If you are going to sell your CD in stores, through CD Baby, want it to look “Retail Ready” or want it tracked by Nielsen SoundScan, you need a barcode. If you are sending out promo CDs or are just selling your CD at shows, you don’t really need one.
According to Wikipedia (Open Source Encyclopedia - used by permission) the definition of a barcode is:
a machine-readable (uses dark ink on white substrate to create high and low reflectance which is converted to 1's and 0's) representation of information in a visual format on a surface. Originally barcodes stored data in the widths and spacings of printed parallel lines, but today they also come in patterns of dots, concentric circles, and hidden within images. Barcodes can be read by optical scanners called barcode readers or scanned from an image by special software. Barcodes are widely used to implement Auto ID Data Capture (AIDC) systems that improve the speed and accuracy of computer data entry. http://www.wikipedia.com
What is Soundscan?
Nielsen SoundScan is an information system that tracks sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada. Sales data from point-of-sale cash registers is collected weekly from over 14,000 retail, mass merchant and non-traditional (on-line stores, venues, etc.) outlets. Weekly data is compiled and made available every Wednesday. Nielsen SoundScan is the sales source for the Billboard music charts.
SoundScan is only able to track those CDs that have a UPC bar code.
Because of CDDVD Now’s affiliation with Independent Artists Alliance, CDDVD Now’s customers get a free UPC code when they produce their CD with us. This is potentially a savings of $750.00.
GS1 (formerly The Uniform Code Council) dispenses all UPC bar codes.
http://www.gs1.org/
Indie Artists Alliance: http://www.indieartistsalliance.com
CDDVD Now (when you produce your CD) http://www.cddvdnow.com
How much do they cost?
If you subscribe directly to the GS1, the base cost is $750.00
plus a yearly renewal fee.
If you register with Indie Artists Alliance, you can register
your project for $9.95 and receive your UPC barcode via e-mail (www.indieartistsalliance.com )
If you have CDDVD Now produce your CD/DVD, we provide a barcode
for free.
Once you get your barcode from CDDVD Now/Indie Artists Alliance or directly from GS1(formerly the Uniform Code Council), you will need to register your product SoundScan.
Download and fill out the SoundScan Title Addition Sheet:
Download U.S. Word version
Download U.S. pdf version
Download Canada Word version
Download Canada pdf version
(right click on a version and select "Save Target As..")
The Title Addition Sheet can be submitted to the Soundscan Database Department by email at dbase@soundscan.com
Once a title is submitted to SoundScan, it can take up to 10-15 business days for it to be entered into the system. Once entered, the title has the ability to be tracked by SoundScan.
Note: 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), or call us at (914) 684-5525.
For further questions visit the SoundScan website at http://www.soundscan.com
VideoScan
VideoScan and ACNielsen (a partnership since January 2000, and sister
companies under the VNU banner since 2001) seamlessly integrate
point-of-sale (POS) data collected by both companies to provide a
comprehensive view of the VHS and DVD sell-through business.
VideoScan, a leader in video market research since 1993, manages the
business on behalf of the partnership. With its strong history and
relationships with studios and electronic/specialty retailers, VideoScan
provides industry-wide expertise and perspective.
ACNielsen, the leader in data services to the consumer packaged goods
industry, brings its powerful analytic capabilities and broad coverage of
the discount mass, grocery and drug retailers to the partnership.
Together, VideoScan and ACNielsen are the acknowledged leader in consumer
research for the VHS and DVD sell-through industry. The partnership between
VideoScan and ACNielsen is known as Nielsen VideoScan.
Sell-through POS (consumer purchase) sales data are collected weekly from
traditional channels of video distribution including mass merchants,
audio/video and video specialty retailers, electronics outlets, grocery
stores, drug stores, and some Internet sites. Nielsen VideoScan maintains
this weekly POS data in one of the largest databases of VHS and DVD products
in the country. Data is collected on more than 40,000 VHS items and 12,000
DVD items. Virtually every UPC code in sell-through release since 1993 can
be found in our extensive database. Complete sales data in all retail
channels are available as far back as January 1999 (however Wal*Mart data is
included only through 7/28/01). Prior to January 1999, limited information
is available in most channels going back to 1993.
Nielsen VideoScan's VHS and DVD sell-through data are made available through
the Nielsen VideoScan web site and the ACNielsen NITRO data delivery system.
Some of the types of reports we have available:
Title Reports with sales for each title categorized nationally, regionally
(by DMA) and by retail channel.
Sales History Reports providing week-by-week title sales since 1999 or
release date (if later).
Summary Reports providing industry overviews comparing sales from previous
years as well as weekly comparisons to the prior year.
Market Share Reports giving annual and weekly market shares by
distributor/label.
Top 100 Charts for numerous categories rank the top titles by unit sales.
Charts are available for the current week's sales or for cumulative
year-to-date sales. Prior year-end charts are also available. Chart
categories include distributors and selected genres.
While most of our clients choose annual subscriptions, we also work with
customers on a project-by-project basis. We can handle everything from
sophisticated marketing and sales research and planning to simple one title
sales ad-hoc requests.
Nielsen VideoScan's VHS and DVD sales charts are currently published in
Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Video Store Magazine, The Los Angeles
Times, The New York Times and others.
For more information contact: http://www.videoscan.com/contact.html