Colortest is a boutique music merchandising and artist services company based in Chattanooga, TN with additional offices in Nashville, TN and London, England. Our staff has over 50 years of collective experience working with recording artists and other entertainers on the design, development, production, warehousing, distribution and sale of merchandise to their fans online, on tour and through wholesale-to-retail channels. We also offer vinyl-pressing services and work directly with record labels and distributors to promote new album releases at hundreds of independent record stores nationwide.
Turn-Key Merchandise Solutions
We offer turn-key merchandising management for all varieties of tours and events, both domestic and international: from small clubs to theatre shows, arena and stadium tours, including coverage at festivals.
Our Managed Services Include
· Garment and Graphic Design
· Product Development
· Product Sourcing and Manufacturing
·Tour Sales and Settlement
· Vinyl Record and Jacket Manufacturing
· CD Replication / Duplication
· Album Pre-Sale Fulfillment
· Wholesale-to-Retail Sales
· Third Party Licensing
· Social Media Support
· New Record Release Retail Promotion
· Sales Forecasting
· E-Commerce Fulfillment
· Warehousing
· Distribution
· Customer Service
Tour & Live Event SaleS
Along with coverage in North America, we have international strategic distribution partners located in: London, England, Sydney, Australia and Tokyo, Japan.
Our Managed Services Include
· Full Service Global Tour Coverage
· Sales Forecasting
· Merchandise Production & Distribution
· Inventory Management
· Staffing
· Vending
· Tour Accounting & Settlement
Warehousing & Fulfillment Services
· Fast and friendly order fulfillment
· Timely and respectful customer service
· Low order shipping costs to fans Worldwide
· Order fulfillment to fans Worldwide
· Staggered shipping of album pre-orders to arrive to fans on release date
· Centralized U.S. Fulfillment from Chattanooga, TN
· Inventory management and monthly sales reporting
· Inexpensive off-cycle warehousing solutions
Merchandise
PRODUCT OFFERINGS
With each client, we discuss a variety of potential product offerings to fans that are both thoughtful and tailored to that Artist’s fan base: from t-shirts and other knit tops to sweatshirts, screen printed posters, hats, beanies, tote bags, vinyl slipmats, buttons, stickers, patches and much, much more! We specialize in sourcing unique products, so if there’s anything out of the ordinary you’d like to make, we hope you’ll ask!
CREATIVE SERVICES
We employ an in-house design and graphic arts team who research and monitor fashion and other cultural trends to ensure that our clients have cutting edge designs. We work closely with our clients in the spirit of collaboration, reviewing garment manufacturing and printing options to develop a cohesive product line that maintains the integrity of the client’s brand. We also maintain a good relationship with a network of graphic designers to incorporate new artistic creations for our clientele.
RETAIL COVERAGE
We utilize an extensive sales force that works with retail buyers from independent and major brick and mortar stores across North America including: Hot Topic, Spencer Gifts, Journeys, PACSUN, JCPenney, Nordstrom, Target, Walmart and thousands of independent “mom & pop” retail shops.
LICENSING
We actively seek licensing opportunities for our clients. Examples of licensed product categories include: apparel items, bags, headwear, greeting cards, posters, calendars, games, toys and more. We oversee every aspect of the licensing process for each Artist, brand or entertainment property; from maintaining up-to-date catalogs of approved product images and style guides to managing approvals at the stages of digital mock ups, sampling and/or pre-production. In addition, we manage the collection of royalty payments from the respective Licensees, royalty accounting, reporting to client and client payment.
New Release & Record Retail Promotion
Our goal with each new release we support is to bring personal attention back to independent retail, a place where record labels and recording Artists are still able to sell a lot of records.
Distributors have unfortunately pivoted their focus away from independent stores and significantly reduced their sales staff, meaning that many retailers are no longer notified about new releases, yet alone receive gratis copies of those records or promotional materials and ideas of creative ways to market them.
We’ve built strong relationships with buyers from all over the country and the attention we will give to them in support of your release will certainly be recognized - many of them are happy to grant us various, gratis, in-store programs in exchange for the personal attention we provide.
Product Solicitation
Colortest will send email notifications of your new release to all stores in our database and will customize a list of 200 - 300 stores to solicit depending on your regional / national campaign specifics.
Promotional Services
We will prepare a retail solicitation letter to be sent to a fully customized list of indie record stores (50 - 200) approved by the label. We can also physically service your promos from our office for an additional fee and shipping charge. At the client’s request, we can mail promotional copies of your new release to the selected stores.
Reporting
We will provide comprehensive reports of inventory tracking, sales and visibility of your release including buyer feedback and opinions.
Tour Marketing
We will shadow your artist’s tour markets and reach out to tastemaker stores in the region to make sure they are aware of the venue and date, send Point of Purchase materials and arrange ticket giveaways, in-store
Focused In-Store Promotions / Gratis Programs
We can set up display contests and prize giveaways for both consumers and store employees as incentives to buy the record. We will also request optimal gratis product placement in record store listening stations and the like.
Sales / Distribution Management
We will assist in all sales and distribution duties such as assembling a retail marketing plan and all communications with label’s distributor for physical and digital formats. We will also serve as the label’s sales department, working alongside their Marketing, PR, Radio and Social Media Departments.
Vinyl Promotion
We can place special focus on vinyl releases with retailers who specialize in vinyl. Colortest will contact a special database of Vinyl-Only stores that focus exclusively on vinyl releases.
SoundScan Reporting / Social Media Analytics
Upon request, we can provide SoundScan reports and comprehensive analytics.
