Over the years I’ve gotten a lot of promo CDs in the mail. Generally, the CDs that are sent out for review are identical to the ones that hit the stores except for a hole punched in the UPC or, in rare cases, stripped of cover art.
Recently, though, several labels have taken to adopting the most annoying practice supposedly to avoid pirating: every minute or two, a loud sample will be triggered that’s 10 or 15 seconds long and consists of lots of talking. “This is a promo for so-and-so’s album, which hits the stores on July 5th. It features blah blah blah…” It’s the equivalent of radio stations that used to play their station ID over songs in an attempt to keep you from recording an “exclusive” track. However, what these labels don’t realize is that it totally ruins the CD and makes it nearly unlistenable for the reviewer. The first time I got a CD like this, it bothered me so much it actually affected my review of the album.
So, record labels: give it up. I hereby refuse to review any more albums that have this pointless form of copy protection. (As if that’ll scare the labels.)
Posted in Television, Movies, and Music