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Rip-Off Report
Have you or your band ever been ripped off or by a company that was unethical and deceitful? Ever been the victim of a music industry scam? Tell us your story in a comment below so we know who and what to look out for. Let us know why you feel you were scammed and any tips on how others can avoid falling into the same trap. Likewise, if you’ve had a really positive experience with a company or person that you’d like to tell the world about, then please post a comment HERE on the recommendations page.
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Rip-offs… where to begin…
The largest one had to be the Thunder of Gods music fest in TX – it made headlines all over the place. My band at the time were gaining some serious ground and were working on a decent-sized following. Several other bands that we were friends with and met through gigging together and networking were all slated to perform at this fest and wished we could join in. I contacted the event promoter who said he had some cancellations and he could get us into the show on certain days, but since there was so little lead-time to get us on the billing he’d require us to buy 4 tickets to the event as a show of good faith (not a problem, we had more folks than that who were traveling with us to this show anyway). So we send the money, sign the contract, and all seems to be a done deal. As the date draws closer one of our band members grows ill and it’s apparent we’re not gonna have a choice other than to back out. So I contact the promoter again to let him know. He offers to refund the cost of the tickets to us (without me even asking), stating he’ll refund the money after the show once he’s recouped from ad expenses and such. I tell him no problem. The date of the show arrives and I start getting word from all the bands I knew that the guy had skipped town with literally tens of thousands of dollars from investors, bands, etc… there are bands from overseas that are stranded at the airports even! Obviously, there was no refund ever seen from this.
Midwest Music Fest – This was a similar event going on in MO. The premise was simple – you buy slots of time on the fest and you receive merch related to the fest to sell and/or give away – a few t-shirts, some keychains, etc. Basically, for $75 you got a 1-hour spot on any of the 3 days you wanted – we chose 3 1-hour spots (an hour each day). As time drew nearer I repeatedly tried to contact the promoter with no luck. I finally contacted another associate in St Louis who was always on top of the music scene up there and was told that the event promoters had vanished with money from a TON of bands in the St Louis area as well as others. This was a very well-designed scam too – legitimating website, good cover story, the works.
I’ve also lost out on compilation CD promotions. Deals where you pay a flat fee to get on a comp CD that is to be distributed at concerts, etc… you pick the show you want to be handed out at, pay the fee, and get them your music track. Very grass-roots and very solid concept. Nope – again, scam. I had even offered to do distribution for their other bands at larger concerts here in our local area and even to provide table space at all our shows to get word out for the other bands.
There are PLENTY of other things I’ve run into that, while not 100% “deceitful and unethical” they were definitely NOT what was promised and that I would never recommend anyone else get involved with… but I don’t want to get into potential slander and libel claims since it’s more a matter of customer dis-satisfaction than any blatant scams.
To other musicians – ALWAYS watch out… these instances were all companies that actually invoked a sense of legitimacy when dealing with them. There were contracts, there was “security”, and yet when they screwed us there was no recourse for us or the countless other bands to take. Do your due diligence!
-Rus
Hey Rus,
Yeah, we got duped by Thunder of the Gods as well ! Small world. First the guy wants to put us on a TOG show in Illinois, so we go through the motions, get the contracts, the ” fee ” to him and everything is set. TWO DAYS prior to the show, we get word the ” venue decided to close “.
So, we say ” ahh, man, not your fault, no prob “. We knew the ” fee ” was non-refundable but were like oh well, it was only $ 25 bucks.
THEN, we get an email about doing the TOG in Texas. He’ll pay us so much money and cover our camping, we just have to get there. So we save up, rent a trailer and a vehicle for all of us to drive from MI to TX in semi comfort at least, only to find out a WEEK before the show that ” the venue doesnt want music on Sundays, so its just a two day festival “.
The Saturday after the ” festival ” begins, Myspace starts buzzing about the guy skipping out with all the money, and how he left bands stranded at the airport. Bands that put in a LOT more money than mine did, bands that paid to fly themselves and their equipment from as far away as Austria.
Yeah, by all means, bands, if a guy named Will contacts you about a show called Thunder of the Gods, or says he’s Will from a booking agency in Ohio, please, I beg you, be wary and do your research before you sign a THING.
Sinister Music is one of those compilation offenders. Avoid them as well. There are lots of legit channels to get your music out there. They are not one of them. They have been reported to take your money and never put you on the CD at all, stating that ” there wasnt enough room when we went to press ” or some other junk.