Hi everyone

Your Dreams Are Not For Sale

As many of you know, one of our main objectives in doing what we do to help our friends is to watch out for them – especially in this industry of ‘Dream Brokers’. There are many opportunities opening up for exploration in self-promotion via the Internet, in Independent based magazines and in music conference and showcase spots. There are a lot of advantages to these, provided you watch out for a few things and don’t believe everything you hear. The old story that ‘if it sounds too good to be true…’ does hold a LOT of water, so be careful, listen, ask questions and take every promise you’re made with a grain of salt. And above all, don’t sign anything – no matter how good it looks on the surface – without getting some advice from a few different sources and consulting your legal representative. It takes seconds to sign your name to something that it may take you YEARS to get out of afterward, so just remember that your dreams are not for sale before you pick up that pen…okay??

One thing I’ve learned myself is that there are many people in this industry that can talk a very good game. They’ll say what you hope to hear, when you hope to hear it and manage to butter you up at the same time. This is where that grain of salt advice comes in…and if you have legitimate concerns or questions about something don’t tolerate any skipping around the answer from anyone either. If they can’t or won’t answer a point blank question before you’ve decided to sign on or commit yourself to them (or their services) what makes you think they’ll be straight with you afterward? Do your homework, read up, ask questions of other artists you trust and ask for references – from others who have actually been helped by an association with this party. Don’t accept “we did this for this person”…talk to ‘that person’ and find out the real story.

When searching out those all so important promotional avenues it’s important to do your homework again. Many of the larger conferences and showcase opportunities may have hundreds or thousands of applicants for a limited number of spots. They may be run by a board of many industry professionals who have well known names and track records that can be easily verified. But you have to look at the possible benefits of you applying for a spot first, before you send in that application and any ‘registration fee’. Is it catering to the industry relevant to you? If you’re a bar band just hoping to get more gigs, what good would it do you to appear at an event that caters to those hoping to land a signing? What is it that you actually hope to get from appearing in this event? I’ve had friends granted a spot in an annual conference and would have liked to have gone to see them. They’ve applied, paid a fee, been granted a timeslot…just what they wanted, right? But then, the venue is hard to get to, it’s in an area where there’s little or no parking, and the time slot they’re given means waiting for hours through many other bands that you really might not want to sit through. No, I didn’t end up going.

And on to that all-important ‘registration fee’. I’ve seen them vary from a small $15.00 ‘administration charge’ to a whopping $250.00…now, depending on where it is, who’s running it and what it may do for you this may be acceptable, but read the fine print before you write that cheque. If the fee is strictly non-refundable (for any reason) and it’s more than you’re comfortable with paying in the first place then you really should think about it first. If the fee is not unreasonable, and it’s even partially refundable if you’re unable to participate (usually with a time requirement, say canceling within 14 days before the event) and you think that’s fair then go ahead and send in your forms. But take into account the other considerations too…if it’s out of town, you’ll need accommodations for your group, a way to get there…if it’s through the week and you all work you’ll be missing time there too. Lots of things to consider first.

A somewhat hidden aspect of the showcase world is motive. What are they doing this for? If they charge a participation fee, what concrete stuff do you get for that? What advantages will there be for you to appear? How is it promoted? Will you be allowed to shine in your own spotlight or will you be one of a cast of dozens? All things to think about, and when we were developing our own showcase series we were adamant about it being as beneficial to the performers as it could be. It has never been about us, it’s about those gracious enough to appear. It’s worked so far. Not to stray from the main topic here, but we have had guests get gigs from their appearance, they’ve had interviews or songs aired on the radio, they’ve met agents, managers and many very good friends, not to mention many new fans. And our motive is simple – we love country music, we love our friends and we believe they deserve a chance to show what they can do in a well executed show in a quality venue with as much exposure as we could arrange – and there was a real need for something like that.

A brief word on the topic of managers and agents; we have been witnessing a somewhat local trend concerning these areas and feel we must express some opinions here. We know many excellent managers who do jobs above and beyond for the artists they represent – the same holds true for agents. We believe that they should be someone that believes in you and your abilities 110% and will look out for your interests at all times. So the confusing trend of ‘stables’ that are popping up has us a little concerned. If one company or individual takes on the representation of more than one group or performer of similar genre, characteristics, audience demographic and location how is it determined which artists or performers interests will come first? If you are a young (mid twenties) male performer (with a band) in the GTA and you are represented by a manager or agent who has three other similar bands in their ‘stable’ how confident can you be that that manager/agent will be doing their best for you? Good question. If (on the other hand) your manager/agent represents you (young male, mid twenties with a country band), a late twenties female (different genre, with band) and a group of older ‘special events’ players (either a dance troupe or theatre group) you can rest assured that you are all unique to that person and you will be represented fairly. But keep your eyes open, don’t let yourself be shortchanged and if you are not sure about the level of commitment in a proposed arrangement keep going until you find one you can be confident about.

We know how confusing it can be, trying to learn while feeling your way through the dark parts of this industry. And we know that there are some out there that will try and take advantage of you, to benefit themselves. It’s like that in every industry, not just music. But when it comes to music that’s where we do what we can to watch out for you. So take our advice. Learn as much as you can about what steps you’re preparing to take. Get advice from artists you trust, others in the industry that you’ve come to know and have some regard for and don’t think that a reputable entertainment lawyer is for ‘down the road’…get one of your own. Remember, they will be looking out for your best interests with every question they answer for you, every contract they look over. This industry exists for everyone to make money, that’s true. But it shouldn’t be at the expense of you selling your creativity or your dreams. Good luck!

Written by Kim Jamieson

All material contained in this site or Web Page are protected by copyright, and trademark and shall not be used for any purpose whatsoever other than private, non-commercial viewing purposes. Derivative works and other unauthorized copying or use of stills, music files or clips and video footage are expressly prohibited.