Dam after goin' bac and seein' how long this is, I wrote a book. My fault folks...1
Good topic. First label/artists gotta realize how saturated the game is first, and that will answer alot of the why's(like why my shit ain't in this store, why it's only 1 or 2 cd's in this store etc). People think nationwide dist. means you're going to be in every store. It doesn't! I learned that from my first album Ghetto Classics dist. through Ground level. If the stores don't order it, then it's not going to get in the store period! We all think our shit is tightest shit out, but what you don't realize is that distributors send out 1 sheets to these stores. These stores don't hear the music!!! They just see your name and album title and features an your bio(on one sheets, but not in say a Norwalk catalogue they just see your name and cd title). So they don't know if your shit is tight or not. If they never heard of you and a gang of people ain't coming in asking for your shit (not 1 or 2 people) then they're not going to order it. Real speech! I think you can't expect a whole lot from an indie dist. like a major, cuz they're not responsible for marketing and promotion. They're not payin' for videos, radio play etc. They didn't invest the money, so why should they push your shit hella hard. They really don't have a hell of a incentive to push it. YOU have to make your money bac!!! All they can do is solicit your shit to all the stores, and maybe take out recoupable ads (which is love in itself). I learned from my first experience that no one is going to call you right bac(distributors). Persistence wears down resistence, so keep at whoever you're tryna' holla at. They'll get bac to you. When you're new or not hella known, that's all part of the game. Shit even known niggaz probably don't receive calls bac immediately.
This is what folks need to do. GET OUT THERE AND HUSTLE. We go so hard out the trunk it's ridiculous. I made profit off of both of my albums, and spent 5 digits and more on both. I refuse to lose. Ghetto World ain't no non-profit organization! Feel me? But we get out there and dump cd's all the time everywhere we go(ex. sold 33 in San Jose/Gilroy on Mac Dre show we was on, sold 45 in Vegas July 19, 20th, sold 40 in Kansas City in Aug. on the e-40 show we was on, and this ain't including all the sells we get in Dago at the mall, beach etc). We sold way more out the trunk with my first album than we sold in the stores on my first album. And on this album it's still more out the trunk, but we seen the scale change a little bit with more store sells. And as long as folks keep LOVIN' a nigga's shit, then it's going to switch all the way over to where I got more, and faster store sells than trunk sells. That's my gameplan. Stay on the grind. Shit a nigga been in the Source, Murder dog, etc. It's too much shit out right now if you think somebody's just going to buy your cd in the store for 17.99 without ever hearing about you, but if you sold it to somebody on the street, and it's tight word is going to spread. I'm gettin' recognized now from Dago to the Bay to KC to Vegas now. Not on no super known shit, but on the slow grind climbing the ladder tip. Man I put up my own posters (me and my homey/manager 1-Hun), pass out flyers, get out there and talk to the fans, sell cd's, all that! I'm on one! All my sells can do is go up, cuz I'm not here depending on the dist., but aiding the dist. creating the demand by sellin' my own shit, and the people that don't see me and get it from me, go in the store and buy it. Real speech! So that's my little 4 cents on this is, get out there and hustle hustlers. Sometimes you gotta swollow your pride and get out there and slang them cd's. Don't depend on dist. totally. Do it yourself. Call the stores yourself. I call and deal with about 5 to 8 stores on my own, most of them out of Cali (minn., kc, colorado etc). I be on the phone hollarin', sendin' out my own posters(that I paid for,and didn't wait for dist. to get for me), in store cds, all that. I feel like I don't want no nigga to out hustle me. I was like that in the crac game (before I went to the feds and did them 8+yrs), and now I'm like that in the rap game. Don't get it twisted WE NEED these distributors!!! But don't depend on them to do everything. My 4cents. Much love and respect to all who responded on this post. One. LIL C.S. aka C.S. Heat
But as far as the question originally answered, all I expect a distributor to do is solicit my shit good, help a little on the promotion (recoupable of course), keep me updated, pay me on time, don't try to send me less than the amount I'm due, and get bac at me after at the longest 3 calls/emails.
