PEREZ AS TASTEMAKER: BLOGGER IN TALKS FOR OWN IMPRINT AT WARNER MUSIC (NYT, PEREZ)

By Nancy Tartaglione-Vialatte

Although he says on his website that it was meant to remain a secret, Perez Hilton is today facing a leak regarding himself rather than the celebs he has made a business gossiping about. Not that it�s a bad thing for Perez; The New York Times is reporting that the blogger is negotiating a deal that would give him his own imprint at Warner Bros. Records.

Mario Lavandeira, Perez�s real name, could receive $100,000 a year as an advance against 50% of any profits generated by music artists he discovers and releases through WB.

The talks are preliminary, and an agreement is not certain, people close to the deal told the NYT. Lavandeira for his part writes, �Let's hope it doesn't jinx things. It's not a done deal yet! But, we're very, very excited about the possibility. It will happen. It will!�

The agreement would help support Lavandeira�s claims that he has an ear for more than the latest celebrity scoop. More than that, though, a label deal for Lavandeira, whose Web site draws an estimated 2.8 million visitors a month, would be a recognition of the influence that blogs can wield in generating word of mouth about music, notes the NYT.

Indeed, Lavandeira�s seal of approval has proved valuable to more than one little-known act. In September the unsigned singer-songwriter Eric Hutchinson received a boost after Lavandeira posted a link to his music and lavished praise on it. Hutchinson�s album then cracked the Top 10 on iTunes.

�There�s so many outlets for so many musicians, but it�s hard to get that extra push, or that extra exposure,� Sarah Hudson, a member of the fledgling dance-pop group Ultraviolet Sound, told the NYT.

Despite formal ties to a record label, Lavandeira said he thinks he can still remain objective. Last month, he told the Times that he would still have the freedom to rave about artists on rival labels and had no obligation to praise acts on Warner Brothers� roster.

�I�m upfront with them,� he said. �They can�t tell me what to do. If I hate one of their artists, chances are I won�t mention them.�

�There�s no need to trash them,� he added. �Unless they do something stupid.�

He told the Times that he wanted to keep the names of acts he hoped to sign to himself for the moment, but thought his partnership could validate the role that blogs and similar sites can play in the music business. Madonna, he noted, is departing Warner Music after her next album to release her future recordings through a concert promoter.

�I think I could do a lot for them,� he said. �Madonna�s leaving, Perez is coming.�