So, you want an endorsement deal, right?

Gassage

I'm a lucky boy that even at my venerable old age I'm given more cricket gear than I could ever use.

Due to a personal friendship, I use TNF Cricket Gear, from Melbourne.

This is a screenshot of a text from the MD of TNF......in response to such a sponsorship request.....

Hilarious...

mike_l

Great way to get a future sponsor on side...........

jd0272

Well, I think Jack's just a busy chap with not much time for pissing about really. He'll get there in the end.

Or somewhere.

thisisguitar

He should just send him a complimentary dictionary

mike_l

thisisguitar said:

He should just send him a complimentary dictionary

or Theasaurus..........

digitalscream

Having spoken to a number of people in the music gear industry, it's quite amazing how many folk simply don't get the fundamentals of endorsement, the chief one being "If you're unknown, you're not getting free shit".

richardhomer

digitalscream;440597" said:

it's quite amazing how many folk simply don't get the fundamentals of endorsement, the chief one being "If you're unknown, you're not getting free shit".

I'm not sure that's true with every maker. I know two people who play Knaggs guitars who are little known but are endorsees.

I've never asked whether any money changed hands - but I'd be surprised if it did.

digitalscream

richardhomer said:

digitalscream;440597" said:

it's quite amazing how many folk simply don't get the fundamentals of endorsement, the chief one being "If you're unknown, you're not getting free shit".

I'm not sure that's true with every maker. I know two people who play Knaggs guitars who are little known but are endorsees.

I've never asked whether any money changed hands - but I'd be surprised if it did.

It's almost always true - I'd be surprised if they got any free instruments out of it. Discounted, maybe, but generally it's only the top-tier endorsees who get free stuff.

Most manufacturers have three tiers -  roughly speaking, Tier 1 (free stuff, lots of promotion etc), Tier 2 (up to 50% discount, priority support, some promotion), Tier 3 (up to 30% discount, somebody to talk to, little bit of promotion if they do anything of note).

To go right in at Tier 1, you'd probably have to be selling a few hundred thousand albums a year (or equivalent).

For the record...I've found that the correct way to approach somebody for an endorsement is to tell them you already use their gear and you're going to continue using it whether you get an endorsement deal or not, but you think there's an opportunity for cross-promotion. I can't see any other situation where I'd be comfortable with it, ethically-speaking; pretty much anything else is just being a gear whore.

Clarky

digitalscream said:

Having spoken to a number of people in the music gear industry, it's quite amazing how many folk simply don't get the fundamentals of endorsement, the chief one being "If you're unknown, you're not getting free shit".

endorsees generally don't get anything free.. they usually get things like an artist discount, and / or tend to jump the queue for purchases / repairs.. also, these deals tend to allow you to use gear of the same type by other manufacturers..

sponsorships are where they give you everything, and generally the list of can / cannot do's are a little more restrictive [depending of course on the agreement / contract]..

GavRichList

I was a Blackstar Endorsee in a former life... They were very generous. Got one free amp, a fairly huge discount on an Artisan 30 head, an indefinite loan on a cab, plus an extra cab and Artisan 30H plus some pedals on loan for a month long Euro tour. Even got my name in their catalogue! ha.

digitalscream

GavHaus said:

I was a Blackstar Endorsee in a former life... They were very generous. Got one free amp, a fairly huge discount on an Artisan 30 head, an indefinite loan on a cab, plus an extra cab and Artisan 30H plus some pedals on loan for a month long Euro tour. Even got my name in their catalogue! ha.

What happened, if you don't mind me asking?

I was a Jet City endorsee for a year or two...foolishly handed it back when I left the band. Got a few cheap amps and a lot of great support out of it.

GavRichList

ha, well.... The band split... also, there was a falling out about a "temporary relocation" of the indefinite loan cab! temporary madness on my part... essentially they gave me the cab....but then get a little peeved when I tried to sell it on ebay when skint! Can totally see their point! the things you do when you're young eh? If you cant trust an impoverish musician, who can you trust? etc etc.

Still use an Artisan 30 though. lovely amp. They were all really nice at Blackstar to be fair, but then, they approached me for an endorsement, not the other way round so I guess that figures.

joeyowen

haha, tell them to do what the girl on twitter did,

Go on his Friends, find his Mother, and show her

ROOG

Gassage said:

I'm a lucky boy that even at my venerable old age I'm given more cricket gear than I could ever use.

Due to a personal friendship, I use TNF Cricket Gear, from Melbourne.

This is a screenshot of a text from the MD of TNF......in response to such a sponsorship request.....

Hilarious...

Nice bit of friendly banter as an opener?