SoundScan is an industry “service” that tracks retail (and alternative) sales of music.  The company is owned by Neilson (who also owns Billboard and BDS -  a radio tracking service).

SoundScan is a great service for music marketers – it shows where sales (physical and digital) are taking place, breaks out the demos of the particular cities that you have sales in, and more.  Only down side is that it is a bit on the expensive side for independents.

SoundScan does allow artists that tour to report these tour sales to Soundscan as “venue sales.”  The actual reporting process is very easy, once you are set up: calculate the venue sales, get the venue to sign off on the sales, and then fax the info to SoundScan.  It’s part of the reason that Prince’s idea to give away his “Musicology” CD a few years back was such a great idea.  The price of the CD was included in the price of the ticket, and all sales counted towards SoundScan – which cumulated in great Billboard visibility, which gave him more press, which drew more people to his show and made more people buy the CD etc.  Very sharp.

Here’s the bad news:  While it is possible for indies to register venue sales with SoundScan, it is not easy (or cheap).  Here’s the deal:

Step 1: You first have to add your CD to the SoundScan database.  Here’s the process:

Go to www.SoundScan.com and download / fill out the "Title Addition Sheet" to add your release to SoundScan's database (this is assuming you have already acquired a barcode). The Title Addition Sheet must be submitted to SoundScan's Database Department by email at dbase@soundscan.com or faxed to (914) 684-5606. You’re your title is entered, the title has the ability to be tracked by SoundScan. In order to find out if a title is already registered with SoundScan, you may contact Client Services by email at clientservices@soundscan.com (If emailed please include the full UPC code number), or call SoundScan at (914) 684-5525.

Step 2: The hard part: VENUE SALES REPORTING PROCEDURE [from soundscan site]

Record Labels may report the sales of their artists at venues that the artists appear by following the procedure outlined below:

   1. On letterhead of the label, please state that you are a label interested in taking part in the Venue Sales Program. Also state how long you have been in business.

      NOTE: YOU MUST BE IN BUSINESS FOR AT LEAST TWO YEARS.

   2. List the artists you wish to report sales for.

      NOTE: IT MUST BE MORE THAN ONE ARTIST UNDER THE LABEL THAT YOU WILL BE REPORTING SALES FOR.

   3. Fax the above information to Andrea Wynn at (914) 686-1556 or email to andrea@soundscan.com or venue@soundscan.com.

   4. There will be a $500.00 annual fee to report venue sales. Acceptable methods of payment are: Company Check & Credit Card.

      *Please include in the letter that you fully understand that you will be charged this annual fee and your method of payment.*

   5. Please provide name, billing address, phone number, fax number and email to receive proper mailing and billing instructions.

   6. You will then be contacted to set up an account to report and transmit sales along with proper documentation to verify all sales.

   7. Any further questions contact Andrea Wynn at 914-684-5506 or Joe Johnson at 914-684-5507.

This is sort of old school, and I think the rules can be bent (for example the Black Crowes are putting out their next record by themselves on their own label = one artist, one record.  Will SoundScan turn them down if they want to report venue sales?  I don’t think so).

It’s probably worth a call to them to see if one artist that is prolific (like you, Jeanine) can pull this off, but it does look like it is a pretty involved process.

Good luck!

Mike

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