[Harp-L] Endorsements

[Damien Masterson <dzm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

MIke,

      Red Archibald had an endorsement from Golden Gate Ale, a local  
brewer. He was playing everywhere at the time. Maybe someone else can  
chime in about that deal. You can get businesses to endorse you, but  
there are a couple of things involved. If they don't know you from  
Sam, you'd have to show them that you are drawing large crowds of  
potential customers, and that your gig/band/product will be as  
effective as a billboard for them. Most of the higher level corporate  
endorsements are handled through agencies and marketing firms, who  
would act in cahoots with your team of agent/manager/lawyers. If you  
don't have any of the latter, it's not impossible, but for most  
people to break through to any corporate sponsorship, they have to be  
in a league that none of us are in.
   If you want a local business to endorse you, you could just  
approach the owner or manager and try and make them a fan. As I  
mentioned earlier, almost all of the music that we hear today on TV,  
the radio, in movies or in any other controlled commercial venue is  
subsidized. Red may have been friends with the owner of Golden Gate  
Ale. He was a likeable guy, a true sweetheart. Maybe the owner was a  
fan and decided he wanted to give Red a helping hand. Unless we're  
independently wealthy, that's usually where a "break" comes from,  
finding somebody to spend some bread or attention on our artistic  
vision. The more naïve the better!
   Today, the only effective endorsement deals I know of are guys we  
have all heard of, getting paid to say they play instruments that  
they may hate, may only play live. I've heard of guys changing  
pickups, microphone casings and harp covers to keep the illusion alive.
   Someone mentioned Fender at NAMM. When I was at NAMM a few years  
back, I talked to their human resources guy, and got some dialogue  
because I mentioned I was a Hohner endorsee. I wanted a Fender  
Deville Deluxe 4x10 to play distorted chromatic with, and he said to  
call him. After haggling a while over the phone, he agreed to get me  
said amp at cost, it was just below wholesale. After a period of  
time, they Fedexed me a FDD 2x12 instead, that had been used by a cat  
touring with Dolly Parton. When I called him and told him one of the  
tubes was busted, he comped me two sets of tubes, easily over $100  
bucks with shipping. I ended up not keeping the amp in the end, but I  
remember feeling a bit of satisfaction from the whole exchange,  
considering how low on the radar I've been. I don't even have an  
endorsement deal with Fender, but you get the drift.
   So if you're willing to put some time and effort into calling  
companies, dealing with changing employees and being a smooth talker,  
you can get discounted stuff, sometimes free stuff, and even money.  
Businesses are just people, and people can be sold on anything.

But if you're that talented at getting people to give you money, then  
why are you a musician? Run for congress!

%^)

D


Damien Masterson http://www.damienmasterson.com
or enter my name in any search engine
http://www.myspace.com/damienmastersonmusic
http://cdbaby.com/all/damienzm
415 305 7138 dzm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Damien Endorses Hohner Harmonicas and Audix Microphones



On Apr 10, 2007, at 9:11 AM, harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> Message: 9
> Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2007 05:54:10 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Mike Fugazzi <mfugazzi67@xxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: [Harp-L] re: Endorsements
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Message-ID: <848512.15846.qm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> Anybody have any luck with getting a local business to
> support their band?  There is a beer maker around here
> I am thinking of contacting.  They're a big deal in
> this part of the state, and that's our home base.
>
> The big name companies are probably hit and miss based
> on how many great bands and musicians there are out
> there.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mike Fugazzi
> http://www.myspace.com/mikefugazzi
> http://www.niterail.com
>
> "Music should be healing; music should uplift the soul; music  
> should inspire. There is no better way of getting closer to God, of  
> rising higher towards the spirit, of attaining spiritual perfection  
> than music, if only it is rightly understood."
> -Hazrat Inayat Khan