Covermounts: more irons in papers' fire.

Travis giveaway one of several imminent newspaper CD promotions

The company behind The Mail On Sunday's controversial Prince covermount has arranged an unprecedented three newspaper music giveaways this coming weekend, as CD promotions return to haunt the industry.

Upfront Promotions, which also brokered the deal between The Mail On Sunday and Independiente to give away a free 12-track Travis CD yesterday (Sunday), says it hopes to strengthen ties with online and physical retailers through the deals.

Upfront managing director Simon Stanford explains that the company is in talks with large retailers, including supermarkets, to secure extra racking and improved in-store profile for covermounted newspapers and insists they increase, rather than dent, record sales.

And he argues that the Travis CD is not a greatest hits, despite featuring some of their most popular songs, including Why Does It Always Rain Me?, Sing and Turn, as well as their latest single My Eyes.

"The CD is a career retrospective and will promote the existing albums," he says "People forget that these promotions are only available for 12 hours but the weeks of marketing and TV promotion raise the profile of an artist - even if they don't get the paper they will buy the back catalogue."

Mail On Sunday managing director Stephen Miron says the paper has "some phenomenal deals up its sleeve," adding that the publication has received approaches from "all over the world" for covermounts.