If he was marking them with an X, he knew they'd be resold..magic marker could 
easily be cleaned off with nail polish remover.

Promo copies were also punched, in some cases, particularly by Quality in 
Canada. Problem was that their vinyl was breakable and sometimes we'd get a 
disc with a hole and a spreading crack.

dl

Wasserman, Robert A - WHS wrote:
> You can find info below. I have records, 8 tracks, CD's and even
> cassettes with cutout holes for returns that were resold, some of the
> cassettes and 8 tracks shells themselves even a hole in them! A local
> used record store here had its own version in the late 1970's, they
> would put a magic marker "X" on them. He was buying out stores and big
> collections at the time and had a gigantic 50 cents rack for the common
> overflow. Many good items there, a roommate of mine a couple of times
> was able to remove the X mark if new enough, and some were worth good
> money to others(Rolling Stones "Satanic Majesties Request" w/ the 3-d
> cover for example), he even resold one or two back to the same store for
> a higher price after cleaning them up!!!
> 
> 
> Cut-out (recording industry)
>>From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> In the recording industry, a cut-out refers to a deeply-discounted or
> remaindered copy of an LP, cassette tape, Compact Disc, or other item.
> When LPs were the primary medium for distribution or recording,
> manufacturers would physically cut the corner, punch a hole, or add a
> notch to the spine of the jacket of unsold records returned from
> retailers; these "cut-outs" might then be re-sold to record retailers or
> other sales outlets for sale at a discounted price. A special section of
> a record store devoted to such items was known as the cut-out bin or
> bargain bin. As tapes and CDs supplanted LPs, the mechanisms for
> indicating a cut-out changed. On cassettes, a hole tended to be punched
> or burned through the case and through its printed insert. On CDs (a
> practice that continues today), a section of varying size is taken out
> of the spine of the jewel case and its paper track listing.
> 
> Also see:
> http://foetusized.org/cdcutouts.html
>  
> http://www.moremusic.co.uk/links/features/cut-out.htm 
> 
> Retrieved from
> "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cut-out_%28recording_industry%29" 
> 
> Robert Wasserman
> [log in to unmask]
> Sound Archives Proj. Asst./Lead Tech.
> Wisconsin Historical Society
> 608-264-6473
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Rod Smear
> Sent: Friday, August 15, 2008 10:54 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [ARSCLIST] lp, cassette, 8-track cut-outs?
> 
> Can anyone explain why certain LP's used to have a "cut-out hole" in
> them, usually in the upper right or left portions of the album cover?
> Did this also apply to 8-track tape cartridges as well?
> 
> Rod
> 
>