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Small update: I’ve told the company I’m talking about in this video several times that I could not sign this contract because it threatened my independence. The company kept insisting that they needed a signature on this contract because they needed to “justify sending physical products from their factory to the end recipient”, and they’ve also mentioned that the contract was “for legal purposes only in the accounting department to properly divide the sent products”. After some back and forth they were finally able to offer a new, way better contract. However, now that I know of these rules from this particular company, I cannot in good faith make any content about their products, because I don’t want to collaborate with a company that creates the ability to manipulate content, even if it’s not my content. So, I’ve turned down this opportunity and I’m not going to make any content about this particular companies products on my channel.
When a company sais "for legal purposes only" - I see that as a huge red flag. Legal terms are meant to reflect what happens in real life. Otherwise the legal terms are breached. Honest reviews is the reason we're following your channel - at least that's what I'm here for! 🙂
All they need is a packing slip and a signature that you received it (they are being vague with the truth here)... famous last words of anyone who signed a contract...but they said it was not really that important or a big deal and would never do what the contract says they would do... after its been done... if it was not a big deal then it wouldn't be necessary
Good on you for sharing this stuff and walking away from that crappy contract. Any company that asks a reviewer to sign an endorser contract blurs the line way too much. Independence is essential. Keep up the great work.
Wow, this is wild. That is the kind of contract that NO ONE should sign. Thank you for staying independent - it's absolutely essential for pro audio to always have strong, independent voices. We've been happy every time you've checked out our products , and value your constructive criticism, as it helps us make better products!
Mate, you are a wonderful human being. I spend my life trying to educate upcoming people in the industry, so they don’t fall foul of the things that I did. These things that you’re selflessly highlighting are so important in terms of real education and also understanding the relevance of information within a sensationalist environment. Huge respect to you brother - this is truly helping people x
Wow. That's balls. I've only had one company try to get me to sign something similar, but I refused entirely -- and ultimately they still sent me products. It's great to see your integrity stays intact. Well done!
Thank you for exposing the dirty side of marketing brainwashing! Honesty is the best policy, and we are thankful for your channel for sticking to its principles!
You’re our hero. Your entire community is backing you up! Thank you for being the way you are, both professionally and as a human being roaming on Planet Earth. I don’t know if you realise but when you are not promoting a plugin, you are promoting honesty and ethics as a way of living. And that’s incredibly important.
I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of those videos where the RU-vidr goes "Video sponsored by company that sent me this product but everything I say are all my own opinions" are actually in fact, not their opinions and instead just company-approved garbage.
You and Dan are pretty much the only reviewers I trust here. This just confirms that it isn't misplaced. Thanks for giving honest reviews and staying independent.
In addition to your knowledge, your attitude and the frankness of your opinions are the reasons why I watch your videos. Congratulations on your work! I wish you all the best!
Integrity is everything🙌🏾 and I have a lot of respect for you , for sticking by your principles and for also shining a light amidst all the darkness. Thank you👍🏾
Awesome video! I love that you shared one of those contracts. Of course I envisioned these contracts to be something like that, but some things I didn't expect and it's always better to know than to think to know.
I'm glad you chose to talk about this. There are so many people that act genuine about a product and are pushing it because a company is paying them or endorsing them and they are not admitting it. These other RU-vidrs are also a part of the problem and it has turned me off to a lot of RU-vid content as a result.
When serious audio technicians and producers actually make something unique, I am excited to try it. This channel is the reason I deleted 99% of my plugins. I am thankful for the work you do on this channel.
Such a good video on this topic. I think people have VERY skewed views on what "sponsorships", "endorsements", "NFRs", etc is. Very stoked to see people like you and Matt Weiss being transparent about the back end dealings of making content for / in collaboration with companies. I can't even tell you how many sponsorships, free items, endorsement deals, etc because I don't love the company, I don't feel comfortable recommending it, I don't like how forceful they are, how specific they want the content around it, etc.
This stuff is important for people to know, maybe even more important than any average audio related tutorial. There are comapnies behind the products & company gonna gompany... Personally I've never had this kind of contract on my desk but anyone who values their integrity will deny these kinds contracts. Glad to see so much transparency from you!
You are the only "RU-vidr" that I follow for everything and anything to do with sound production, product reviews while at the same time, keeping abreast to all things new. Keep up the good work......your Canadian community member.
YES!! ✊wow! 👏 ..enourmous respect and props to you for doing this video & for staying loyal to your values! the world should follow your example! (not just the audio world) 🙏🎯💯 thank you!
Thank you for sharing this information with us. I appreciate the fact that you are very concerned with the honesty and integrity of your videos. Keep pushing and again thank you
Thank you so much for your intergrity. So much in our world today is fake - especially anything to do with sales. Prime example is a medical advertisement showing a doctor with his/her stethoscope wrapped around the neck. I still speak with people who believe that this is not an actor, and the ad has not been scripted and produced to the n'th degree. Soon enough, we'll all be living in a fake world once AI takes hold. Again, keep up the excellent work. I've learned so much from you.
Thanks for your openness and honesty about this subject. As the former Technology Editor for a prominent music magazine for 7 years, I can definitely relate to this topic! During my tenure, I made a point of avoiding working with companies who followed these kinds of practices. I'm glad I did, as it enabled both myself and the magazine to maintain our integrity in the industry, and among our readers. Keep up the good work! 👍
Real Talk!! Again!!! ❤ I do watch at least one channel which is ALL about sponsorship and endorsed content but I allow it because it's so blatant, he's doing his thing and it works for him, it's not very mature content. Never stop thinking about music and politics!!! I'll add my voice of appreciation for speaking up. 🙏
I really appreciate your integrity and transparency Wytse, it’s very refreshing in a sea of ‘'influencers’ repeating the companies marketing spiel every time a new product gets launched. I trust your videos and will continue too. Thank you.
This is why we love and support your channel! This kind of video is never easy to make, but that super high level of honesty and integrity is exactly WHY we are the fans of your channel that we are! Thank you, and keep up the awesome work! To everyone saying this contract is horrible... This isn't even the worst of these kinds of contracts that pop up, but is a great indicator how all of the modern "brand influencer" content creation, regardless of industry or product, sets up their SOPs. That's not to say all companies and brands do this, but... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
you are the most honest youtuber that I watch. I appreciate that and when I want buy something it willl be through your links. ThNK YOU for what you do.
I hate companies who expect you to sign something which takes away the reviewer's independence, but are then TOO embarrassed to let the public know who they are! That disgusts me in all honesty.. EVERYONE should have the convictions of their actions! Thank you for this video, It's worthy of far more than 1 like!
Thank you for this video! It reminds us all to take very positive opinions of influencers always with a grain of salt. It would be great if every RU-vidr had to state that his opinion was influenced or content was changed by a manufacturer or contract. Many just say that they did not get paid by a company, but knowing about such contracts, this isn’t the point.
They want all that, and then they don't even pay? Crazy... This is seems like they got all the benefit, and you get nothing. I'm not sure who would ever sign contracts like that. Good for you that you stand up for your integrity and call out bad players, even without naming names.
Hi Wytse, I think that, to you, it is very important that your integrity is beyond question. I would like to reassure you that, from what I see on YT, from other channels, is that you are very well respected. I can't say that I have ever specifically bought a product which you have been positive about but, I can assure you that I have never bought a product that you had a negative reaction to. Your transparency and integrity are the qualities which made me subscribe to your channel.
This is the logic and ethics of the old guard. Albini types. Actual engineers. This industry is full of flash in the pan grifters, but those that abide by the long arc of merit and integrity will stand the test of time. Power to you.
IN REALITY - No RU-vidr forced us/me to ever buy anything ever. If RU-vidrs say positive things and we go buy it just because they said nice things WE’RE IDIOTS. What intelligent person would do that? I buy what I need, I think of RU-vidrs as entertainers. It’s cool to watch, but spending even $1 based on a video I don’t get it. Marketing isn’t new lol. People who blame RU-vidrs for vids being “ads” or “shill” just wanna blame people for their bad choices. I watch HULU and see F150 commercials constantly, I don’t own an F150, and even if it was a product placement within a show and it wasn’t disclosed I STILL wouldn’t buy an F150 because I’m in charge of me and I don’t need an F150 😂 Companies aren’t our friends, they’re just companies.
Well said, and thanks for making people aware of the behind the scenes manipulating that goes on. There are a lot of chancers on RU-vid whose aim is to try to monetise their videos while pretending to be offering advice and opinions. A lot of what passes as 'reviews' are just promotional claptrap often done by people who have little idea what they are talking about. Thank goodness for the few, like yourself, that we can trust to have an honest opinion. A well known website has been doing this for years, offering reviews and tutorials, while obscuring that they are promotional paid-for articles, which I find very misleading and dishonest, so i am glad if the subject is brought up to make people realise what they are reading/watching and why.
I've watched a bunch of your videos and liked them a lot. This video really cemented my opinion of you and your channel. I am now a subscriber. Thank you. Keep doing what you are doing!
Its very simple... once you sign that you are being used for your (previously thought to be) or percieved authenticity , however ironically when these are signed it is no longer authentic it is deceptive... this is why we call it "shilling" or "being a sellout" ... in my world lying is lying even if you omit the truth... thanks for sharing, I hope the first contract you signed does not open you up to legal issues for mentioning the second contract...
The justified ancients of Mu Mu used to say thatthe last time that the audio/misic industry showed transparency was when SSL presented the 9000 series to the public. Thank you very much, it such a BAD thing that those (that work forces...) can hide their true colors with & by the help and cooperation of the legal system. Be blessed, healthy, free, independent and prosper.
Thank you 🙏 This kind of integrity is why I always listen to your opinions. Even if I don’t always agree with everything every time, your channel brings a lot of value to the table. Rock on 🤘
Appreciate your transparency! Glad this is becoming more of a trend in the audio youtube world! I saw Fluff go over this a bit in a recent video. It’s important! I’ve seen some really sketchy behavior from companies.
Thanks for this, I was aware of one company doing this kind of thing and have been called out for it by several RU-vidrs & media but I thought they were the exception. Knowing that this is becoming a thing is worrying as I do use RU-vid as one of the main deciding factors.
Very common kind of contract in all industries, actually.. The hard truth is that most "influencers" would and do sell their ass for any kind of contract, no matter how exploitative it is. The standards are set very low, and most companies takes advantage of it.
I really appreciate your opinion on this and especially sharing some of the contract verbiage. It would be excellent if other audio channels would do something similar.
Good on you for sticking to your principles, we all value your independence in this space and that contract is not a contract to support independent review at all, that is a 'we control you' contract,
Just the fact that it's dangerous for you to disclose the brand names that try to shove this garbage down your throat means they know it's wrong. Good on you for standing up to them.
All this sounds VERY familiar from the car review industry I used to work in. Marketing is the BS art of creating a false desire that I never had, based on manipulation and sometimes straight lies. Why any ‘Audioflanser’ would align with that ethic is beyond me! But many have allowed themselves to do just that! Keep going, I appreciate it!
It’s crazy that you can't expose the companies doing this, they need to be held accountable. They want to use you like you're their employee and control everything you say about them, but don't want to pay you like the rest of their employees.
Very interesting video Wytse and I totally applaud what you are trying to achieve by offering a glimpse "behind the curtain" on the whole review/promotion issue. The only problem is that by NOT naming the company I'm now wondering if every single product being launched at the moment is the one you're talking about. So you may have protected the guilty but you've also raised suspicions about the innocent.
This is what 'can' happen when lawyers get involved that only care about liability instead of people that know the market, trust and care about the people they work with. Not only in this youtube business, but everywhere.
You do not need to explain yourself. You are entitled to make a living. Anyone that watches a few of your videos knows that you have a very high level of integrity. You need to make a living. Follow your standards, make money and develop your concept!
I think a) you should seek legal advice concerning your ability to safely say online what companies you will not sign "contracts" with. b) you should certainly say which companies do not require a "contract" at all - I can see no reason why there should be such contracts c) all YT music videos made under ANY such "contract" should have the word [SPONSORED] in the title and the presenter should announce this at the beginning of the video. I think this is actually a legal requirement. In the video gaming industry most RU-vid gaming channels always announce they are doing a sponsored video. Other than that they only sign NDAs relating to the dates on which they can release review and gameplay material after receiving an early review copy of a game. The very best gaming channels do not do sponsored videos, they only sign the NDAs relating specifically to content release embargo dates. It would be the kiss of death for any gaming channel to release a game "review" made under any sort of "contract" without disclosing it as sponsored. It will be found out eventually.
If you dig a little you can pretty much know who the dodgy ones are. Some times it is a cultural barrier and a misunderstanding too, so getting the pitch forks out prematurely can make you the bad guy too. And companies can improve or go bad over time.
Oh, give me a home where the RU-vidrs roam Where the deer and the antelope play Where never is heard a discouraging word And the skies are not cloudy they say
