Hey you, you who sell off yr unwanted promotional only CDs for dosh, look at this ...

It all began in May 2007 when Universal Music Group (UMG), the largest of the Big Four companies that dominate the music industry worldwide, sued a Los Angeles-based trader on the eBay online auction site.

The target of the legal action, Troy Augusto, runs a business called Roast Beast Music Collectables.

He makes his living by snapping up rare albums in second-hand record shops and selling them on eBay.

Universal is taking him to task for copyright infringement, saying some of the items he offered for sale online were promotional copies and not authorised for sale to the public.

But digital rights lobby group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has taken up cudgels on Mr Augusto's behalf and is counter-suing Universal.

So people actually care about this?

Every one of those promotional-selling terrorist-enabling journo bastards should get the death penalty.

dunno why anyone would want to pay money for promo copies in the first place, to be honest...

Hilarious. This reminds me of this kid who brought up a copy of David Bowie's "Low" from the used bin that had a promo stamp on it, pointing it out as the CD amongst his other purchases that he'd be taking home without charge that day. "Kid, this is a sidewalk sale, there is no law here."

OH NO I SOLD COLDPLAY PROMOS PLEASE DON'T HURT ME

http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2008/06/11/london-dj-arrested-selling-pre-release-albums-ebay

http://www.tacgworldwide.com/sherlock.jpg

Okay, selling on the promo before the release date is pretty stupid.

Universal Music Group, photographed yesterday:

http://www.girl.com.au/graphics/dinosaurs_3d_1.jpg

Okay, selling on the promo before the release date is pretty stupid far more lucrative.

Not if it's Kelly Rowland or Grand National or the Foals it isn't.

Anyway, "promos" and "release dates" in this day and age hyuk hyuk.

Frank Turner once messaged me to ask that I take down his not-yet-released album. Dear diary, that day I felt like a man for the first time

Take down from eBay that is, as opposed to pointing out that one Billy Bragg is quite enough already

It's not every day that record companies are accused of behaving like goblins in a book by JK Rowling.

Since when have Harry Potter books mentioned record companies? oh wait

UPDATE!

Universal loses promo CD battle

Promo albums are marked in a variety of different ways
Music giant Universal Music Group has lost a court battle to stop an eBay trader from reselling promotional CDs he had bought from second hand stores.

Troy Augusto makes money by snapping up rare albums and selling them on the online auction site.

Universal accused him of copyright infringement, saying some of the items he offered were promotional copies and not authorised for sale to the public.

But a US judge ruled that Mr Augusto had the right to sell the CDs.

Universal said it planned to appeal against the ruling and was confident that it would win.

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/torydiary/images/2007/09/25/sheffield_rally.jpg