Short-list Of Independent Retail Coalitions

United Music Retailers (UMR); 21 stores in Chicago and one in Indiana; formed in 1992. The coalition offers a monthly magazine, a listening station program, and sales programs. It buys collectively through the Baker & Taylor One-Stop. The coalition also has presentations where the member stores invite customers to see new bands, reports Dedry Jones, owner of Track One Records and spokesman for UMR.
Affiliated Independent Music Merchants (AIMM); seven stores in Houston; formed in 1997. Five coalition stores report to SoundScan. The coalition has helped to put some of "the newer stores on the map," says Marketta Rodriguez, owner of Serious Sounds. The group publishes the Rhythm Review, which distributes 5,000 copies monthly. "Houston really needed a magazine that had all that information in one spot."
United Independent Music Retailers Assn. (UIMRA); 12 stores in Los Angeles; formed in 1992. Ten coalition stores report to SoundScan. Coalition head Kelvin Anderson, who owns VIP Records in Long Beach, says, "Our stores have a lot of knowledge on how to get product into the hands of the consumer . . .We specialize in all areas of black music in a very aggressive way." Acknowledged as one of the best coalitions, UIRMA publishes a twice-monthly music magazine and distributes 20,000 copies through its member stores as well as local businesses.
West Coast Independent Retailers Assn. (WCIRA); six stores in the Los Angeles area, one in San Diego, two in Oregon, and two in Washington; formed in 1995. Coalition head Royce Fortune, owner of Fortune Music, has been credited by some as being the first to form a coalition. The group puts out a monthly magazine.
The Metropolitan Independent Retailers Assn. (MIRA); 19 stores in New York, seven in New Jersey, and one in Rhode Island; formed in 1996. It is acknowledged as one of the best coalitions. Lorraine Murphy, president of MIRA and owner of LBM Music in the Bronx, N.Y., says that the tools that MIRA provides to labels would be able to encompass a larger area by the association's expansion. The or- ganization has its own office space and two full-time employees.
The Retailers Assn. of Greater Enterprise (RAGE); eight members in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey; formed in 1995. Three coalition members report to SoundScan. By the end of the year, association president Amos "Dazz" Keaton, owner of Dazz II Drive-through Records, says, "we should be 100% SoundScan." On key releases, RAGE buys direct. It publishes a monthly magazine.
Merchandise Unlimited; 10 Atlanta stores; formed in 1996. Coalition head Terrence Forbes-Taylor, owner of the Rhythm Junction store, reports that Merchandise Unlimited is working on getting open with all six majors, having so far nailed down three, which allows the coalition to buy collectively on new big titles. He says the organization is still in the early stages of putting together marketing programs. He says none of the member stores report to SoundScan and have "no intention to go in that direction."
The Midwest Music Mix Assn. (TMMMA); five members in Ohio; formed in 1997. All members are SoundScan reporters. According to coalition head Victor Heard, owner of 2 Live Music, the association publishes a monthly magazine, circulated in neighborhood businesses, that includes coupons to drive customers to member stores.