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Re: What does it mean to you, to "release a record"?
Ingo Ito wrote:
> What I still miss on the web are sites (or better one "reference"-site
> like Wikipedia) that do reviews of only downloadable music. I have
> contacted many platforms that do reviews, but they all wrote back,
> that they do reviews only for physical CDs - I think that´s a bit
> obsolete nowadays.
That's an interesting thought that parallels my situation as a radio
show host. Like me, I am sure that reviewers are inundated with CD
releases. Their time is limited and they can't afford to spend it
downloading music that they might not review or even have time to hear.
They certainly can't be burning CDRs in order to transport a downloaded
album to their special listening station if that station is not their
computer. They also need to put the brakes on all the possible
submissions. Once upon a time, albums for review came only from
labels. The labels weeded out the wheat from the chaff, so to speak.
In today's climate, there is no gate keeper like a label so the reviewer
has to either accept everything from everyone, limited only by the
genre(s) of music covered by the reviewer. No gate keepers and no rules
on when, how, or what to release. There are no standards for the myriad
of artists to follow. What's a poor reviewer to do? ;-)
In my case, neither station where I host shows provide the means to play
files. Even if they did, how would I transport files there? I do not
have the time or finances to burn CDRs and print up cover inserts and
tray cards. There are far more artists than there is of me! I need a
finished product in my hand (be it professionally manufactured or hand
made at home by the artist) with all the information at my disposal. I
can't take an unmarked CDR to the radio station and be able to create a
playlist that lists artist, song played, album, and label (if any).
(You'd be surprised how many times an artist sends me an unmarked CDR
with no paperwork despite the form letter I send that specifies my needs
in excrutiating detail!)
So even in this climate of personal publishing of non-physical product,
there needs to be an understanding of how DJs, reviewers, and other
industry people need to operate.
Cheers,
Bill