Sony Music is becoming the first UK major to abandon CD promos, in favour of an all-digital system.

On May 1, the major will switch to a digital e-card system for the distribution of promotional music. Sony already uses this digital system for many releases but Sony UK chairman and CEO Ged Doherty reveals that the major will be phasing out the mailing of physical stock at the same time.

“Digital promo is set to become an industry standard as other major and independent music companies also make the switch,” Doherty writes in an email to contacts.

“Physical stock is expensive, difficult to store and environmentally unfriendly. The digital e-card system that we have developed and tested in-house will provide all our partners across radio, television, press and retail with the same sound quality you are used to as well as artist images, pack shots, press clippings and other content to give you a complete picture of each release.”

The use of digital promos is well established within the music industry, with several established systems in use. However, the idea of phasing out the CD has created controversy.

Already David Hepworth, one of the founding partners of Development Hell Ltd, which publishes The Word and MixMag, has spoken out on the move, which he says is “part of a process which is going to see the end of "reviews sections" in magazines as we have known them”.

“I know all the arguments about the decline of physical product but this move shows that record companies don't understand what goes on in the head of a hack who gets scores of new records every day, most of them by people he's never heard of,” he writes on his blog (http://whatsheonaboutnow.blogspot.com/).

“I'm sure there are lots of good reasons for Sony making this move. Should send a shiver through the Jiffy Bag business for a start. I also predict that within a year when they want reviewers to take notice of something they'll start sending out copies again.”

Source: Music Week