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What is a promo copy of a record?
A promo copy is a record a label made or marked for promotion rather than retail, and sent free to radio stations, DJs, reviewers or shops, usually before release. Promos are identified by wording like "Promotional copy, not for sale" or "DJ copy", special labels, or marks on the jacket. Some are worth more than store copies; many are worth about the same.
How to recognize a promo
Goldmine lists the most common signs:
- Words on labels, sleeves or covers: "Demonstration – Not For Sale", "Audition Record", "For Radio-TV Use Only", "Deejay" or "DJ", "Promo", "Review Copy" or "Promotional Copy".
- Different labels: plain, generic or handwritten labels, often white, that differ from the label's usual design.
- Marked covers: notched spines, cut corners, drill holes, lines through barcodes, or "Free" punched into the cardboard.
- Plain or promo-marked sleeves and covers.
- A timing strip: a sticker on the front cover listing song titles and running times for radio programmers.
Not every mark makes a true promo
Collectors and Discogs separate records pressed as promos from retail copies marked as promos afterward.
| Type | What it is | How Discogs catalogs it |
|---|---|---|
| Pressed promo | Promo text or a special label printed on the record itself | Its own release, tagged "Promo" |
| Stamped or stickered stock copy | A retail copy with a promo stamp or sticker added | The same release as the retail copy |
| Cut-out or defaced cover | Cut corner, drill hole or marked barcode | The same release as the retail copy |
Discogs treats stamps, stickers, cut spines and marked barcodes as "post-manufacture" changes. Cut corners, notches and drill holes were also how US labels marked "cut-outs", unsold stock sold off at a discount, so they don't prove promotional use on their own. Pressed promos with white labels are covered in our guide to white labels.
Are promo copies valuable?
It depends, and collectors disagree about why. A promo of a little-wanted record is rarely worth a premium. A pressed promo of an in-demand album, especially one with a unique label, a mono mix, a different edit or a promo-only sleeve, can sell for more than a stock copy.
The UK dealer eil.com notes a twist: some 1960s records are more common as promos than as stock copies, because poor advance reaction meant few copies ever reached shops. In those cases the stock copy is the rarer one.
Many collectors believe promos came from the first stampers and sound better. That is sometimes true and sometimes not. The runout is the evidence: compare the matrix and stamper codes with stock copies before paying extra for sound.
Is it legal to sell a promo copy?
Promos are often marked "Not for sale", so this question comes up often. In the United States, the leading case is UMG Recordings v. Augusto (Ninth Circuit, 2011). Universal sued an eBay seller over promotional CDs it had mailed unsolicited to critics and DJs. The court held that sending the CDs out "effected a sale (transfer of title)" to the recipients, so the first-sale doctrine let later owners resell them. A "not for sale" label alone didn't create a license, partly because Universal didn't require recipients to agree to terms or return the discs.
Limits apply. A federal appeals ruling binds only courts in its own circuit, which covers California and other western states; elsewhere it is persuasive rather than binding. It concerned promos given away freely, not copies taken from a warehouse or sent under a signed agreement. Other countries have their own rules. Discogs' blocked-items policy covers copyright infringement and hateful content, not promos, and promo releases are listed for sale there. None of this is legal advice.
Promo copy FAQ
What does "promotional copy, not for sale" mean?
It means the label distributed the record free for promotion rather than through retail. In the US, the Ninth Circuit held in 2011 that such a label alone doesn't stop recipients or later owners from reselling copies that were given away.
Is a gold-stamped promo cover worth more?
Usually not much. A stamp on a retail jacket is a post-manufacture mark, and the record inside is normally a stock copy. Collectors generally pay more for promos pressed with their own labels.
Is a cut corner or drill hole a promo?
Not necessarily. US labels also cut, notched or drilled covers of unsold stock to mark it as a discounted, non-returnable "cut-out". Either way, the mark counts as cover damage when grading.
Do promo records sound better?
Sometimes. Promos may come from early stampers, which can sound fresher, but that has to be checked in the runout. A promo label alone doesn't show which stamper pressed the record.
How do I find out if my promo is valuable?
Find the exact release on Discogs, checking that it is listed as a promo, and look at its sales history. If no promo version is listed and your labels match the retail release, it is most likely a stamped stock copy, valued much like the retail edition.
Last updated September 30, 2026.
Sources: Goldmine: 5 quick ways to tell a promo from a stock copy; Discogs Database Guidelines 6: Format, section 6.12; UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Augusto, 628 F.3d 1175 (9th Cir. 2011); EFF on the Augusto ruling; eil.com: White labels and test pressings; Cut-out (recording industry) on Wikipedia; Why Are Some Items Blocked In The Discogs Marketplace?.
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