Zines that beg for free promos

Can all suck my dick!

I get asked quite often if I can send "free promos" of SFM RELEASES to be reviewed in zines, and this usually on myspace.

NOTHING IN THIS WORLD IS FREE!

Don't they realize that maybe it would be cooler to trade their zine against my releases and then review what they please, not just what is sent to them by idiots that are desperate to be heard?

Or are they looking for free fuckin handouts...to sell or add to their collection?

worshipsatanzine wrote:

Can all suck my dick!

I get asked quite often if I can send "free promos" of SFM RELEASES to be reviewed in zines, and this usually on myspace.

NOTHING IN THIS WORLD IS FREE!

Don't they realize that maybe it would be cooler to trade their zine against my releases and then review what they please, not just what is sent to them by idiots that are desperate to be heard?

Or are they looking for free fuckin handouts...to sell or add to their collection?

This is a tough call for me. I've never gone and asked for free promos. However, I make the suggestion to all bands labels that they can if they want. If they're not confident in sending their physical material. I will take a dub tape or cd-r...as long as it is something I don't have to hear on myspace.

As far as trading a zine against label releases...it doesn't weigh in a zine's favor due to the cost to ship. In terms of value, the releases are worth more, but the shipping costs weigh in favor of the label.

One mustn't beg, but it doesn't hurt to advertise.

Promos must be free,and they are not for trading againts regular zine issues.
Promos as their name say is to send for propaganda and they should be sended free.Thats rare now but I still get free promos from some labels and I havent search for them,labels send them by their wish.

I can understand how it would be annoying. I am just finishing my first issue of a new printzine, and it will have no ads or anything. Although a label said if I interview their bands they would purchase fifty copies. I didn't do it just because I felt like ti would be my integrity for sale, and that isn't why I bother making a zine. In the past with a zine I had I would get promos and they were usually crap honestly. Even though I said I was only interested in underground death and black metal I received tons of power/prog metal, noise, ambient, rap-rock and every other piece of commercial garbage imaginable. SOme labels like earache send cds with voiceovers on them that say "you are listening to the new...album" every few minutes making it impossible to enjoy the album.
I don't mind trading zines for tapes but I would only trade for bands I want, not stuff the label wanted me to review. I mean after all, with a zine it is still contributing countless hours to drawing, printing, aligning text, hunting down bands, and then afterward paying to print and send out copies often with less than a dollar made on each issue sold, so receiving underground tapes and cds seems like a fair trade.
Most really great bands/labels wont even bother sending though. I mean so many bands have limited edition vinyl/tape/cds now it is as if a lot of bands barely want anyone listening to them...

Plus I will usually only write reviews or suggest some underground albums. Also I like to do a history of albums that interest me. Like the "history" of Incantation's tribute to the goat or bolt throwers peel sessions. It can sometimes be interesting to study about the history of bands...

Ritual.of.Infinity wrote:

I can understand how it would be annoying. I am just finishing my first issue of a new printzine, and it will have no ads or anything. Although a label said if I interview their bands they would purchase fifty copies. I didn't do it just because I felt like ti would be my integrity for sale, and that isn't why I bother making a zine. In the past with a zine I had I would get promos and they were usually crap honestly. Even though I said I was only interested in underground death and black metal I received tons of power/prog metal, noise, ambient, rap-rock and every other piece of commercial garbage imaginable. SOme labels like earache send cds with voiceovers on them that say "you are listening to the new...album" every few minutes making it impossible to enjoy the album.
I don't mind trading zines for tapes but I would only trade for bands I want, not stuff the label wanted me to review. I mean after all, with a zine it is still contributing countless hours to drawing, printing, aligning text, hunting down bands, and then afterward paying to print and send out copies often with less than a dollar made on each issue sold, so receiving underground tapes and cds seems like a fair trade.
Most really great bands/labels wont even bother sending though. I mean so many bands have limited edition vinyl/tape/cds now it is as if a lot of bands barely want anyone listening to them...

Plus I will usually only write reviews or suggest some underground albums. Also I like to do a history of albums that interest me. Like the "history" of Incantation's tribute to the goat or bolt throwers peel sessions. It can sometimes be interesting to study about the history of bands...

What is the name of your zine?

In the 80's a label for Gothic rock and dark stuffs was called BEGGAR'S BANQUET...

Funny, or not?