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In Reply to: RE: Dunno what to make of 6 Moons new pay-for-review policy. posted by Rick W on July 21, 2014 at 14:07:27
He will know soon enough if manufacturers feel their reviews will generate additional business and are worth the asking price. It is tough to be in any business today, especially the audio publishing business. He does have competitors who do a good job.
Jim Tavegia
Follow Ups:
He must have done his homework: polled a sample of mfrs; found out what they were willing to pay; scaled it up to the population of mfrs. he's interested in and calculated the impact on his revenues.
Observe, before you think. Think before you open your yap. Act on the basis of experience.
I'm not sure I'd want to do business with a manufacturer who pays for reviews. How much would it cost for an award?
...how big an award would you like?
If I were one of them (and I was in advertising/marketing for 40 years) I'd pull out at the first opportunity. The presumption being that any advertiser "paid" for his/her review, and that MUST be taken into account in any subsequent buying decision. The more you think it through, the worse this decision is, again IMO.
Personal note: the 6moons review played a significant role in my purchase of Gallo Reference 3 speakers in 2004. Had I suspected that Anthony Gallo paid for the review, I would likely not have bought the speakers on the same timetable. I did hear them in a store, after reading the review, but they sounded little like what the review said and I believed in the inherent honesty and integrity of the 6moons review, so I bought them anyway. That belief is now gone and I see no reason to follow 6moons anymore.
If so, why would you change your view of the 'ears' and the integrity of the reviewers?
If the Gallo's sucked once you got them home, then and only then, would I stop reading the site.
While the 6moons review was persuasive, (1) so was the exceptionally positive review in The Absolute Sound at around the same time and (2) I was already a satisfied Gallo user (Gallo Ultimates from the first series the company produced). Yes, the Reference 3 speakers sounded excellent and I now use Gallo Stradas + TR3 subs.
Point is, 6moons was in 2004 a wholly objective review source, in my mind at least. Becoming a pay-to-play medium makes it a different animal with major impact on the credibility of reviews. Again, in my mind. If I'm the only one, so be it.
Why not read the e-zine after the policy change, digest the actual *content* of reviews and see if you discern any difference the pay-for-review policy has wrought?
Up to now it's been easy, assuming that one believes no money has changed hands as a direct requirement of getting the review "in print." From now on, who knows?
When everyone pays to play, the assumption (rightly or wrongly) will be that the review has been bought and paid for, with all that this implies. The review becomes a paid ad.
I'll wait and see, assuming his new policy allows the continued existence of the site. What if you noticed no difference in the content of reviews? What if the same % of reviews was far from a rave, the same % downright negative, the same % a buy rec? So far Srajan seems honest and forthright.
Anyway, I mainly read hifi publications to be aware of new products, and 6 Moons reviews products ignored by S'phile -- and their pics beat hell outta most other mags.
I'll just let you have the last word.
nt
Exactly right. The review HAS been bought and paid for, no reason to make an assumption. The publisher is telling readers up front -- every review we publish will be contingent on the company whose product is under review committing to pay the publication up front.
Jason Chervokas
I was just thinking, it actually could induce a manufacturer into unethical behavior because they know now they must pay for that site's review but a bit more wouldn't hurt, right? I mean you have already started down the payola road so why not go all the way and get the result you want??
Really? How do you know this? I've in fact not polled a single manufacturer. Neither did I run it by my staff. I simply made an executive decision. That's called taking a risk. You could perhaps say a 'calculated risk' given that we could simply go on as we have all along. But otherwise you're way off base. Not that you'd probably care -:)
...as a CEO, I often make decisions based on my instinct or gut feeling - after I've done all the research.
n
He was giving you the benefit of the doubt. ;-)
I enjoy your reviews
Observe, before you think. Think before you open your yap. Act on the basis of experience.
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