – JOE MICALLEF While many music labels and distributors view digital distribution as their salvation from plummeting CD sales, Allegro Media Group of Portland, Ore., sees a diversified brick-and-mortar account base as a growth opportunity. When Joe Micallef and his brothers Vince and Rico bought independent classical music distributor Allegro in 1989, it had $1 million in annual revenue. Since then, the Micallefs have transformed the company into a diversified, vertically integrated wholesaler that specializes in selling physical music, DVDs and audiobooks to nontraditional retailers, with $90 million in annual sales, 200 full-time employees and another 100 part-time staffers. Besides growing organically by becoming a rackjobber providing vendor-managed inventory to grocery stores, drugstores and truck stops, Allegro has acquired niche wholesalers and catalogs. They include Portland’s NAIL Distribution, a boutique alternative rock distributor; the distribution assets of Rounder Records’ Rounder Kids subsidiary; NewSound of Waterbury, Vt.; the distribution division of Elfin Music, which specialized in selling Celtic and new age music to gift shops; and Milwaukee-based Music Design, a distributor of relaxation music and self-help CDs. Its biggest acquisition so far, Softland of Owings Mills, Md., supplies music and video product exclusively to the U.S. Marine Exchange Service and rental-ready video product to the U.S. Army & Air Force Exchange System and operates video rental stores for the U.S. Navy. In an interview with Billboard, chairman/CEO Joe Micallef discusses Allegro’s unusual growth strategy. How did you transform from a classical distributor to where you are now? We still do classical and jazz, but it’s a small percentage, about 5% or 6% of revenue. We never made a conscious decision to switch out of being a traditional independent distributor. But from the very beginning, our strategic model was to develop multiple parallel channels of distribution so that we would be in a position to take the content we controlled—whether we owned it or exclusively represent it—and configure it in multiple ways to satisfy the needs of different channels.
It was always part of our strategic model to offer content owners as broad a range of distribution channels as possible. So over the last 20 years, we expanded from being a specialist distributor of classical and jazz into a much more broad-based, vertically integrated distributor and media company. We have competitors in every channel we compete in, but no one else is in all of the channels we are in. Last year, Canterbury Park Capital provided you a $25 million equity line to draw on for acquisitions. You also had a $15 million revolving credit facility from USB Capital Resources. Will you make more acquisitions? Some of the equity went into Canterbury buying a minority interest in Allegro. We are looking at a couple of things now. We had a good year; we are solidly profitable and paid off most of the debt we used in acquiring Softland. How is the market’s transition from CDs to digital downloads affecting your business? We manage digital distribution for a large number of our distributed labels through an umbrella deal with [the Independent Online Distribution Alliance]. Our digital catalog is about 115,000 tracks. Allegro itself owns a lot of content, so we benefit from digital distribution. On the other hand, to the extent that traditional retailers have moved away from audio and video, that means there is less space and therefore less product we can sell them. On the whole, it’s about neutral because digital sales are more profitable than physical, so we don’t have to replace every physical dollar with a digital dollar to stay even. As the transition continues, it creates a lot of turmoil and financial risk in the marketplace. But it also creates new opportunities to exploit content in new markets that might not have been economical to pursue in the physical marketplace. How are the majors managing the transition? They are managing the transition very poorly. Music today is more ubiquitous than ever in history and there are more ways to consume music 24/7 than ever in the past. What is often described in the industry as a crisis is for the most part a breakdown in the traditional marketing model that the majors
THE BILLBOARD Q & A : JOE MICALLEF have used to sell Billboard 200-type hits. The CD decline is disproportionately skewed toward hit titles, while the catalog product declines have been more modest. Catalog sales drops are driven not so much by a decline in demand, but by the amount of space devoted to it at retail. The flip side of the problem is that most traditional audio retailers are still stuck on what I call the SKU-specific optimized mix where they try to create a retail mix that is ideally suited for each store in each marketplace. The problem with that approach is it works fine if you have a better understanding of your market than the music store down the street. But where your primary competitor is an Internet aggregator who has the ability to stock everything, the ideal of an optimized inventory mix becomes irrelevant. How are the retailers managing the transition? Most traditional audio retailers, especially smaller racked accounts, are essentially caught in a death spiral. Few are incapable of turning inventory more than twice a year, which means they keep reducing space allocated to the category. That means they keep reducing catalog, which is the only music category that they can make decent margin on, which means the inventory mix skews to an ever higher proportion of new releases where there is no margin. Every year, the department gets cut back because it doesn’t generate enough margin and revenue to justify the space, and that death spiral will continue until there is no more department. In the meantime, it means that more and more sales will switch to Internet aggregators or nontraditional accounts, which is the only store category showing increases in CD sales.
ABOUT NAIL
For over 15 years NAIL has delivered the best in independent music through partnerships with hundreds of amazing domestic and international record labels and artists. In 2001 NAIL merged with Allegro Media Group, the West Coast’s most powerful and diverse distributor, gaining the strength of Allegro’s financial and systems support and extensive network of special markets and non-traditional retail outlets.
What can content owners do to stop that spiral? Will lower prices help? Content owners should make sure they are not overly dependent on the traditional NARM membership account base. As for prices, most ultra-low price points are doing quite poorly because they tend to be junk and the consumer knows it. There is no question when you take something that is priced at $14 or $16 and lower it by $3 or $4 it gets the consumer’s attention, but that is a short-term answer. The problem is not that there is no demand for music, because there is more demand than ever. What is changing is the way that music is being marketed and merchandised. Ten years ago we were a $25 million company with 80% of our sales coming from 10 or 12 accounts, all members of NARM. When we started moving away from that and diversifying into other channels, people said, “Why go through the effort of developing those channels when you can have a successful business selling to the same 12 accounts?” But if we were still doing the same thing today, we would be a $10 million company in a world of hurt struggling to survive, since most of those accounts no longer exist. Today we are nearing $100 million and growing. Five years from now, I think we will be a $200 million company and will be selling packaged product in channels that we can’t even think about right now. Interviewer: Ed Christman Click the link below to see the original article: http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_ content_id=1004057713
For more information about NAIL and the Allegro Media Group, please contact NAIL Label and Product Manager Nate Snell nate.snell@allegromediagroup.com or 503-257-8480 ext. 2049. On the web: www.NAILDistribution.com www.AllegroMediaGroup.com
NAIL covers a broad range of accounts (traditional music retail, one-stops, major chain stores, mass market, and specialty retailers) and services (digital distribution, product management, retail advertising, graphics, mechanical licensing, media and promotion) under one umbrella. NAIL’s label partners include Rev Distro, Metropolis Records, Important Records, ESP-Disk’, Heinz Records, and hundreds more. For a complete label list please click here.
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NAIL FAQs SA L ES & M A R K E T ING FAQS
NEW RELEASE (NR) FAQS
What is the physical distribution fee? We do consignment deals that range between 25–30% depending upon the size of label and their individual needs.
How far in advance of street date does NAIL need my submission? NAIL’s NR process begins about 3 months prior to street date.
How many employees do you have? In addition to the main Portland office, which employs about 100 people, NAIL works with over 20 Account Managers servicing both the U.S. and Canada. Our Vice President of Sales & Marketing is located in New York City, and our sales reps are scattered across the country, including Los Angeles, Detroit, Atlanta, Miami, and Philadelphia. NAIL’s sister division Music Design is located in Milwaukee, Softland is in Baltimore, and Allegro Entertainment Canada is in Ontario.
Do you guys have a B2B site? Yes, both for retailers and for labels. Our label partners have access to near real-time reporting on all of their product and accounting-related queries. On our B2B site, we keep a list of all available promotions for all of our accounts. No program or promotion is ever put into motion without a signoff from the label. We are super picky about programs that we recommend to labels—they always have to make solid sense. What kind of advertising & promotional opportunities do you offer? NAIL’s marketing department works very closely with our sales reps to bring you the best advertising and co-op opportunities. We have coordinated everything from one-stop ads, listening station posts, and in-store performances to web banners and special placement with many of our digital partners. We have developed strong relationships at a variety of print and web magazines, and can offer great advertising rates. What is the “Weekly Update”? The Weekly Update is a tool for our sales reps to sell current releases. It includes major press and tour info, but to keep the updates succinct and viable we generally only include albums that have been released 90 days before/after the date of the weekly update. News updates for artists/ titles that fall outside of these criteria are placed only if we feel it would be a great asset for the sales reps. Tour info that doesn’t meet the above criteria is placed on our website. Why can’t you just grab news and tour dates off my website? We have well over 100 labels, so we rely on the record labels and/or artists to work with us and feed us information about their titles. What about social networking? NAIL is very active in the social networking world, regularly updating our Facebook and Twitter sites. In the next few months, expect to see changes in NAIL’s blogging world. NAIL is always thinking of new ways to get information out to the world and sell your products, so stay tuned for updates! How does NAIL handle physical promos? Our sales reps and internal marketing staff pull promos on an as-needed basis from clean stock. The ability to track each and every promo used and to see exactly who pulled them is directly in line with our goal of proving the highest level of accountability to our label partners while cutting down on waste. If you do not want us to pull promos, you can send specially marked promos, but please send no more than 60. Promos are included in our weekly sales rep mailings, which are sent out each Tuesday.
How do you solicit new releases? Do you still do a ‘book’? We are a paperless office for most everything these days EXCEPT the new release book. Similar to our love for a real vinyl LP, we feel that having a high quality book in hand to reference and order from throughout the month brings a great value to our labels. There are lots of people that collect our books too because they are super rad. These are not just one-sheets stuck between two covers—they are custom designed, from front to back cover.
What is the usual procedure for setting up new releases? On the submission deadline, we require a completed NR form and final cover artwork. All NR materials are available on our website, including the NR form, NR schedule, and artwork submission instructions. There are four sections on the page, use ONLY the NAIL section: http://www.allegro-music.com/andreaallegro.asp#allegro4 What is the online NR form? The single most important piece of the NR process, the online NR form is required in order to submit a title, and all sections must be filled out to constitute a completed submission. The information you put on these forms is published and viewed by a tremendous amount of accounts, databases, reviewers, and individual consumers. Is all of the information on the form printed in the NR book? No, some of it is for internal use only. For example, NAIL will not publish your marketing or advertising budgets in the book. But these fields are important, because our marketing team & sales reps take this information into account. What if there is an error on my form, or in the artwork I submit? NAIL’s production schedule is incredibly tight. If you discover an error after you have submitted your NR form & artwork, email us immediately. Once the NR book has been published, trying to make changes with all of the outlets that receive the book is nearly impossible. There will always be stray accounts that will not make the change, send orders using the incorrect UPC, post the wrong artwork, etc. How do I submit artwork to NAIL? All artwork should be uploaded electronically via our FTP site. Acceptable files must meet the following criteria: • TIFF, JPEG, PDF, or PSD • CMYK only • CD minimum size: 4” x 4” @ 300 dpi • DVD minimum size: 4” x 5.5” @ 300 dpi • File name: label name & catalog number (example: Great Records 123) * do not label art files with the upc, artist’s name, or title of work If you are submitting more than one release per month, compress multiple covers into a single file using Stuffit / Zip (Mac) or WinZip (PC) before transferring files to Allegro FTP. Please do not email compressed files; our server will automatically quarantine them. What does my label launch include? For your label launch in the NR book we will need a brief 5–10 sentence label description, a high-res label logo, and a back catalog spreadsheet listing all available titles. NAIL has a template for this spreadsheet, which will be sent to you. Each launch is tailored, as much as possible, to the label’s wants & needs. What is a new release book chargeback? NAIL produces a glossy, full-color NR book each month, and although we cover the lion’s share of the cost of printing & mailing, we do ask our label partners to contribute. When you choose how much space you want on the digital NR form, you will see the cost of each ad size. A full-page ad is $190, and a half-page is $90. Front & back cover are premium spots, and have an additional cost (Front $310, Back $210). Submitting the digital NR form serves as your signoff (you will receive an emailed copy for your records), and the cost of the ad is then charged back against sales.
NAIL FAQs What is the “HOLIDAY” book listed on the NR schedule? Once a year, we produce a Holiday book (Christmas, Hanukah, etc-themed titles). The Holiday book is not specific to NAIL; it encompasses all of our divisions. The target street date for new 2011 holiday titles is July 12. This may seem early, but that is the time frame in which many accounts make their holiday-buying decisions. The holiday book features both brand-new releases and “mini ads” for catalog titles. What is the 5% preorder discount? The 5% preorder discount is a discretionary discount used to promote new releases. The discount runs from the first of the prior month through street date. NAIL will not apply the preorder discount to any title without approval from the label. What is a label code? After you sign your agreement, NAIL will assign your label a three-letter label code. This code is primarily for internal use. Do I design my own ads for the NR book? NAIL has fantastic graphic designers who handle all design in-house, including the NR books, at no additional charge. All you have to do is provide the pieces, and we do the work for you! Can I proof my pages in the NR book? Because of the high volume & rapid turnaround rate of our production schedule we cannot offer proofs of our internal publications, but we do have two employees who proof the books, and we complete 2–3 proofs of each book. How many books do you print? NAIL’s print run changes monthly, dependent upon the size of the mailing list. Currently we print & mail about 1,000 books per month. In an effort to “go green,” NAIL also makes use of a PDF version of the NR book, which is emailed out to all accounts and is available on our website 24/7. How do you choose the NR book cover titles? Labels are encouraged to request the front or back cover for appropriate titles. If your title is chosen as a contender, we will ask you to send large, hi-res photos or images (roughly 8x10 inches @ 300 dpi). Once we have received these materials, we choose the cover titles, also taking into account prior sales history, marketing budget, and more. The titles selected for the covers also receive preferred placement on the NAIL website homepage for two months, a featured slot on the Allegro B2B homepage for one month, and featured slots in the monthly NAIL B2B and consumer emails. Can my title cross into the other books Allegro Media Group produces? Absolutely, where appropriate! This includes (but is not limited to) jazz CDs, world music CDs, and all DVD titles. However, it is important to remember that the Allegro, Video & Classical deadlines are EARLIER than the NAIL deadline. If you think your title is appropriate to cross into one of these books, please let us know TWO WEEKS prior to the NAIL deadline so that the appropriate divisional product manager can assess your title. When do I send my new releases to NAIL? Once the titles for a given NR month are entered into NAIL’s database, about two months prior to street date, you will receive a purchase order from NAIL’s Inventory Manager. Please do not send product without a PO. Does NAIL have shipping requirements? We sure do! Just ask your Product Manager or Assistant Product Manager.
When will my titles appear on your website? NAIL’s consumer site is attached directly to our internal database, so your titles will appear online as soon as the information is entered into our system. Until the street date hits, the title may have a “Back-Order” flag attached to it. Can I use NAIL/Allegro’s logo on my marketing materials? High-res versions of all Allegro Media Group logos are available for download on our website, BUT please be sure to read our graphic standards guide before using them. Do you offer P&D (production and distribution) deals? In certain cases we offer full manufacturing and distribution deals for our labels. We also have the ability to handle manufacturing and production on a per-release basis.
DIGI TA L DIST R IBU T ION FAQ
Can I sell my label’s music worldwide? Of course! We can help you to sell your catalog to fans all over the world, from London to Buenos Aires, and Toronto to Tel Aviv. Or, simply opt to sell your music regionally. We work with more than 300 retail, mobile, and promotional services to make sure you’re covered for digital the world over. Can NAIL make records available that have been out of print for years? Yes, we can. Digital distribution cuts out the high cost of producing physical units. Whether you have older titles that haven’t been in print for years or a single, new track, we can handle it. How much money will I get from each sale? Our labels receive 80% of the royalties from IODA. Generally, on a standard $0.99 song sold on iTunes, the label will receive approximately $0.56. How often will I get paid? We receive sales reports from IODA each month, and will send you a monthly statement detailing your sales activity. You can also check your sales via the IODA dashboard 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Accounting is simple and streamlined, never complicated. Can we make ring tones from your songs? We certainly can! Ring tones and ring backs are two of the many features we offer for our digital distribution platform. Are your digital distribution deals exclusive? Because digital distribution is new and uncharted territory for many labels, NAIL negotiated a 180-day cancellation notice of the digital distribution service. Most labels must enter a 3 to 5-year contract with other digital distribution companies when they sign up directly. But that’s not the case with Allegro—our contracts term at twelve months. This grace period allows our labels to terminate their agreement with no hassles. What about the logistics? NAIL does the setup of your IODA dashboard for you, and then you are able to effectively manage your releases on your IODA dashboard. NAIL ships one of each of your titles to IODA, saving labels the work and money of gathering their selected catalogs and sending them off for metadata encoding. The only cost to the label is the price of a promo. NAIL also administers the coordination of new releases to IODA, ensuring digital dates match up with physical street dates. How do I approve a title for digital distribution? On the digital NR form, you will see a section titled “Digital Distribution Approval.” If you are signed up for digital distribution through NAIL and you click YES, you are approving your title. Each month, a list of approved titles is passed on to our Digital Manager, who sends the titles to IODA.
Does NAIL provide fulfillment services? Some examples of fulfillment services are: applying stickers (UPC or otherwise) to make product retail ready, pulling product at the label’s request and readying it for pickup or shipment to assorted locations, cutting promos, and special packaging. NAIL can provide some fulfillment services for a small fee; please ask your label manager for more information. IN NailPressPack 0111
the allegro family tree