March 22, 2007
Almighty Retail Named NARM Related Supplier Finalist For Third Consecutive Year
The Almighty Institute of Music Retail has been chosen as a finalist in the related suppliers of the year category by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) for the third consecutive year.
Almighty is joined in the category by such well-known information services as the Billboard Information Group, Muze, and Nielsen Soundscan. “Once again we’re honored to be in the same category as such music business institutions as Billboard, Soundscan, and Muze and happy to see our friends at Rocket Science also recognized this year.” said Almighty Retail President Joel Oberstein. “It’s always nice to be recognized by your peers and reinforces the fact that our information and services are an integral part of the industry.”
Since launching in the fall of 2003, Almighty has established itself as the premiere database for music retail information. Its client list has swelled to more than 150 different record labels and distributors, ranging from Warner Music Group and powerhouse wholesalers the Alliance Entertainment Corp. and Baker & Taylor to a cadre of small but influential independent labels, including Sub Pop, Merge, and Epitaph.
Almighty’s clients realize that although digital distribution is gaining traction, according to recent sales statistics, CDs sold at brick-and-mortar retail accounts still account for more than 80% of all music sold. In addition, key independent music retail accounts are not only surviving, but thriving during a general downturn in the music business. Those taste-making accounts continue to impact the music business as evidenced by the recent top-10 showings of indie rock stalwarts the Shins and Arcade Fire on the album sales charts, both of whom owe much of their early support to the independent music retail sector.
In addition to established record labels, the company also offers customized retail lists and mailing services to small indie labels and DIY musicians who are hoping to get their CDs into stores, promote, and market their releases at retail. “DIY CD releases are more plentiful than ever today, and we get asked on a daily basis ‘How do I get my CD in record stores?’”, says Oberstein. “Of course, the first thing is to get a distribution deal so stores can order your CD if they like it or see customer demand, but with over 14,000 retail storefronts selling CDs, getting distribution is just the first step. Then you have to educate the retailers about your release to make it stand out from the clutter, and that’s where we come in. Our database and services allow labels to target market releases of all different genres to the stores that make the most sense.”
The Almighty Institute of Music Retail was spawned by CEO Clark Benson and Oberstein, who have run the ISIS listening station and Almighty Lighted Display lightbox programs for more than a decade. In the course of doing business with those two entities, the pair realized there was no accurate database of music retail to assist labels with their retail marketing.
Almighty’s authoritative status has been reinforced by its ongoing role as the voice of music retail in both the trade and consumer press, with its information frequently quoted and sourced in publications ranging from Rolling Stone and USA Today to The New York Times and Billboard magazine.
Article List
• January 3, 2010 - Delaware News Journal - Delaware music shops get creative to compete with downloads, chain music stores• September 24, 2009 - Los Angeles Times - L.A. independent record shop is still in a groove
• August 20, 2009 - CNN Money - You can make money off online music
• June 14, 2009 - New York Times - Retailing Era Closes With Music Megastore
• May 13, 2009 - Medill Reports - Resurgence in vinyl helps record store in recession
• April 26, 2009 - Los Angeles Times - In a digital age, vinyl albums are making a comeback
• April 18, 2009 - Charlotte Observer - Record stores band together
• April 17, 2009 - Detroit News - Record Store Day spins profits and good beats at Metro Detroit shops
• April 17, 2009 - Associated Press - Record Store Day celebrates indie retailers
• April 10, 2009 - Detroit News - Street Corner Music moving to Oak Park plaza
• April 10, 2009 - Toledo Free Press - New record store shakes up Adams Street
• January 8, 2009 - OC Register - Closing date for Virgin Megastore at The Block
• October 28, 2008 - Reuters - AC/DC back in "Black" with global smash
• September 23, 2008 - Chicago Daily Herald - Independent music stores haven't yet disappeared from suburbia
• June 23, 2008 - New York Times - For Tom Petty Fans, the True Sound of Vinyl, Also Captured on a CD
• April 19, 2008 - Lafayette Journal Courier - For some, record stores live on
• April 19, 2008 - New Jersey Star Ledger - It's Record Store Day. Play it again, Sam!
• April 18, 2008 - New York Times - Record Stores Fight to Be Long-Playing
• April 18, 2008 - Dallas Morning News - Retailers hope Record Store Day turns up volume at mom-and-pop shops
• April 16, 2008 - Timeout New York - Platter Up
• December 27, 2007 - Los Angeles Times - Virgin Megastore to close shop
• December 16, 2007 - New York Times - For a "Dinosaur," an Exuberant Second Life (Looney Tunes Reopens)
• December 3, 2007 - Detroit Free Press - The same old song: Music store closing
• November 7, 2007 - Washington Post - Eagles soar past Britney to top of charts
• November 4, 2007 - The Ledger - Two Young Entrepreneurs Unafraid of Risk of Going on Records
• August 20, 2007 - Billboard - Almighty Taps Hans As VP
• June 29, 2007 - ABC News - Long Live the Record Store
• June 28, 2007 - Orange County Weekly - Locals Only
• June 13, 2007 - Reuters - McCartney's Starbucks album heats up U.S. charts
• June 9, 2007 - Billboard - Commentary: Retail Recovery
• May 9, 2007 - Columbia Free Times - High Fidelity
• March 22, 2007 - NARM Awards - Almighty Retail Named NARM Related Supplier Finalist For Third Consecutive Year
• March 16, 2007 - Chortler - Shout! Factory Has Revamped Its Website
• March 9, 2007 - PhillyBurbs.com - Internet killed the record store?
• March 4, 2007 - Sacramento Bee - New groove for Solomon
• February 28, 2007 - USA Today - Exclusives aim to pull music fans into stores
• February 28, 2007 - New York Newsday - Latin record shops thrive despite changes in music business
• February 23, 2007 - Montpelier Bridge - Buch Spieler Sails On Despite a Music Industry Decline
• November 20, 2006 - Austin 360 - In Austin, Niche Indies Rule
• October 20, 2006 - Sacramento Bee - Tower brand could survive
• October 15, 2006 - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Tables have turned on record stores
• October 14, 2006 - Sacramento Bee - Small labels lose valuable ally in Tower
• October 6, 2006 - Desert Sun - Record Alley remodels
• September 27, 2006 - Music & Copyright - Niche Marketing of CD albums continues to rise in the US and Physical Sales overall decline
• September 22, 2006 - CNN.com - Indie stores confront a new era
• September 19, 2006 - New York Newsday - 34 years, and that's not all, folks
• August 18, 2006 - The Roanoke Times - Plan 9 Music puts new spin on 5 Record Exchange stores
• August 3, 2006 - The Hollywood Reporter - Nervous music retailers face hazy digital future
• July 16, 2006 - New York Times - The Graying of the Record Store
• July 13, 2006 - Rolling Stone - The iTunes Holdouts
• July 11, 2006 - Roanoke Times - Record store's "last dance"
• July 5, 2006 - Port Townsend and Jefferson County Leader - Quimper Sound moves, expands to change with times
• June 6, 2006 - Billboard - NARM Nominations Announced
• May 10, 2006 - Detroit MetroTimes - Out of the Groove
• March 18, 2006 - Billboard - Indies in a bind
• January 16, 2006 - Los Angeles Business Journal - Slipped Discs
• January 6, 2006 - Los Angeles Times - Indie record stores doing slow fade out
• December 26, 2005 - Los Angeles Times - The Music Stops for Indie Shop
• December 1, 2005 - Rolling Stone - Fall Sales Dry Up
• October 13, 2005 - Desert Sun - Music snobs rejoice: Independent record stores still thrive in desert
• September 12, 2005 - Salt Lake Tribune - Twilight for Starbound Records
• August 18, 2005 - New York Post - Oldies are now singing a new tune - Music stores go digital
• July 2005 - Rolling Stone - Record Biz Still Sinking
• June 18, 2005 - Billboard - NARM Noms Announced
• March 21, 2005 - CMJ - Hart of the Matter
• February 16, 2005 - MSN - Genius Loves Company
• October 12, 2004 - Rolling Stone - Wal-Mart wants $10 CDs
• July 10, 2004 - Billboard - Almighty Institute To The Rescue
• January 14, 2004 - Creative Loafing Charlotte - Manifest Destiny
• December 29, 2003 - New York Times - on the rise of mass marketers
• November 13, 2003 - Rolling Stone - Best Buy snags rights to band's new DVD
• October 9, 2003 - USA Today - Best Buy wins sales rights to Rolling Stones DVD box set
• October 6, 2003 - Reuters - Stones Paint It Black For Retailers
• May 31, 2003 - Billboard - Retail Track
• May 9, 2003 - Hits - Rerap
