ION INDIE MAGAZINE January 2017, Volume 32 | Page 48

SONGWRITING SERIES

Promotion: Part 2
By Paul Bordenkircher
It’s only taken us a year and a half, but we FINALLY have you all set to go. You’ve got your publishing company,
you know your rights and responsibilities, and in our last installment, we finally got to the point where you can
prepare to get your music out there. We’ve already established that you’re going to need help. Just one
problem…
Rule #3: Be prepared to get screwed.
To quote Hunter S. Thompson, “The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway
where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.”
How do you know who’s actually going to help you, as opposed to just helping themselves (i.e., screwing you
over)? Just like driving down the road, it helps to be able to see where the potholes are. In our case, the big
problem is knowing the legitimate ones from the crooks.
And sometimes it’s not even as black-and-white as honest vs. dishonest. It can be many gray levels as to which
deal benefits you more, depending on the type of music you write, the type of services they provide, etc. But
here’s a few red flags to watch for.
1. Asking for money up front. Rule #1 used to read: “If they ask for money up front, they’re not legit.”
Fortunately, that’s at least still true for managers and booking agents. They should NEVER ask for money up
front! If they do, run away quickly! They’re probably offering services disguised as management or booking.
Another fairly straightforward answer concerns attorneys. If they’re drawing up or reviewing contracts for you,
there will probably be an upfront fee or rate. If they are going to leverage their connections to get you some
kind of deal, that can be on some type of percentage. But no matter the arrangement, an ethical attorney
will show you exactly what fees to expect, and whether it’s based on an hourly rate, a retainer, a percentage
or some other method. When getting started with a new attorney, your best bet is to work on an hourly rate.
An especially murky area relates to promotion websites. Some sites may charge a monthly or annual fee to
sign up. Others may charge a fee every time you pitch a song. Some do both. Are they crooked because they
want money up front? Previously, the answer would have been yes. But in the last two decades, traditional
business models have evaporated, and there’s not a firm rule on this one.