Opening a Printed Music Store - Publishers want a Resale License...what is it?

Question

I'm in the process of researching opening a Music Shop specializing in the sale of printed music and offering tuition in my local area. I'm approaching publishers early so I can sort out the processes of opening accounts with the major players so getting stock will be easy once I'm trading. In contacting them, they don't seem to want to talk to me unless you have a "Resale License" but I can't seem to find out any information! I've rung my local council, and they've put me in a seven day queue for somebody to ring me back. Anyone got any clues about exactly what it is, and how I can go about applying? Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

In the US, anyway, a resale licence just tells the suppliers that you are for real, or at least you are legally for real. End users are constantly trying to get around retail sellers to get better prices, and they (the suppliers) need the resale numbers in case any of the companies (in your case, the people that own the copyright on the music) want to come back at them for lost sales. A reseller licence is the same as a business licence (for like less than $100 usually for a small business and it lasts a year), in the US anyway (I get the feeling you're not from the US, pardon me if I am wrong).