I read this review about reviewers

Talking about b--ching and moaning. You make the deal before you do the review not after. No banner, No review. This fellow needs to get some business savvy. 

There is always secondary gain or the threat of loss in any review business. It is why you can never make a purchase decision on one review alone. 

I can understand why the company edited his review. In my opinion, he's not really a good writer. As long as they didn't change the meaning, he shouldn't have a problem with it.

I know a guy who formerly reviewed audio equipment too. If he liked the speakers, he was allowed to buy them at cost. Then he could sell them for profit if he found something he liked better. Not a bad way at all to constantly upgrade a system.

Interesting topic. Let’s assume his service is valued by the consumer. If he gets paid by the manufacturer it calls into judgment his bias- even if it is after the fact- and even if the bias were unconscious. If he has ads from manufacturers I believe that would still be the case. The only way to avoid bias, is if he sells his services directly to consumer- such as a subscription, or if his reviews are picked up by traditional print or e-sites. I think the whole internet monetary model challenges unbiased review, reporting, etc. How many would pay $5/ month to subscribe if the content was exceptional? Certainly some. The issue would be he would be under tremendous pressure to keep the content value  proposition high. My largely uninformed opinion is he wants the reward without the pressure of going all in. 

The writer comes off as a cry baby with an overinflated sense of self-importance.
While his article increased awareness about the speakers, so does word of mouth and posts on forums like this one.  He dismisses the dealers as merely conduits but only a novice or a fool would buy a speaker based on one review.  On the flip side of his argument, what does he do after giving a product a poor or luke warm review, does he send money to the company for their loss of sales?  He mentions 6moons, but they have a firmly established and communicated business model crafted for reasons they clearly explain to their readers.  He should develop his own business model, give it a spin, and find out if it works....just like any other business, instead of acting like a charity that isn’t receiving enough donations.

This topic has been so beaten to death that it could be used for stuffing for that My Pillow Guy. 

Newspaper sales have been dying for years. Having internet ads is just one template for generating revenue. Having manufacturers buy/place ad space on a reviewers site is another standard practice. At cost pricing is another way to go if the reviewer is inclined to buy the product. Again, nothing new.

Nothing like having your dreams run right smack into reality. 

All the best,
Nonoise