Heavy competition for shrinking self space and the fact that retailers have essentially life-time return privileges on unsold product has made selling niche music at retail increasingly difficult. But the internet has created new options for labels to re-issue low selling titles and even to re-package them in new ways.
Warner’s Rhino label is offering "Lunafied" which includes Luna’s songs originally recorded for soundtracks and as B-sides. Without the costs associated with printing and shipping online-only releases need to sell only a very few copies to make a profit. "This is the first time we’ve done this, but it won’t be the last," David Dorn, Rhino’s senior vice president of new media strategy told the New York Times
But with 90% of sales still going to physical product perhaps Rhino and others should also add limited pressing sold only via the web stores like Amazon, their own sites and special orders via retail.
