Advice on endorsement issue

[JimmyM]

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.

You can get 15-20% off from most music stores if you catch them on the right day. That's not so much making you an endorser as selling you stuff at a typical discount and trying to make you feel special

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.

I don't know, Jon...sounds to me like these companies saw merit in your vids because they were getting them sales. People felt you were sincere in your positive reviews, they bought based on them, and blammo.

And that's what it boils down to for most companies, Santiago...whether or not your endorsement will add up to sales. Some companies do try to be charitable and give young upstarts with no name but a lot of talent deals, and that is good. But they do like to see results eventually. I'm certainly not a household name, but folks at Ampeg and EMG still roll out the red carpet for me because my endorsements resulted in sales long before I was ever offered deals, and I geniunely liked the stuff from the companies I endorse, which goes a long way with a lot of companies.

And while I can't give exact figures as to what kind of discounts I get, it should be way better than 20%! Small companies don't often have the bankroll to be offering full endorsements because they're operating on a shoestring as is, so it's understandable that they're not offering more of a discount, but I'd be more apt to buy from them if they were honest and didn't try to get me to buy under the guise of me being an "endorser." Just give me a reasonable deal on a product I want and I'll be happy to give you the occasional shoutout on social media.

 

[Snaxster]

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.

Bunk, we will have to agree to disagree on this one. Though I allow that anything can be politicized, I do not acknowledge any intrinsic political aspect of biological devolution.

 

[JimmyM]

Bunk, we will have to agree to disagree on this one. Though I allow that anything can be politicized, I do not acknowledge any intrinsic political aspect of biological devolution.

Nope, just human nature taking its one and only course...straight to extinction of life on the planet. We're all Devo.