Endorsements?

[KwinS]

What are you bringing to the table? I can't tell you the number of times I've just *heard* about someone emailing Roscoe with a "I've got a CD coming out, gimme a free bass" schpeil. DR sells a TON of strings, so in order to start a relationship with them, have an idea of how you can benefit them.

Yes, I know they want people who will "sell" their product by their usage. I have a great gig with an American Idol finalist's mother who was shown a lot on the show, too. She is all over the web, performing tunes with said finalist, also. Her first CD sold out in a little over a week, just from that exposure. We have just about finished recording her second album, and are in the preliminary stages of booking shows. They aren't going to be booked until the reprint of the first disc, and the second ones are available to sell, too.
In your opinion, would it be worth it to pursue
DR with the information given? I am also considering Gruv Gear, because the Duostrap is right up my alley, as I'm coming back from a spinal cord injury.
Thanks!

 

[Jon Moody]

What are you bringing to the table? I can't tell you the number of times I've just *heard* about someone emailing Roscoe with a "I've got a CD coming out, gimme a free bass" schpeil. DR sells a TON of strings, so in order to start a relationship with them, have an idea of how you can benefit them.

Yeah, in this respect it's more of a marketing agreement, which should be viewed as such: The artist plays x-amount of gigs,a fairly good presence on the internet and a good social media campaign that will benefit *insert manufacturer of choice* in these ways.

Of course, knowledge of the company and the products used is pretty beneficial as well.

 

[KwinS]

Yeah, in this respect it's more of a marketing agreement, which should be viewed as such: The artist plays x-amount of gigs,a fairly good presence on the internet and a good social media campaign that will benefit *insert manufacturer of choice* in these ways.

Of course, knowledge of the company and the products used is pretty beneficial as well.

I think I will take my time, and write out a nice proposal or twelve like this, kind of as a warm up.
Thanks.

 

[KwinS]

I'm curious about how you guys proceeded. Did you start with the smaller ones, and work upwards, or did you go for more than a couple at a time? It seems to me, like you would be more marketable with maybe a couple of accessories on board first. What do you think about that?

 

[KwinS]

Would these questions be more appropriate here, or as PM's?

 

[Jon Moody]

In your opinion, would it be worth it to pursue DR with the information given? I am also considering Gruv Gear, because the Duostrap is right up my alley, as I'm coming back from a spinal cord injury.
Thanks!

The worst thing that is going to happen is that DR will turn you down, at which point you're still right where you are now. So I'd say go for it.

I just got a Duostrap; it's pretty cool. It's going to take me a little bit to get used to it, since it sits on my back much higher than my prior straps. I love Gruv Gear stuff and all of the guys. I hang out with George as much as I can, and got a chance to finally meet Jay last month.

I'm curious about how you guys proceeded. Did you start with the smaller ones, and work upwards, or did you go for more than a couple at a time? It seems to me, like you would be more marketable with maybe a couple of accessories on board first. What do you think about that?

I contacted Warwick first. I was riding high off a really great review of our run of TOMMY (where I was mentioned by name for channeling the Ox) and figured that I didn't have anything to lose. And luckily, they saw things the same way I did.

Everything else from there kind of fell into place. And while 99.9% of these always are initiated by the artist, I have been lucky enough to have two companies contact me first about an endorsement.

 

[KwinS]

The worst thing that is going to happen is that DR will turn you down, at which point you're still right where you are now. So I'd say go for it.

I just got a Duostrap; it's pretty cool. It's going to take me a little bit to get used to it, since it sits on my back much higher than my prior straps. I love Gruv Gear stuff and all of the guys. I hang out with George as much as I can, and got a chance to finally meet Jay last month.

I contacted Warwick first. I was riding high off a really great review of our run of TOMMY (where I was mentioned by name for channeling the Ox) and figured that I didn't have anything to lose. And luckily, they saw things the same way I did.

Everything else from there kind of fell into place. And while 99.9% of these always are initiated by the artist, I have been lucky enough to have two companies contact me first about an endorsement.

Thanks! You and Pacman are probably going to be tired of hearing that tonight...
You are right. The worst thing that can happen, is that folks say "no"...and I'm ok with that.

Congrats on that review. That's quite a statement.

My strap hasn't arrived, yet. It's due any day now, and I have to admit I'm pretty excited.

Later!

 

[Jon Moody]

My strap hasn't arrived, yet. It's due any day now, and I have to admit I'm pretty excited.

Damian Erskine has been AWESOME in answering any questions and comments I have on setting the strap up. Make sure to look him up (I usually yak at him on Twitter, but you can find him other places) and I'm sure he'll be glad to make sure it works for you.

 

[KwinS]

Damian Erskine has been AWESOME in answering any questions and comments I have on setting the strap up. Make sure to look him up (I usually yak at him on Twitter, but you can find him other places) and I'm sure he'll be glad to make sure it works for you.

Yes. I had a brief conversation with him on one of his posts here. Seems like a stand up guy. I hope the strap will help me attain some of his skill level...

 

[MatticusMania]

Would these questions be more appropriate here, or as PM's?

Keep them in the thread, your asking good questions and receiving good answers that could be of benefit to many!

 

[KwinS]

Keep them in the thread, your asking good questions and receiving good answers that could be of benefit to many!

Ok. I'll fire another volley tonight.

 

[Jon Moody]

I have a show tonight, but will answer any that I can when I get back.

I did write an email to a friend of mine that goes over some of my thoughts on endorsements; I'll look for it and post that as well if it would help.

 

[KwinS]

I have a show tonight, but will answer any that I can when I get back.

I did write an email to a friend of mine that goes over some of my thoughts on endorsements; I'll look for it and post that as well if it would help.

Excellent!

 

[DigitalMan]

Some of these definitions of endorsement sound like how I slept with Kathy Ireland.

About 15 years ago I woke up in the Century Plaza hotel in Century City. As I was waiting for my car, Kathy Ireland walked by and into her waiting car. My deduction was that we were staying at the same hotel the previous night. Since I kept normal hours I assumed that at least sometime during the previous night we were both in fact sleeping and both present in the same hotel. Ergo I slept with Kathy Ireland.

 

[Jon Moody]

Alright Kwin, here's the letter I wrote to a couple of friends of mine. It outlines my mindset about endorsements.

1. You gotta love and use their gear. This is a no-brainer, right? Otherwise, why would you want to obtain an endorsement from them? You'd be surprised; the GHS rep tells me stories of people sending him emails, telling him how excited they are to work with them, and then mention either the wrong brand or product. Many of the companies I've
gotten endorsements from I have been of the mindset that even if I didn't get the endorsement, I'd still be using their gear.

2. This is a business and as such, you need to present to the company what you'd bring to the endorsement. Many companies use the standard of gigging at least 100 times a year to be considered. There are some other criteria that is involved depending on the company, but you have to treat it like a job interview. When you go in for an interview,
your resume tells about your credits, honors, experience, etc.. You need to present that info to the company so that you look like an ideal person to represent their company/brand to the public. Having a simple, personal website will help with that, because you can have all of the information in a central location.

3. Be visible. Sure, gigging out is a great way for people to see you and the gear that you are using/promoting. With all the social media that is available now, I think that has a little leeway, given that you can easily use YouTube, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Reverb Nation, etc.. to your advantage to help increase your exposure.

One example is that any time I'm writing a blog about playing, I am very specific on what gear I'm using. You'll never see me say "I brought my electric bass to the gig." Rather, writing something more along the lines of "I brought my Warwick Streamer LX 6 string Broadneck to the gig" is a plug for the company, and the specific model. Sounds cheesy, but I can't tell you how many Artist Reps have thanked me for doing that. As an endorsing artist, you are their grassroots marketing arm and part of that is promoting their gear.

4. As Dennis from Pro Tone Pedals said on his website, above all else, be f___ing cool. It's amazing how many people think that they're so good that people should be throwing endorsements at their feet. It almost never happens that someone approaches you; you will be approaching them and believe it or not, they don't need you. If you're cool and easy to deal with, that will trump everything else.

 

[KwinS]

Alright Kwin, here's the letter I wrote to a couple of friends of mine. It outlines my mindset about endorsements.

1. You gotta love and use their gear. This is a no-brainer, right? Otherwise, why would you want to obtain an endorsement from them? You'd be surprised; the GHS rep tells me stories of people sending him emails, telling him how excited they are to work with them, and then mention either the wrong brand or product. Many of the companies I've
gotten endorsements from I have been of the mindset that even if I didn't get the endorsement, I'd still be using their gear.

2. This is a business and as such, you need to present to the company what you'd bring to the endorsement. Many companies use the standard of gigging at least 100 times a year to be considered. There are some other criteria that is involved depending on the company, but you have to treat it like a job interview. When you go in for an interview,
your resume tells about your credits, honors, experience, etc.. You need to present that info to the company so that you look like an ideal person to represent their company/brand to the public. Having a simple, personal website will help with that, because you can have all of the information in a central location.

3. Be visible. Sure, gigging out is a great way for people to see you and the gear that you are using/promoting. With all the social media that is available now, I think that has a little leeway, given that you can easily use YouTube, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Reverb Nation, etc.. to your advantage to help increase your exposure.

One example is that any time I'm writing a blog about playing, I am very specific on what gear I'm using. You'll never see me say "I brought my electric bass to the gig." Rather, writing something more along the lines of "I brought my Warwick Streamer LX 6 string Broadneck to the gig" is a plug for the company, and the specific model. Sounds cheesy, but I can't tell you how many Artist Reps have thanked me for doing that. As an endorsing artist, you are their grassroots marketing arm and part of that is promoting their gear.

4. As Dennis from Pro Tone Pedals said on his website, above all else, be f___ing cool. It's amazing how many people think that they're so good that people should be throwing endorsements at their feet. It almost never happens that someone approaches you; you will be approaching them and believe it or not, they don't need you. If you're cool and easy to deal with, that will trump everything else.

That's a really informative letter. A lot of it is common sense, and just the ability to get along with people.
100 dates is a lot. At one point, I was probably close to about 150. I doubt I'll do more than about 50/year with my current boss, even though there will be several opportunities for some of those dates to be pretty large events.

I could do more with a web presence.

Brand loyalty is something I've always had. I love my Fenders, and would not likely have a chance with that company. That's ok with me.
I think I'll give Gruv Gear, DR, and Mesa a really good EPK, and hang out more with my region's Mesa rep (really cool guy!) when the CD is finished, and we have dates in the book.

Sorry I wasn't around last night my back was giving me grief, and I turned in early.

Later!

 

[Waffles and Scotch]

Alright Kwin, here's the letter I wrote to a couple of friends of mine. It outlines my mindset about endorsements.

1. You gotta love and use their gear. This is a no-brainer, right? Otherwise, why would you want to obtain an endorsement from them? You'd be surprised; the GHS rep tells me stories of people sending him emails, telling him how excited they are to work with them, and then mention either the wrong brand or product. Many of the companies I've
gotten endorsements from I have been of the mindset that even if I didn't get the endorsement, I'd still be using their gear.

2. This is a business and as such, you need to present to the company what you'd bring to the endorsement. Many companies use the standard of gigging at least 100 times a year to be considered. There are some other criteria that is involved depending on the company, but you have to treat it like a job interview. When you go in for an interview,
your resume tells about your credits, honors, experience, etc.. You need to present that info to the company so that you look like an ideal person to represent their company/brand to the public. Having a simple, personal website will help with that, because you can have all of the information in a central location.

3. Be visible. Sure, gigging out is a great way for people to see you and the gear that you are using/promoting. With all the social media that is available now, I think that has a little leeway, given that you can easily use YouTube, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Reverb Nation, etc.. to your advantage to help increase your exposure.

One example is that any time I'm writing a blog about playing, I am very specific on what gear I'm using. You'll never see me say "I brought my electric bass to the gig." Rather, writing something more along the lines of "I brought my Warwick Streamer LX 6 string Broadneck to the gig" is a plug for the company, and the specific model. Sounds cheesy, but I can't tell you how many Artist Reps have thanked me for doing that. As an endorsing artist, you are their grassroots marketing arm and part of that is promoting their gear.

4. As Dennis from Pro Tone Pedals said on his website, above all else, be f___ing cool. It's amazing how many people think that they're so good that people should be throwing endorsements at their feet. It almost never happens that someone approaches you; you will be approaching them and believe it or not, they don't need you. If you're cool and easy to deal with, that will trump everything else.

Very informative One Bad Monkey - thanks!!

We'll be rolling out our first EP, new website and press packet in a couple of weeks. Once we get things ramped up I'm planning on contacting Ibanez, DR, Mesa, Hartke, Gallien Krueger, Roland and Line 6. I figure I'll just contact them every now and then until either my persistence pays off, or they tell me to go pound sand. In any case, I love the gear I play on, and will continue recommending it regardless of whether I ever get an official endorsement deal or not.

Then again, my $h!t doesn't stink and I walk on water (when I want to), so they should be falling all over themselves to offer me a deal...

 

[Muttleybass]

My kid just accepted an endorsement from Spector. He gets a new $1600 bass for $600, they get to use his image playing it.

I might have to look into one if he can get me that kind of discount!

 

[KwinS]

My kid just accepted an endorsement from Spector. He gets a new $1600 bass for $600, they get to use his image playing it.

I might have to look into one if he can get me that kind of discount!

Cool. I know a guy who has a similar deal with Spector. Does your kid and/or his band have a link to their website on the Spector site? I don't think I've ever seen the guy I know on there.

 

[Jon Moody]

That's a really informative letter. A lot of it is common sense, and just the ability to get along with people.

I'm still surprised how many people just don't "get it" though.

100 dates is a lot. At one point, I was probably close to about 150. I doubt I'll do more than about 50/year with my current boss, even though there will be several opportunities for some of those dates to be pretty large events.

Yeah, 100 is roughly 2 gigs a week. Granted with me, playing in church and 2-3 musicals already puts me over that. I'm sure too, given exposure of your upcoming gigs that exceptions probably could be made.