So, this has been a long time coming, no? Sony Music will stop sending out promo CDs to journalists on 1 May, forcing all reviewers to use the major's digital previews system instead.

I've wondered for some time how long major record companies could justify the cost of pressing up extra CDs for reviewers, while subsidising the jiffy bag industry and the Royal Mail. We've surveyed reviewers on this issue a couple of times and found a more or less 50/50 split between those who prefer to get MP3s or streaming links to review, and those who still want the physical product in an nice envelope.

Having just carried three bin bags full of old promo CDs down three flights of stairs for the recycling men (yes, the lift's not working again at CMU HQ) the digital thing is sounding good to me, though if I'm being honest, I think disks in envelopes still have a bigger impact, and I rarely check out promo e-cards from record companies, though that's partly because most of their preview track systems are rubbish.

Whatever, Sony is the first record company to make the leap into digital-only promos. According to those Music Week dudes, the major's top man chief bloke Ged Doherty said in an email recently: "Digital promo is set to become an industry standard as other major and independent music companies also make the switch. Physical stock is expensive, difficult to store and environmentally unfriendly. The digital e-card system that we have developed and tested in-house will provide all our partners across radio, television, press and retail with the same sound quality you are used to as well as artist images, pack shots, press clippings and other content to give you a complete picture of each release".

As I say, I think the music media will be split on this development. The music journalism legend that is David Hepworth, now overseer of The Word and Mixmag, of course, wrote on his blog this week: "I know all the arguments about the decline of physical product but this move shows that record companies don't understand what goes on in the head of a hack who gets scores of new records every day, most of them by people he's never heard of. I'm sure there are lots of good reasons for Sony making this move. Should send a shiver through the Jiffy Bag business for a start. I also predict that within a year when they want reviewers to take notice of something they'll start sending out copies again".

Presumably all of this will also mean the disappearance of new Sony CDs from certain second hand record shops in central London.