What Is Indie? Soundscan Reclassifies 217 Retailers
Since its inception Sounsdscan, the dominant retail music sales measurement service in the U.S. has classified a number of small to mid-size independent music retailers along with the larger chains like Best Buy and Fye. That changed January 1st with the classification of 21 smaller chain retailer and their 213 locations. Sales from these stores will now be counted alongside other indie retailers, rather then with the larger chains. Included in the shift are:
- Big Oomp Records (7) – GA
- Bull Moose (10) – NH, ME
- Cats CD’s/Music City (3) – TN, SC
- DiscoCentro (2) – PR
- Exclusive Company (4) – WI
- Gallery of Sound (7) – PA
- Gray Whale (7) – UT
- Homers Music/Twisters (3) – NE
- Independent Records (6) – CO
- J & R Music World – NY
- La Curacao (9) – CA
- La Gran Discoteca (13) – PR
- Maximum Capacity (7) – MD
- Newbury Comics (28) – MA, RI, ME, NH
- Plan 9 Music (4) – VA
- Rasputin Records (7) – CA
- Record Exchange (21) – OH, PA, MI
- Rincon Musical (5) – NY
- Slackers CD (5) – MO
- Value Music Concepts (39) – AL, CA, DE, Fl, GA, IN, MO, MS, NC, NH, NV, PA, SC, TN, VA
- Zia Records (9) – AZ
Says NARM President Jim Donio, “We know that independent retailers have been hoping to make this change for quite some time. In fact, NARM invited Nielsen SoundScan to meet with our Board of Directors in late-2008, and this was a key point of discussion. We are pleased that this has now come to fruition.”
Adds Mike Fratt, GM of Homers and member of the NARM Board Of Directors, “I am thrilled to see a reclassification of Soundscan accounts to better reflect what is truly considered the ‘indie’ sector. This change is a win-win for indie stores and their trading partners.”
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Is this recent news? I haven’t found any other source, but maybe I’m looking in the wrong places.
It happened Jan 1 but NARM just released the list.
rearranging the deck chairs….?