marty@metalreviews wrote:
Adveser wrote:
Just because they aren't sending out review copies as much as thier are advances to record stores doesn't mean they aren't promoting bands.While review websites are very good at promoting bands and informing the public about them and generally helping raise awareness of the bands, they do little in terms af actually distributing music to prospective fans. Record stores typically play them in the store, sell them
to the best of my knowledge every sales reps at all the companies we are customers of encourage any independant record stores who carry thier albums to sell the promos if it keeps them in business.
All the warnings, labels and other non-sense on the promo versions is there strictly so they can be given away and not taxed.
Locomotive Records (who distribute AFM, Dockyard1, Massacre, among others) is very good about sending promotional material out.Nuclear Blast/Century Media have always been generous. Insideout/Steamhammer have always promoted the shit out of thier bands.Candlelight is also still sending out lots of promos.
The only company out there not keeping up is probably Metal Blade and the major record companies, and neither have been very relevant in my eyes for years.
Not to stir up trouble here but check out this
link and you'll see what I mean. Some of the smaller labels are still cool about giving out promos but the larger labels are not......
I honestly don't know what is going on in promoland for review websites and critics, I can only attest that the following record companies still send out plenty of promos to record stores, which is where I get them (again, I've been told indie record stores are encouraged to sell promos if it is making them a profit and in turn helping keep these stores in business, believe it or not, a 5 dollar promo sell is a lot more attractive than a 20 dollar retail version sale because stores usually have one customer interested in certain bands)
The companies still sending out stuff are the following:
InsideOut
Steamhammer
Locomotive (AFM, Dockyard1, Massacre liscensee)
Nuclear Blast
Century Media
Napalm
Concrete Corner
Atlantic
Season of Mist
Limb Music
others...
