White Label Promo LP's-Value?

Hi All!

Is there an extra value added for white label promo LP's?

...maybe forum member Tim Neely can help?

...any idea the value of these?

Thanks!

 

The quick answer is 'Yes'.

However, it gets more complicated than that. Depends on the artist, the album, who mastered it, sound quality, etc..

I see 'WLP' all the time. I only pick up about 20% of what I see, because if the album and/or artist don't appeal to me, I pass on them.

 

thanks Scott.

 

Ir depends on the artist and the circumstances.

I've found that white-label promos don't always get more than the regular copies, especially for artists who aren't that sought-after in the first place.

But in certain circumstances, they can get a LOT more...

Also, there are a fair number of Atlantic/Atco related white label promos that are fold-down mono for radio stations. These were made until about 1973; I know of 1973 mono WLPs for Bette Midler's The Divine Miss M and the Bee Gees' Life in a Tin Can at least, and there are probably others. They tend to get at least 2-3 times the stock copies, except the Led Zeppelin ones, which get lots more than stock copies. I think there are more of these out there than are listed in the guides.

 

thanks Tim! I've come across some. I'll have to check the lot...I did see a few Bette Midlers, not sure if they were mono though.

The ones I do have are spectacular! some are Mint unplayed vinyl...

 

As a rule, only acts with 'mystique' or 'known value' tend to command high dollars for most promotional vinyl. It goes without saying that you'll get bigger bucks for Elvis, the Beatles, Stones, and various other legends than you will for, say, Petula Clark and thousands of others who don't fascinate most collectors, regardless of talent. That said, most collectors also agree that the majority of mint promos are worth at least a little more than common stock copies in similar condition, but how *much* more is highly variable and open to debate. But my feeling is that, if a mint Lp from that era is worth $10, then a promo in like condition is certainly worth $15. At most, a few thousand WLP's were made of most titles, and it can be presumed that some copies are lost or in far lesser condition, leaving mint copies in a minority(let's leave why WB bothered with such promos for another discussion. Singles were sure to get played on radio, but who was going to play Lp cuts back then? Or were the album sent out to impress DJ's and PD's?)

Even so, anyone wanting to increase their profit should always seek out the truly serious collectors of certain artists. It should go without saying that almost anyone who has ever recorded anything of significance has a few fanatics that simply have to have everything, and that's where you'd make the most money. You might score well on eBay, of course, but that's hit and miss.

Nice catch!

 

Thanks for the info. I like white label promos because they tend to be first pressings and many of them weren't played much. At least the jazz I've been buying wasn't played much.

 

Is it an absolute fact that the Atlantic mono WLP's are folddowns rather than dedicated mono mixes? The ones I own from this era (by Aretha, Wilson Pickett, etc.) sure sound like true mono to me.

 

You have hit the nail.

I buy and am willing to pay extra for a WLP because they tend to be (more often than not) pristine. They also tend to be (more often than not) an early pressing.

The pristine part is VERY important to me, ESPECIALLY for MONO records. For whatever reason, my stereo cartridge has all kinds of background noise, distortion and tracking problems when a mono LP has been "worn" by the previous owner's mono cartridge.

 

Conversely and I almost started a thread about this one time, there are certain albums that I pretty much only see WLP promos of, to the point that the non WLP is the rarity, of course these aren't really popular bands heh. One shining example is the self titled LP by the band Trillion. I have seen 90% WLP of this one.

 

I was generalizing. I'd say the earlier the album is, the better the odds that it is a dedicated mono mix. A 1973 mono promo album is more likely to be a fold-down than a 1968 mono promo.

I only own a small number myself, and the only one I own both the mono promo and the stereo stock copy is the aforementioned Life in a Tin Can. That one is interesting in several ways. First, it's on RSO. Second, unlike most Atlantic/Atco mono promos, which drop the "SD" prefix on the record label, LIATC still has the stereo prefix on the mono promo. The only two ways to tell that it's not a stereo WLP is the typical "d/j copy monaural" sticker on the cover and the different master numbers on the mono vs. stereo.