Music Promotion Gets Wise

As I've mentioned before, I get a lot of promo cd's in the mail. I mean, a lot. A really lot. So many more than a person could ever actually listen to, that I seldom if ever even actually listen at all (unless I was scheduled to review the album or am excited to hear it). I know, I know -- pooooor amanda and all her free music, wah wah wah. But really, they clog up my post box, they take up space in my apartment, and they make me feel guilty for not listening to each and every one. And I've been wondering lately about the wisdom -- both from economic and ecological standpoints -- of individually packaging and sending out copies of albums to each reviewer. In the digital age, it's just unnecessary.

Now, lots of labels and bands have been sending their review material digitally for a while. Rather than mail you a copy, they'll send you tracks over email or send you to a file storage site. It works. But until now, I haven't seen that process brought under one umbrella. RED Artist Development has started using a program called Play MPE. You sign in, and any albums they would have previously sent you in the mail are, instead, all there available for download. The only thing it's missing is the ability to stream before downloading. But anyhow, I applaud the effort to stop filling my inbox and landfills with so many jiffy envelopes. So, thanks RED!