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Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Advertising on Artnet if you're in Montreal

Howdy!

Slow news day here - so I figure I'll have to find something to talk about. It occurs to me, that most of the folk in cyberspace seem to think Artnet is a wonderful and authoritative resource for things concerning the visual arts worldwide. And I am a lone and distinct minority in disagreeing with this viewpoint. First off, I don't understand why everybody links to Jerry Saltz's reprint of his Village Voice column on Artnet, it's available on the Village Voice website a full 24 hours earlier, and is in a way more appropriate context. I don't understand why Artnet wants to republish "old news" on the internet, that is easily available elsewhere, but I do hope that Mr. Saltz is getting at least as much cash from Artnet as he is from the Village Voice.

Then, more to the point why I don't think Artnet is either wonderful or authoritative: In order for a gallery to be listed there, it costs $350/per month. In comparison an e-flux mail-out campaign costs $850, and if the price hasn't changed Akimbo costs $50, and Instant Coffee is free. Now I am generally extremely wary of anything that asks me for money, where I'm not entirely certain what I am getting in return. For example, the New York Times online charges a $20 CPM (Cost per 1000 impressions, ie if 1,000 people click it'll cost you $20) right now those ads you see to your right cost $2.95 CPM, so if the $350 a gallery is going to give to Artnet is going to be as effective as an ad in NYTimes.com, I'd be wanting something like 17,000 viewing it. Hmmm, as one of the hotter artbogs of the moment gets under 1,000 hits per day, I'm not certain if Artnet would be considered a good investment in my books. Although to be fair there are other reasons to give them your money. So since I'm writing this here blog to promote Montreal and Québecois art, and by extension Montreal and Québecois art galleries, here's the list of art galleries that come up when I type in "Montreal" on Artnet:
GALERIE [SAS]
Les Modernes
Galerie d'Arts Contemporains
Galerie 1225 Art et Vin
Galerie Lydia Monaro
Michèle Marin
Galerie de Bellefeuille
Galerie Simon Blais
Waddington & Gorce Inc.
And then I'd have to give the Jack Shainman Gallery a sort of honorary Canadian Gallery status, somehow it appears that he has combined African photographers (for which he has gotten a fair bit of ink) and Canadian artists, not your standard issue mix and match.

Click on them daily, so that the galleries can get their money's worth, ok?

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