First of all, it’s obvious that back in the 12″ days the promos were more rare and labels focused on sending them to high profile artists. I know that some big names receive (only) the same amount of promos today in digital format, than they did back in the days as vinyl (which was a lot too). This is most likely because they keep their email addresses relatively secret, which are not being given out by others either. This is what everyone of us can do, instead of whining about them getting sent free art.

The scenario was very much different from today, tracks were signed maybe a year before their release and pressed six months before. It also took a lot longer for the tracks to end up to the shops, and finally to be purchased. I believe, that the slower lifespan of records was one the reasons why DJ’s used to play over a month old tracks too. This will get us to the next part, why B+ lists get their promos just few days before the release.

With at least most of the DJ’s playing only the “freshest” new choons, there’s absolutely no point in giving a track to DJ Bedroom DJ two months before. The DJ spins the tracks once, might put it out on a tracklist to his myspace and moves on, putting out a new tracklist with new, new tracks next week. Why bother sending them tracks at all then? Because the competition is fierce, and even that DJ Bedroom DJ’s tracklist might caught someone’s attention (radioshows, tracklists, charts etc. have far bigger impact than live gigs). Therefore, he gets the track just before release, so he still thinks its a new one and puts it on his tracklist. He most likely buys only top10 stuff anyway.

If the B+ list DJ feels himself important for getting and playing out the promo, label has succeeded.

I don’t know why DJs spend energy in trying to get promos instead of browsing shops (other than what I stated before), I never have but when I get a promo, I try to feedback as many of them as possible. Purely out of appreciation for the music I’ve been sent, for the inspiration that has been poured into the art. Specially trance scene seems to revolve around forums, and web portals, so I guess promo services have become part of that synergy, where a bunch of Bedroom DJ’s compliment each other. House scene is so different story, it’s weird.

You ask the real difference between a DJ and a guy downloading the torrent. There’s no real difference, until the DJ drops a chart to his website or plays the track on his radioshow from which someone spots the track. You are not getting promos because we like to collect those one-liners! ;)

Giving out a free track, is exactly what we did during holiday season, to hog email addresses (there is no free lunch). Torrent downloader might support a warezed track and buy it, but if you give it to him legimitely, he won’t. It’s a good strategy for the artist, if your income is based on gigs but I don’t see it increasing sales.

Promos however do increase sales. I have examples, even numbers on how it can affect, although it’s most likely very different between genres. From my point of view, it seems that when it comes to trance, there’s less actual taste-maker DJ’s but probably more promos being sent out (trance = webnerds!) than in house scene for example, where there’s more actual taste-makers, a lot .. LOT bigger sales and therefore more impact. This is just my point of view though, from the border of both worlds.

Most of this was written very early this morning, but I hope my points came out clear enough. I think “your post sucked 0/10″ – Timo Juuti (See? That’s honest feedback!), and therefore will keep sending you our promos … just that from now on, you will be getting them only few hours before the release. ;-D

cheers,

Timo
Promo sender guy