If people are going to complain about spending money on gas to promote someone else's album... then they shouldn't be emailing him in the first place.
It's a great point. Why waste your $3.37 a gallon gasoline running about your town promoting somebody's album? When the promoter himself can't get his shit together long enough to send out a generalized mass email to the people willing to do his job for him? It's a damn good point to bring up.
Oh, and back in the day, when you did online promo or entered promotion contests with M80, they'd send you signed shit. I have so much signed shit I gave some of it away to my friends. Now, I hear people talkin' about paying to make copies to promote. It's only what can be expected from a label that's growing, but don't spend money to promote a show for someone if you don't have shit to do with them.