Shipments of free CDs pour into libraries

Librarians complain of too many copies of unpopular albums.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Ohio librarians aren't exactly thrilled about receiving 222,000 free compact discs by artists including Ricky Martin, Michael Bolton and the Wu-Tang Clan from record companies.
The bonanza of free music began arriving last week because of a settlement of a federal antitrust lawsuit that 43 states filed against the record labels.
But the shipments included many unpopular titles that library officials wouldn't have chosen for their collections. And other usable titles arrived in such quantity that the supply will exceed demand.
"These are old materials, unpopular materials the companies had left over," said Lynda Murray, director of government relations for the Ohio Library Council. "For the most part, these are CDs that libraries would have never purchased or included in their collections."
Needless albums
For example, in suburban Worthington, the libraries' take included 19 copies of "The Mystery of Santo Domingo De Silos," an album of Gregorian chants, while suburban Bexley Public Library employees found in their shipment 15 copies of Whitney Houston's 1991 recording of "The Star Spangled Banner."
Grandview Heights Public Library's haul ranged from 15 copies of Pearl Jam's "Binaural" to three copies of Martha Stewart's "Spooky Scary Sounds" for Halloween, a 40-minute, single-track disc of cackles and screams.
"We got a real mixed bag," said Karl Colon, audiovisual manager for Grandview. "There's an awful lot we could use one copy of, but I don't think we'll be keeping 19 copies of anything."
Upper Arlington Public Library Director Ann Moore had a similar reaction as she sorted through boxes that included the work of pop artists Mandy Moore and Jagged Edge.
"We'll keep 10 percent, tops," she said. "Maybe not even that."
Ohio's better off
Michelle Gatchell, a spokeswoman for Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro, said Ohio libraries are receiving a better assortment than other states.
Music companies revamped the way they distribute the albums after libraries in Oregon and Washington complained about getting hundreds of the same album.
A call seeking comment was left Saturday with Rust Consulting, a Minneapolis company acting as claims administrator for the settlement.
Petro's office said the libraries can't just throw away unwanted CDs, but they're not required to circulate everything they receive.
The libraries can sell the compact discs, but they have to keep records of the sales. Proceeds must be put toward the purchase of additional music for the library.