Recently, I was standing outside after a show, chatting with a group of fellow music writers, when the conversation shifted to sponsored content and brand deals. We all shared a general distaste for the way nearly any media job now comes with the incentive to market oneself as an influencer—a job that didn’t really appeal to any of us—but that came with the asterisk of “but if people wanted to send me free stuff…” I don’t take for granted that m…