At elbo.ws, MP3 bloggers and their readers debate the necessity for transparency in blogging, with lots of misconstrued quotes and rebuttals. Stereogum passed on the Streets thing for some of the reasons cited by others, but at the same time we don't think it's fair to condemn a blog for wanting to give away cool shit to its readers. Thoughts?
Posted at 10:00 AM
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Cold Cave - Life Magazine (»)
Pants Yell! - Cold Hands (»)
Bill Quick - Take Me Away (»)
Fool's Gold - Surprise Hotel (Wallpaper's Mariah Mashup) (»)
Air - Sing Sang Sung (Black Moth Super Rainbow Remix) (»)
Avi Buffalo - What's In It For (»)
Vampire Weekend - Horchata (»)
Small Black - Kings Of Animals (»)
Max Tundra - Which Song (Passion Pit Remix) (»)
Cold Cave - Theme From Tomorrowland (»)
Tegan And Sara - Hell (»)
Jeff The Brotherhood - Bone Jam (»)
Mount Eerie - Wind's Dark Poem (»)
Tigercity - Fake Gold (»)
Yeasayer - Ambling Alp (»)
Drink Up Buttercup - Even Think (Andrew W.K. Remix) (»)
Florence And The Machine - You've Got The Love (The xx Remix) (»)
Cold Cave - The Laurels of Erotomania (»)
Jookabox - Phantom Don't Go (»)
Jookabox - You Cried Me (»)
How about this: when an MP3 Blogger posts a song, listen to it.
Ok, so do you like it?
Ok then, who gives a damn WHY or HOW it was posted? You either like the stupid freaking song or you don't.
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i think relationships are cool, but bloggers run the risk of eventually becoming 'sellouts' in the eyes of thier loyal readers. blog sites are quickly becoming the read of choice over mainstream magazines and record labels know that. if labels/publicists and bloggers start secretly 'planting' stories, contests etc......there will be a backlash. bad enough that blog sites are littered with advertising, but i know that 'paying a few bills' isnt that bad either. stereogum is a good read for sure. you do stick out of the blog crowd when it comes to content.
i've already stumbled across a few blogs that claim to be legit, but theyre simply planted employees of record labels and that's lame.
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I'd like to give thoughts rather than thoughs, if that's ok...
Basically, it's like a band selling out. As long as no one else is telling you how to do your thing, it's all good.
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It's about making your opinions, and other music, heard on the net where otherwise it wouldn't be. I'm glad that places like stereogum are here - opens up to alot of music I wouldn't usually here, which is definitely a good thing for myself, a music blog writer.
http://www.musictimes.com.au
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I feel like this is your space, you can do what you want. That said it's my time and I will spend it where I like. I am fine with transparency in relationships, because I like to knowif I'm getting an unsolicited recc. or an influenced one. It makes a difference in my interest level andthe way I process the information I get. If I feel like someone is honest with me and discloses - the bloom stays on the rose. If I start to feel duped or that I'm reading paid for or advertorial type content, I move on, and just don't use the source any longer. At this point in my life, good info I can get and process quickly is worth morethan the possibility of, and most actual wins of something like a poster or CD. Somy vote always goes, make your own choices, and then I'll make mine, I know what I want, I know where it is, and when it changes, I am as free to go as I was to show up in the first place,but it's not my place to tell you how I want you to spend your time and resources in order to entertain and inform me. I can wish, enjoy, weigh in, stay and go.
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here's what i say about the whole thing (because i don't give a shit regardless when it comes to my blog): labels and PR people send me stuff. if i like it on my own terms, i will talk about it on the blog, offer up the MP3 (if availible or i'm allowed) and that's that. some of the labels are really cool because they deserve the exposure. but if i had the same opportunity to post what music for robots posted, it'd all depend on whether or not i would want to read it first. if i don't, then i pass.
but i do not force songs and artists on all. yes, i end up talking about a lot of bands that i like a lot, but that doesn't mean that everyone should be turned off by what is offered. i also post stuff that i don't even care for sometimes and i let other people download it and love it. it's all about finding a balence in writing and doing stuff for you instead of doing stuff for others.
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I only post stuff I like. I'm a selfish bastard.
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The whole point of MP3 blog is that the blogger is advocating particular tracks or artists that he likes. Once he is advocating something (implictly or explictly) because someone is giving him something in return for that advocacy, what's the point?
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paid promotion can be ok, assuming you like what you are promoting. let's say barsuk sends me a package containing mates of state, jesse sykes, john vanderslice and nada surf. now maybe i wouldn't have posted anything by any of these bands previous to recieving that package, but the nada surf and jesse sykes albums are great so i choose to give those a post or two on dumb blog. this is essentially paid promotion right? but you're choosing what you like. if they want to give me additional swag to post those bands, i'm not going to turn it down cause i like the music.
now if barsuk is offering me $$$ or whatever in exchange for some placement for mates of state or john vanderslice, and you do it despite those bands being terrible, then we got problems.
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I am in 110% agreement with Ryan at Catbirdseat
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there was no additonal swag. no money. no nothing. both blogs are written by streets fans. that's it.
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Am 110% not-in-agreement with Ryan at Catbirdseat.
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I'm not quite sure what I think about the whole "swag for influence" controversy, but maybe a new Stereogum giveaway would help me make up my mind.
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"Hey, I really love this new Strokes song that Stereogum posted!"
"The record label paid him to post it."
"Okay, then I hate the song."
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In my opinion, it is impossible to make the generalization that you cannot accept anything from labels/ other companies without "selling out" or losing your credibility. If you like it, you like it. If I was given the opporitunity to give away exclusive stuff from a favorite band of mine, I wouldn't hesitate to accept. Am I a sellout? Maybe. But, I wouldn't do the streets thing if I'd never heard of or didn't like the Streets. Then it just isn't fun for anyone and you lose sight of the point of having an mp3 blog.
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"Mindless Sheep," your name I'm sure was meant to be tongue in cheek but it's actually quite fitting as you've shown yourself to be a moron.
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Jesus fucking christ. I take two days off and now this. Yeah, do things how you want to do them and ignore all the haters and perpetrators. This is fucking blogging, it's not brain surgery.
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Raise your hands if you've ever heard of payola. If any label, major or otherwise, is trying to influence a website such as this, the solution is to be transparent about it. That's all.
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Dude, Erin. We are talking about fucking mp3 blogs not the CIA. It isn't payola if a blog is sent a promotional copy of something or is offered the chance to give away stuff. Get over yourself, and don't take it so seriously.
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I'd just like to observe that we've apparently reached a point in our society where if you disagree with someone, you are considered a "hater."
I weep for our youth.
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