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.

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.

Ok. I have been recording/mixing and mastering since 1976. At times, on a very high level. I have been following you for a few years. I found you in your heavy “Snake Oil” days. I know you have grown and moved on from that era, but I want you to know that it was then that I learned to TRUST you. I promise you that I am not alone there. Most of your followers probably started there. As an experienced pro, I found your reviews to be honest and absolutely dead on! So….regarding this video; you absolutely don’t need to convince any of your core base that you are independent in your reviews. Maybe for some newer subscribers, nut not for the rest of us. I follow and interact with many youber music/recording/mastering channels and, given my almost 50,years of experience, I call BULLSHIT when I see it. You are a welcome exception. Please don’t abandon your independence, your honesty, it the formula that brought us to you to start with

Hearing corruption exposed is like a good revenge film for me. Love it

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!

Love the honesty and transparency, it's greatly appreciated as is your content!

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!

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

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!

This is gold , I have been saying this on my channel for the longest. The whole Idea for YT reviews are user opinion based not cooperation sponsored in this case they are not even sponsoring

This is Antelope Audio, I have seen these contracts more than once, . If you still trust that company for some reason and have missed all the terrible practices, then this video is your wake up call.

Keep doing what you do! We respect your integrity and your mission to deliver transparency in your work. Thanks! 😎

Thx man, this is the only way the whole utube theater makes sense

Saying NO to people or just walking away from a deal, is always the best card in your deck when you are uncomfortable with an agreement.

Man we need more of this from every KZfaqr. Imagine how much better this place would be. KUDOS!!

That contract sounds like absolute hot garbage. Thank you for shining some light on the grimy behind the scenes of the audio equipment business.

Thanks for the full on honesty here. This is a rare thing online.

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.

Glad to see you stood your ground 👏

This gives you a strong character in my book. Good on you and much better value for your watchers. Keep up the good work!

' never sign anything ! ' steve albini

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.

Thanks for this info. And much appreciate your honesty.

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!

It's great to see someone on KZfaq with this kind of *integrity*. Thank you!

Really respect this video. Thank you for posting. Stay strong!

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 KZfaqrs are also a part of the problem and it has turned me off to a lot of KZfaq content as a result.

It’s why we like your work 👍 Thanks for your integrity, we need more professional thinking like you🤘🤘🤘

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!

Great Video, thank You. The blacked out Company looks like "Antelope Audio"

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👍🏾

Respect! You are putting yourself in a position where you may lose money in the short term because your values speak higher. We need more of this everywhere.

I continue so watch your channel because of the objective reviews and analysis. Thanks a ton for staying true to the audience with videos like these

I love the transparency. This is why I trust your opinion on products 1000%.

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.

I appreciate this video and the transparency. You'll never regret sticking to your standard.

Transparency is what we need! Thank You for this!

Thank you for your transparency

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.

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!

You are the only "KZfaqr" 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.

WOW! This is very revealing, thank you for sharing. We, as consumers, should carefully think about which influencers are really just puppets of corporate puppet-masters.

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of those videos where the KZfaqr 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.

All the power to you. You got my respect. Thank You

Very revealing to know what many of us suspected - that many KZfaqrs intentionally act as marketers rather than reviewers and are handcuffed by audio companies. Thank you for this video.

This is the exact reason I love your videos and subscribe! It's because you speak the truth and it's not influenced by money or gear. Excellent.

'I talked to my therapist about this..." 😂 Yes, it is disturbing.

You're one of the few reviewers that I watch these days. I understand people need to make a living but things have gone too far IMO. The landscape has dramatically shifted over the last 10 years and it's very hard to trust what anybody tells us now. Kudos to you for maintaining integrity and being very transparent 😀

Good content. Thank you ... Yeah there's definitely some crazy unethical marketing pushes for equipment on KZfaq.... Usually involving free merchandise.

I love how brutality honest you are about this vs others who are just being paid to say what the company wants and really cant be trusted.

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! 👍

TRUST ist the most important thing you can achieve as Influencer - "Social Media" is too often on the "dark side of the power" with fake news and polarization. Nobel Prize winner Maria Resa: "Without facts, you can't have truth. Without truth, you can't have trust. Without trust, we have no shared reality, no democracy". Best wishes for your future as Indipendent : )

Right on! I‘m so with you on this. Thanks for your honesty and strength! D

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.

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

Thanks for revealing these ‘methodes’. Very much appreciated!

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)_/¯

Really good that someone is still trying to be transparent and true not to be bought. Still, I think the company names are very good to mention! Please think about it! Perhaps a living list, for companies to be moved up or down depending on their behavior. (A funny anecdote. I bought a product from a company and was not satisfied. I wrote a comment on their website and gave a low rating. my comment was immediately removed. I wrote the same thing but gave a high rating. that comment was also removed. A week later, a package appeared in my box, with 10 similar products. Unscrupulous companies must be given a chance, but Never not to bribe us.)

Unbiased - showing no prejudice for or against something; impartial. "his assessment of the benefits and drawbacks was unbiased"

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 KZfaqr 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.

Thx Wytse for your honest comments about the online audio industry. I have really matured in mixing and mastering. Independence is number 1 priority. I work as an amateur for (very) small indie artists. I have closed down my own website just because of the 'catch 22' structure running it. Seems to me that more lawyers than experts are involved by now. My advice (for myself that is): stay away from any contracts that tie one down. Easily said, hard to do❤

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!

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. 🙏

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.

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.

Excellent video. You'll never regret not doing something that you didn’t want to do in the first place. Also, you might want to give your therapist's number to this company.

Very interesting. You're honest and clever, go on!

Appreciate your openness and honesty, keep up the amazing work

You have earned my respect by making this video. Not that its important but risking your money for truth is very rare to me.

This is really very honorable that you stick your honesty and that you are not bending to contracts which make you a puppet for a product. The value that you stay true to your opinion is the key value to this channel. Thanks for sharing this and stay like you do things... you do things right. All the best ! Cheers TweakeRay

man of integrity

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...

Wow! That’s a pretty nasty contract. I’ve seen things like this in the past, my instant reaction was: nope 🤗 these companies should know better by now …

Thank you, thank you very much. I am very glad that someone with such a strong and powerful voice like yours is letting the software companies know that we are fed up with them sticking their fingers up our asses with their software garbage.

Big respect to you, Wytse - an authentic and integral human being, not motivated by fear.

There is definitely a trend these days on youtube for content makers to justify and prove their independence. Hearing that from you is so eyes opening and I would like all youtubers to do the same. Thanks' and keep on!!! Such a shame you could not name the companies asking for these contracts ….

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.

This is a GREAT video Wytse! Thank you for taking the time to explain what many don't realize i going on behind the scenes.

Stay Real Man! Thank you for staying strong! 🙏

Thank you for the transparency and kudos for your integrity at distancing yourself from a company with such contracts 👏

Thanks for elucidating- stay healthy and strong, best wishes ❤❤❤

I follow your videos since 3 years ago, you are my imaginary friend 😂😍 just keep it up, we know and trust you in audio industry. You and this channel is honest and special that’s why I’m here everytime you publish a video

Well said, and thanks for making people aware of the behind the scenes manipulating that goes on. There are a lot of chancers on KZfaq 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 really dont comment a lot on youtube but: thank you for doing it YOUR way and keeping it real! Appreciate that lots!

i already trust this channel but it is good to get some confirmation again

That is one reason why I follow this channel for years now. I trust you.

Everything you've said is why I'm subscribed to your channel. Keep going, you're doing everything right.

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.

Thank you Wytse. KZfaqrs that compromise their integrity to their followers lose credibility once the followers try the product and are disappointed

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,

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.

Thanks for this, I was aware of one company doing this kind of thing and have been called out for it by several KZfaqrs & media but I thought they were the exception. Knowing that this is becoming a thing is worrying as I do use KZfaq as one of the main deciding factors.

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!

Thankyou, sincerely. This, I think, throws a bucket of cold water over some of the so-called “reviews” out there.

5:24 🤣LOL "The RED Flag for this wouldn't fit in this room" Hahaha

Goed om te weten... Laat je niet corrumperen in deze wereld van investeerders en big money...

While I might disagree on one or two things you might say, Wytse, as far as YT reviews of audio products are concerned, I always look to your channel to see your input. Your integrity is unquestionable, so thanks.

Appreciate your honesty and independence! 💪🏻👏🏻

Well done you. It's an attempt to control opinion, and strictly speaking is an attack on freedom of expression. The only way to deal with this is to refuse to participate, as you have done. Sadly however many people comply for the sake of "business", inadvertently undermining the democracy that gives them their freedoms.