Every time I read about one of these scams I wonder, Why don't you be your own promoter? You can do exactly what these folks are doing and pocket the money. Choose the venue and find out what they will charge, or how they will rent to you. You may find that local bars will allow you to use their place for nothing if you don't get a cut of the bar. If you like the silly "battle of the bands" format, network with a few other local bands and you can all split the take. Remember, you get it ALL this way. And you control the publicity. This is a better thing for your band in every way including more exposure. Along that note, a girl performer I know in South Africa once made the statement "If I wanted exposure I'd stand on a street corner naked!" I think she has a handle on the situation.
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Bridging the Music: Scam or legitimate?
- Thread starter Carruj
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FWIW: IMO, its most likely a scam - but, if you're really interested in the gig, I recommend contacting the charity first and background check it and etc!!!
It is a scam, no doubt about it; just ask anyone who's been playing regularly for some years. Nobody would pay an employer to go and lay bricks for them, fix their plumbing or do any other sort of work. Music seems to be the only industry where this is a common occurrence.
All this "exposure" crap is just that - crap. You provide a service, you get paid. Sadly, that's how these bands are conned, "the gig we'll be huge, it will expose you to tons of new fans, they'll tell their friends and you'll be on your way - just write us a check for....".
I don't care if it's $6.50 or $650, it's all just BS. Not only are these creeps bilking you out of money, they're also getting your services for free, so while $6.50 may not sound like much money, add on the value of your time. Any sort of "pay to play" is a wrought, no matter the amount of money involved. I've yet to see a single exception in my 30 years of playing. Even with legitimate charity events, they don't expect bands to pay them, and quite often offer to cover basic expenses.
If you're asked to pay a single dollar, tell them to get (whatever you like, so long it ends in "...ed"). It's a crock and you'll get nothing whatsoever out of the deal, except screwed. Sadly, I hear about young bands getting sucked into these deals too often, and it bugs the hell out of me. I've never heard of a band benefitting in any way from these type of gigs, financially or otherwise.
All this "exposure" crap is just that - crap. You provide a service, you get paid. Sadly, that's how these bands are conned, "the gig we'll be huge, it will expose you to tons of new fans, they'll tell their friends and you'll be on your way - just write us a check for....".
I don't care if it's $6.50 or $650, it's all just BS. Not only are these creeps bilking you out of money, they're also getting your services for free, so while $6.50 may not sound like much money, add on the value of your time. Any sort of "pay to play" is a wrought, no matter the amount of money involved. I've yet to see a single exception in my 30 years of playing. Even with legitimate charity events, they don't expect bands to pay them, and quite often offer to cover basic expenses.
If you're asked to pay a single dollar, tell them to get (whatever you like, so long it ends in "...ed"). It's a crock and you'll get nothing whatsoever out of the deal, except screwed. Sadly, I hear about young bands getting sucked into these deals too often, and it bugs the hell out of me. I've never heard of a band benefitting in any way from these type of gigs, financially or otherwise.
I doubt that very many bands are actually misled by pay-to-play and ticket selling. They know what's going on. They're willing to pay.
With all due respect, you'd be wrong. These bands are led to believe that there will be hundreds of paying guests, and that they are likely to make money. They are led to believe that industry insiders will be in attendance and that there is a high likelyhood that they will be discovered. They are led to believe that they are supporting a charity, when they are really supporting a promoter.
I guess if they're making those kinds of claims, then I have to agree with you.
SCAM
No legitimate gig will require you to pay any $
whatsoever up front, if the contract calls for fees to be subtracted from the guarantee,,, that is a slightly different scenario.
But NEVER any money up front.
No legitimate gig will require you to pay any $
whatsoever up front, if the contract calls for fees to be subtracted from the guarantee,,, that is a slightly different scenario.
But NEVER any money up front.
One of the red flags I see here is that they play on your sentiments by stating that they will donate some of that to charity. I don't know if this is standard practice in this industry, as I'm not involved in it, but it just sounds fishy.
I'm not so sure about that. It's quite common here in certain genres of music - young bands just want to get on stage and be heard (which is understandable), so they get sucked into these type of "deals", and a lot of them are certainly conned with all sorts of false promises Most of them learn quickly enough that it's a scam, but of course there's always more young bands to exploit down the track.
The music industry is tough, but being naive isn't a crime, and it certainly doesn't excuse these shabby promoters taking advantage of young musicians. There's no excuse for that as far as I'm concerned.
Number one, I will never pay to play in that sense. Nor do i like dealing with promoters unless its like a huge festival that we are getting a set pay for or I know in advance were playing or free. I will happily lose money on gigs by spending more on gas than our cut from the door. But I will not pay to get on a show. I will not lose money when the promoter has nothing to lose. If you really want to find out if its legit I would forget about talking to those people and call the venue where the event will be held.
We've done a lot of battles and showcases. Battles always seem a little biased. We've won 3 and finished second once out of the ones we've done in our hometown but have never won out of town and I've seen some bands win and were like *** there was 3 other bands better than that hand.
As far as showcases they are always awkward as the style of music tends to be really drastic. imagine a "kill your momma eat your baby" metal band playing after a country band and before a rapper who's rapping along to a cd. Even when it comes to playing showcases for record companies it is basically a waste of time. We did several when we were really young. Truth is when it comes to getting noticed, pay to get on showcases will really only ever lead to a really bad record deal. We've been offered recording contracts that range from the band getting 10% to 70%. That's a HUGE difference. And really with iTunes, sending CDs through the mail and being able to promote through the Internet worldwide I would never consider a crappy record deal. And sadly that's the type of deal all these "American idol" type tv shows lead to. The record company is making all the money not the artist. Which is a big reason I will not support those types of tv shows.
We've done a lot of battles and showcases. Battles always seem a little biased. We've won 3 and finished second once out of the ones we've done in our hometown but have never won out of town and I've seen some bands win and were like *** there was 3 other bands better than that hand.
As far as showcases they are always awkward as the style of music tends to be really drastic. imagine a "kill your momma eat your baby" metal band playing after a country band and before a rapper who's rapping along to a cd. Even when it comes to playing showcases for record companies it is basically a waste of time. We did several when we were really young. Truth is when it comes to getting noticed, pay to get on showcases will really only ever lead to a really bad record deal. We've been offered recording contracts that range from the band getting 10% to 70%. That's a HUGE difference. And really with iTunes, sending CDs through the mail and being able to promote through the Internet worldwide I would never consider a crappy record deal. And sadly that's the type of deal all these "American idol" type tv shows lead to. The record company is making all the money not the artist. Which is a big reason I will not support those types of tv shows.
True enough, and how many of the winners of these shows have ever gone on to a decent career? They're the flavour of the month, then you never hear from them again.
This is a good thread: If you google Bridging the Music this thread pops up right under the link to their facebook page. Its practically a public service announcement.
OP should change the title to read "Bridging the Music: Scam" though.
There should be a list of all the slimy companies out there that pull this nonsense. Its like Amway for musicians. Ugly.
OP should change the title to read "Bridging the Music: Scam" though.
There should be a list of all the slimy companies out there that pull this nonsense. Its like Amway for musicians. Ugly.
I have to jump in here. I have played multiple Bridging The Music shows at Cervantes' in Denver and I want to give my opinion. Bridging The Music is located here in Colorado where my band is based and our band started by playing one of their showcases a few years ago and we have played one of their more themed events "Melt Your Face Monday" and a show for they hired us on NYE to play with Too Short & Slick Rick!
I have also played Gorilla, Afton and other showcases back in the day. First and foremost, BTM isn't a scam. They have the showcases for the bands they work with for the first time and then also throw bigger and regularly billed shows for the artists they chose to grow with. The regularly billed shows and themed nights pay more. All the other "showcase" companies I have worked with - it was always the "one show and done" philosophy with no chance to grow. I think that BTM isn't fully that kind of company. They book for several artists, design logos, build websites and seem genuine in what they do. Do I think this event is for everyone? No. If you are a HUGE band already drawing in a crowd then why not skip the promoter, but if you are wanting to build then I think there are some positive things to work with here. From my personal dealings, the company has been honest so I think although some of you might not want to pay $6 for shipping, there's no deception or scam here though and I think some of you may be tainted from previous experiences with companies that dont give two *****. Just my two sense.
I have also played Gorilla, Afton and other showcases back in the day. First and foremost, BTM isn't a scam. They have the showcases for the bands they work with for the first time and then also throw bigger and regularly billed shows for the artists they chose to grow with. The regularly billed shows and themed nights pay more. All the other "showcase" companies I have worked with - it was always the "one show and done" philosophy with no chance to grow. I think that BTM isn't fully that kind of company. They book for several artists, design logos, build websites and seem genuine in what they do. Do I think this event is for everyone? No. If you are a HUGE band already drawing in a crowd then why not skip the promoter, but if you are wanting to build then I think there are some positive things to work with here. From my personal dealings, the company has been honest so I think although some of you might not want to pay $6 for shipping, there's no deception or scam here though and I think some of you may be tainted from previous experiences with companies that dont give two *****. Just my two sense.
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