[Posted on April 18, 2008 - 2:28 PM]
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A day after Universal Music Group and Buzznet confirmed their partnership, some observers are wondering whether Buzznet-owned music blogs Stereogum and Idolator will continue to be trusted and impartial sources of music news now that a major label owns equity in them.Their concerns mirror the mounting fears of bias in media as consolidation concentrates power in a handful of industry giants. For instance, readers of The Wall Street Journal, now owned by News Corp., might question the paper's reporting on the media conglomerate's MySpace or Fox News properties. "Disclosure" and "transparency"--the watchwords of the day in seeking to avoid conflicts of interest--are more important than ever in an era when another conceit of the moment, authenticity, is at stake, especially among fickle Internet users.
Unless I've missed it, Stereogum hasn't reported UMG's stake in Buzznet or, for that matter, its own acquisition by Buzznet. Idolator reported the UMG deal by linking to Valleywag, its former cousin within the Gawker Media network. Neither blog added anything to the conversation about why the deal might be significant, nor did they acknowledge the potential for conflict of interest in future reporting. [Idolator printed a letter from Gawker's Nick Denton explaining why Idolator was sold early last week, briefly mentioning UMG.]
Acquiring a blog isn't quite like buying a proper news organization. Stereogum and Idolator have proven themselves to be quick to publish the news people want to read, but have also fallen for hoaxes and shown less accountability than one expects from trusted news sources. [Full disclosure: I've freelanced for No Depression, one of the victims of the hoax I've referenced.] Broadly speaking, bloggers are still generally regarded as both more independent and less trustworthy than mainstream media sources, with more power to expose conflicts of interest but fewer checks and balances in place to prevent them.
The music coverage of Stereogum and Idolator has historically been strong, but in the future they'll have to show readers that UMG's stake in their parent company won't affect their coverage. Trouble is, it looks like they're going the other way: Artists will apparently be invited as "guest bloggers" somewhere on Buzznet's site. If they're using the Stereogum and Idolator brands to do that, the move could backfire, making the blogs seem more like advertising than editorial voices.
The type of consumer who reads music blogs is likely to be highly sensitive, even irrationally so, to any whiff of corporate tinkering. Many are early adopters who give up on bands the minute they sign with major labels or hear them on mainstream radio. What's to stop that core readership from saying, "See ya, I'm sticking with BrooklynVegan and YouAintNoPicasso," or any of the other dozens of indie news and opinion sites? -- Paul Bonanos
See discussion at Wired Listening Post and Hypebot
See April 17 post from Tech Confidential
