Early Detroit techno was self-distributed by car, sold COD to Chicago record stores

Before European licensing, Detroit techno was distributed by May, Atkins, and Saunderson loading 3,000–4,000 records into car trunks and driving weekly from Detroit to Chicago to sell records COD directly to stores. This generated cash weekly — no 30-day payment terms — and funded the next pressing. The Chicago house scene (Hot Mix 5, Farley, Steve Hurley) created demand that made the records move. This distribution model gave the Belleville Three financial and creative independence before any European deal; it collapsed once they began dealing with Europe’s longer payment cycles.

Examples

Buy Right Records in Detroit sold 700–800 copies a week. Chicago had many independent record stores at the time. Weekly sales grossed ~$10,000 per run.

Assessment

Describe the COD distribution model used for early Detroit techno. What role did the Chicago house scene play in making it viable, and why did the model break down when dealing with Europe?