The Money Shot: MP3 Blogs and PR

How long before the "new" media becomes as controlled and corrupt as the old media?

"At this point MP3s are a necessary evil," says one New York-based new media specialist. Legality prevents PR firms from leaking material themselves, he says, but when an MP3 blogger is contacted, the expectation is that s/he will leak at least a song or two. The strategy preys on the blog world's unquenchable thirst for the new—both rarities and pre-releases. "I'm doing you a favor and you're doing me a favor at the same time," says another new media specialist. "We'll scratch each other's back."