Disclosures
What we do and how we do it.
Affiliate links
Earning revenue is essential for any site that wants to create high-quality original content. It’s what keeps the lights on. One of the ways we earn revenue is via affiliate links to online merchants like Amazon.com.
Some folks question why a site would present honest opinions of a product or service if it stood to benefit each time a reader buys it. Fair point. But if we tell you a product is great and you buy it based on that recommendation and you HATE it, well, no amount of affiliate revenue can offset the damage done to your trust and our reputation. So no, we would never pump up a product or service just to get you to buy it.
Affiliate links also gives you a way of showing your support. Think of it like a tip jar: if you like our content and you were thinking of buying a product we’ve reviewed or discussed, clicking on our affiliate link helps us out.
AI
This is a rapidly changing topic, so check back with this page periodically.
Currently, 99% of the content you read on Loudmouth.audio is created by a genuine flesh-and-blood human, not an AI model.
Why only 99%? Some tasks, like creating tables of specs, are faster with AI, and as long as a human double-checks the data, which we do, it can be every bit as accurate.
We also use AI as an editing tool. It can be invaluable for spotting typos, grammatical mistakes, and generally tightening up text that has become too wordy. Still, no matter how many edits an AI may suggest, each and every one gets approved by a human before it goes live on the site.
Product Reviews
Do companies pay Loudmouth to review their products? Nope.
Do companies provide the products Loudmouth reviews for free? Yes.
Isn’t that a conflict of interest?
No, and here’s why: While we absolutely respect that some publications, like Consumer Reports and RTINGS, buy each product they review, if a small publication like ours were to do the same, we’d hardly ever review any product worth more than about $100. We just wouldn’t have the budget for anything more.
Instead, we rely on the same arrangement used by hundreds of publications big and small. Manufacturers provide free samples for evaluation with the understanding that:
a) Just because a free sample is provided, that doesn’t guarantee we’ll publish a review.
b) If we do publish a review, it will be our candid opinion of the product. Period.
We don’t accept any samples from companies that haven’t agreed to these conditions.
What happens to the products after the review?
We ask that all evaluation samples include a return shipping label. If one is provided, we return the sample as soon as the review is complete (or, if we’ve chosen not to review it, as soon as we’ve made that decision.)
However, the vast majority of the products we receive arrive without return labels. In these cases, we evaluate the product’s value as a review benchmark.
For instance, there’s a very good chance that readers will want to know how Bose’s next set of flagship wireless earbuds compare both to the previous generation as well as to all other current flagships from other major brands. We keep these products around until they no longer have comparative value.
If we decide not to review a product or it no longer has benchmark value, we once again ask for a return label. If we get no response within 30 days, we sell the product and donate 100% of the proceeds to Sistema Toronto, a local organization that provides free after-school music and social development program for children living in underserved communities.
Some products aren’t a good fit for Marketplace (used earbuds have an undeniable ick factor). We donate these items to RCT, a local not-for-profit that refurbishes electronics and provides them at greatly reduced prices to those who can’t afford normal new or used items.
Last update
This page was last updated on May 22, 2026