Why are Reviewers Paid So Poorly????

[FrantzM]

Hi

Somewhere in both the two threads about the reviewing process there is a lingering question: How do any of you propose the reviewing protocol should be? It is clear there is not much to be made if one were to take reviewing as the sole means of living... On the other hand we have a hobby in which sees $5,000 as "entry-level" .. So how do we go about this ? Who should be the reviewers ? How can they procure the gears, the tools of their craft? Consumer Reports has the means to acquire what they test, High End Audio magazines don't ..
Another question remains : Why would ANYONE review these gears?

To me the reality is that people get into reviewing Hi End Audio for the prestige it bestows upon them AND particularly the perks, the most interesting being the accommodation pricing .. I can't see much else .. short of a quixotic endeavor to elevate the Art of Music Reproduction .. Yeah ? Right !

How do we fix this unsatisfactory state of affair? How do we, audiophiles, find ways for better reviewing of the gears that serve our obsession ..err ..hobby? We may need to admit that reviewing is needed to begin with, much more than we think or would like to think.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Hi

Somewhere in both the two threads about the reviewing process there is a lingering question: How do any of you propose the reviewing protocol should be? It is clear there is not much to be made if one were to take reviewing as the sole means of living... On the other hand we have a hobby in which sees $5,000 as "entry-level" .. So how do we go about this ? Who should be the reviewers ? How can they procure the gears, the tools of their craft? Consumer Reports has the means to acquire what they test, High End Audio magazines don't ..
Another question remains : Why would ANYONE review these gears?

To me the reality is that people get into reviewing Hi End Audio for the prestige it bestows upon them AND particularly the perks, the most interesting being the accommodation pricing .. I can't see much else .. short of a quixotic endeavor to elevate the Art of Music Reproduction .. Yeah ? Right !

How do we fix this unsatisfactory state of affair? How do we, audiophiles, find ways for better reviewing of the gears that serve our obsession ..err ..hobby? We may need to admit that reviewing is needed to begin with, much more than we think or would like to think.

The answer is right here on these pages and various forums within. The people posting here IMO are the reviewers, and I take more away them (youse guys) than any print/web based publication. I mean no disrespect to our resident pro reviewers when I say that.

 

[Steve williams]

I agree John and as I have said, one of the premises this site was founded was to have we "lay people" review the gear

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

I agree John and as I have said, one of the premises this site was founded was to have we "lay people" review the gear

My address will be posted publicly shortly........

Unfortunately, I'm not a musician......

 

[Steve williams]

Nor am I

 

[microstrip]

I still want to know what the requirements are to be a reviewer because as jtinn so eloquently stated, "everyone is a reviewer" nowadays.
.

Yes, but not everyone is a reputed reviewer. Most of the nice people writing reviews at blogs and sites are not reviewers they are just "opinion makers".

Very often people call a review something that I can not consider a review, but enjoy a lot and find very enlightening - they write their "diary" with their experience with some equipment for a few weeks - the audiophile soap.

BTW, I always find that the best part of the reviews of the best reviewers is not in the the critic itself, but in the accessory discussions - e.g. the HP and AHC reviews in TAS.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Let me throw this into the mix.....are "gear" reviewers qualified to do "media (LP/CD)" reviews? It seems to me that these are two very different disciplines, yet it's a common practice.

 

[Bruce B]

Well I feel definitely they must be musicians so they can interpret the performance.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Well I feel definitely they must be musicians so they can interpret the performance.

You're striking out with me today Bruce ! I cannot agree with that. That's like saying only a chef can judge a meal.

 

[Bruce B]

You're striking out with me today Bruce ! I cannot agree with that. That's like saying only a chef can judge a meal.

LOL... well all the new reality TV shows have chefs judging the meals of other chefs!

A musician can tell if the performer screwed up or just interpreted the music "their way". I can tell if a musician screws up or if they meant to do something.... especially if they have the score to go by and have performed the piece themselves.

 

[Steve williams]

well for me it need not be a prerequisite but would certainly be a plus.

What I take exception to is the literal deluge of every Tom, Dick and Harry proclaiming that they are reviewers, get their "badge" and then proceed to purchase at accommodation prices an entire system so that "they can have a reference system for when they do their reviews. A check of said reviewers show nothing of any track record but what the heck, 50% off and the ball is rolling

One last thing that is needing to be mentioned. Not only do said reviewers get the equipment at 50% off but rarely if ever do they pay the sales tax and finally they all seem to find a way to deduct their "entire" system as a tax write off as a proclaimed business expense. You have to love it. So for these guys to say that when they sell the gear it is a break even or a wash, I will merely reply to them, "who do you think you're fooling?"

 

[microstrip]

Well I feel definitely they must be musicians so they can interpret the performance.

Happily I have never seen people claiming that novel critics must be novel writers. May be only professional cookers should rate restaurants?

OK, they must have some basic knowledge of music, but not being professional performers.
But for hifi reviewing this is not needed!

 

[Gregadd]

Those who can do. Those who can't review.

 

[Bruce B]

Those who can do. Those who can't review.

Yeah.... something about musicians becoming engineers!!

 

[MylesBAstor]

LOL... well all the new reality TV shows have chefs judging the meals of other chefs!

A musician can tell if the performer screwed up or just interpreted the music "their way". I can tell if a musician screws up or if they meant to do something.... especially if they have the score to go by and have performed the piece themselves.

Bruce: this also goes to the argument years ago that one must be a historian to write about history; that's been long disproved and out of date

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Let me throw this into the mix.....are "gear" reviewers qualified to do "media (LP/CD)" reviews? It seems to me that these are two very different disciplines, yet it's a common practice.

I have always questioned that for both audio and video equipment reviewers. Few are qualified and I do it with great timidity.

 

[vinylphilemag]

Rich, That is why I stated 'might' agree about a reference system. Nonetheless, your thought isn't 100% accurate ,as once any given piece of gear is inserted into a system, the audio reviewer is now hearing the system as a 'sum of its parts' which in many ways is what one experiences upon driving a car.

Right, but--to stretch the analogy--consider a review of car accessories, like tires. One would expect super high performance tires to be tested in an appropriate context: the tire reviewer needs access to a suitable car, be it on loan or purchased. The tire reviewer needs to be familiar enough with the car's performance to be able to tell what diffrence the new tires make. Substitute "audio system" for car and "component being reviewed" for tires, and hopefully my point is a but clearer.

I am sorry BUT the ability of a reviewer to afford equipment should, IMHO, be irrelevant. He or she does NOT have to BUY the piece of gear under review. As I said before, the reviewer only needs to listen to the piece under review, formulate an opinion and then elucidate that to the audience.

Agreed 100%, with the proviso of system context I alluded to before.

Upon completing that, I see no reason why the reviewer needs to/ or should have,the option to acquire the desired piece at an 'accommodated' price.

Even though I have yet to take advantage of this (and I have been offered the opportunity), I guess we must agree to disagree on this point: I see the option to acquire gear at accommodation pricing as a perk of the job. Heck, I had the same perk when I worked in a hifi store many years ago (i.e., I was able to purchase stuff at the store's cost). It's a perk that I admit may be open to abuse, but agreements not to sell the item within a certain time frame (e.g., one year), and certainly not for a profit, would help here, I think.

 

[DaveyF]

Rich, I must say that this 'perk' of the job thing just doesn't sit well with me at all... Not only is it questionable ethically IMHO, it is also, as you yourself say, open to abuse. As an aside to the profit motives and other related issues that have been discussed, it certainly can easily lead to a biased review, if nothing else.
With regards to your tire testing analogy, from what I know of these tests, the car that is fitted with the tires under test is always a loaner.Upon completion of the test(s) the car is returned to the manufacturer...I must say I have never read about a tire test wherein the tester was using a Ferrari ( which he acquired through an 'accommodation' directly from the factory after a glowing review ).
I do agree that we will have to agree to disagree.

 

[JackD201]

I'm pretty sure circulation has a lot to do with the pay for any given print magazine.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Happily I have never seen people claiming that novel critics must be novel writers. May be only professional cookers should rate restaurants?

OK, they must have some basic knowledge of music, but not being professional performers.
But for hifi reviewing this is not needed!

Well maybe this could extend to equipment manufacturers Or recording engineeers I mean how can a person possibly design a piece of gear if they can't play an instrument?
I think many recording engineers are just technogeeks.