Ethical question for seasoned music reviewers

It's tricky innit, and as a rule I feel uncomfortable if I know it's pretty unlikely that I'll review it. But I think you've answered your question with this one- you like the label, you're going to give them a really close listen, so just say "I'd really like these ones, and if you do have them all spare, make it a twenty".

Remember feedback is really important in it's own right, so even if you didn't review stuff but ended up emailing them with a lot of food for thought on what was good and what wasn't, that's often pretty useful to a label.

You've just reminded me that a really good jazz label sent me a big pile of CDs once with after the most cursory email exchange I've ever had (the only major "gift" I reckon I've ever scored)
and I still haven't even listened to them yet. I'm gonna go rectify that right away.

PS. I very much enjoyed your avant-classical mix a while back by the way, Rambler!

The problem is then you'd have to find the TIME to listen to all their dreck to establish an objective headspace to review them.

Its a slippery slope to madness.
true, I've scored some wicked freebies from labels like Planet Mu and Warp but it does become hard to be objective. Plus, when you try to project a very clear slant, it can mess up the purity of your original intent when you have to deal with music that isn't really in your orbit but which you feel morally obligued to write about. Plus you don't have time to listen to everything properly and feel guilty about it. and it starts to become like a job and you start wondering how the fuck it happened and where did all the joy go and then you think - fuck it, the reynolds life ain't for me, baby. i just wanna chill out and play some records and not worry about having an opinion about them. just last week i turned down the chance to write reviews for IDJ mag. i'm no longer replying to e-mails from record companies and pluggers either. ahh, sweet oblivion...

but, hey - best of luck rambler.

Rambler, small labels genuinely appreciate all the publicity they can get, all the more so the smaller the label is and the harder it is for them to get into print publications or any of the "reputable" online sites.

Just be up-front with the label about what you'd be prepared to do with the promos and what your schedule is like etc: managing expectations is the thing.

oohhhh this is a tuff one.

with labels i have some obvious faves and i always try and sort them out first (cos i'm nice/easy like that). basically, if they are small and worthy of my love and devotion i like to do the best i can.

if on the other hand a PR is touting for space i often respond that i only place reviews for stuff i like, and its up to them to send stuff - ie i place myself under no obligation .. tis up to them to take the chance. a few PR's then give up sending me their wares .. but hey .. i aint that fussed, and trust me Rambler, when your floorboards creak due to the weight, you too will be glad of days when the letterbox doesn't rattle.

be careful for what you wish for ..

but to be honest a decent PR/label knows the game - and realise there is no way you will be able to write up everything you get.

m.e/ireallylovemusic

don't ask for 20 in one go. Ask for 5 you really want.

Then you can really listen to them without being crushed under the weight of 20 x 70 mins obligations.

Then you can have the space to write about them. Then you can ask for more.

just try and make sure u don't get sent a lot of crap. it doesn't help anyone.

*looks forlornly at pile of rubbish indie cd singles in corner of living room*

mos dan said:

just try and make sure u don't get sent a lot of crap. it doesn't help anyone.

*looks forlornly at pile of rubbish indie cd singles in corner of living room*

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welcome mos dan!

i too have piles and piles of crap cds. i don't like the idea of throwing them out and i'm almost certain no one will buy them. but you can recyle cds thank god. i'm looking into how to go about this at the moment.

weirdly, only this week i have instigated an action to distribute skinny promos of cds i have the full proper version of (lovely major record label mailouts !) to my work mates.

they are loving it ..

though when i start scraping the barrel and bring in crates of single track promos - i suspect the joy will wear thin.

still, tis nice to spread the love.

m.e

If labels are contacting you and asking to send you stuff to review, you shouldn't feel obliged to review it unless you want to, and I don''t think any would expect you to.

I've been on both sides of this fence - as a press officer at a major you are expected to call reviewers and 'see' if they are reviewing your stuff, but they are of course entitled to say no (at which point you dispatch them a free T-shirt/lighter type freebie and then call them back in a few days).

As a reviewer you can get so much stuff every morning starts to feel like Christmas day (except for the fact that they've sent you three copies of that shit Sean Paul single again), and you might get a lot of calls from labels saying you should 'support' them becuse they are small and whatever, but you should review what you want to review.

which shit sean paul single? i wasn't aware there was one?
as a non-blogging print reviewer, i don't see where this is tricky at all.
get sent as much stuff as you can/want, if it's good/worth writing about, then do, if not, ignore it.
you're not even obliged to listen to everything you're sent. if people are sending you stupid shit is exactly the opposite of what you're interested in, then feel at liberty to bin/flog it.
promos are not gifts. they are tools that labels use to get you to write about their music.
You owe no one anything if they send you promotional material.
If they're being nice to you and have sought you out because you and their music fit, then, out of common courtesy, listen to it, give it a fair hearing and give constructive feedback or get writing.
If they're just employing the "throw enough promos at the wall and one will stick method", don't worry about it.
of course, if people ask you how many records/cds you want, don't be greedy.
take what you honestly think you'll listen to and what you think will be interesting.
amassing huge piles of unwanted cds is bad for the environment and your flat could pretty soon start to look like mine.

stelfox said:

which shit sean paul single? i wasn't aware there was one?

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"Work With It" (2 Hard).

But that was a long time ago. And it didn't come out on CD.