Off: CD Promo

[Jon Jarrett]

On Fri, 26 Aug 2005, Paul Mather wrote:

> On Fri, 2005-08-26 at 13:43 -0400, Stephe wrote:
> > I totally agree. Oust them. If they are going to sell them, then they should
> > at least send the money back to HW. Cheers Stephe
>
> We should make them walk the plank!  These evil-doers must be taught a
> lesson!!
>
> I notice there are people on eBay also selling a promo copy of the
> upcoming "Spirit of the Age" single, as well as an old promo 45 of
> "Seven By Seven."  Please advise whether I should be outraged.

> PS: I'm not condoning selling promo materials, but having bought such
> things in the past, it'd be a little hypocritical of me to condemn it.

        I think it's a matter of the point in the chain, isn't it? With
most promos that you or I have in our collections (I've got three I think,
not counting the promo `Love in Space' single which I was given by
Hawkwind's kind offer on this list at the time, and if I ever meet any of
the members of the bands concerned I'll buy them a beer or suitable by way
of apology), they've been bought from some second-hand stall or
whatever; I think all of mine came this way. They presumably got there
because DJs or whoever who'd been given them by record companies sold
them, either to the stall-holder or a previous owner. In those cases it's
the DJ or whoever whom we;'d presumably consider shouldn't really be
selling what was given him for free and labelled not for sale, and perhaps
the stallholder shouldn't have bought it. The buyer from the stall is too
far down the chain to be condemned though I think; once it's been sold
once the damage is done and it's fair game (much like a normal release on
that sense).

        The difference here is that the sellers on E-Bay are that first
recipient, in the same position as the DJ, and the buyers in the same
position as the stallholders, so their ethical position is a bit more
dubious I think. Myself I'll buy the real album if and when it finally
emerges, without the need of the promo. I suppose even that is a kind of
faith in this not being all we get to hear of it :-) Yours,
                                                            Jon

ObCD: Clutch - _Pure Rock Fury_
--
    Jonathan Jarrett    "There is scarce any tradition or popular error
    Birkbeck College     but stands also delivered by some good author."
        London         (Sir Thomas Browne, "Pseudodoxia Epidemica", 1646)