IDC FAQ
What is IDC?
IDC is a music and film distribution company based in San Francisco that offers physical and digital distribution, music licensing for TV and film, and marketing and promotion for independent artists. We market our products directly to about 400 independent stores across the country (Amoeba, Independent Records, Waterloo, Newbury Comics, etc), while major one-stop distributors Baker & Taylor and Synergy (via AEC) market our catalog to about 10,000 stores across the U.S. including all major chains (Border's, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc). We also sell internationally to retailers in Europe and the UK through our relationship with Code 7 (via PlasticHead). We also have relationships with niche one-stop distributors in various genres such as Ernie B's Reggae, Fat Beats, VP Records, and more.
How do I get my CD into your catalog and marketed to your wide base of stores?
Standard entrance into our catalog requires only 100 units of "retail-ready" product up front as a "buy-in" to the collective; there is no up-front monetary fee! 50 of those units are used for customized promotional packages and sent to stores, while the second 50 remain property of IDC in order to recoup on the various costs that come with marketing titles to our wide store-base. After those are sold (with IDC retaining the profit), the artist/label begins to make $6.00 per unit on independent store sales (sold for $7.49), and about $5.00 per unit on one-stop distributor sales (sold for $6.00).
How do I get my CD into your catalog and marketed to your wide base of stores?
Standard entrance into our catalog requires only 100 units of "retail-ready" product up front as a "buy-in" to the collective; there is no up-front monetary fee! 50 of those units are used for customized promotional packages and sent to stores, while the second 50 remain property of IDC in order to recoup on the various costs that come with marketing titles to our wide store-base. After those are sold (with IDC retaining the profit), the artist/label begins to make $6.00 per unit on independent store sales (sold for $7.49), and about $5.00 per unit on one-stop distributor sales (sold for $6.00).
What about Marketing and Promotion for my release?
IDC offers the InstantDistro Program, which is a full service two-to-three month campaign that targets Print (about 100 to 150 Print and Web mags), Radio (125-200 College, Community, and CMJ Radio Stations), Social Networking (Facebook, MySpace, SEO Marketing, etc.), and Retail Promotions. Industry professionals are hired to work the individual aspects of the program, and work closely with the artist and IDC to map out the scope of the campaign. They spend two to three months targeting their lists, following up on leads, and pushing for placement in their various outlets. The cost of the InstantDistro Program starts at $5,000.00. If you are only looking for help in specific aspects of the program, prorated pricing could be discussed.
Where can I get more information on your digital distribution and music licensing services?
Please refer to the IDCDigital and IDCLicensing tabs on the IDC website for more information about these services. You can also contact manager of IDCDigital Operations Jerome Forney at jerome@independentdistro.com, or director of IDCLicensing Chris Austria at chris@independentdistro.com.
