getting endorsed

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Gwilym - exactly! nail -> head

It makes me cringe when people talk about being endorsed as if they don't understand something they're in the middle of.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

I was lucky enough to have an endorsement deal with Ashdown a few years back, I was about to buy one of their amps but a mate who worked for Sound Control at the time knew their artist relations guy and put me in touch with him. He liked my band and offered me an artist's deal - I didn't get anything free but was able to buy stuff at really reduced prices.
This suited me down to the ground as I was going to buy their stuff anyway. I don't use it anymore as I left the band and decided I wanted to explore new avenues of sound. Although my band toured quite a bit up and down the country we were never 'big', they just either liked our music or saw some potential for exposure there somewhere! They looked after me really well and it felt great to be honest, one of my proudest moments. I'm still on the Ashdown website though, hidden away...

[EBS_freak]

To me, somebody with an endorsement that is worth anything at all is when the company is bending over backwards, advertising the fact that YOU use THEIR equipment... not the other way round. Anything else is just e-peen.

[Jase]

[quote name='Gwilym' timestamp='1324427492' post='1474253']
why does everybody talk about being "endorsed" by such and such company?

surely the musician is the endorser of a company's product(s), because they believe the product is a good product and/or so that they get free/cheap stuff. the company as the endorsee hopes that legions of fanboys/girls will then try to emulate their heroes by buying said product.

I don't mean to sound too cynical, but it makes no sense to me to talk about the companies endorsing individual musicians
[/quote][quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' timestamp='1324428233' post='1474259']
Gwilym - exactly! nail -> head

It makes me cringe when people talk about being endorsed as if they don't understand something they're in the middle of.
[/quote]

Spot on!

The artist endorses the product! I have lots of endorsements from Ready Brek right through to naughty magazines!
And another thing, they're basically artist trade prices...well, for most of us anyway, unless you happen to be a heavy weight player...perhaps they pay too?? Who knows and who cares?

You can blurt on all you like about your company, the companies love it, why wouldn't they? They won't give you anything more than a trade price though and of course they're really nice guys, they want you to buy their stuff, you buy their stuff, talk about them all day - who's the winner?

Has anybody here actually had any products given to them by a company, free, with lots of promo? It would be interesting to know.
I used the "endorsed" term the wrong way around at one point "endorsed by such and such" don't do it, makes you look like a right cock!

[throwoff]

From working for 2 guitar makers -

Many companies have differing levels of relationship you can enter into -

Low level endorsers will get things for trade is generally the rule of thumb, these people will be hard working, heavy touring musicians who can get the brand exposure and will benefit from not paying full whack for strings etc when on the road. Often instruments and amps can be loaned out as well to an artist for a predetermined time, a tour, a recording, a TV appearence etc. You might be asked in return to play on trade show booths, demo videos, in stores etc.

Next up will be a discounted trade deal, so they will buy for even less, sometimes at this level the sundry products become free, so you pay a little less for a bass and the strings are now free. It all gets more complex if you endorse more than one company (one for strings, one for amps, one for guitars etc etc) but you often get a few more freebies. At this level you are likely to be taken advantage of a little more in terms of being asked to play at events etc. At this level you might get special treatment as well, reserve wood stocks and prototype things to try out which are not available to the public.

Then you have your 'established musicians' they wont pay for stuff at all and be asked a lot to demo product for videos, turn up for signing events etc and be used more often in brand advertising. Many people at this level have several companies they endorse. Sometimes to keep everything on the books you will pay a token fee (£1 or so) for everything you have.

Above them are your household names, they will get the big ad's, the custom instruments, the works. In an ideal world the brand get them to turn out to a trade show or two but simply having the name is enough.

Artists with signature models get paid royalties based on the sale of the instrument or whatever in many cases.

Edited December 21, 2011 by throwoff

[brensabre79]

One of my old bands got a bass rig on loan from a UK manufacturer, our management got it for us as they also managed a well known Manchester band at the time. I think they used the well known artists name, and our imminent UK tour as a factor though. Even so, it was just a loan - for the tour and recording then it went back to them. It was a new product line (dark green carpet cabs) and they wanted the exposure. It may have been a prototype model but it wasn't a patch on my bought and paid for rig at the time so to be honest it wasn't missed when it went.

For me the biggest endorsement from an artist I respect is when the manufacturer doesn't do deals like this and they have to go and buy it like everyone else. Anyone would use ElCrappo strings if they were getting them free, even if they did need changing after 2 hours.

A drummer I worked with once had a really good deal with a Japanese drum company - free kits galore! He played them live, on tv, took them on tour, did countless press shots with the drums, but he used his 1960s Rogers kit in the studio to get his trademark sound.