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September 4th, 2007

Interview with Tim Hinsley of Super D

About a year ago, we interviewed Tim Hinsley who was President and COO at Lumberjack Mordam Group. Throughout all of the changes at LMMG, Tim left and has resurfaced as General Manager of Super D. Super D is one of the largest one stops out there and for those of you not familiar with the role of one stops, they have been absolutely crucial to retail accounts all over the world. One Stops are essentially a one stop shop for store buyers to get titles from majors and indies alike without having to deal with several distributors.

Being interested in the retail landscape of music, I thought it would be interesting to ask Tim a few questions about the changing role of one stops and their strategies for the future. Thanks Tim for taking the time to answer my questions and best of luck for the future.

IndieHQ: What strategies are you working on to adapt to the current retail marketplace?
Tim: You have to be more flexible. Be willing to only work a small segment of retail, such as regional, indie stores or internet/mail order only. The main component is having great relationships with the people you sell to, no matter their size or location. All of retail, worldwide, is leery of the future. Having an open, honest relationship with your customers is key.

IndieHQ: I recently read the press release announcing the signing of Rob Halford for exclusive releases through Super D. Does Super D plan to offer more exclusive releases moving forward?
Tim: Yes. When I came aboard in July, Super D already had a handful of exclusive partners and a few dozen partners that we filled certain segments exclusively (such as chains or international). We have added 10 new partners since July and we are continuing to look for people that want to be a part of what we are trying to accomplish; a true independent distribution channel.

IndieHQ: As digital retail becomes a bigger piece of music retail, how does Super D plan to position themselves into digital sales?
Tim: We have digital rights to a half dozen labels already and are selling them through the regular channels. We are trying to accomplish what everyone else is trying to accomplish; marrying the physical with the digital. We feel that we have a bit of a leg up in that area, as we do have quite a bit of mail order/internet business. That way we are already closer to the people that actually listen to the records than most distributors.

IndieHQ: I continue to read that vinyl sales are picking up quite a bit; I know that Super D offers a large vinyl catalog. Have you noticed a big increase in vinyl sales?
Tim: Absolutely. We are committed to carrying anything with a barcode and it has worked for us. I actually have quite a few larger indies that have reached out to see if we would be interested in working their vinyl exclusively.

IndieHQ: A while back, CD baby and Super D entered into a relationship where unsigned and indie acts could use the CD baby system to get their cds into brick and mortar stores. How is this going? Are there some acts that have benefited from this distribution?
Tim: It definitely gives artists an opportunity to get into retail. The system works really well, as there is not the overhead of a traditional label. CD Baby does a good job of pointing out the up and coming acts. The biggest success is probably Heavy Metal Parking Lot, which has moved thousands through Film Baby.

IndieHQ: How has the role of a One Stop changed over the past few years? How can one stops remain relevant as sales in brick and mortar stores continue to slide?
Tim: Like I said before, its all about flexibility. Super D has done a good job of changing with the times; investing in imports, doing direct to consumer fulfillment, expanding internationally, and now, committing to indie distribution. At the end of the day, the people that buy records will decide your relevancy.

Written by Virgil Dickerson