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Attention Customers:
Since 1997, Crooked Beat has always prided
itself in being fiercely independent by
primarily focusing on and specializing in
stocking releases from independent and import
labels. We also have always carried a lot of
New CD Releases from the major record
labels (WEA, Capitol, Sony/BMG, UNI) and
their affiliates.
In recent years, however,
most of these major labels have not been making
their New CD Releases available to
independent Distributors to purchase at a fair
price in comparison to the prices the big box
stores are paying for the same product. This, in
turn, has caused a lot of our distributors to no
longer consistently stock-- and sometimes not
even stock in their warehouses-- certain major
label New CD Releases at all. This has
made it very difficult for independent stores to
obtain a larger number of major label New
Release CDs.
Furthermore, there is now a
substantial penalty being enforced by One
Stops/Distributors in the event that an
independent record store returns major label
product that does not sell. This makes it
difficult for an independent store to even want
to consider stocking, and more importantly,
taking a chance on a new artist that is
affiliated with a major label.
Due to these
unfortunate circumstances and the fact being
that major label sales on CD have become less
than 3% of our sales since 2004, we will
be extremely limiting our stock of major label
New CD Releases from the following
labels: WEA-Warner, Elektra, Atlantic,
Capitol/EMI, Sony/BMG, UNI and their
affiliates.
Update - February
2008
In 2007, CD sales from the
major labels (WEA, Capitol, Sony/BMG,
UNI) and their affiliates accounted for
less than 1% of our total sales.
Therefore, effective February 1, 2008, we
will only be stocking select titles from these
labels on CD. A large number of major label
titles are now being reissued on LP vinyl that
usually come with a free MP3 download offered
inside the album jacket. LPs outsold CDs at
Crooked Beat for the first time ever in
2007.
Due to this, we will be expanding
our vinyl selection over the next several
months.
We will also continue to specialize
in and stock CDs from literally hundreds of
independent and import labels.
Thanks.
Bill &
Helen
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