The Business of Blogging

We also get messages from time to time from people asking to give a “donation” in return for a review or interview or some press.  This one came in on Friday, and says “I feel it’s only fair to support you, as I ask in kind for your voice.”

Though “in kind” means “for free” in the real world, this message asks a deeper question.  What’s the code of ethics on taking money in exchange for placing content?

This also raises the point of free music.  If someone that’s socially awkward or less than gorgeous or uncomfortable with travel is making records as good as those that are getting 5-6 figures a show, how do you propose they make money?  We’re in a climate where you must produce records (and play into the politics) in order to get the bigger bookings.  Those bookings don’t come without a big booking agent at a big booking agency that is working directly with those giant names throwing parties.  These big shows are almost easier to lock than publishing and licensing dollars.  Instead of a flood of new artists being picked on the premise of fantastic and unique content, we hear the same producers making the same kinds of records with the same artists and watching the same DJs getting booked for every festival imaginable.  Over and over again.  You need to be marketable to sell records though.  And you need someone that knows how to fluff these numbers in order to create a press kit that shows that you’re “of value”.  I’m well aware that the industry isn’t built to be fair, but seeing incredible artists getting passed on by those in power is more than a little disheartening.

I talked with a good friend in the business, and his opinion was that expecting money is foolish.  You can’t open business and just EXPECT to get paid.  You can have a restaurant that serves the best food and has the best wait staff and the best location, and it can still fail. His statement made sense.  I don’t think that anybody that truly cares about music gets into it thinking about the ultimate payout.  But the industry thinks of music as a business first.

Anyone can get additional money for my write-ups.  But not based on the quality of the work that you do.  SponsoredReviews.com offers a service to bridge the gap between artists and platforms.  The more page views your platform has, the more you can justify charging for your content.  An artist or label can reach out, grease your palms to write a favorable review of their record, and the money goes directly and discreetly to your paypal.

Just to see how deep this goes, I decided to create an account.  The first page asks for simple information.  Name, phone number, email address, and website.  The second page asks for paypal information. They let you know that you will be paid bi-weekly, and ask for your social security number.  You then get an email verification, and are asked to submit the blog or website that you write for.  I submitted my information for DoAndroidsDance, and made sure that we were compliant to their terms.  And if my page rank was a 4 or higher, I could be connected to Religion Of EDM to write a “unique article on the topic/subject that the advertiser has requested in their requirements”.

People are shameless in their promotion of these services.  For an incredibly reasonable price of $5, you can get your material on Last Night’s Hype.  I get emails almost daily for paid email blasts, promotion, services to boost soundcloud fans and twitter followers. To say “this is just part of the game” is ridiculous. It’s whoring out opinions on sites that are supposed to report truths and cover stories and songs based on how good they are.

This market has turned into a circus.  Though the bubble of EDM is nowhere close to popping, it’s going to be a mess if it does. Everyone has their hand in the pot.  Publishers and distributers and record labels.  Beatport somehow feels entitled to 50% of an artists’ profit from digital releases.  There is an abundance of funding and hundreds of millions of dollars being thrown around. EDC cost $35 million to produce.  SFX is about to go public with an estimated $175 million IPO.  And there is no trickle-down to any of the hundreds of sites that keep these companies relevant, with the exception of perhaps a backstage pass.  Dollars aren’t being shared with the blogs and writers that truly create and co-sign these artists and businesses.  But people are getting paid under the table to sway the market, and it makes me wonder how all of us can get compensated without compromising our values.