Gamehenge Tapers Co-op was established to serve the Portland tapers. Tapers are a hobby community that trades live recordings only for personal use and not for commercial gain. The Co-op provides equipment to facilitate taping shows. This also supports the trading community which trades live shows for personal use. The Co-op is able to sell recording equipment at wholesale prices plus a low overhead percentage. It encourages active tapers to be more active by offering members heavily discounted rates. Because the organization is a not-for-profit co-op, members are willing to volunteer their time to help the organization allowing it to become successful. The organization exists to support the trading community.
Dues for membership and a small overhead fee will cover the costs of running the business. This will allow it to continue to grow. Gamehenge Tapers Co-op expects to grow their membership by at LEAST 20% per year.
1.1 Objectives
These are the objectives for the first three year of operation:
To create a cooperative whose number one goal is to serve its member.
To increase the membership base annually by 20%
To offer the Portland traders community cost-plus overhead deals on CD media, microphones CD-RWs, CDs-RWs, and DAT recorders.
To develop a sustainable co-op.
1.2 Mission
Gamehenge Tapers Co-op’ s mission is to serve the Portland tapers community. Our mission is to maintain and attract customers. All else will fall into place if we follow this maxim. Our services will meet or exceed customer expectations.
Youth will be served! The event will be open to all ages! Heavy Metal Praise Records will only record Christian Heavy Metal artists and promote their success in the mainstream of Punk music and Ska music.
1.1 Objectives
Two new Heavy Metal bands will be signed and recorded in the first one year.
Release the first CD of each group in the first year.
Establish a strong distribution network that will facilitate CD sales.
For the best distribution of our music, you need to form strategic alliances.
1.2 Mission
Heavy Metal Praise Records was created by three dedicated Christians. The Skate Ministry is a group of 10 adult skateboarders who spread the word of God to young skateboarders during the weekend at various skate parks throughout the area. The majority of these young boys are between 12 and 18 years old. Heavy Metal is the dominant music in the skateboard community. This music is heard at all local skateparks. From the beginning the group realized that the music itself was creating negative actions on the part of young skateboarders and was facilitating a culture of selfishness and violence.
Heavy Metal Praise’s mission is to present Christian Heavy Metal bands to the target market. It has the same musical intensity as popular Heavy Metal bands, but with a positive, constructive message that will encourage young people to have a closer relationship to God.
1.3 Keys for Success
Delivering Heavy Metal music that is irresistible to your target audience.
You can access the music and distribution networks that provide Heavy Metal artists with music for the skate culture.
Get access to the distribution network for traditional Christian music that will offer a ready-made customer base for Heavy Metal Praise Records artists.
Mt. Hood Records is an unusual but sustainable business model for a record label. Hillary MacQuilliams established the company as an Oregon registered LLC. The business works to promote several Portland-based bands that share the same element of improvisation.
Industry Analysis
The retail record industry is dominated by a few large corporations. These corporations control 87% the CD sales. Indie record label, which is a less commercial version than the big corporations, controls 8%. The remaining 5 percent is controlled by a mixture of record label companies. Most labels are aggressive in their sales efforts. They sign up lots of different bands and hope a few make it big. Record corporations make huge profits when bands are commercially successful. Indie labels are similar to the record companies, but they are more selective and may not choose the most profitable bands.
Products and Services
Mt. Hood Records is a Portland-based record label that serves a select number of Portland-based bands. Mt. Hood Records believes that it is more profitable for them to sign up a handful of bands and promote them equally, than to sign up many and hope that one is successful enough to flot the rest. This is a good approach for a handful of bands. It provides the bands with the intimate and specialized focus of the label. The bands recognizes that fact that this label will be working hard to promote just a few bands, and that they will not be lost in the shuffle.
A Business Model
To make this record label succeed, it will take a lot more than just a little bit of revenue in the first year. For many businesses this is quite difficult to swallow. Mt. Hood Records it helps that these realistic expectations have been established up front, and will not be an unwelcome future surprise. The parameters have been established by friends and family, who have also given their consent. It will take some effort to accomplish this but reasonable expectations upfront and the right management will ensure that it happens.
Management
Mt. Hillary MacQuilliams has founded Hood Records and will run it. Hillary is an experienced musician. Hillary began touring with her band 180 South right after graduation. Hillary and her band formed their own record company to self-release a studio CD. Hillary knows that this was not an attempt to make a record company work. It was more a novelty to launch a label and publish their own CD.
Hillary enrolled in law school after the tour. Law jobs were very difficult to find after graduation. Hillary was unsuccessful in her job hunt and began to think about the possibility of working in the music industry. After doing extensive research, she developed a business plan that would be long-lasting by creating a local record label. Mt. Hood Records.
1.1 Objectives
To become the best local music label within three years based on CDs sales.
Sign at least five groups within the first three years.
Within three years, achieve profitability
1.2 Mission
Mt. Hood Records is a local record label that promotes local music and increases live appearances. Mt. Hood Records was founded to promote its bands, and also make a fair income.
1.3 Keys to Success
Promote promising bands.
Sign up for as few bands as possible to limit the effectiveness of your promotion.