JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum If you have what it takes to be a star, read this

If you opened this up, then you are in the "at risk" category. You are at risk of being taken.

I just got off the phone with one of our members. A few months ago, she emailed me for advice. A "big Nashville producer" was interested in producing her. He told her she had "what it takes" to be a major artist, but she needed a master quality recording. It would cost her $30,000 for him to produce three "master quality songs" that would make her a star. I begged her not to do it. I told her that this price was WAY out of line, and gave her some things she could do to check this guy out. I let her know, to prove I wasn't trying to "snake" her away from him, that it was and is my policy not to produce people who ask me for advice about pending production deals.

Well, she decided to go with him. He told her, however, that for the $30,000 he would produce only two songs. He brought her into a studio here for one day and cut the two songs. The musicians were finished in two hours. This guy put at least $27,000 in his pocket, probably more. Even worse, she later contacted the musician's union and found out that he filed the contract for a demo session (A TWO SONG, $30,000 DEMO SESSION!). She now regrets her decision.

People...PLEASE don't fall for things like this. A two song master session with five union musicians and two back-up singers, produced at a very high quality studio should cost between two and five thousand dollars...and five grand is high (you can even get them for much less than $2,000 if you go with a cheaper studio or go with non-union musicians). A ten song master project at a very good studio with five union musicians and two back up singers should cost anywhere from six to twenty thousand (here again, twenty grand is high.) Demos, of course, are much less.

The major labels can and do spend anywhere from one to two hundred thousand and more for an album. Indie artists and beginners do not need and indeed should not spend anywhere near this much. If someone tells you you need to spend as much as the major labels to get their attention...run.

Scams like this give the whole music industry a bad name.

People can help you with your career, but nobody...NOBODY...can make you a star. If they could, then all the children of all the label execs would be platinum artists.

All the Best,
Mike

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Mike Dunbar Music

Mike,

A very sad story, but even sadder, it happens a lot. I had the exact same discussion with a member a few years ago who spent the same 30,000 dollars. (I can't find the old emails, but I wouldn't even be shocked to learn it's the same scam artist). We begged her not to do it. I got others to talk with her about it. We all tried. She did it anyway. She had the same miserable result. She came back to use upset and asking if we could somehow help her get her money back. Too late.

Anytime someone stops offering a specific service for a specific price and that specific price doesn't match the range of acceptable fees for that service, you HAVE to realize it's a scam. Saying "major labels" want this or that is stupid. A major label would almost always put you BACK into a studio if they were interested anyway. They are looking for talent, not a great recording. They aren't looking for an artist by judging how great the demo producer was.

Thanks for posting this Mike. Maybe it will save someone else from the same bad mistake.

Brian

Sad one Guys. Even if you don't think you've got it, I would sugest you all read this,as there always seems to be someone out there, who wants to convince you, you do indeed have it.
For a price.
Good one Mike.
Graham

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http://www.soundclick.com/bands/2/grahamhendersonmusic.htm

Ouch



I'm not at risk. I'm too old, fat and bald for major labels to be interested

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John

http://www.johnkscott.com

bump!

That's what I like about this site. It's an excellent opportunity for people to educate themselves.

Vondelle

oh man, you gotta feel for her.

There has to be some way to get the word out. Begin an Association for Scam Awareness or something. Education..knowledge is power.

Hey, give me the 30,000 I'll give you a killer album AND some awesome promotion for that price. It's sad, people are taken by scum who scam the unwary.

UGLY...

I thought it was bad when someone told me a thousand a song. OUCH....

I'd hate to think about what I would do in her shoes. And I'd bet the guy sleeps with one eye open all night...

I think the word Star should be banished from the dictionary.
I don't think there are but a few real stars left just a bunch of glimmering meaningless specs of sparkling dust scattered upon the horizon.


DAvid

This place right here, and others similar to it, are a very good start.

Mike--

Thanks for reminding us about those scams...

I am glad that scams are exposed here;
songwriters who are aware of these
dishonest situations are at an advantage.

When I was younger, I was just happy to have someone in the "industry" respond to my music, and almost fell for a number of scams. Luckily, even though I didn't have JPF, I had a few wise people around me that
educated me about this stuff...

Emily

i'm not at risk, i have seen far to many of these scams and personally work under the rule that if someone wants you then they will not ask you for any money.

this is a good rule to live by and if you you you're research you shouldn't get taken by these.

sad story...but she was warned, and if her gut feeling mislead her then maybe she shouldn't trust her gut.

I think the real lesson is here is about the desperation we can feel about making our dreams come true.

We may ignore advice, common sense, logic, etc.
...just because someone tells us something we want to hear.

What a sad and unfortunate experience for this person!

How many tales like this do we need to hear before we learn to keep a firm grip on our wallets...?

People who prey on the desperate make me wish that public stocks were still in vogue... At the very least, I'd like to find this guy's mother and tell her what he does for a living...! Now THERE'S a reality show that would be a pleasure to watch...!!



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www.dianatyler.com