This week on The Disclaimer, WMSE's weekly rap session with Ryan Schleicher, Matt Wild and I, we're taking a look at the state of album reviews. Many major labels are doing away with the long-standing practice of sending out early review copies of albums to critics. Is that a sign that they no longer view album reviews as an effective promotional strategy? And how do readers engage with record reviews these days? Are album reviews less important in an era when listeners can stream nearly every album free and legally with a few clicks of a mouse? We consider those questions and more, with all the usual tangents you've come to expect from The Disclaimer (Matt goes off on Weird Al and Gamergate).
What do you think? Do you still read record reviews? Let us know on Facebook. You can stream this week's episode below.
