Prices like that make selling to CD collectors sound like a hugely glamorous enterprise. But even though certain items fetch outlandish prices, for every copy of the Nirvana CD single "Pennyroyal Tea" that goes for $1,000 (as one did recently), there are still going to be heaps of lonesome $1.99 David Byrne advance CDs languishing without a single bidder.

A quick scan of recent promo-CD auctions on eBay found plenty of items going for $10 or less. And a copy of "Thinking of You," by poor Lenny Kravitz, had reached the princely sum of 60 cents with only two hours of auction time left to go.

Even so, it's an education to hop on eBay and see what collectors are circling in the $40-to-$100 range. To someone out there, a promo copy of Celine Dion's "The Collection" is worth at least $67. A Richie Sambora live promo CD had hit $104.49 several hours before auction's close. Sarah McLachlan promos are doing surprisingly well, proving that even fans of sensitive singer-songwriters have a little bit of the barracuda in them when it comes to aggressive bidding: an advance copy of her live "Mirrorball" went for $40 on May 21. (The album is slated for release on June 15 -- for one fan, at least, that's just too long to wait.) McLachlan interview discs have been going for as much as $50. (Sure hope she has something interesting to say.)

Needless to say, Ice reports, record labels (both major and indie) are unhappy about the selling of CDs before their release dates and are taking steps to prevent it. According to Ice, an advance CD and press kit for a Marty Stuart album due to be released on June 15 was taken off the block -- the price had reached $150 -- and this note was posted by the seller: "As of Sunday, April 18, this auction is canceled due to threat of legal action by MCA records." But until the record industry cracks down en masse, people will try to sell whatever they can get away with -- for as much as they can get. And all those Richie Sambora fans with loose hundreds to throw around will be very, very happy.
salon.com | May 24, 1999

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