what have you got to sell, what have you got to tell

On Cryptogramophone's blog, Jeff Gauthier has expanded upon the comment I mentioned a few days ago:

we know our music isn't for everyone. Someone who loves a Nels Cline CD, may not love a Myra Melford or Bennie Maupin title, so we know that even the most responsible writer will trade-in some of our promos. Plus, our percentage of reviews vs. CDs sent is about 5%. So, what's the sense in sending out full CDs when most of them will just be resold, thereby wiping out two sales for every CD we give away (the sale we lost, and the CD we can't sell), while having to pay $5,000 per year for the privilege!

It's difficult to make a precise and definitive hierarchy of the participants in the music business ecosystem (musicians, fans, writers, labels, studios, promoters, lawyers, publishers, venues, equipment-makers, rights collections agencies, and so on), but I would not hesitate to put reviewers lower down the ladder than labels.