How to Detect (And Avoid) Music Scams
If you’re an artist, and you’ve spent at least five minutes looking for ways to advance your career, chances are you have already encountered a wide variety of music services displayed to you through ads. They’re highly prevalent on any website related to music, on Google searches, in Gmail (if any of your emails are music-related), on YouTube, and in physical sources like print magazines or classified ads.
Isn’t it great that in an industry that is seeing the entry of tens of thousands of new musicians every year, there are so many nice businesses out there looking to help them?
Yeah, right!
The truth is, there are plenty of sleazy individuals and business entities that have been observing the decline of the traditional recording industry. They have noticed all the new artists cropping up, looking for fame and fortune. They smile when they see the common portrayal of artists on MTV and VH1 as rich, living extravagant and glamorous lifestyles, getting huge “record deals”, and so on – even though that image is extremely distorted. All of this has created a prime market for services and products targeted towards musicians who want to make it big, and unfortunately for us, the majority of these are scams.
So, what are you supposed to do? Ignore any seemingly-pleasant emails from important-sounding people that are “interested in your music”? Definitely not. While illegitimate organizations looking to take advantage of artists are prevalent, there are still honest people in the business, and some of them really might be interested in you, personally. Since that’s the case, if you’re interested in maximizing your opportunities and minimizing the time and money spent on potentially useless services, it’s important to learn how to detect and avoid scams.
As you read all of the points below, do keep in mind that just because some factors may warrant more caution, you should always evaluate opportunities thoroughly. An offer might have one or two red flags, but in actuality is completely earnest and worthwhile. Be smart, think like a businessperson, and above all, be objective. The dream of a killer deal can cloud your judgment, as can senseless paranoia of anyone commenting on your music. Try to set aside your personal feelings, and consider all of the factors below.
Dear [Artist]…
If you are contacted personally by someone with regards to your music, the first thing you need to pay attention to is how the email is written. This can be applied to snail mail or even phone calls, as well. Don’t be swayed just because the solicitor knows your name or your MySpace. Anyone can find that info. Take note of the general style of their “pitch”. Are they only speaking about your music in general terms? Are they not referencing specific songs, or if they are, are they being so vague that they could really be describing any song? These should all send up red flags. Real professionals that like your music enough to contact you about it should be able to say more than “your music is great.”
If you poke around online, you may even find other artists or musicians receiving the same letter(s) you did. This is commonplace, and another sign that whoever is contacting you just wants your money, and doesn’t care about your music. If you suspect something is up, be cold and ruthless when you email or call up the company. Demand to be told all the facts. Grill the “talent scout” on why YOUR music was picked. Honest businesses can stand up to the pressure because they have nothing to hide – scam companies will falter, fumble, become overly defensive, and give wishy-washy answers.
References?
Most legitimate music services have plenty of satisfied clients and customers. It should NOT be hard to find real people who have benefited from a service you are looking into. Don’t just take the word of a company at face value if something seems fishy. Look up and personally contact any artists who are listed in a testimonials section to ask what the full story is. Ask the company for specific references. Don’t be surprised the “happy customers” don’t respond – they might not even be real – or if the company refuses to give you references. Look at organizations such as CD Baby, Taxi, or Ariel Publicity – there is no shortage of people shouting praise for these companies, because they are 100% legit!
If someone tells you that they don’t have references or testimonials because their business is “new”… keep walking. Do you really want to invest your time, money, and emotional energy in a company that is untested and unproven, especially considering how volatile this industry is?
Show (Them) the Money
“We’d love to represent you and place your music in five films right now! Just pay us $300 and we’ll get right on that.” Yes, a similar pitch really is used by lots of sleazy businesses. You should always ask “how much does this cost?” anytime someone pitches something to you, or asks for your music. Be VERY wary of anyone promising or guaranteeing your success, in exchange for money. The music industry is not an industry of “guarantees”, and if any organization is opening up its services to the general public, they can’t possibly guarantee success for everyone… but they will tell people that they can.
If someone is looking for money in order to put your music on a compilation, or place your music in a film, hang up the phone or delete the email. You should never have to PAY money for someone to use your music. They might try to obfuscate the facts by talking about royalties, or that you’re just “covering production costs”… and it’s all total bull! Real publishers and agents that can actually do something profitable with your music will not need you to pay anything. They will be getting their cut from the success of the music.
Taxi is an example of a legitimate company in a sea of competitors that are scams. With Taxi, you pay a yearly fee for access to opportunities that you very likely would not have access to anywhere else. Your music is then thoroughly screened when it is submitted – only the highest caliber material is passed along (‘forwarded’). The screeners, who are all industry professionals, then give you feedback on your track, something that is very useful if you have been rejected! Taxi never promises success. Even their ads emphasize that your music must be high-quality, and that you must be a serious musician in order for your money to be well-spent. They offer a money-back guarantee, too.
Filters & Exclusivity
Derek Sivers of CD Baby has written on this topic before, but it is worth repeating. Exclusivity is a very good thing. Let’s look at publishers, for example. If a label evaluates 1000 demos in a year, and only selects 5 artists to be added to their roster, then the label will be inclined to spend their resources in promoting and cultivating those artists. There is a vested interest in those artists on the part of the label. The artists’ success means the label’s success, so the label is going to work hard on behalf of anyone they’ve signed!
On the other end of the spectrum, we have scam labels, publishers, and “music groups”. Their strategy is to tell all 1000 people who submitted demos that their music is excellent. All the artists have to do is pay the organization for the privilege of being added! Now, what motivation does the scam organization have to promote all those artists? Sure, they might focus on the same 0.5% of quality musicians that the REAL label did – and that’s being highly optimistic – but why would they care about anyone else? They wouldn’t. The scam is done. The sleazy company already has the money of those 995 musicians.
Contests and Competitions
This is a popular category for scams because it’s just so appealing. For a low fee, you can enter your music into a contest and win something amazing. Sure, there are honest competitions out there, such as the International Songwriting Competition and John Lennon Songwriting Contest, but there are just as many (if not more) bunk ones. If you are invited to a contest, or you’ve heard of one and are interested in submitting, you must find out the following…
* How long has the contest been around? The longer, the better.
* Who were the previous winners? Can they be contacted to verify they received their prize? See the “References?” section, above.
* Exactly how is the contest being judged? Is it a popular vote, are there judges? Who are the judges? Legit competitions tend to attract and make use of established artists and industry pros, and do not vaguely allude to a “panel of experts” or something similar.
* Who is sponsoring the contest? Real competitions should be backed by prominent music-related organizations and manufacturers. Contact the sponsors and ask them for more info, too!
* Do you lose any rights to your music if you submit? You’d be surprised at some of the legalese in contests even with major TV network names attached! In several cases, I’ve seen contests where all entrants automatically forfeit all rights to their music – the people running the contest could use the music however they wanted and not owe the artists a dime. Read the terms of any competition very carefully, or you might regret it.
Preventive Measures
If you’re writing original music, you want to make sure that it is protected and reduce the chance that someone will steal it and call it their own. By default, as soon as you complete a new, unique creative work, it is copyrighted and protected by the government, but if someone were to infringe on your work you would be unable to bring suit against them unless the work were actually registered with the government. Luckily, it’s not too complicated to do this. At the U.S. Copyright Office website, you can find the forms you need to register copyrights for songs and sound recordings with the federal government. There’s a fee involved, but with the right form you can register multiple works at once for no extra cost.
Another step you can take is becoming a member of a performing rights organization like ASCAP or BMI. These entities collect royalties on behalf of their members (composers, writers, publishers) and generally look out for them in a number of ways. By becoming a member of a PRO and registering your works with them (note that this is not the same as copyright registration) you are further protecting your music.
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Yo the reason the higher ups are saying there’s no money in music, is because they are making so much from digital music and tours revenues, they fear people hating them for taking everything. The reason independents are not getting paid for digital sales is its being sucked up by majors-independent sales are a threat to them, and if artists can collect and generate their own money-they will really be out of business.
Do you know what the overhead is for a digital release compared to a cd? Think about it, a CD costs alot alot in manufacturing, physical sales, shipping. With digital sales it costs pennies to send files online. No trucks are needed, cases to package, retail merchants to pay- a cd costs about $5 for each to make and distribute a digital copy maybe penny. The overhead alone is gone. Major labels fired staff, downsized, closed the doors to independents, found new artists to use which could perform anything they design, and kept some old faces- they washed out Myspace by slighting the independents and turning into a file sharing site. BMI does not pay royalties unless your in heavy commercial radio rotation and only major artists get that payment and play. They are lying and Harry Fox will not collect on behalf of many-they work with majors-a major label is not a small business, small businesses comprise 70% of all American businesses-the fact the music industry has little regulation, policing and places to report and end problems is serious. Its a cover up- they are downplaying their assets and lying because they hit bank and want everything on hold to gain control. Its a serious scam. America is not a free country-it is run by corporate businesses that capitalize on others.
You are wrong about BMI. They collect and pay royalties to all level of artists, NOT just major label artists on regular radio rotation. I am proof of that as I am small time on the bottom of the rung, but they have collected and paid on my behalf thousands through the years for various arplay and song placements in movie and television.
BMI has always done us right as well. rock on
BMI, ASCAP, SEASAC, they are all extortionists. They strong arm small club owners into paying through the nose for licensing fees, if they are trying to support live music, but turn a blind eye, if they are only hosting kareoke or internet jukebox. The only artists that ever get paid are major acts, on major labels. Don’t join, fuck them all. Fuck the labels too. They only want to record the stuff their own writing staff puts out, assuming they still can afford a “writing staff”. Free radio is dead. Don’t advertise there. No-body listens because it’s all crap. Same 40 songs, over and over and over…..Upside to it all, internet radio, home studio, and self promotion. No middle man, no licensing, and DTF(Direct To Fan). I wrote it, I recorded it, and I pay me, and who I want. If you don’t like it, kiss my ass. This is the “Golden Age Of INTERNET Radio”. Welcome to the 21st century Sony/Tree.
Does anyone know anything about Top Songs Studios Song/Lyrics contest?
My credit card company is rejecting my fraud complaint against Fastbreak since I “approved” the charges. They don’t seem to care that Fastbreak is fraudulent. I have read so many other complaints similar to mine regarding Fastbreak and their business model (or lack thereof). The fact is that they have NOT been professional from the beginning. So many red flags. I paid the price for not being smart enough to investigate these charlatans. If I had done my homework there is NO way I would have considered signing up with them.
Fastbreak requested me to fill out paperwork in order to receive at least a partial refund. They never got back to me after that. They won’t even respond to my emails. Don’t I deserve and explanation from them after they took $400 of my hard earned money?
I would consider taking a class action suit against them if there were enough of you to join.
I am a member of songplacements.com,and I should have known better. Songplacements.com is now known as Fast Break Music,same location 7039 sunset blvd hollywood ca. 90028. The company/president founder is listed as Inga Gasparyan. Hilarie Naymick is a “scout” at the company,Ben Stidham claims to be a former employee. David Hitt is believed to be the actual president/founder. I have reported them to the California Attorney General’s Office. Other memebers are now doing the same.
Hi Dave, I am also on the song placements website after the same 400$ incident.. I am contacting the attorney general as well. There will def be a class action lawsuit. i have tried multiple times to convince them to return my money and they had sent a bogus return request form that they said was declined from their review process.. The rep who contacted me was no longer working their. They for sure are in deeeeeeeeeeeeeep legal trouble soon.. The owners will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.. They have profiles up their for a expired one year contract without their consent.. Infringement and personal copyrights are being violated.. “serious crime” aside from the fraudulent aspect.. It will be interesting to see if Karma or legal action will show up first. ;)
I live in Los Angeles and figured Fast Break Music would be a good choice for me because they are a local company. They changed their name from songplacements.com to Fast Break Music and moved their office to a new part of the building and then denied they were the same company.Ben Stidham,an employee promised a refund that I never received.
I learned a lesson I should have knew before hand. Dont join any music forwarding service for a fee. Taxi however has a yearly free convention if you are a member,at least you get that much.
Fast Break is definitely a farce and criminal. I asked for at least a partial refund long ago. They put on this “nice” image like they were going to work with me. I got a message from an assistant in their customer relations dept. several weeks ago from Arina (spelling?) apologizing for the delay in dealing with my request for refund. I’ve tried calling but it’s odd how they never pick up. They most likely have my call I.D.. I have emailed them dozens of times with absolutely no response. I asked them to please have the decency of telling me either by phone or email whether or not they were going to give me a refund. Well, they are NOT decent, good, moral, ethical. They are thieves. Karma will come. That’s the only thing that settles my mind and the fact that they stole $400 of my hard earned money. Why can’t organizations like this be truly investigated?
Hi Cameron,I reported them to the California Attorney General’s Office,go online and file,they file all these reports for further action,I have done that,also the company address is 7039 sunset blvd#100 hollywood ca 90028. The listed company founder is Inga Gasparyan. Let me know if you need any further info,I also filed with the Better Business Bureau thought there is not much they can do however it adds to the online complaints against this company which are quite extensive.
I am sick and tired of everyone in the industry giving TAXI a pass and using them as an example of being reputable. In my opinion they are as sleazy and corrupt as the worse of them. $300 to join and then $5 a pitch adds up and leaves a struggling songwriter broke and weary. Their “A&R” hacks wouldn’t know a good song if it bit them on the ass. I have had these music industry wanna-bes rip and reject my songs and then have gone on to place them in various movies and television. Stay away form TAXI. All they want is your money.
YEAH,PETE WEW HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WITH EVERYONE THATS OUT THERE, BECAUSE WHEN THEY RECEIVE GOOD SONGS, WHY WOULD THERE BE A CHARGE TO YOU FOR ANYTHING AT ALL? MOST COMPANIES KNOW WHEN THEY HAVE A GREAT OR GOOD HIT AT THEIR HANDS. AS FOR TAXIE WHAT ARE THEIR ACTUALLY PURPOSE?$300.00 OR #400.00 FOR WHAT PROTECTION?
What I’ve heard from two or three reputable industry professionals is that the $5 is just a token fee to keep people from sending in as much garbage because they just get overwhelmed. This is not a recommendation, but I have heard it recommended by hit songwriters, producers, a top vocal coach, etc. I think the description will let someone know pretty much whether it is for them or not.
As far as the evaluations, I have taken a number of songwriting classes where the instructor took big hits and we went over them with a magnifying glass finding “mistakes.” Good stuff gets turned down and bad stuff gets signed every day of the week, so evaluations are good for feedback, but should not be taken as absolute.
THANK YOU. I work in publishing and I’ve heard some horror stories so I appreciate an article warning people – but using TAXI as an example of a GOOD SERVICE? You don’t need to “pay for opportunities that were not otherwise available” because there are tons of opportunities that ARE available. I say join every *free*, *non-exclusive* library and catalogue available to you. It should never cost you a cent. Don’t wait at home for Pepsi to roll up at your door and offer you a huge exclusive deal – Get out of your house and start making connections.
Some people have no desire to do any networking, schmoozing or licensing themselves. Some people hate cold-calling/cold-emailing libraries. Again, Taxi has never claimed to be the best way to get deals… they explicitly say they are second-best. I personally have no problem contacting libraries myself and do well every year with licensing. However, I know other people who would rather not mess with ‘the business’ and so Taxi is a great solution for them.
The problem for me is finding these libraries. Are they any LEGIT ones??
I agree with ZJ. Paying for a submission is unacceptable. Back in the day, companies used to actually get a pulse on the street to decide who to sign, but those days are long over. Self promotion is the name of the game these days.
To that end, here’s a site that I highly recommend: notemote.
What makes them potentially so great is that they’re not music industry exclusive, they really encourage us to self-promote and there are no fees. They only get a small portion of the transaction of CD, equipment … sales.
Again, I tried to ‘make it’ in to the industry for several years to little or no avail … found that I was much better off on my own.
I had a friend in 2005 that worked as a screener at TAXI. He is a very talented musician in the industry in Los Angeles and has written with some very reputable and well known artists. He has also written for movie soundtracks and been in a number of recognizable bands. Most musicians hit hard times at one point or another and he hated working for TAXI. Constant pressure to submit a daily quota of reviews. He would honestly try to give constructive feedback but the time required to write an honest review was not compatible with TAXI’s quota demand. It’s all a numbers game folks.
They make money by giving reviews ( lots of reviews ) Maybe the odd lucky one will get pushed to the head to make it all look nice and credible but it’s still a numbers game. You’re better off doing your own hard grunt work. No fun but at least you are sure of who gets your CD or digital MP3. Good Luck !
This is a great article that every independent musician should read. I’ve joined a few of these “placement” sites over the years, mainly bc somehow I met their “CEOs” through other networking. I’m in the process of closing those accounts now – lucky me though, I never paid out any money to join them.
Anyone that’s been around the music business (the legit side) will tell you that you should never have to pay for placements – they should be paying you. I’m working a licensing deal right now and every time I’m approached, I immediately ask which songs their interested in and if there are any upfront costs. Chances are, if they’re not familiar with the material and they want a “fee,” they’re not as influential as they may like to believe.
My best…
well said
ive had great success doin it on my own but it took me over 15 yrs im 30 now and i finally got to play the ga dome to 73,000 people and have been on abc tv live primetime so your dreams can come true with hard work guys just dont give up, see u all at the top.
http://www.youtube.com/downsideontour heres the proof.
Your comment is excellent! My daughter is 20 and breaking into the business (while at a highly competitive college), I love hearing your story!
has anyone ever dealt with ” music xstream” in L.A? Are they reputable?
Yes music xstream is a legit small publisher in LA. I think they are a new company, so it took a few months for my music to get processed. But they are real
SONICBIDS seems to be a credible (and at times exclusive) way to submit music to various venues, like competitions, libraries and live gigs. They charge per submission although some are free. The money you pay goes to the particular venue/company (so they make money to pay judges, offer prizes, etc. – or rip you off) and presumably also to SONICBIDS. They also charge a monthly fee (not much) but keep in mind they are a business service, not a charity. They offer an RPK, bio, etc. but little in the way of viewing statistics. One thing that pissed me off recently is that they are offering a “premium service” that costs twice as much but buys you very little – what REALLY annoyed me is that they strongarm you into thinking that using the standard service will limit the number of songs you can have in your library and they make you choose the three that you want to keep. Nowhere in the terms does it say there is a limit for the standard service so this is the first indication I have had of questionable behavior.
The upshot: the best part of SONICBIDS is that you are encouraged to rate a venue when all is said and done. Not only are the comments informative, but the venue is permitted to respond to comments. What they say can be priceless. At times they might as well just say “I am a scum rip off person, that is true – but how dare you call me that!” LOL
I would like to hear other artist’s opinions.
Music Xray is a scam!!!
See site for details…
http://dasspunk.com/2010/music-xray-scam-and-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-265
I am a MusicXray member and I wonder about the integrity of anyone who charges people just to listen. The rule of thumb preached by the major songwriting organisations and musicians unions is that as a musician or writer you should NEVER hand over any money upfront, and anyone asking you to do this is untrustworthy.
I get sensational e-mails all the time from Music Xray saying things like ”songs neede for Beyonce”, ”songs needed for Taylor Swift”, and ”songs needed for major brand ad campaign”. However when one looks more closely it is usually an independent publisher or company, or even just a person, who is going to ‘attempt’ to plug your song to the companies who represent Taylor Swift or Beyonce, which could of course just mean putting a CD in the post, which we can all do ourselves, and which we all know is pointless. These e-mails are totally, and deliberately, misleading.
Certainly the ‘success stories’ to which Mike McCready has helpfully directed us here make no mention of any song being succesfully placed with these artists, or as far as I can see any recognisable artist at all. Same goes for the ad-campaigns. There is no mention of any of it. Instead success stories are things like: ”Block Scholars just got accepted to be placed on Valleyarm MIDEM Sampler to be handed out to industry movers and shakers in Cannes, France at the MIDEM Conference!”
This sounds to me like somebody is going to make some CD’s, take a bag full of them, stand outside the conference centre and pass them to disinterested music execs as they pass by. It’s hardly the same as Beyonce selling a million copies of a song you wrote and she recorded. Has music Xray never succesfully placed a song with an established and recognisable artist? Not one? Ever? If they have why are they not shouting it from the rooftops?
The ‘Torrez Music Group’, one of the most regular and misleading parties making money through the site, regularly claims to require songs for artists such as Carrie Underwood, yet does not list any of the artists it claims it represents or has contacts to on it’s website. Makes no metion of them at all. The website is sparse to say the least and doesn’t look as if it’s been updated for about a year – http://www.torrezmm.tk/
The whole Music Xray thing is cleverly done – they do have their little success stories – they’re not just pocketing all the money they get and clearing out, so it is very difficult to throw any mud that sticks. This is a much more sustainable and legitimate way to take money from musicians (who of course usually don’t have much).
We’re all desperate for our music to be heard, and we figure four dollars here or there won’t hurt. Music Xray is a brilliantly conceived way of taken advantage of this. But they’re not getting another cent from me.
You are right they just take $4 dollars and they say it is free but it is not. Music xray always charge $4 dollars for anything. The responses are always somewhat the same “not quite what we are looking for” I understand they are looking for your money not your talent. I suggest any up and coming writer/artist to stay away from them save your money and time. It is a shame though these type of companies spent so much time trying to cheat artist they could do much better if they were honest. Music Xray is a take on your money not your talent!!!I also will not pay another cent towards this company.
sonicids suck because they basically took free opportunities and now you have to pay to enter. A good example is the guitar player magazine contests.used to be free to enter but now you have to sign up for sonic bids and pay on top of that. I have been in music biz for 20 years and I can tell you 99% of this stuff is a total scam and the truth is they are preying on musicians who want to make it so bad they would prostitute themselves and pretty much fall for any scam .Wait for them to come to you and even then be wary.Remember, they only come around when they smell they can make a buck .sorry but 99% are only willing to “help” you if they think they can make a buck off of you.some people may actually believe in your skills but less than 1% of those can do anything about it.I have been much happier when I learned this (the hard way: paying for contests,taxi, etc…)
Wow that was strange. I just wrote an really long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Regardless, just wanted to say great blog!
I just recieved a contract offer from Tate publishing, It arrives tomorrow. So, what am I looking at here? a scam? Everyone is concerned about the $1990 investment cost.
I have stuff one amazon.com right now through cdbaby….so far, after a year, I sold one download.
One problem is…I am mostly just a songwriter, and hire bands to perform my songs.
With Tate, I’d have to unite a band to tour. But as it is, Nothing is happening.
Someone help me out….
Hey Dallas,
I actually just received a contract too. Let me know if you hear anything or learn anything. I am a little skeptical. I am a singer/songwriter but the fact that everything is packaged (marketing, distribution, production, etc) into one contract scares me.
thanks
In a sense TMG [Tate Music Grp] is in fact a scam but they do it VERY cleverly and give music services of some that may NOT in the best interest of the artist and some services that an artist may very well be in serious need of before their vocal recording session they don’t get the artist even after the artist payed the sign on fee[ ie: 3rd party expert vocal coaching before and during the lead vocal session] I have been in the music biz for 40 yrs now and have worked as a full time professional producer/engineer since 1980 and since I have actually interviewed more than one of TATEs signees I can tell you this. TMG gives the novice desperate artist a sales pitch that has them thinking that for the $2000 [or sometimes they'll drop it down to $1990 for those who give them a hard time] they are getting a ‘Wow’ of a deal but you MUST pay the total amount for THEIR total what THEY think is going to be the best end user record. It’s really like an all or nothing kind of deal.[ should be a red flag for a deal breaker] TATE really should be offering all the services they do but charge the artist for ONLY the services that the artist and their manager and/or producers want to pay for and need only from TATE. EVERY artist I hear of that signs w/ TMG always ends up having to fork over an amount of around the $2000 mark! Go figure.
Way too many desperate singers and songwriters out their. Always FIRST do your homework and search for the very best record producer [not just 'music' producer folks.. I mean RECORD PRODUCER...2 very different animals and production skill levels here] A manager is good to have as well to also help keep everything in check and perspective and then after you have a great record recorded THEN go and see if TATE for a much reduced rate will distribute your product!
DC
Dallas,TX
THE TRUTH ABOUT SONICBIDS:
From learning that festival rosters are frequently completed prior to submissions being closed, to reading of several cases in which artists’ submission statuses have been changed to “not selected” for given opportunities despite no evidence of changes in their views or audio streams…
In 2009, Sonicbids shared $3 million earned from submission fees with music promoters. As per Sonicbids’ “Promoter Terms of Service,” in order to list a gig opportunity, one is required to pay a one time set-up fee of $50, agree to “accept/review” electronic press kit submissions (EPKs), “promote” his/her gig listing, and provide Sonicbids with a copy of their venue contract/licensing agreement to ensure the legitimacy of their event. Further, promoters who host CD comp opportunities are required to provide a copy of the comp once it is released, licensors must notify Sonicbids of songs placements, and those hosting prize pack giveaways are to confirm their goods were distributed to their winners.
Promoters are able to easily recoup the aforementioned one-time charge by having NO restrictions placed on them in terms of what they wish to charge interested artists. While there is an increasing move toward providing more “Musicians’ Friend No-Cost Listings,” in my experience, eligibility for these free submissions is often restricted to US residents, and the average going rate for submissions to major events (the ones that artists more than likely created their accounts in order to have access to) is between $10 and $50.
In terms of payment, Sonicbids processes all submission fees (and covers additional expenses created by the use of their technology), and takes a varying percentage of each fee, before paying out its promoters. Promoters can also earn additional funds via “The Sonicbids Affiliate Program” by driving traffic to the site, thereby potentially increasing artist signups.
Okay, okay, so all of this sounds well and good, and fairly correct policy-wise? Wrong! Here’s where all of you need to pay attention. [B]There is NO requirement on the part of promoters to provide Sonicbids with proof of a formal business license, references regarding their business history, or membership in an accredited business association like the Better Business Bureau. Moreover, you do not even have to have any past experience successfully working in the music industry – literally anyone can sign up. So long as you pay your fee and “appear” to abide by the terms of service (easily accomplished if you select a single Sonicbids artist per gig and provide them with a somewhat decent experience), you’re good to go, as they say.
[/B]
READ MORE HERE:
http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.asp?storyID=6757§ionID=2&issueID=168
When thousands of struggling artists sending fees it adds up, it adds up to a lot of money for someone but not for you. If an offer is legit, a fee should never be required.
I too received a contract from Tate Music Group. Are they really legit or a scam?
Tate Music Group is a scam I am undercontract with them now. They have not done anything to help me my lawyer is threating a breach of contract. I employ you to tell all the artist and writers to stay far away from this company the are negative toward my God because they use him in way to get christian Artist. I have a BBB complaint in progress please do not spent your hard earn money for this. Please Please Please do not do any contract with this company. I just want to help my fellow artist/writers not to get burned! We as writers are too talented and somethings we fall prey to someone who seems legit. I know they say their BBB rating is A+ do not believe it that is how I got taken in. I love all the talented writer/artist and I would really be hurt if you fail to not listen to me. If you need verification checkout my ALbum on itunes “Is This My Life” I had to fight for them to label it R&B they told me they were starting a new genre but for the first time My Album was listed as christian. I am a honest person and a writer/artist/Novelist I will not tell you lies.If they do not satisfied my BBB complaint by Sept 24th you will see me on youtube and other websites warning the public!
I’m with TMG at the moment too, have been for 2 months. Also NOTHING HAS HAPPENED. It’s really pissing us off. The ONLY thing we were looking forward to were the booking/promotions. NONE of that has been done. We already had shows booked for August and September and every venue owner we talked to said no one contacted them about promotions. We can get better recording quality, which we already have. But now they are telling us we can’t record with them at all because we recorded elsewhere, which was not what we were told at signing.
We’ve done everything to light a fire under their butts but it’s not producing results. We’re going to give it a little more time and then it’s going to be small claims court for sure to get our freakin’ money back. Such a waste of time and effort.
Hi there,
My name is Brianne Webb, and I’m the Director of A&R at Tate Music Group. I wanted to invite and encourage anyone here to call me if you have any questions about Tate Music Group. I am happy to explain our process, the timing of when bookings/promotion occur, and the successful artists that we have on our roster.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Brianne Webb
405-376-4900
These people think they can get over on the public. I will not stop until I bring it to the public. I got a call from someone at their Record company trying to threaten me we need to band together to stop their negative ways of taking advantage of us Artist/Songwriter. They do not know that I do not take threats likely and I will bring this to the public because it just isn’t right. I beg any songwriter/Artist musician please do not waste your time and money with Tate Music Group I am a writer that was taken advantage of, do not let this be you. I will more than likely never get a refund but I believe I must warn the public of this bad and poor way of a so call Religious Company taking advantage of the songwriters/Artist!!! I filed a complaint with the BBB and they will not answer because they know it is the true “DO NOT LET THEIR A+ RATING FOOL YOU IT IS NOT FOR REAL THAT WAS MY MISTAKEI.
I am your future if you do not listen to me. Brianne never contacted me one time. The only time they appear is when a Artist like myself stand for right goes up against them. I paid $1985.00 to partner with them they done nothing for me but avoid my phone calls and give me the run around. If you think I am telling you something that is not true. If you go to their websites you will see all these artist that has recently signed and paid $1985.00 it adds up. They are about money not about God because Godly people would never do me like this. I pray everyday and I am a 95.1 shine partner on a religious radio station where I live. I would never type anything against a company that really represents God. Tate Music Group did not follow my contract. My attorney also told me that you will have to go to Mustang Ok to fight any disagreements against them so when you have a problem unless you can just leave your kids and family and go there you are stuck. Every songwriter/musician please warn everyone it is not worth your time after they got your money nothing happens.
Hey John,
This concerns me, and I’d love to find out who you are or what band you’re with so that we can get to the bottom of things. If you’ve only been with us for two months, it’s not possible you’ve had a CD release date yet, which would explain a lack of promotion, since we don’t promote things until we have an album to sell.
Also, if someone has told you that you can’t record for some reason, I need to know that information too. We always encourage people to use our studio and our musicians so that we can assure a high quality, and each artist’s contract allows them the opportunity to use our studio.
Please give me a call so that we can get things rolling in the appropriate way and make sure we’re on the same page.
Best,
Brianne Webb
405-376-4900
Why have you never called me Briannne Webb I have been with your record company for a full year. Listen everyone they are trying to sweep my record deal under the rug but time has a way of catching up on you. They never done anything for me and they have no R&B section becau they never booked me anywhere not one time.
It had been brought to my attetion that I was wrong about TATE MUSIC GROUP. I tried to remove my posts but was unsuccessful TATE MUSIC GROUP is professional and worth your time. I was mistaken on situations concerning my contract and other statements I had made.
So Tate is a legit company or a scam?
No, that’s someone from TMG posting as Big Al more than likely. A cousin of mine “signed” on with Tate 3 years ago. The quality of their recording was sub par at best and they didn’t play many shows. Scotty says scam.
I to am with TMG for three years now all i have received from them is a cd signing at Hastings which they botched up I am interested in a class action suit 505 709 0101 any one interested call
Has anyone heard of Patrick Arn at Gotham Records? He sent me an email saying he is interested in representing me and my music for placements in film etc. Fee is $200 to cover costs etc.
Warning:songplacements.com,Fast Break Music may now be known as Momentum Music as a employee of Fast Break Music Ben Stidham is now listed at Momentum Music. songplacements.com,Fast Break Music,Momentum Music,all scam/telemarketing companies with same employees ripping off artists/bands. Employees listed on the net David Hitt,failed music business “maverick” Ben Stidham Momentum Music,a company president Inga Gasparyan,reported “failed model” and a Hilary Nemick.Wonder how they are doing under the name Momentum Music?
Do not do business with songplacements.com,Fast Break Music,Hitt Music Group,Momentum Music,all Hollywood Los Angeles scam/telemarketing companies.My boyfreind was a member,he had dealings with a “Giorgio” and a “Bella Week”.
Since I typed this information warning the public about TMG yesterday September 28, 2011 they have removed my Album from their data base. This company like most who do not treat the public right always trys to cover up or sweep everything under the rug. This is the prove that I was under contract with them http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycKpoyruDb4 that is my .15 trailer on youtube which never got any exposure maybe 5 views. This is also the .15 trailer TMG told me ran on televison but they were unable to tell me when or what station when I asked. They told me they spent $35,000 or more towards my promotion it never happened. A message to all the artist who have signed after me you may get some bookings but I am telling you this happened to me it could happen to you especially R&B artist. Another question before you artist sign, a mistake I made first found out really how many artist or bands really makes it to billboard dealing with TMG. They are making money off of the public I feel, here is an example I loss $1985.00 multiply that times 200 Artist it equals $397,000. This is the part you should know how many artist are on billboard and how much money you made since jointing them. If you do not take my word you do the mathematics I know what they have done to me. I trusted them and I paid for it $1985.00 don’t let it be you!!!!!!!! This is only one year think about next year who they would do like me or you. I know the music industry has changed but I thought TMG had some type of principles not to treat their artist in this manner. I was so wrong!It is impossible I believe for just 50 people which I checked last time when I was with them to promote honestly all the Artist that they sign. It is a scam they know it and they are angry with me for telling the public!
Thanks for that info. Matthew Styers (an A&R representative for Tate Music Group) sent me an email offering a contract on 12/16/11 and I haven’t responded because something told me to investigate since they are asking for a large amount of money up front. If it were $19 or even $190 then MAYBE I wouldn’t be so suspicious but $1990? Give me a break. If I’m unsigned why would I logically have $1990 extra to spare? If a company likes the music and see’s promise in it, they invest in it PERIOD (or they’ll do an artist development deal. I’m not sure if they still do those contracts but Sony used to). There’s no upfront cost when you get a record deal, for a management deal yes (unless you have a momager or dadager), record contract NO. It’s called an advance…you actually get money FIRST then you have to pay it back later. All this pay up front business is questionable unless we’re talking about services like copyright.gov, BMI or ASCAP which are services to PROTECT YOUR MUSIC RIGHTS AN ROYALTIES. They are not promotion or management companies and make no promises to make you popular.lol In my opinion without going any further with TMG…I will assume it’s a scam. :-/
Hey guys,
Was just reading about the “Tate Music” stuff because I have an artist who signed with them and I was checking them out. After reading about how some people feel scammed , I decided to tell you about what I do for artists for FREE!
I work for the top live show producer out there – Works with Grammy winners but also indies. I am his Tour Support Rep. If you are doing at least 25 gigs per year, you can work with charities and get extra income from the gigs you are already booked for. Check it out at OnStageSuccess.com and click on “tour support”. We don’t ask for your money, we pay you!
Has anyone heard of iworldmarketing at 7119 sunset blvd,Hollywood, ca. They only charged me 50$ to process.
Anyone heard about Kyra Larock who show opportunities on musicxray ?
thanks
Nope, because she’s BS. I posted a review about her on Music Xray and apparently, I did not pass their “screening”. Here’s what they wrote back to me with:
——————————————————
Sorry, but your feedback has been rejected.
Dear valued customer,
Your feedback:
Title: Took too long to get back to me.
And when they did, the response was very generic. Not very acceptable for a company that really hasn’t done anything viable in a while.
Your feedback was deemed inappropriate by our moderators.
This can happen for several reasons but usually it is due to tone, inappropriateness or some clarification we’ve requested from the industry professional in question. We appreciate your feedback however and if you’d like to send in a new comment we will be happy to evaluate it again.
The Music Xray Team
—————————————————–
If your review is something Music X-Ray takes issues with, they simply will not post it and will ask you to post something nicer and dishonest.
Another scam to watch out for? Cari Cole.
I get great feedback from her, then nothing, she never replied to my pingback.
It is BS
I have never, ever heard of this Kyra person outside of Music Xray and even when I google her, all I see are her postings that are on Music Xray and that same photo of her that looks like a really horrible high school yearbook photo from 1991. What has she actually DONE? All I see are some no-name, talent-free “artists” that might have struck it big in 2000.
I am really tired of people letting people like SONICBIDS, MUSIC XRAY and TAXI get away with murder. They are ALL SCAMS. ALL of them. And yes I have heard of Cari Cole and she’s another con artist. All these con artists help each other out by plugging each other. Cari claims to be a vocal coach to all these famous people, yet she only mentions those who are on her site in addition to “those I keep private”. I am sorry, but this does not sound legit at all. Subscribe to her mailing list and listen to a few of her conference calls. She’s in bed with people like Music Xray, Taxi, and Ariel Publicity (SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM!!!) and has these online and telephone seminars she charges hundreds of dollars for. The seminars are a recording of her voice that she’s used for seasons. I personally think she is out to make up for the students she really does not have.
Now watch Mike McCready of Music XRay come to this blog to start crying in defense of his SCAM. Wait for it.
http://dasspunk.com/2010/music-xray-scam-and-spam/
It’s up to us, the music-makers, to bring these people to light!!!!
Taxi is not a scam. I’ve had success through them personally as have other good friends of mine.
Yes, this is a scam, if you read all the comment … it is only about people happy from an awesome feedback and waiting for awahtes next..i think they will wait for ever…all that look like fraud….
I mean are those opportunity true at all ?
Avoid the scam artist Miles Shumilak who owns The List Mag fake business and website from California at all costs.
I have a song at Music Xray put “on hold” by Sugar Shack Entertainment. Anybody know anything about these guys?
Thanks!
I know this too well!!
I thought I was safe with The LIST Magazine when I was contacted by Miles Shumilak and he has a legit facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/miles.sandiego . He took the money and simply stopped replying to my emails and blocked my facebook account. I later found he contacted other bands in the same City as me. So be aware!!!!
Artists badmouthing about the integrity of the music websites are the artists who failed to get a deal. Just read the article apply it on your self. Cheers!
hey, my band is signed to Tate Music Group. we were freaking out about the scam talk too. but we decided to do it because we saw that they had an A+ in the BBB. we signed the contract and went to TMG in Mustang OK. it is legit. they were really professional. we recorded our album and had a photo shoot. $2,000 is nothing compared to the quality of sound that comes out of your recordings. sound like this in bigger labels is probaly 15-20K. plus the 2 grand is literally a deposit. something to insure them that you are serious about your music. DO IT. and YES I AM A REAL MUSICIAN SIGNED TO TATE MUSIC GROUP. go here and listen to our music please. http://www.reverbnation.com/elevenafterarmy. become a fan if youd like!! were also on Facebook.