A CD Sampler is a kind of compilation album that combines tracks from many different artists, usually from the same label. Labels would put out these CDs so people could be introduced to an artist without having to commit to buying a CD by an artist they didn’t know. The same way that you might be offered a bite of something before you buy a meal. It was a good way for labels to give their artists exposure and a good way for listeners to discover new music.
History
Sample albums have been around since the 60s, and it was the vinyl format and not CDs that introduced them. As is still true today, singles dominated the music economy of the 60s. Radios preferred to play singles and artists with singles dominated vinyl sales. If an artist wasn’t making singles and was more album focused, there was less chance of their music being discovered. As one solution to this problem labels came up with sample albums. The idea was once someone finished a sample album, they might go buy an album by one of the artists featured there.
Compilation albums in general grew a lot as a way to not only find new music but to be able to enjoy music from many artists at once. Now that we have the power to make infinite playlists, that kind of variety is something that we may take for granted. An example you might be familiar with of a popular compilation album is Now That’s What I Call Music. This compilation collected music from a variety of artists that did not share a label. While this would likely not be a very good way to discover music, given the pop oriented nature of this specific example, there are many other kinds of compilation albums out there. Often they have titles like “Best Of” or “Greatest Hits”, or they may have a title related to a specific genre that they are highlighting.
Modern Day
Obviously, this way of discovering new music has died down a lot. The usefulness of CD samplers in present day is debatable. Currently, algorithms and online streaming dominate music recommendation. This can have both good and bad side effects that could be its own article. Anecdotally, I find that algorithms usually struggle to show me music that is different from what I normally listen to. I have come to really enjoy digging around in CD sales for samplers as a result. By using this method I have found music that I may never have clicked on. Some labels are continuing to make sample CDs. Bandcamp is absolutely full of these, but you can find them in the wild too at CD and record stores. If you don’t own a CD player, don’t worry. Compilation albums and sample albums still exist online in a digital format. There is no reason you need to buy physical CDs in order to find new music this way.
Finding new music can be difficult. While CD samplers may seem like a byproduct of a time when record labels had control over everything, they are still a really interesting way to get a taste of a variety of music. Keep an ear out and you might hear something new you love.