The Lead-In Ambassador Programme
Independent record shops: earn a 50/50 share of subscription revenue from customers you refer. We don't sell records, so there's no competition. Over one hundred shops have joined — join the founding waitlist.
How the Ambassador Programme works
- What is the Ambassador Programme?
- A referral partnership for independent record shops. Shops display Lead-In QR codes in-store and drop flyers into customers' bags; when a referred customer subscribes, the shop earns a share of that subscription revenue.
- Does The Lead-In compete with my shop?
- No. The Lead-In tracks what a collection is worth — a valuation on every record and a value history for the whole shelf. It never sells vinyl, so pointing a customer to it takes nothing off your counter; it makes them a keener collector.
- Doesn't Discogs already do this?
- Discogs can price a record — it's one of the 50+ sources The Lead-In's valuations draw on. But Discogs is a marketplace: its business is selling records, often the same ones in your racks, and it has never paid a shop for a referral. The Lead-In sells nothing and splits subscription revenue 50/50 with the shop that referred the collector. A customer's Discogs library imports in one tap.
- How much do shops earn?
- A 50/50 split of the subscription revenue from the customers you refer. Every shop gets its own referral code so those sign-ups are tracked to you.
- Is the programme live yet?
- We're recruiting founding shops now, ahead of the subscription launch — over one hundred shops have already joined the mission. Join the waitlist and you'll be first to get the kit and start earning as it rolls out.
- What does it cost to take part?
- Nothing. We print and post the QR codes and flyers, and we handle the billing, tracking and payouts. All it takes from you is the counter space.
Register your shop on the waitlist and we'll be in touch as it rolls out.
© The Lead-In · an independent, reader-supported music publication.