Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with distribution

Game Over

Sully — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:43:49 -0800

MagazineDistributionFilter: I used to buy the videogame magazine GameInformer at my local bookstores and magazine shops. I live in Montreal, Canada. I did this for years, going out during my lunchbreak and picking it up, then reading it on the bus home after work. Then, all of a sudden this past January, all the stores stopped getting it. I looked everywhere. All the big bookstores, all the magazine store chains. It was frankly, bizarre. The only place that still seemed to get it was EB Games, and they only got a few copies. I now subscribe to the magazine, but the question of why they would suddenly stop distributing to newsstands here has plagued me. Does anyone know?

How would I pick which equation to use?

lpctstr; — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:49:49 -0800

I want to determine the difference between distributions. When would I use kl-divergence and when would I use rmse? It seems like both equations reduce deviation to a single number, but couldn't find a comparison between them.

How does my alt-weekly get to my cafe?

the christopher hundreds — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:08:31 -0800

How do free alt-weeklies and zines get access to their distribution points? Is it as simple as asking or do they pay rent/barter some ad space in return for a place to put their magazine?

Online Resouces For Online/Mobile Content Distribution

Idiot Mittens — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:31:59 -0800

Is there a good single online resource to keep up-to-date in trends for online/mobile content distribution? I make comedy content for online use. I've got a good handle on what my options are through traditional website distribution, I think. I've got partnerships with YouTube and FunnyorDie. But I've heard I should get stuff on iTunes, and then there are all these cell phone features and downloads etc. that I don't really understand. I don't use the Internet on my cell, so I haven't had an opportunity to learn about it first-hand.

Basically, not only do I need to get up to speed but given the constant changes in this area I'd like to keep up to speed. Is there an good online resource that targets this knowledge specifically?

Thanks!

How was print produced and distributed during the early Medieval period?

slowcat — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:28:33 -0800

How was print produced and distributed during the early Medieval period? I've been doing a lot of reading lately on early Christian thinkers, and I was wondering how much influence their writings could have on the general Christian public if this were before say, movable type. For example, Origen's writings are listed as being highly controversial in his lifetime, but how many people really had access to them? Was it really only the academic elite? Did they have to be manually copied?

I feel like I can't truly appreciate the ideas without understanding the context.
Thanks!

Please teach me the science of buying and selling stuff.

Anonymous — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:34:12 -0800

I'm considering a slight career change into the online retail sector and I'd like to know more about distribution models, purchasing from distributors and manufacturers, and how product prices are calculated. I'm in the software business right now, so I have a pretty strong grasp on how software is priced and distributed. What I really want to know is the science of buying, storing, selling and shipping physical items. How do you know what to buy and how much? When do you start adding discounts? How do you store and inventory large amounts of stuff?

There has got to be volumes written about these topics, right?

I'd like any information I can get for online businesses, ones with brick and mortar stores, and hybrids. Big or small, it doesn't matter, as I would likely join an already established business. I want to read online articles, listen to podcasts, read books, but most of all I'd love to hear firsthand from those of you with knowledge to share.

Anonymous because I'd like to keep my current job while I mull over this information.

Third Party Logistics

Frasermoo — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 05:44:46 -0800

How does a third party logistics provider typically charge their customers? We are looking at starting 3rd party logisitics functions for a supplier. This will involve holding the stock and shipping upon instruction from the supplier. Is there a typical model for charging for this service, such as per shipment, flat fee for the service, % value of goods moved?

Help me pick a Linux distro

philosophygeek — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 10:41:20 -0800

I'm about to move one of my computers to Linux, but I don't know much about the various distributions. Can you recommend resources that compare the strengths and weaknesses of the various distributions, so that I can assess any relevant tradeoffs? The only distribution I know about is Ubuntu, and my knowledge there is limited to "they try to make Linux accessible to non-techies." That could well be the ideal route for me, but I'd like to be able to make that decision on a better basis than their marketing pitch.

Specific details about my computing situation: My current setup is Mac-based. The Linux-to-be computer is a desktop. Daily usage will include OpenOffice, text editing, web browsing, listening to music, email, and IM; I also semi-regularly rip DVDs or convert video files for my iPod, get digital photos from my camera, and connect to my employer's VPN.

I'm comfortable using the command line to the extent that I can follow directions, but unguided tweaking is not my forte. I have no problem with downloading drivers from the web, but I don't want to spend lots of time looking up, e.g., what kind of video card I have.

How do I best encode the intended audience of a photo inside a JPG file?How do I best encode the intended audience of a photo inside a JPG file?

hoverboards don't work on water — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:05:27 -0800

How do I best encode the intended audience of a photograph inside a JPG file? I have a collection of photos (about 30,000) which I would like to share. While I am happy for anyone to see most of them, there are some I only want to share with friends, some I only want to share with family, and some I want to remain private entirely - like Flickr's options.

As far as I can tell, there is no metadata standard for encoding intended audience, i.e. nothing like the IPTC or EXIF standards for encoding a caption, or the ISO speed.

My current plan is to use Digikam to simply tag photos "friends", "family", or "private", with none-of-the-above meaning everybody.

Is this the best way to do it?

CDBaby or Tunecore?

hz37 — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 04:50:52 -0800

Tunecore or CDBaby? I have already used Tunecore before with no complaints, but is there anyone who has compared both services? Is there a compelling reason to use one over the other? I listen to the CDBaby DIY podcast and it seems like a very sympathetic service too, so I tend to do the next album via CDBaby. I want to use either one to distribute via the usual digital channels (amazonmp3, itunes, emusic, etc.) AND be able to print physical cd's. Thanks for your answers and insights.

A Strange Bucket

Blazecock Pileon — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:39:58 -0800

I have a bucket containing N marbles: M white marbles and N-M black marbles. I need to grab a handful of marbles (n) and figure out the probability of having picked up m white marbles. At first, I thought I could use the hypergeometric distribution. But there's a complication, namely that the white marbles are not equally distributed in my bucket.

In other words, if my handful of marbles contains one white marble, I'm more likely to have picked up one or more additional white marbles in my hand, and this probability is different depending on how many white marbles I may have picked up.

Is there a good approach to modeling or simulating this kind of situation?

Indie Film Distribution

rocco — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:30:26 -0800

How to get theatrical distribution for an indie? We made a feature film. It's screened at over 15 festivals so far this year in the U.S. and won six awards. We got picked up by a big indie agency in L.A. but so far they have not managed to secure any kind of theatrical distribution deal.

We're not really in it for the money, but we'd like to get SOME kind of theatrical play (where people pay to get in) no matter where. We do have the funds for a 35mm print ourselves if needed, but we're not opposed to screening in HD. In fact it looks great in HD.

Anyway, is it possible to approach theaters directly? Obviously not AMC, but small local art house theaters. Does anyone have any experience with self distribution before going the DVD route (we have a small deal in place already, but are waiting for theatrical just in case)

Any advice appreciated. THANKS

What should I negotiate for the use of my song?

ludwig_van — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 21:56:03 -0800

What should I negotiate for the use of my song on a compilation? I have another licensing question. A (presumably small) Japanese record label wants to put one of my tracks on a compilation. They'll print 1000 copies at first which will be mostly distributed in Japan but some in the US. They will also sell the compilation on iTunes. They said the license is non-exclusive, the territory is world-wide, and they offered me 5 free samples and $150.

I thought that sounded pretty good, but I was thinking I should stipulate that this license is only for the 1000-copy run and we'd have to re-negotiate if they did another run, and that I should get a percentage of the iTunes sales. But then I was thinking maybe I should say no to the iTunes part together, since I already sell the song on iTunes myself, and why would I want them selling the same track there?

Does that make sense? Is there anything else I'm not thinking of?

How do I best submit my short film to as many festivals as possible?

Elle Vator — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:45:27 -0800

A comprehensive short-film festival submission calender: Does such a thing exist? I am in post production on a non-verbal short film. It could be considered a dance film (it involves dancers), an experimental film (in involves a woman going through a series of effect-driven physical transformations, breaking apart into many people and then coming back, whole and powerful) or a music video (it is the length of a song and the song is amazing) but I consider it to be a non-verbal dramatic narrative short about becoming who you are. It could be considered to be the story of any immigrant, anyone who has gone through adolescence or experienced a spiritual/physical transformation.

It is the best thing I have ever made in terms of production values and I want to submit it to all the festivals I can. It is the type of film that may garner awards in the right forums. Is there a resource - a website, perhaps - that lists all the festivals looking for short content and their deadlines?

I would also be interested if anyone has any tips as to how I could seek out international distribution. The lyrics of the song are not in English or French (Portuguese, in fact), though the production is based in Canada. You don't need to understand the words in order to get the meaning of the piece. What that means to me is that this film has global distribution potential.

Thoughts?

How can I generate numbers that fall into power-law distribution?

k7lim — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:34:26 -0800

I need to generate numbers that fall into a power-law / zipf / long-tail distribution. Does anyone know of a python library that can do that?

Is the IRS mad at me?

stupidsexyFlanders — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:00:49 -0800

Good news! Going through some old paperwork I just found a check for $2,600 that I'd never cashed from 2003. Bad news! It was a rollover distribution from a 401K at Fidelity, made out to E-trade. Fidelity says they did file a 1099 in the year they cut the check. Am I screwed for the back taxes, plus penalties? Apparently I had a notion to close out this account and consolidate the funds in a rollover IRA I have at E-trade. Never happened.

In the five years since, I've not heard anything from the IRS about this, despite the outstanding 1099 never being matched up by E-Trade with whatever form they file to show they got the $$ within 60 days.

I can't just unwind the whole thing and "decline" the check, as this was an employee 401(k) at Fidelity and they won't allow me to "add" to it. I explained it was never technically "withdrawn" but to them it was (the account still exists, with a zero balance). All they'll do is cut another check to the institution I name.

If I go that route I feel sure the IRS will match the distribution up with the deposit at E-trade and inflict all kinds of heinous penalties on me. What are my options?

I know you're not a tax advisor, but I don't think the $$ at stake here warrant paying an actual tax advisor. Maybe I'm wrong about that?

what's the probability distribution, kenneth?

russm — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 19:20:25 -0800

for the statisticians: what probability distribution do I want to fit to my data, and how? I have a collection of widgets. they age, and as they age some of them get tweaked. it's been suggested to me that given enough time every widget will eventually be tweaked, but I'm not convinced. the data I have covers ~64000 widgets, and for each widget is either the age at which it was tweaked, or alternatively the current age and the fact that it has never (yet) been tweaked.

as I understand it (I'm a database programmer with an interest in maths but very little working stats) I want to fit some probability distribution to my data and see whether the area under the probability mass function is < 1.

the 2 things that make this different from everything I've been able to find on the 'net are

1) I specifically don't expect the cumulative distribution to asymptote to 1, which appears to count out obvious candidates like a Poisson distribution

2) my data contains negative examples - those widgets which have not yet been tweaked, and may never be. I'm assuming these are relevant to the shape of the final distribution, but I can't work out how to get tools like R to take them into account.

the best advice I've had so far is from an engineer friend who said to chuck the data on only the tweaked widgets into R, fit a Poisson distribution and be done with it. unfortunately this fails on both of the above points. (then again, all he normally cares about is failure rates in aircraft parts, and you know that given enough time every lug will eventually break).

so, if there are any stats geeks who understand what I'm trying to do and can point me at tools/docs/info on how to do it you'd rock my world.

How should I release and distribute my album?

lukeomalley — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 13:15:07 -0800

How should I release and distribute my newly recorded album without a record label? I am finishing up my record and it is time for me to start planning the release. The more I read about the RIAA and record labels, the less I want to be associated with them. I am looking for an alternative route.

I am not averse to giving it away, but it is a lot of money out of my pocket. I figured that the hive mind might have some solutions that I am unaware of.

Normal, poisson with a twist of outliers.

blue_beetle — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 22:48:57 -0800

Do foot sizes follow a normal distribution?

Marketing Filter: Please help a wannabe be all that he can be!

cdmwebs — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 19:32:22 -0800

What's the best marketing strategy for an independent contractor looking to focus on distribution centers and third party logistics providers? Long-winded version inside... I've spent the bulk of my career solving logistics and distribution problems inside big box distribution centers for some of the largest companies in the world. I've written databases, developed intranet reporting systems, changed operational arrangements and helped to increase efficiency in every single distribution account I've ever worked with. My most recent "title" was Project Manager.

I left the corporate world behind last year to work with a friend on a small trucking/logistics company he was starting up and learned a million and one things doing it. I've since left that startup and been freelancing doing some basic web development and IT support work for several friends with their own businesses, none of which are in the logistics/distribution field.

I've also been fortunate enough to get some seat time in the sales and marketing world, albeit not exactly my world. I've knocked on doors and made cold calls, but it seemed to be a captive audience for me then. Basically, walk in the front door with some cookies, slide past reception and make a brief introduction to the (mostly) ladies running the phones. This seems to be as far from that as I can imagine.

So, hive mind, how can I combine the previous experience (which I loved doing) with the new independent role and get to the people I need to get to in order to market my services? Specifically, using IT systems and services to increase the efficiency of automated distribution centers? Besides handing out business cards and putting up a site, of course...

Thanks in advance!

Online distribution strategies

phaedon — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:34:18 -0800

What are some of the latest, smartest and/or cost-effective online distribution strategies a small record label should pursue? A small record label is looking to distribute their music online for the first time; the music itself consists of lesser known, but established artists from the 60's and 70's in the funk/soul genre. It's time to make a handful of albums available online, in conjunction with their release on CD and vinyl.

Are big name, one-stop aggregators like CDbaby still the way to go in terms of online distribution? Or are there better deals, or better strategies, out there? What are some tips to get the word out? For example, how hard is it to get a "free download" deal, combined with front page exposure, with iTunes? Is it worth setting up an independent e-commerce site for downloading music? I mean, do people buy that way? Along these lines, what do you think the future of online distribution will be?

Ack! Weird / Fast / Mysterious Rash! Itchy!!!

ZakDaddy — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 19:31:27 -0800

SeeADoctorForThisRashFilter: Which we are going to, first thing in the morning, but I'm trying to put the Missus' mind at ease. My oldest daughter (turns 9 in November) developed a rather startling rash this morning, both in severity and speed of onset. It itches like crazy, apparently. No other symptoms (no fever, cough, nothing) and we're able to take the worst edge off the itch with liberal calamine / Benadryl / oatmeal bath application, but we can't figure out what it is. The nurse at the CVS MinuteClinic said it was very likely chicken pox, but (1) my daughter was vaccinated for that years ago, (2) she has no fever or other symptoms and (3) the rash doesn't look ... quite right for chicken pox. To wit: its distribution is odd, with hundreds of angry itchy red bumps on her trunk and extremities, most heavily where her bathing suit exposes the skin. Her back, in particular, is quite a sight. She has few to none on her face, scalp, genitals, butt, hands and feet. It's been about ... call it 20 hours since onset, and thus far none of the bumps have developed pustules. So, you know, wth? IANAD (obviously) and nothing I can find tells me whether this particular symptom set falls within the range of normal for chicken pox. Other ideas? We thought maybe Swimmer's Itch (we went swimming in her grandfolx neighborhood pool yesterday) but that apparently requires a waterborne pathogen, and presumably a chlorinated pool that's checked weekly would rule that out. Additionally, no one else in the family has any symptoms at all.

Weird, huh? Flagrant speculation and hand-waving is welcome. We'll be calling the doctor's office first thing in the morning, so we can bypass the "see a doctor" that's inevitably going to show up anyway. Thanks in advance. :)

Small-press publisher's woes

jbickers — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 17:25:10 -0800

Newsstand distribution for indie magazines? A friend of mine publishes an indie music magazine. For years, he's been on newsstands, through one of the smaller periodical distro companies. But that business has changed so much - and that particular distro has gone out of business - that he finds himself facing a situation where getting that magazine on newsstands would cost 2-3X what it costs to print it.

He wants to try to get the mag into music shops, regional chains, etc. But doing so would involve a helluva lot of legwork, almost a prohibitive amount, and I'm thinking at this point that he needs to just forget about newsstand altogether and focus on his niche via subscription.

But before we give up on newsstand altogether ... is there any sort of distribution network for indie music magazines, into indie music stores? I can't believe all of those small record stores buy their magazines one-by-one from the individual publishers. There has to be some kind of distribution network available for small publishers. Or is there? What can my friend do to get his magazine out to the unwashed masses, in the record stores/bookstores?

A CD Baby for Europe?

goodnewsfortheinsane — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 17:00:32 -0800

I signed up for CD Baby (as an artist) but feel the shipping costs might be a bit steep for non-North America customers. Which similar services can you recommend for the European market?

how do i manage an enormous chest

taff — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 04:12:16 -0800

i have an enormous chest and it's very heavy. it's wood. i made it myself. it's about 1.5 metres squared and one metre high. i use it to store "stuff" in and i want to put casters on it, but not significantly increase its height. the problem is that all the casters or wheels that would take the kind of weight of the chest are gi frickin' normous. and all the casters/wheels i've seen with a lower profile have quite low weight restrictions. can i just put heaps more small casters on the box or do i have to put the huge casters on that fit the overall weight of my chest? i believe the chest weighs in the vicinity of about 100kilograms.... and when you fill it with all the stuff i keep in it.... maybe 150-200 kilograms. help me before i set fire to it in frustration.... my physics, like gravity, sucks.