You've never been to Boston, either, I take it.
"How many Bostonians does it take to change a lightbulb?"
"WHO WANTS TO KNOW?"
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Advice on endorsement issue
- Thread starter randysmojo
- Start date
You've never been to Boston, either, I take it.
"How many Bostonians does it take to change a lightbulb?"
"WHO WANTS TO KNOW?"
I don’t know what field you’ve been working in, but I think I need to get into it. You just described nearly every job I’ve ever worked, and I’m in my 40s.
I'm 100 percent endorsed by my bass company - they pay all my expenses. Gear, meals, gas, everything.
Of course, I build my own basses, so arranging the deal wasn't that difficult. If YOU want an endorsement deal with my bass company, sorry - we have all the endorsers we can afford.
I work (the job that allows me to afford my basses) for a company where we have endorsers, but....not as many as you'd think, given how big we are in the industry. An endorsement deal has to make sense for both parties - the artist and the company have to both benefit for the deal to be a good one. If you're a typical user, or a bit above average, an endorsement deal is likely out of the question. You have to be someone who's use of their product will be a benefit in terms of exposure to the company for it to make sense for them - someone who typical users will look up to and thing "if he uses their stuff, it must be really good".
If it's a small, start up company, they might not have any exposure, so they'd be willing to work with someone a little less than world class in the famous department to get a toehold in the market. If it's a well established company, then you gotta be big time famous (or one of the top up and coming artists, with some likelihood of being the next big thing) for it to make sense for them. Otherwise, the company would have no customers, just endorsers - giving away ALL the gear you make really isn't a sustainable business model.
And yes, Nordstrand - a great company to work with. I have a bunch of his pickups in my basses. I encourage people to use his stuff - what I get from them is plenty good enough to do that. Their stuff more than earns its keep for me - I'd still be happy to pay for it, even it I were famous and rich.
Of course, I build my own basses, so arranging the deal wasn't that difficult. If YOU want an endorsement deal with my bass company, sorry - we have all the endorsers we can afford.
I work (the job that allows me to afford my basses) for a company where we have endorsers, but....not as many as you'd think, given how big we are in the industry. An endorsement deal has to make sense for both parties - the artist and the company have to both benefit for the deal to be a good one. If you're a typical user, or a bit above average, an endorsement deal is likely out of the question. You have to be someone who's use of their product will be a benefit in terms of exposure to the company for it to make sense for them - someone who typical users will look up to and thing "if he uses their stuff, it must be really good".
If it's a small, start up company, they might not have any exposure, so they'd be willing to work with someone a little less than world class in the famous department to get a toehold in the market. If it's a well established company, then you gotta be big time famous (or one of the top up and coming artists, with some likelihood of being the next big thing) for it to make sense for them. Otherwise, the company would have no customers, just endorsers - giving away ALL the gear you make really isn't a sustainable business model.
And yes, Nordstrand - a great company to work with. I have a bunch of his pickups in my basses. I encourage people to use his stuff - what I get from them is plenty good enough to do that. Their stuff more than earns its keep for me - I'd still be happy to pay for it, even it I were famous and rich.
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Apparently, the answer to how much longer you should wait is 16 minutes.
I have to agree, Jon. Wasn't going to say anything since it still worked out for the guy, but since you said it already, there's a fine line between showing enthusiasm and pestering people. I would have waited at least 2 weeks myself, maybe even as long as a month.
Bunk, Burt: Nice, but no dice.
I'm older than either of you, am a tough native of a tough city more than an order of magnitude larger than Boston, and I have been to and have lived in a bunch of places. Yes, it's a cold, hard world populated by many tough human beings. I get that part.
But I meant what I said about "post-human". These days mostly I am non-participatory and watch our species slide quickly toward its end. Hey... if people want to treat each other badly in the (figurative) final hours of the species we knew, then that's how we will go out. That will be our legacy.
Bunk, Burt: Nice, but no dice.
I'm older than either of you, am a tough native of a tough city more than an order of magnitude larger than Boston, and I have been to and have lived in a bunch of places. Yes, it's a cold, hard world populated by many tough human beings. I get that part.
But I meant what I said about "post-human". These days mostly I am non-participatory and watch our species slide quickly toward its end. Hey... if people want to treat each other badly in the (figurative) final hours of the species we knew, then that's how we will go out. That will be our legacy.
Now yer talkin’ politics. Can’t do that.
"I'd still be happy to pay for it, even it I were famous and rich."
Nothing more genuine that an artist that does not endorse but still promotes the product.
Endorsements obviously need to be takin with a grain of salt.
This guy, as great as he is, has gone way over the top with it. Now he's with Carvin / Keisel. Who else next year?
Quite a few other artist have followed suit as well.
.
Nothing more genuine that an artist that does not endorse but still promotes the product.
Endorsements obviously need to be takin with a grain of salt.
This guy, as great as he is, has gone way over the top with it. Now he's with Carvin / Keisel. Who else next year?
Quite a few other artist have followed suit as well.
.
yes they will find you, if you're Tal Wilkenfeld or some hot chick on YT doing covers. But for the guys like the OP whose mug is yet to be on bass player magazine or haven't played with Jeff Beck, it's all about knocking on doors. If you haven't been to NAMM it's full of guys with a little bit of local rep whose main reason to go to the show is to beg for endorsements.
JeezyMcNuggles
Inactive
- Feb 23, 2018
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- I suck, but nobody really notices
Congrats, Carey's a member here by the way. If you didn't know that. You can talk to him about pretty much anything. Like pretty much anyone else on here.
One thing to be concerned regarding endorsements is what the other side is gonna do for you. I think some of us that aren't playing stadiums and major tours get so enamored with the idea of having endorsements, we don't see that it's actually costing us in the long run. I had an endorsement with a company that doesn't endorse any big names, and all they provided in return was a spot on their website and a rare plug on their socials. In return, they offered a 20% discount on their instruments. My end of the deal was to plug at least once a week, but that's the bare minimum which won't get you anywhere. If you want to "move up" in that company, you had to plug and play...a lot, and even then it wasn't a guarantee you'd get anything out of it as far as the industry is concerned. After I had two endorsements, I wanted to branch out a bit and get on with other companies, to which most didn't respond to any follow up, or simply said no. All of the face to face contacts I made at NAMM produced nothing. From my perspective, it seems like you have to be a legit full time musician without a day job for endorsements to come your way.
TL;DR endorsements are merit based and consider if you have the time and dedication to make it worth it.
TL;DR endorsements are merit based and consider if you have the time and dedication to make it worth it.
Now yer talkin’ politics. Can’t do that.
Bunk, I am apolitical and detected no politics in my post. A little inverse transhumanist (biological devolution, basically) tinged gloom won't sully the forum.
Bunk, Burt: Nice, but no dice.
I'm older than either of you, am a tough native of a tough city more than an order of magnitude larger than Boston, and I have been to and have lived in a bunch of places. Yes, it's a cold, hard world populated by many tough human beings. I get that part.
But I meant what I said about "post-human". These days mostly I am non-participatory and watch our species slide quickly toward its end. Hey... if people want to treat each other badly in the (figurative) final hours of the species we knew, then that's how we will go out. That will be our legacy.
Did you seriously just call me a liar? For real? Yeeeaaahhhh... that says something about what's going wrong with wired culture, but perhaps not in the way that you think.
Same here.
I contacted Fender to get my own signature Precision model: The FrenchyLefty Fender Precision model. It is Left handed even if you play right-handed. It has a cork-screw coming out of the lower horn so that you can open expensive bottles of Chateau-Margaux on stage.
Still waiting for a response...tap, tap, tap...
I contacted Fender to get my own signature Precision model: The FrenchyLefty Fender Precision model. It is Left handed even if you play right-handed. It has a cork-screw coming out of the lower horn so that you can open expensive bottles of Chateau-Margaux on stage.
Still waiting for a response...tap, tap, tap...
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If you were being serious, then I have no idea what you were referring to. Not worth trying to learn the truth of it: ignoring your account now.
- Sep 9, 2007
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- Endorsing Artist: Eventide, GHS Strings, G&L Guitars, NS Design, Tsunami Cables
Ehhhhh...
It's a two way street, so it's not so much about "what the other side is gonna do for you" as much as it is "what can I do to further this business relationship?" because that's what it is.
Not necessarily. It's totally dependent on the value the artist can bring to the brand, and vice versa. I've never been a "legit full time musician without a day job" but I had 14 different endorsements at one point, prior to joining GHS. I did some video reviews and talked gear (usually on this forum), and that was seen as valuable to the companies I approached.
We have a number of artists that aren't household names, but they're great brand ambassadors for us, and we do what we can for them.
Certainly it's a two way street. In my experience, it's been lopsided. I basically had to promote the hell out of their equipment for a coupon. Although nice, that wasn't what I was after.
Value is key. I think a resume doesn't show the whole story. In my business dealings, when a prospective vendor came into my office, it would be more than the vendor rep product dumping and me making a decision based off of that one interaction. It's usually a process and we have to be good for each other. I have to trust that the rep was on my side and vise versa. I didn't need to be taken to lunch or given perks, I want to know that the rep and their product was going to advance my business, and they want me to promote their product to advance their brand. I feel that's a very even two way street.
Perhaps I had a bad relationship with my endorsing companies. I appreciate your input.
Bunk, I am apolitical and detected no politics in my post. A little inverse transhumanist (biological devolution, basically) tinged gloom won't sully the forum.
C'mon man. Biological devolution is a political issue. There is a school of thought that says the world as we experience it now is somehow natural; it just "happened." There is another that says it is the result of political decisions. I'll stop there, I don't actually want to get kicked off the board, nor do I want you to. Have a pleasant day.
Same here.
I contacted Fender to get my own signature Precision model: The FrenchyLefty Fender Precision model. It is Left handed even if you play right-handed. It has a cork-screw coming out of the lower horn so that you can open expensive bottles of Chateau-Margaux on stage.
Still waiting for a response...tap, tap, tap...
Wait 16 minutes and send a followup email
