On October 19, 2023, the Coalition of Independent Music Stores along with AIMS, DORS, FAMS and Amoeba Music released a public statement in opposition to Luminate's decision to change the way sales from independent record stores are reported.

Here was the initial 10/19 open letter:

Hi everyone,

In communications with various industry groups, the data analytics company Luminate has announced a dramatic change in the method used to calculate physical sales from independent retailers, set to go into effect 12/29/23. The details disclosed lead us to expect charts and data that show an abrupt, inaccurate, and misleading physical market collapse immediately in Q1 2024.

The rise in physical sales in general -- and vinyl sales in particular -- has been a positive story in the music industry for over a decade. Independently owned record stores have provided the music business with sustained positive media attention, as well as an entry point to music for consumers. The new leadership at Luminate, along with Billboard, has created and implemented new rules, changed guidelines, and defined chart ineligibility in ways that have been damaging to record stores, labels and artists. Regardless of this, as coalitions and as Record Store Day organizers, we have worked for eighteen months to increase the number of stores reporting to Luminate, despite the confusion and lack of clarity in that process. As of today, the number of reporting accounts is 72, representing less than 5% of the indie record store base of over 1400 storefronts. We have seen little to indicate that the number of reporting stores necessary to prevent a perceived market share collapse when these changes are implemented is attainable by the end of the year.

Our desire to be true partners in the effort to raise the number of reporting stores, thereby increasing the accuracy of the crucial data provided to labels, artists and management for decisions that will affect the entire industry has not been matched by Luminate. The changes laid out for the end of the year, which will affect not only the charts and data, but will directly impact over 1400 independently-owned businesses did not include input or approval from the record stores, from artist managers, or record labels.

To be clear: the negative impact to the charts in January 2024 will be due to Luminate's decision to abruptly change how physical reporting is collected and calculated. We call for record labels, vinyl manufacturing plants, distribution companies, and record stores to be aware of this, and to work together against this inexplicable but blatant attempt to diminish the importance of the physical market to the music business ecosystem.

Alliance of Independent Media Stores
Amoeba Music
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
Dept of Record Stores
F.A.M.S. (Forever A Music Store) Coalition

It was announced mid-December that Luminate would continue to move forward with this change starting Week 1 2024, a decision that has been universally criticized by retailers, labels, distributors, vinyl manufacturers and other industry bodies for marginalizing the efforts and sales taking place in indie stores specifically, and with physical goods more broadly.

Our opposition to this change still stands. We also stand behind the decision of any individual store to not have their data be included.

That said, it's great to see what's selling at record stores so be sure to start checking this link: bit.ly/RecordStoreCharts for Record Store Day's weekly chart of Top Sellers from record stores around the country.

As usual the CIMS charts are below.

Andrea

Andrea Paschal
Executive Director
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
ThinkIndie Distribution
3738 4th Terrace North
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: 205.595.1932 x.208
Fax: 205.595.1938
Email : andrea@cimsmusic.com
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