You often hear about the internet replacing the critic: why read 1,000 words pontificating about the finer points of Alt-J’s rhythmic syncopation when you can listen on Spotify?
But few realise how hard it’s been made to do any criticism at all. Such is the fear of films, albums and video games being leaked by pirate sites, most companies don’t send out preview copies to journalists. Often the alternative is to sit in an office or screening room, get a quick blast of the new release, then sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) swearing on your life to not say anything about it until the release date.
At a big album release this year, critics were asked to refrain from discussing any “improvements, methods, processes, inventions, discoveries, ideas, formulae, compositions or concepts”, surely exaggerating the expectations of a 12-track pop album. It closed by threatening a fine of $2m for each unauthorised disclosure – well within the budget of any freelance music journalist.
Hilarious clauses in NDAs are not uncommon. One film journalist was given an exhaustive list of places he was told he couldn’t write about a movie, including the now defunct social networking site Bebo. A games journalist had to sign something saying he’d have to pay £1m if he disclosed the powers of a character’s necklace in assassin-for-hire game Hitman.
Sometimes NDAs are just ignored. The Rihanna 777 plane was a weird press-junket-turned-disaster where journalists flew around the world on the same plane as Rihanna (left) but never actually spoke to her. Most were asked to file daily updates – but also served with an NDA asking them not to write anything about what happened.
The biggest thing NDAs can hide isn’t what you can say, but when you can say it. As one games journalist told me: “If the NDA runs to the same day of release, that’s normally the sign of a crap game.” Often products are leaked online before the NDA runs out, giving the public an advantage over the reviewers.
The old-fashioned critic’s days look numbered, but it seems the lawyers will get them before the internet does.
