gorilla batle of the bands?

miguel master · #1 01-28-2012, 10:37 PM

Anyone has any idea on this guys.
I'm doing one tomorrow in tampa but
I've just read so much negative things about them.
Anyone has any experience with them?
Just curious

sonic assassin · #2 01-29-2012, 11:02 PM

tons of experience. bunch of scam artists. there was a thread on here a while ago about a band that won and never saw a dime. i played a few when i was younger. mostly just for the free show. didnt bother selling tickets. just wanted to play.

if you think you are going to make money, dont bother. if you just want to play, pretend like you're going to sell the crap out of those tickets. dont. give them back. and then play the show as planned.

Waffles and Scotch · #3 01-30-2012, 08:02 AM

Another bassist from the Tampa Bay area...welcome! The venue they book is nice, but beyond that - and building some stage presence by getting another show under your belt - I can't see any benefit to playing with them...

The company itself (Gorilla Music)? It's a complete joke. I got an offer from them to play at the same venue you'll be at. I got a rambling voicemail stating how they love our music and think it'd be a good fit, with a call back number. Immediately called back, this young lady answered and asked what city and state I'm from. Then she asked for the name of my band. (loved the music, huh? lol) She gave me the whole run down (ticket sales, grand prize, date of show), then asked if I had any questions. Here's how the conversation went:

How many tickets do we need to sell?
"We'll give you 100 (I think) and if you need more just ask. Just sell as many as you can."
What's our cut?
"Excuse me?"
How much money do we make for each ticket we sell?
"Umm, hold on. (you can hear a call center in the background and her saying 'Nick, Nick! - what do the bands get for each ticket they sell? (male voice) It's for a battle? Nothing. Just the grand prize if they win.'"
What time would we go on?
"Whoever shows up with the most ticket sales gets to choose their time slot, 2nd best chooses from what's left, etc."
Can you tell me what other bands are playing and what genre they're in?
"Umm, well, I think for this one we have 3 metal bands on board, a couple rappers and a couple solo acts."

I politely declined, stating if we wanted to sell tickets we can get a decent cut, predetermined time slot and open for a national act that will get us some great exposure.

So yeah, as sonic_assassin stated, they're a bunch of scam artists. And I agree - tell them you're going to sell a bunch of tickets, don't sell any and just show up and play. Be prepared for nobody to clap for you, though. I'm friends with a handful of bands that've done these in the last couple of months and the lead singer of one said "We played our @sses off and nobody even clapped. Dead silence. We all felt like @ssholes."

**jmattbassplaya** · #4 01-30-2012, 08:06 AM

It's a scam. We have them in Memphis too.

Ric5 · #5 01-30-2012, 08:08 AM

You and your band do the work and they make the money.

MEKer · #6 01-30-2012, 11:34 AM

ALERT---ALERT---ALERT

These aholes again------run away+advise the others to run away.

Didn't these guys get some legal hassles for scamming in one of the western states a couple years ago?

But, yeah, scammers.
AND DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING LEGALLY BINDING WITH THEM IF YOU DECIDE TO PLAY ANYWAY.

**jmattbassplaya** · #7 01-30-2012, 11:36 AM

For the record, they DO host events and will have bands play (usually at decent venues even), but you definitely won't see money from it. If you want to play just to play on a cool stage (for example, it's the New Daisy in Memphis) then go for it. Just don't sell any tickets and look at it as something fun to do.

runmikeyrun · #8 01-30-2012, 10:10 PM

total rip off. NEVER play shows that you have to sell tickets for, ever. EVER!

To get gigs, take copies of a demo with you to every show and give it to other local bands you'd like to play with. Make sure to include your band's name/phone number/email/website written on the CD itself. Hit them up after they play. Tell them you liked their set (important!) and that you'd like to play a show with them sometime. 90% will never call you. 10% will. Expect to go on first and not get paid. You have to earn your keep. As you build a fan base the club will put you on other shows if you ask them, and you can start asking for better time slots and better pay.

You can also call clubs directly and ask for an opening spot, but most times it will be on a weeknight. It sucks, but you gotta pay your dues, there's nothing else I can say about that. Another option is to contact other local bands on the web and ask about playing a show with them.

Good luck... and remember... DONT SELL TICKETS!!

p.s. battle of the bands suck too... they're nothing but a popularity contest of who brings the most fans.

Sahe_Bassist · #9 02-06-2012, 03:56 PM

I agree with everything else here. scam. dont sell tickets and just play if you must but the shows are always a backwards-ass mix of bands who dont fit together.

pay-to-play pre-sale tickets Afton Gorilla Emergenza

read it, learn from it. seriously some of the best info on the internet about why you should NEVER do what these people are doing.

anyway, from tampa? we should maybe hit up a gig together sometime! check out my band SAHE

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