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Old 23-01-2006, 11:05
Inkblot
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Can't help wondering how Amazon customers get to review albums that aren't available yet. And why Amazon publish the reviews. For example, the new Belle & Sebastian album The Life Pursuit is released on 6th February, but the reviews on Amazon date from 9th January. Of course they will have sent out review copies, but probably not to "A Music Fan" from Glasgow who wrote "Three cheers for the flaired superheroes!" whilst pretending to be an Amazon customer.
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Old 23-01-2006, 11:13
Fight Fan
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I remember GTA: San Andreas on the Playstation 2 had about 300 reviews before it even came out on Amazon.com.
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Old 23-01-2006, 12:58
Granny
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You'd think they'd put a limit on posting reviews until the products were released. It can't be that hard to do.
I guess it all helps to hype/sell the product even if it's a dodgy review.
I sincerely doubt that many posters get their 'advance' copies of LPs (if indeed they have them) through legal means. It's like that old chestnut 'I saw the entire series of TV Show X while on holiday in the US'. What an active holiday that must have been!
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Old 23-01-2006, 13:02
MaxCherry
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Amy Winehouse's label put out fake tracks (3 minutes of a 20 second loop) on the internet before the album came out like a lot of labels do.

People then had the cheek to review the CD with the comments "its just the same words over and over again"

The obviously were using Kazza downloads and HADNT bothered to buy the album.

Tramps.
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Old 23-01-2006, 13:28
TennantsElbow
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Originally Posted by Inkblot
Can't help wondering how Amazon customers get to review albums that aren't available yet. And why Amazon publish the reviews. For example, the new Belle & Sebastian album The Life Pursuit is released on 6th February, but the reviews on Amazon date from 9th January. Of course they will have sent out review copies, but probably not to "A Music Fan" from Glasgow who wrote "Three cheers for the flaired superheroes!" whilst pretending to be an Amazon customer.
You can pick up review copies on ebay and in independant record shops of any new release you care for. It's not at all uncommon, in fact I've got quite a few myself. If it's something I really can't wait another couple of months for I will get hold of a review copy.

Strictly speaking people who get review copies aren't supposed to sell them but it happens in legit shops and the record companies don't seem to do anything about it. I guess they figure if there are copies out there, word of mouth will increase sales when the album is officially released.
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Old 23-01-2006, 14:57
Granny
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Originally Posted by loosefur
You can pick up review copies on ebay and in independant record shops of any new release you care for. It's not at all uncommon, in fact I've got quite a few myself. If it's something I really can't wait another couple of months for I will get hold of a review copy.

Strictly speaking people who get review copies aren't supposed to sell them but it happens in legit shops and the record companies don't seem to do anything about it. I guess they figure if there are copies out there, word of mouth will increase sales when the album is officially released.
I buy half my albums this way - it's often cheaper for a start (if the band is relatively obscure) plus you get the nice bonus of having it early.
The problem with review copies is that it only takes one person (perhaps someone who got it second hand) to rip it and put it on the net which is why some are encrypted.
Some CDs also have had a watermarked idenfication encoded in them to make it easy to identify ripped files or have been numbered to make them easy to track when they pop up in the record exchange but it's still hard for record companies to protect their interests while also trying to promote the LP.
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Old 23-01-2006, 17:19
luvsnail
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Originally Posted by MaxCherry
Amy Winehouse's label put out fake tracks (3 minutes of a 20 second loop) on the internet before the album came out like a lot of labels do.

People then had the cheek to review the CD with the comments "its just the same words over and over again"
People had the cheek?? The record label released that crap, so they deserve what's coming to them. Personally, I think there should be a law against poisoning peer-to-peer networks in this manner, since it inhibits the free flow of information and undermines the notion of free speech that the Internet is supposed to facilitate.
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Old 23-01-2006, 17:41
Inkblot
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Originally Posted by luvsnail
People had the cheek?? The record label released that crap, so they deserve what's coming to them. Personally, I think there should be a law against poisoning peer-to-peer networks in this manner, since it inhibits the free flow of information and undermines the notion of free speech that the Internet is supposed to facilitate.
I did hear that particular effort by the record company. Why? Because they were hyping Ms Winehouse like mad and obviously the p2p networks are going to be one place people will look for heavily hyped music. So in the sense that they drummed up interest in the album and then distributed a broken version of it to screw around with file sharers, it was a stupid move by the record company. I don't agree there should be a law against it, because common sense dictates that if you want people to buy your album you don't deliberately screw up the version they're likely to hear, even if that version isn't entirely legal. you don't need a law to prevent big business shooting itself in the foot, do you?
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Old 24-01-2006, 00:37
Neck_Romancer
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Some albums appear on the russian MP3 sites before they are released in the uk.

Others are often leaked via P2p.
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Old 24-01-2006, 09:20
Cjw
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A large number of reviews before release are also from fans who haven't even heard the album in the first place, and just want to tell everyone how great their favourite band is.
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Old 24-01-2006, 13:57
AndyM
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Has anyone ever considered it may be employees of record companies, promoters, ect. or Amazon themselves writing the reviews as "customers" to hype products? Personally I think Amazon shouldn't allow you to write a review unless you have purchased a copy from them, to ensure that the reviewer has actually listened to it.
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