Some record companies only make music available as a bonus disc inside the first press / pre-order version of a product. After the first copies run out, they distribute a lesser/different product under an identical price tag, catalog number, and barcode. Retailers/etailers do not create new product pages when this happens, and may not inform the customer what version of the product they will receive.

This is an actual problem with one of the biggest anime manufacuters, MEDIA FACTORY. All of the releases listed here in yellow are only available in the first press copy of the video product. If you tried to buy the video product with that barcode and catalog number today from online retailers like Amazon.co.jp or CDJapan, you would not receive the music disc. CDJapan tends to indicate that the first press benefits are no longer available, but Amazon.co.jp is not transparent about what you are going to receive in the mail.

This release status would provide a way to mark a MusicBrainz Release to indicate that any purchase links on the release cannot be relied upon.

Proposed guideline:

• "First Press only" status should only be used when the manufacturer reuses their release identifiers (catalog number and/or barcode) to quietly distribute a lesser version of a product, creating confusion in the marketplace. Do not use this for "limited edition" products that have unique release identifiers which have simply gone out of print.