Anansi Records Distribution (Anansi) is a full service independent national distribution company that supports the collective interest of all of its association urban record labels. Our associated record labels offer contemporary high quality music product from genres that include: R&B, Hip- Hop, Rap, Dance, and Reggae/Dancehall. Anansi offers strong marketing, promotion and sales support to burgeoning independent urban record labels as they gain a strong foothold in today's competitive music marketplace.

Anansi has established an organizational structure that allows our independent label partners to benefit from participation in a synergistic business environment. This organizational structure provides our record labels with the artistic and creative freedom to produce music that is representative of their unique talents while permitting each label to draw from the internal communication network and support services of Anansi Distribution. Anansi allows its label partners to receive the maximum level of support through:

• Accessing an internal communication network between label partners about artist development, artist management, touring, trade conventions, etc. 
• Accessing and internal network that simultaneously manages the marketing, promotion and sales plans of record labels releasing product with in the same quarter thereby sharing the financial benefits of reduced advertising and promotion expenses. 
• Accessing a creative services department to assist with graphic design needs including: album artwork, P.O.P. (marketing support materials), advertisements, etc. 
• Accessing limited credit facilities for product manufacture and co-op advertising (based on product orders) 
• Assisting in the formulation and coordination of all marketing, promotion and sales activity for both promotional and commercial releases 

Each label partner benefits by

• (1) remaining focused on music creation
• (2) accessing high quality marketing support services and
• (3) reducing overhead expenses that would accrue from brining support services in-house.

The music industry relies heavily on independent record labels providing new music that is cutting-edge and street responsive. Anansi is poised to be a major player in the distribution formula by becoming a steady supplier of high quality urban music repertoire. Anansi will use the coordinated efforts of six different national departments to create impact and awareness among targeted listening audiences. Anansi will provide associated labels with the following marketing and promotion support services:

National Street Promotion is the cornerstone to an urban marketing strategy. By focusing our initial efforts at the street level we are able to obtain an initial assessment of the viability of a project as well as identify key markets that may need additional promotional support. Once a project hits the streets the objective is to build a strong awareness campaign that creates the necessary 'buzz' among consumers. By using a network of field 'street' representatives in each of the major U.S. cities we can directly impact consumer demand at retail.

Each street team is well connected in the local market community and is in tune with the current cutting-edge urban music trends. Field 'street' representatives are responsible for servicing all independent urban retail outlets along with urban-oriented chain stores. They check stock, encourage in-store play, lay out posters, snipe prime locations and hand-deliver releases to club and mixshows DJs. The street team identifies all relevant lifestyle 'hotspots' and services those areas with appropriate P.O.P. materials including: cassette samplers, flyers, stickers, cocktail napkins with label logo design, etc.

National Retail Marketing covers every important independent urban retailer in the U.S. Retail marketing efforts are initially directed at 1,200 key urban retail dealers on a weekly basis. Marketing representatives use telemarketing efforts to build strong personal relationships with store staff by offering personal attention to sales requests and useful product information. In order to stimulate initial orders, calls are made in well in-advance of streetdate to all key retail outlets and one-stops that should stock and sell the single/album product. Marketing representatives assist in the implementation of retail contests, coordination of personal appearances, provision of full tour support in key local markets and continually send P.O.P. material. All marketing efforts are tracked on a weekly basis and consolidated in a report that monitors the project and provides immediate feedback on market conditions.

National Urban Radio Promotion provides comprehensive coverage of all reporting Rap, urban and R&B radio stations across the country. Anansi radio representatives work from a database of more than 300 Urban stations (including Billboard, R&R, Gavin and HITS reporting stations). Urban radio promotion has the ability to expose the single to the widest possible audience depending on the potential development of the single. Urban radio promotion maintains relationships with program/music directors, mixshow DJ's, promotion departments and key on-air give-aways and radio street team/van give aways (2) incentive contests, (3) tour support, (4) artist interviews (5) station ID drops (6) postcard and fax teasers.

National College Radio Promotion is in contact with all key college radio stations nationwide. College radio representatives work from a database of more than 2,000 colleges and gives specialized attention to the different formats of these stations. College radio representatives service those college stations whose formats match the release objectives. All vital aspects of radio promotion are handled. These include:

• Promotional product mailings and give-aways
• Incentive contests
• Tour support
• Artist interviews
• Station ID drops
• Postcard and fax teasers.

College radio department will assist in building and underground following that creates initial consumer demand even before the record is available in chain stores.

National Video Promotion has taken on added importance in today's overcrowded music marketplace. Video promotion will enable a release to breakthrough and achieve significant sales impact. Depending on the potential development of the single, a local, regional or national video promotion strategy will be implemented in order to build awareness of the single/album project among target viewers.

The video promotion department will maximize exposure for a video by exposing it first to street level outlets that are on the cutting edge of new music. The video promotion department maintains close ties to numerous College and Cable Public Access video programs across the country. In addition to street- level urban video outlets, video promotion targets major national video outlets including MTV, VH-1, BET and The Box. Video representative's assist in customizing a video advertising strategy based on the level of response from program viewers.

National Club Promotion maintains relationships with 40 leading record pools across the country. In addition, club representative's work from a database of 2,500 clubs representing all urban music formats in key markets. This includes all Billboard reporting clubs that impact Billboard's Hot Dance Music

Play Chart. 12' vinyl commercial copies of a single are also serviced to key Dance retail stores that report number of units to SoundScan in order to impact Billboard's Hot Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales Chart. To increase the awareness of a single/album project, street teams select key clubs in target markets for weekly product give-aways (cassette samplers, flyers, stickers, cocktail napkins with label logo design, etc.) and service club owners with VHS/Beta copies of the music video.