Pre-releases and advanced copies (electronic, cassette tape, vinyl, itunes, debut album)

[mr dave]

the current portishead thread in the new album reviews has me thinking about this issue. advanced album copies have long been part of the record industry and usually passed off to retailers and media outlets ahead of release to better gauge public reaction in different markets. today's issue stems from the fact that the vast majority of these advanced copies usually end up online or on P2P networks long before they see a store shelf.

good? bad? ugly?

i remember reading something about amon tobin being concerned that his last album might be his final one due to the fact that everyone downloaded it 2-3 months before it hit shelves and didn't think people would remember to pick up the disc once it was finally released. being an 'electronic' musician traditional distribution has always been risky.

on the other hand there's the even more recent radiohead (and prince and NIN) approach where they were the ones to leak their album first and then releasing the disc at a lower price, presumably offset by the revenue they made from the initial online release.

so what do you people think? is the 'press only' advanced copy still a valid tool in today's climate? should labels be seriously rethinking their distribution methods? maybe advanced copies should be sent out on cassette tapes (yes, they still make those). or should bands adopt the raconteurs method and just keep everything super quiet until - BAM! new record in 4 days.