Why Do Some Music CDs Have Punch Holes In The UPC?
Simply put, CDs with punch holes in the UPC have been written off the financial books of their original music label companies. These CDs are no longer counted as NEW CDs, are not tallied in the record label’s sales, nor are the sales data sent to Soundscan, the data source of the Billboard charts.
When the record labels decide the selling cycle of a CD title is over, and wish to liquidate the remaining stock, the agreement the record labels and distributors often requires that the CD packaging be defaced in some way. Because the distributor wants some funds from their liquidation purchase, the music disc itself is purposely unmarked. The defacing of the music CDs can include punch holes or inking through the UPC. Or it can be a saw cut through an edge of the CD case, or a drill hole through the case and inserts. On more rare times, the corner of the front inserts can be cut away.
If the CDs retain their original seal, then these are CDs that have never been played. Media Medley attempts to be careful in not grading these as NEW, though. Our website will list them as Sealed. You’ll know NEW music CDs by their high prices since their sales must support a whole industrial juggernaut.
Every CD sold by Media Medley is sold at a deep discount and has its condition clearly marked on the page where it is listed for sale.