Endorsements

[matt thomas]

not for studio gear, but various guitar manufacturers and amplifiers (and clothes, alcohol, airlines, playstation, redbull, sony anything, apple, etc)

for me it was a few multi platinums and #1's, but I would guess studio gear is harder to get deals for as they shift smaller numbers.

actually come to think of it I did have a mackie thing for a while. and my apple / emagic deals too I suppose

a deal where you get stuff cheap is relatively easy to get, where you get it free is a lot harder, where they pay you to use it is extremely rare

narco

[Makinithappen]

Hmmmm... interesting thought. Maybe I should contact Folgers and Marlboro and see what I can get.

I work with several musicians that get free guitars/trumpets/drums but I don't think I've ever met an engineer that was endorsed.

Of course, I don't know a ton of multi-platinum engineers.

[jeremy.c.]

I've been endorsed by a few guitar companies for a "cost" deal, those weren't too difficult to get, you mainly have to know the right people, unless you're big enough they come asking for you...
I only know one guy who gets stuff free from Steinberg and UA, but he's kind of the real dealio and has some pretty serious work under his belt.

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by MikeTSH

Do you guys have any and how did you get them? I'm thinking of asking around, just to see what happens

I would recommend contacting the company. If they know who you are and you have some "pull" they will work with you. We get a lot of people, but because we are small we can only work with a very limited few. I have a feeling that we are not alone on this. In fact we have a rule of NEVER giving stuff for free. Our believe is if they are not willing to pay something then they really don't believe in the gear.

Glenn

[Thescort]

I can't even conceive of an endorsement for an engineer/producer, but I suppose like anything, they could exist. My doubt comes from the fact that endorsements exist to help a company sell products (especially to the public). Very rarely do you see a distressor on stage, or "Big props to purple audio!" in liner notes.

Endorsements are tough. I know a number of drummers who are endorsed by Yamaha, Roland and Istanbul. They are very skilled, very hard working, touring musicians. With the exception of Istanbul, nobody gets free gear. Just better deals, and some special treatment (like resurrecting a discontinued finish etc.). They worked damn hard to get to a point where companies took them on, and they had solicitation. They didn't e-mail out of the blue, nor where they approached out of the blue. They, through years of experience and networking, met the right people.

Endorsements are also not ENTIRELY a GOOD thing. There are numerous CONS to being endorsed!

[Mr.HOLMES]

I have one as guitar player.
But this was for many reasons as they told me.

You will be chosen as endorser if your are a multiplier for the companies.
You have to hold a position in the business what makes you interesting.

They want that you turn the people in the business to use their stuff.
Thats the reason why you can read different interviews with big time mixers and they let fall different brands in it.

It is a deal we give you our compressor for free and other future made tools if you like them you can hold them and use them and for this you name us in every interview and we are aloud to do adverts with your name.

People like EC or Paul Mc Cartney even get money for this and free Equipment.

[mdjice]

Yes I'm endorsed by quite a few company but as with others in my case I doubt anyone is allowed to discuss any of the terms.
basically you have to have some kind of recognition in the industry, a discography a list of acheivements. Good people skills and show that you like using the product and will promote the brand and help grow in a way that not "anybody" could do.
Give the brand exposure and use your pull, knowledge and recognition to help the products sell. It is a difficult thing to get anyways.
Good luck

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by mdjice

Yes I'm endorsed by quite a few company but as with others in my case I doubt anyone is allowed to discuss any of the terms.
basically you have to have some kind of recognition in the industry, a discography a list of acheivements. Good people skills and show that you like using the product and will promote the brand and help grow in a way that not "anybody" could do.
Give the brand exposure and use your pull, knowledge and recognition to help the products sell. It is a difficult thing to get anyways.
Good luck

Let me guess.... Open Labs?

[theblotted]

Originally Posted by Thescort

Endorsements are also not ENTIRELY a GOOD thing. There are numerous CONS to being endorsed!

correct. one being that you may be locked to a certain brand, like only being able to play Gibson guitars for a particular show, for example.

[mdjice]

Originally Posted by TonyBelmont

Let me guess.... Open Labs?

How did u know???....
That's only one of them

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by mdjice

How did u know???....
That's only one of them

[jayfrigo]

I know a couple FOH engineers with deals from Shure and others, and if you pick up Mix, EM, EQ etc. you'll see gear ads with engineer/producers all over them. It's definitely tougher as a studio engineer since you don't leave the hermit's cave, and don't have the visibility of a touring musician, but the right person at the right time for the right company may be able to put something together.

I also know loads of musicians and bands (as one might expect, working in this industry) with deals anywhere from a bunch of major free stuff that keeps showing up that they don't know what to do with, to a wholesale purchase deal. I got one of the latter just by calling and asking, though I had a contact person given to me by another artist on the roster. Still, if you can offer them some kind of visibility or benefit, a company may at least give you some accommodation.

High-end Boutique audio gear, however, is tough to get, as are some of the more in-demand or established companies, whether audio or musical instrument. A new company with a product they want to get some in front of some eyeballs is your best bet, though new companies can't afford to simply give a bunch of stuff away, so it's likely to be a limited deal. Also, it's better to do it at a time when you have something going on, like a tour, or a current project with some visibility, or an upcoming album with a known artist.

[Makinithappen]

Originally Posted by mdjice

How did u know???

He actually made all of his tracks with a Casio and a M-Audio Trigger Finger! He's just obligated to say that.

Seriously, though... One of my clients came in last week with the Timbaland (sp?) Edition Open Labs keyboard and it was pretty amazing. There was Reaper pre-installed on it. He didn't even know what that was or how to use it. There was even a little PreSonus box on it. I actually wanted to send it MIDI and sync it to PT (just for fun, after the session) and couldn't figure out how. Gimme a Triton,Motif or Fantom and I'll rock it.. that thing was ridiculous!

[logicll]

A good press kit!

I got lucky... I only endorse products I use and love.!

MySpace.com - Joe Haze - HELL-A, California - Rock - www.myspace.com/joehazeofficial

-j

[GlennR01]

I have a number of product endorsements, none of which lock me in to a specific brand of gear - anything is negotiable. While its nice to get stuff for a reduced cost or, occasionally, for free, the bigger point of doing an endorsement deal is getting to work with the manufacturer to help make his product better. I enjoy contributing to the development of certain kinds of gear, the relationships that go along with that. It's not all about what you can get from an endorsement - sometimes its about what you can give.

[Byll]

Glenn: Your post made my morning. Thank you. I am associated with the design and beta testing of two types of musical instruments - made by truly respected artisans. My reward is not the 'free' or reduced-cost instruments and services. It is in the relationships with the individuals and companies, and in the inner feeling of doing something good and creative.

Best to you.
Byll

[Duardo]

I like Manley's position on endorsements (you have to scroll down to FAQ#4)...

[strewnshank]

Last I heard, Planet Waves gives out more endorsments than a cheerleader does STD's. Christ, I got a Planet Waves/D'Adarrio endorsment....and I suck!!