Holes Punched in covers

What is the meaning/significance of holes punched into album covers? Does this mean they are Promos?

Dead right.
They use a drill on CD jewel cases , or sometimes a hacksaw to cut a slot.

Thanks, is this something that detracts from value? Its damaged, but also a limited (demo) pressing?

They are called cut-outs.

Sold to retailers at a discount, as non-returnable, the hole is used to identify them as being sold that way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cut-out_%2 ... ndustry%29

I'm feeling so old when I realized young guys don't know about cutout records and CDs. RIP, Tower Records!

JVC wrote:I'm feeling so old when I realized young guys don't know about cutout records and CDs. RIP, Tower Records!

What would they make of a rotary phone?

"Back in my day you could sprain your wrist making a phone call, as well as kill someone using your heavy ass phone as a weapon...cell phones were the size of car batteries..."

I bought a tone/button dial phone just when they came out, everyone else was still on rotary dial...I blitzed the radio phone in competitions for a while!

This man is knowing.

When I use to work for Sam Goody, companies would send us edited versions of new albums before street release with gold wording stamped saying "For promotional use only" and then would cut the top of the side jewel case.

Kind of always figured it was something similar with Vinyl

Yeah Lump it is. But the cuts/hole punches are made after surplus is declared dead stock on the ones that will be liquidated at retail at the huge discount as opposed to the promos that are marked at initial release.

Doc333 wrote:Thanks, is this something that detracts from value? Its damaged, but also a limited (demo) pressing?

I have sold hundreds of promo copies to record shops that were marked in this way. Certainly none were ever refused or devalued for that reason but neither did it enhance their value.
Most promo copies these days are identical to the commercial product although occasionaly they will be in a printed cardboard slipcase.


btw. still have rotary dial phone.
It's great till you get on automated answering and it asks you to press buttons

no one cuts out any bootlegs or represses......

fobedafied wrote:no one cuts out any bootlegs or represses......

Yeah but try selling a white label when they don't have a deck handy...

Metatron72 wrote:Yeah Lump it is. But the cuts/hole punches are made after surplus is declared dead stock on the ones that will be liquidated at retail at the huge discount as opposed to the promos that are marked at initial release.

Ahhh, got cha. Good looking out on the information.