Do you feel guilty when you sell (or trade) promo copies?

please continue to do it. that way i can get cheap ex-promo CDs, which is the only way I can afford to buy albums these days.

Same here. That last commercial release I bought that wasn't a promo or a used copy was the Interpol EP last summer (and that was only $4). Before that, I bought Bowie's Heathen because I couldn't find a promo anywhere and didn't want to wait for it to turn up used.

I agree that it's a great way to keep music circulating - although because Careless Talk is sent SO much stuff, and SO obscure, I don't usually sell promo copies but redistribute them via free CD giveaways at Careless Talk nights. It's much more direct.

when I was struggling, I used to depend on my monthly visits to the Exchange, but now I usually donate 'em to garage sale holding charitable type organizations.

Why feel guilty? The record companies don't care.

Example: A dear friend of mine, who writes about music (and hangs out on ILM, which is how I got here), used my mailing address for a few months right after he moved to NYC. Ever since, he's been trying to get record companies to update his address info; meanwhile, I keep getting random demo crap in the mail. So the other day I took keyboard in lap and wrote the following...

<< Hi. My name is not M[xxx], but you keep sending things to him at my address -- most recently, a Supergrass CD. You need to get in touch and find out his mailing address. His email address is [xxx]. As for the CD, I threw it out. Congratulations on wasting the PR budget for some poor recording artist. >>

I emailed both flacks listed on the release and they were both kind enough to respond, as follows:

*******

(1)
Wow, what a pain in the ass, getting a bunch of free CDs in the mail. Bummer. Anyway, the problem must be on Island Records' end so I'll let them take care of it -- we have the right address for M[xxx]. And trust me, Supergrass are not poor...I'm pretty sure they'll get by OK.

Carrie
_____________________
Carrie Klein
Nasty Little Man
136 Church St. 3rd fl.
New York NY 10007
Ph: 212-732-7000
Fx: 212-732-7770
www.nastylittleman.com

and (2)
From: "Roldan, Rey"
Cc: "'carrie@nastylittleman.com'"
Subject: RE: wrong address
Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2003 08:52:57 -0800

Thanks... That's very thoughtful of you to think about the artist and throw out the CD because of a former resident of your address has
moved. Isn't opening mail not addressed to you a crime?

Have a great day.

*******

So now we know: They really don't give a fsck what you do with their stuff. Just don't bother them with the details...

If we want to start ragging on publicists, that's another thread entirely (and probably has been but I'm too lazy to do a search.)

Well one argument (and I guess I'm cribbing from Albini's "Some of Your Friends...") is that most promos are meant for the writer to sell back, as a not-so-roundabout bribe to build up goodwill for the label's releases, and thus hopefully result in good reviews.

If it's been sent to me, unsolicited, then no, I don't feel any kind of guilt or compunction AT ALL.

Things that I've asked for (and turned out not to like) or else things that people have made an effort to give me, I'll try to show more respect for - passing them on to people who would appreciate them, rather than throwing them away.

I always thought that loads of free promos was the record industry's way of making things up to the music press for how badly paid they are...

no

I feel proud.

I won't sell them. I give them away if people want 'em, or I take them to the Goodwill. It doesn't seem right to me to sell them.

I don't sell local CDs, or request CDs that I'm unlikely to review. Otherwise, you ever see Jeff Goldblum as the alt-weekly critic selling his records to "Cheapo" in 1977's Between the Lines? Or read Lester Bangs on the subject? It's a time-honored institution, albeit on the hush hush...