Indie music label immergent ready to rock retailers.

Move over Starbucks.

By the end of the year, music lovers can start shopping for albums while waiting in line for Chardonnay, draperies or even massages.

West L.A.-based independent music label Immergent, owned by 5.1 Entertainment, just signed a deal with Dion Sales to push the label's titles into "non-tradirional" store environments--think high-profile bed-and-bath type stores, spa chains, wineries and specialty grocery stores (coffee houses made the list, too-just not the ubiquitous chain with the green logo).

The initiative includes releases by artists such as Pat Benatar, Bob Marley, Lynryd Skynyrd, Jerry Lee Lewis and John Lee Hooker, which are part of the company's approximate 500-title catalog.

The music-sales-by-coffee-house concept has a successful track record: In 2004, Starbucks patrons were responsible for more than 30 percent of the CD sales for Ray Charles' duet album "Genius Loves Company."

"Record retail stores continue to be the most important part of sales, but we're always looking for more ways to get product in front of consumers," said John Trickett, chief executive of 5.1 Entertainment. "People are looking for other ways to buy music--Starbucks is a great example with the success of their CD sales. We want to leverage as many opportunities as possible."

Trickett would not disclose specific retailers but said announcements would be made in the next two months. Several rifles will be in the outlets by the end of the year, though most will appear in stores in 2007. The company specializes in multimedia music entertainment and has been a pioneer in the dual-disc and DVD Audio formats, a higher quality, enhanced digital sound recording that essentially play musical tracks in surround-sound.

Immergent is using Florida-based Dion Sales to push their artists' products--and further dual-discs and DVD-A format marketplace penetration--into the non-music retail outlets, as well as mail order and Internet outfits.