• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, January 22, 2013

Foursquare is getting access to content from Voice Media Group, which publishes the Village Voice and LA Weekly, among other metropolitan alternative newspapers, through a new syndication deal, the partners announced Tuesday.

Altogether, VMG will provide Foursquare with listings, reviews and related content for 50 different categories of local business in 11 top markets, beginning with New York and Los Angeles and eventually extending to Denver, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, St. Louis, Miami, Minneapolis, Palm Beach and Orange County.

In addition to syndicating its “Best Of” content to Foursquare, VMG will create badges for check-in locales featured in the “Best Of” content. The deal works in both directions, as Foursquare content will also appear on VMG’s Voice Places review and recommendation platform, including trending data and tips from the social check-in service.  

VMG is not the first publisher to partner with Foursquare. Back in 2010, New York joined forces with Foursquare, allowing visitors to check in from various local businesses and earn points for special discounts or deals provided by the proprietors. That same year also brought partnerships with Time Out New York and Bon Appetit.

The TONY deal allows Foursquare members to get a “Time Out New York Happy Hour” badge when they check in at four locations from a list of 30 participating bars and restaurants. Bon Appetit’s deal with Foursquare presents the social network’s members with a selection of “the best global epicurean and travel destinations,” including restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels and shops chosen by the magazine’s editors.

In December, Nielsen reported that Foursquare had about 10.4 million unique users per month, up from a reported 6 million per month, per comScore, in the first half of 2012.