[fyrfytrhoges]

a recent purchase has made me think about promo cds and records. I know supposedly promo cds are used to "promote" upcoming albums. my question is to whom are they given, how many are there and are they really worth all the hype. secondly if a record company puts out a "promo only" cd, which are sometimes labeled "promo only, not for sale" how do all these people get their hands on them and also how do online cd dealers get away with selling them openly on their websites? I just got a promo edition of the new radiohead album which has a number on the back, the number is 0758, am I to assume that this means that 9999 of them were made, because if this is the case it's really not worth the hype or the money I paid for it. other than the fact that I collect all cds radiohead just because I'm a freak, I wonder if I'm a sucker as well????

 

[blessingx]

I have promos (use to work at a record store) that I've never seen turn up in record stores, discussed on the web, etc. Some have to be for real.

 

[averydonovan]

I have a few limited edition CDs but not really any promos. I don't know how collectible some of them are, but in some cases only the ltd. edition was available.

One limited edition, though not marked at such, is Project Pitchfork Live '97. It is in a unique metal jewel case and I believe only around 5000 copies were made. I think only one track from that CD has made it on to a compilation disc or single, making this a truly collectable disc, especially outside Germany as it was not really released outside of there. And I paid a standard import CD price for it, not anything inflated.

But every other ltd. edition disc I have I can do without the extra tracks on. Especially on Funker Vogt's Survivor which was a bad enough album by itself, and adding an extra "limited edition" disc made it even worse by having to endure another 3 tracks of the same boring crap.

 

[KR...]

Promo CDs are cheaply pressed and given away to Radio Station DJs. They don't include the booklets or even the case. Sometimes they don't even include the finish final cover art. Other times artists made with only clips of songs on the promo CDs instead of the full songs to prevent MP3s being made before the official release. Some promo CDs only have one song on them and that version might be the radio edit, aka it's edited to be shorter or sometimes it's even censored.

 

[FalconP]

Quote:

Originally posted by fyrfytrhoges a recent purchase has made me think about promo cds and records. I know supposedly promo cds are used to "promote" upcoming albums. my question is to whom are they given, how many are there and are they really worth all the hype. secondly if a record company puts out a "promo only" cd, which are sometimes labeled "promo only, not for sale" how do all these people get their hands on them and also how do online cd dealers get away with selling them openly on their websites?

Why, surely the radio DJs, music critics and record retail stores who receive promo CDs by truckloads must find a way to dispose of them, and many promos end up in used record stores. I even saw CDs with stickers that read "To [DJ's name], with compliments" on sale in used CD stores.

Although it is stated on the CDs that these are not for sale (and that the record labels have the right to take them back upon request), no one really cares; and as far as I know no one got caught for trading promos.

As for the value of such things: of course if you're a fan or a collector you'd like to get your hands on these -- some of the promos have different cover arts and packaging -- but music-wise, promos are rarely better than the commercial versions. An exception I can think of is the promo CD Live in San Franciso by Canadian singer Lorenna McKennitt -- the rare (and very much sought after) promo disc is packed with ten pieces of music, but bears no cover art; the commercial version, available on her web site, contains only 6 tracks.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Yes to both. They are a rip-off -- I mean, the music exists, why limit the quantity? The only reason would be to elevate the desirability.

That said, I'm a sucker for them every time. Because some of those B-sides rule.