Actually, Perez Hilton Having a Record Label Is Not Quite the Stupidest Idea We’ve Ever Heard

The Times reports this morning that gossip blogger and MS Paint artist Perez Hilton is in talks with Warner Bros. Records to get his own record label. According to unnamed sources, WMG will pay him $100,000 a year, an advance on half the profits any of his artists generate.

We’re sure something will eventually make us regret saying it, but this could actually be a smart move for Warner (at least smarter than all the other ones they’ve made in the past six years or so); Perez does have close to 3 million monthly readers — way more than Pitchfork or any music magazine — and his blog did probably have more to do with the American success of Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen than Universal or Capitol Records would like to admit. Of course, he probably won’t be signing the next Amy Winehouse to his own label — more likely he’ll get crappier artists like Eric Hutchinson or Chester French (both of whom he’s endorsed). If it goes through, the deal would basically amount to Perez telling Warner which bands he’s going to blog about, then both sharing the profits from iTunes sales. Listen, we’re not saying they’ll actually turn a profit here, but we can definitely think of dumber ways the music business has spent $100,000 lately.

Perez Hilton Could Play New Role: A&R Man [NYT]