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In this article, we'll talk about what sponsorships are and how to get them. We'll also talk about how to identify what sponsorships may or may not be right for your band and how to manage your sponsorships when you get them.
First, lets start with what sponsorships are and what it means to your band. Sponsorship is when a company or individual finances a project or event carried out by another person, company, or group of people, in exchange for advertising exposure. In short, a sponsor is giving you money to finance your music project, "band," in hopes that you have the power to influence your audience about their brand awareness.
Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? Yes, it does, until you start trying to convince potential sponsors that your project is a good investment. Trust me, you're reading an article written by someone that practices what they preach. To date, I still haven't been able to convince local music stores that the DaytonBands.com web site is a good advertising investment to reach local musicians in the Dayton area. Go figure... Yet, we're able to sell iPods and music subscription services through national Affiliate Marketing companies where we make very little in commissions. Hardly enough to sustain a staff to maintain this web site. I always shake my head when I hear, see, or read a radio, television, or newspapers ad and knowing how much they spent to reach that audience, when they could have utilized, or added DaytonBands.com to their campaign at a fraction of the cost. At the same time, If I decide to put together a Battle of the Bands or other type of event, the local music stores always call and ask why they weren't asked to be sponsors, which leads me to the next part of this article.
How to identify what type of sponsorships you need and why you may or may not need them.
In the above paragraph, you'll notice that there were two types of sponsorships inadvertently mentioned. The first one was a financial sponsorship that our company needed to keep the web site running and to add resources and organize events that promote & stimulate our local music scene. The DaytonBands.com web site may be free to you, but it is costing my company a small fortune. Last year, Mobile Rock Entertainment spent a little over $15,000 in radio, newspaper, phonebook and event advertising alone. So we needed to solicit financial sponsorship from other companies to cover this cost. To make a long story short, we signed the contracts guaranteeing the money for our advertising debts. Shortly after that, the web site was either hacked or the troubled database we had at the time just simply fell apart. Overall, the whole project was a failure and I'm so glad that we didn't have any long term sponsorship contracts to get sued over by companies expecting to have ads on DaytonBands.com.
The second type of sponsorship in the aforementioned paragraph is what I like to call door prize sponsorships. This is when a company donates merchandise to give away in exchange for advertising and mentions at your planned event. Door prize sponsorships are very common and easy to get. Just about any Joe off the street with a good cause can get a door prize type sponsorship by just simply asking for them. Hence, why some music stores wondered why they weren't contacted when I organized a Battle of the Bands event without asking them to be a sponsor.
Sponsorships can come in many different forms, but we'll stick with the two that I just mentioned since they are the most common and we'll give them a title so that you know which type of sponsorship that I am referring too. The first one we'll call a financial sponsorship and the second one we'll call a door prize sponsorship. Since the door prize sponsorships are the easiest to obtain and will most likely be the first type of sponsorships your band will receive, we'll start with them.
But first, let's identify why a door prize type sponsorship may or may not be right for your band. Door prize sponsorships are usually low maintenance and involve very little legal obligations from your band. Door prize sponsorships are also the best to start out with if your band has never had a sponsorship before. They will help you get a feel of what sponsors expect and if your band happens to break up before your contract term is over, they are a lot more forgiving and hold a lot less liability than financial sponsorships do. Most, if not, all, door prize sponsorships can be easily terminated by either party with no legal recourse. In many cases, you'll find that this is the only type of sponsorships that many companies are willing to offer because of the unstable nature that many bands have.
All bands have needs, right? Your band might need guitar strings, drum sticks, cables, etc... Or your band may need help increasing alcohol sales to stay in rotation at the clubs that your playing. Your band may even need posters, hand bills, and postcards to promote your shows. You get the idea, right? This is where a door prize sponsorship will come in handy.
When soliciting sponsorships of any sort, it's always best to take the path of least resistance. What I mean by that is, if you know of any companies that have a sponsorship program for independent or unsigned bands, it's best to start with them first. Now I'm not talking about just because you've seen your favorite major label band with a sponsorship that you can obtain one too. I'm talking about bands that have sponsorships in your local community. The reason why I suggest that you start with them, is because it will help you get a feel of what you need to be doing to get a sponsorship of your own and if the company already has a program for unsigned bands, it won't feel so much like pulling teeth. Companies that already have a sponsorship program for bands usually have everything you need to get started. Meaning, they already have their own contracts drawn up and a list of standards that your band will have to meet in order to qualify for sponsorship. Otherwise, you'll have to have your own media kit, contracts, and sales skills to convince them that your a good advertising investment. I'll go into more detail about putting together a media kit for your band later on in this article. And no, a media kit has nothing to do with a press kit. It's much different and goes into detail about your demographic target audience.
Before I end the first installment of this article that looks like it will be a two or maybe even a three part article, I will go ahead and point out a couple of companies with a sponsorship program that you can obtain right now.
Jagermeister has an unsigned band friendly sponsorship program that can do a lot for your band if your band takes it seriously and executes it right. The benefits from this sponsorship are increased bar sales that help keep your band employed, free stuff to give away to your fans, and you also stand a good chance of becoming an opening act at major concerts sponsored by Jager. At first, the sponsorship starts with a probationary period and eventually gets better. If you stick with it long enough and live up to the terms of the contract, the free merchandise they send you to give away at shows will also include your band's logo and like I said before, you also stand a good chance of becoming an opening act at major concerts sponsored by Jager. The easiest way to obtain this sponsorship is to submit your band through www.sonicbids.com or contact the person in charge directly via e-mail at
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Next on our list is a Sponsorship by Sam Ash. This sponsorship is a little easier to obtain than the sponsorship mentioned above and is valued at $2000 per year. The sponsorship allows your band to pick up $170.00 dollars per month in accessories like strings, sticks, cables, straps, etc, free of charge at any Sam Ash location in the Country. I called and talked with the Columbus store manager, Jim Williams, who was a very nice guy by the way and very helpful. According to what Jim told me over the phone a band that's looking to qualify for a Sam Ash sponsorship needs to meet the following requirements. Have a good quality CD, perform live at least 4 times per month and have a web site & press kit.. Your band can enroll by simply visiting any Sam Ash location with your band's press kit and fill out an agreement form. From there, your agreement form and press kit will be forwarded to the corporate office for approval. If your band is approved, you can utilize your sponsorship at any Sam Ash location in the Country. To find the nearest Sam Ash location nearest you, visit www.samashmusic.com.
The next popular Sponsor on our list is Budweiser, Miller, or any other popular beer out there. The reason why I'm mentioning this one last is because it's the one that I'm the least impressed with. These sponsorships are usually granted by the local distributing company in your area. Most of them don't really have a standard band sponsorship program intact, but every now and then you'll see a local band running around with one. To obtain a sponsorship from them, I suggest that you contact the Public Relations Department, or the Promotions Director at the local distributor in your area. Getting any financial support from them is very unlikely, but at the very least you can persuade them to print out some cool posters and banners to hang up at your shows. Most, if not, all, major distributors have an in house printing department that can print out just about any size poster or banner that you'll need. With the cost of full color printing, this can be a valuable sponsor if you can get them to pay attention to your band.
Well, that's all for now. Stay tuned for the next part of this article where we'll cover in depth about getting financial sponsors and how to put together a media kit to convince them that your band is a good advertising investment.
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