[3] Deletion in the music industry differs from print publishing in that recording contracts generally do not return the rights to the artist when a title ceases to be manufactured.
Although he recommends that they digitize this music and offer it for download, he notes that "niche labels have sprung up specialising in reissuing out-of-copyright recordings".
[6] More recently, the rise of digital media has eliminated much of the cost of music distribution, and companies have begun to see deleted records for their long tail potential, selling via iTunes and other online means.
[7] A prominent exception to the practice was the label Folkways Records, whose founder Moe Asch "never deleted a single title from the ... catalogue".
[8] In July 1972, the British music paper, Melody Maker, reported that a cutprice LP issued by Virgin Records was facing deletion because, ironically, it was too popular.
The largely glam metal-oriented albums are not favorites of the band, who transitioned to groove and thrash metal from the release of Cowboys From Hell onward.
The 2006 Gnarls Barkley single "Crazy" was deleted by Warner Music[15] after six weeks at #1 in the UK as a deliberate move to protect it from overexposure.