Re: What does it mean to you, to "release a record"?

[Bill Fox <billyfox@soundscapes.us>]

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