Artist Force?

JWClark(ABD) · #1 02-04-2009, 12:52 PM

My band got an MySpace message from Artist Force's guy from Austin TX. As we're based in Kent, OH, I'm a little suspicious of how/what he's going to do for us. They say they are a "relationship management platform," which tells me very little about what they can actually do from TX for a year-old rock all-orignals rock band with less than a dozen gigs under its collective belt. Anyone dealt with these guys? Are they legit or is this a case where we'd be paying someone to do for us what we're better off doing locally and personally?
Thanks

20db pad · #2 02-04-2009, 12:59 PM

Sounds a little like this outfit:

http://www.wig-out.com/&pay-to-play.htm

Quality management teams don't need to recruit, advertise or methodically go through Myspace pages and email bands and artists to work with them.

prising · #3 06-17-2009, 09:45 PM

Greetings - I'm with a rock band in Nashville, TN. I signed up for the 30 day FREE trial (in which they billed me). When I signed up they asked for a credit card number, because they had so many folks abusing the free aspect. Well, even though I cancelled, they are continuing to bill me $95.00 a month. I have tried countless times to get a human on the phone to no avail.
Best of luck - Amy

soupthemusic · #4 06-30-2009, 03:28 PM

I had the same billing issue of them overcharging my card and then continuing to charge my card after I cancelled my account. I got a person on the phone a couple times, but she wasn't helpful at all due to the fact that she was a phone operator in Thailand or something and had little contact with the actual company. Do not sign up for this service. [edited inflammatory potentially libelous text]

Music Attorney · #5 06-30-2009, 05:26 PM

Last year, there was the following post to a music industry discussion board that I read:

“Has anyone worked with or used ArtistForce?”

There was not one single reply to the question. This board has 50-100 posts/replies every day. It has many people I would consider to be very knowledgeable in the area of the music industry and technology. Obviously, a “no response” does not necessarily mean it’s a bad outfit, but it would suggest to me to use extreme caution.

Best,
MA

artistforce · #6 07-12-2009, 12:34 AM

Howdy Talkbass Forum -

ArtistForce is not a booking agency or a management company. We are a software company. If you are having any issues with your account or service, you should visit http://support.artistforce.com -- you can also review our Artist FAQ here: http://support.artistforce.com/faqs/indieartist-faq

Our support is located in the United States, feel free to give us a call any time. For contact information, please visit http://support.artistforce.com/faqs/...ct-artistforce

Also feel free to review our blog, at http://blog.artistforce.com

You are totally in control of your own destiny. If you're just looking to sit around and have someone else do everything, we're not for you. We provide self-service tools and the booking part is up to you. Before you sign up for ArtistForce, please keep in mind that we can't guarantee you fame, fortune or success. We can guarantee that we will be here to support you all the way through the process, and afford you the best possible opportunity for success on our platform.

bongomania · #7 07-12-2009, 12:47 AM

So you're willing to throw a sales pitch here, but you have nothing to say about the direct accusations from two customers that you have been inappropriately billing them and failing to provide actual customer service?

John Wentzien · #8 07-12-2009, 01:25 AM

You should NEVER pay anyone up-front for management.
OR pay to play... unless you are a SUCKER!

Marko5657 · #9 07-12-2009, 09:02 AM

There are so many young musicians with stars in their eyes who are willing to “invest” (read: pay-to-play) in “making it”, everyone is trying to get a piece of the action.

They view them the way pimps view young crack hos at the bus station…

Quite sad.

BlueMusic · #10 01-13-2010, 07:32 AM

WARNING to anyone thinking of or using ARTIST FORCE - they SCAMMED me! Artist Force withdrew $500 from my bank account and will not refund it! A few months after signing up their banking system began withdrawing $95 daily from my bank account! I didn't realize it was happening for a few days then suddenly my account was overdrawn! They attempted to withdraw more but my bank canceled the card to make them stop. I called them over and over, and was not able to get an answer. Finally after I posted this scam notice online I received a call from Jonathan himself. He admitted there had been problems back when this happened and that he would look into my record. After this company looked at my records and saw proof of the money they took from me And that I had never even used their services, they told me I would receive a check for $200, a Partial refund! Ridiculous! And even worse, that check never came! Now Jonathan will not return my calls or emails after he pretended to apologize to me. I feel stupid for believing him. DON'T TRUST ARTIST FORCE unless you have hundreds of dollars to give away! I hope this helps other musicians avoid what happened to me.

PJSShearer · #11 01-13-2010, 07:43 AM

Anyone offering management/agency services of any kind that requires you to pay them anything up front is ripping you off.

No legititmate agent will do this - they get their cut when you start earning money.

One band I was in, our "agent" offered to take GBP2,000 as a flat fee for the next 12 months instead of commission - our parting shot involved Sex and Travel -).

A common scam in the UK is the "modelling agency". These guys tell you you have potential, but to get work you need to get a potfolio of photgraphs taken at a price you can't really afford. No work turns up and the magazines, stores and websites they claim to represent have never heard of them.

There was an item on the One Show on BBC on Monday on this every subject - trouble is this one comes up every couple of years and the story is the same each time.

seamus bass · #12 01-13-2010, 05:01 PM

notify the better business bureau

DudeistMonk · #13 01-13-2010, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

So you're willing to throw a sales pitch here, but you have nothing to say about the direct accusations from two customers that you have been inappropriately billing them and failing to provide actual customer service?

Couldn't have said it better myself...Something tells me he won't be back.

Law suit? ...although the legal fees will probably cost more than what they took.

rtslinger · #14 01-15-2010, 11:52 AM

yeah called the BBB and also report them to http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). play hard ball they will get the message

MEKer · #15 01-17-2010, 08:10 PM

I would also contact the Fed Trade Commision and see what they suggest and my State Attorney General. These people simply are not honest people according to the info about them on this post.
Get douments!

ServicePro · #16 03-07-2010, 06:13 PM

We are not an artist or performer, but we provide and outsource services for ArtistForce. We receive and deal with these complaints when we were still their provider. They say that they will refund after the trial period but they don't and continue to charge monthly, hence these complaints in this forum (and who knows somewhere else). And we also became a victim of there un-professionalism and scrupulous practice. They also did not pay us for our last invoices.

I wish I could've come earlier to this forum. Stay Away from ArtistForce!