This isn’t really Music Production-related, but it seems relevant to how we relate to our readers.  The FTC has some new regulations that kick in Dec 2009 that requires publishers to disclose if they received free products for review or were paid in anyway for their endorsement.  It also requires that people selling things disclose any relationship to a person providing a testimonial for said product.

Roughly speaking this translates into: “Hey Internet, stop lying or it will cost you $”

While it does require me to type a few extra sentences in some of our posts – I think it’s about time bloggers were told that their honesty matters, especially in situations where people look for some sort of help or advice.  Misinformation directed at nabbing sales is a huge problem for people sifting through the ever-growing population of “blogs” out there.

Last, and I think most important, I’d like to say that most manufacturers and software developers aren’t looking for a free thumbs-up.  Sure, we submit our reviews for fact-checking, but we’re not getting told how to interpret who a piece of gear is good for, or what features are lacking in a software package. As we try to cover more gear and review more software, inevitably we’ll have to develop relationships with the makers and sellers of that equipment.  Our promise is to give you honest, un-pretentious and practical advice about your music production needs.

As always, we can be reached at askasoundguy@gmail.com

Also, I’d like to make one thing explicitly clear: I am not a lawyer. This is not legal advice. I’m not qualified to give you legal advice. Please go read through the regulations yourself or talk to an actual lawyer before you go making changes to your content, etc.  http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm

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