 Reviews FAQ
Q: Do you want to review my music?
A: Yes of course! We'd love to review your music - that's what the site is for. We try to review as many releases and soon as possible. However, ukhh.com is a non-profit making organisation and unless labels and artists provide promotional copies of their product to review, we cannot possibly afford to buy every single record out there and then review it. Also, there are more records released per week than any one man could possibly listen to, let alone review, so you will be jumping the queue if you send us your material.
Q: What do I need to do to get a review?
A: Simply send ukhh.com whatever it is you want to be reviewed. Send a CD/Record/MD/Video accompanied by all relevant information on sheets of A4 in print. Ukhh.com writers can only work with that which they are provided; we ain't got the time to go looking on the web for track listings, production credits or any other information which you may feel is relevant to a review, but which is absent from the record. Also please bare in mind that whilst one man may not own a CD player, another might only own a minidisc recorder so confirm the reviewer's preferred format before sending any packages out.
Q: Who will review my work?
This depends. If you contact Delbwoy via the site's info@ukhh.com he will distribute promos at random (he's nice like that) or at the request of ukhh contributors. Delbwoy however recommends that you read existing reviews and then contact their authors directly. Everyone has their preferences and critics are no different, so do a little research to see who you feel would be most interested by your product. Ukhh.com is a community of fans and journalists from across the UK with members in Canada and France also. For this reason, it is impractical at present for ukhh to have a central mailing address because there is no need to waste the little budget we do have when labels can send stuff direct to individual reviewers.
Q: Someone emailed me the other day saying they were down with ukhh and wanted my back catalogue on all formats to review - are they kosher? I sent them £££s worth of material about a year ago and their hotmail account no longer works - should I be worried?
A: What do you think? Delbwoy recommends that before giving away any merchandise you go to the features section of the site and check the member profiles to confirm the identity of professed reviewers. It was initially flattering to learn that people have deemed the name of ukhh so important that it can open doors for them but it's not on and it's cheating both us and the labels who send out product in good faith. Delbwoy advises labels and artists to consider sending out CDRs, dub-tapes and MDs instead of professionally manufactured product if you don't trust us!
Q: When will my review be ready?
Ukhh.com endeavours to get reviews written and uploaded as soon as possible, we will aim to get your review done and on the site in 21 days. However, just like you, everyone working for ukhh has a life and more serious commitments outside the website. Don't get stressed if the review doesn't appear, simply calmly email the person who should have bashed out a review for you. Remember, the reviewer may have a good reason such as their hamster dying. Also, websites are subject to problems with hosting and the facility to upload new material (some more than others) and so don't automatically assume that we're sleeping on your material. Also, just because ukhh.com is accessible at all hours of the day, don't presume that we are equally accessible 24/7 and so sometimes pestering reviewers with a deluge of emails might not help you in the long run.
Q: How long will my review be?
A: How long is a piece of string? Unlike magazine scribes who have to meet word limits and conform to a certain editorial policy, ukhh.com allows reviewers to explicate product as they see fit. At present there is a massive spread in review length ranging from around 200 words through to about 1,500 words - expect to get something in between. It all depends upon the styles of the respective reviewer and of course, how much time they have to spend on your particular product.
Q: Do you have a rating system?
A: No. This is a subject regularly discussed within ukhh.com management and every time the conclusion is that we respect the intelligence of artists and readers alike too much to reduce works of art to stars or comparable grading scales. A reader should be able to both get an idea of the product and the reviewer's opinion of that product by reading reviews, which will always tell you far more than any mic grading system.
Q: How do I get a good review?
A: You get a good review if (a) the product you supplied is of a high enough quality (b) the reviewer in question likes your product. Whilst we all love freebies and bribes, you can't buy a review on ukhh.com and such dodgy behaviour is likely to be exposed and ridiculed which will not do you any favours.
Q: What happens if I do not like the review?
A: You can contact the Citizen's advice bureau, hire a Bolivian hit man, take our already broke asses to the European Court of Record-label Rights - or! You can (and should) raise your objections with the reviewer and no one else. Ukhh.com is a totally independent media outlet with no obligations to labels and artists and we hope to keep it this way. If you don't want people to voice an opinion in response to your art, you need to ask yourself if you are in the right business? A review is only as important as you make it - drawing attention to a negative review can therefore do you more harm than good. DO NOT abuse the guestbook, forums or the info@ukhh.com email address with your personal grievances because we're not interested and it is not very professional - do you do the same when The Guardian reviews your product? It is all to easy to fire off umpteen heated emails in a million different directions but Delbwoy asks that you calm down, count to ten and think about what you say before you say it.
Q: Can I have a review changed or removed if I do not like it?
A: "If I do not like it?" No. Ukhh.com prides itself on being a platform for free expression and diverse views. Unless you are expecting a 10,000 word thesis on each 12", all reviews are, by their nature, going to be a filtered or selective view of the product. Ukhh.com will not change or remove reviews simply because you do not agree. You can always offer the same product to another reviewer who may provide you with an alternative perspective; that's the best we can do. Having said that, ukhh.com is subject to the same laws covering publishing and freedom of expression, so if a review can be proven to contravene a specific statute, consult info@ukhh.com directly to sort things out.
Q: Can I use ukhh.com reviews in my promotional material?
A: We'd love it if you wanted to use (correctly attributed) quotes from reviews in your promotional material. Please ensure you mention the sites address every time you refer to a ukhh.com review. If you yourself have an online presence, we still encourage references to reviews, articles and interviews featured on ukhh.com. However, remember that ukhh.com reviews are our intellectual property and therefore the reproduction of complete reviews/articles/interviews, with or without correct attribution, on another website is theft. ALWAYS ask the author of the piece you want to quote/reproduce before taking any action. Otherwise, ukhh.com shall not hesitate to take all the action we can against you. Help maintain the overall positive and communal vibe of UK hiphop by complying with these reasonable terms of use.
Q: I've seen the same review on ukhh.com somewhere else, is this right?
A: Nope. This is very much not right. Please let info@ukhh.com know ASAP when you see material from ukhh.com published elsewhere. Unlike other websites who compile and digest work from other sources, ukhh.com prides itself on being a champion of new and original writing so help us to help you.
- Delbwoy
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