JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum Here's one for the books,,, the accountant's books

The following is what I received in my email from MP3.com:

MP3.COM ARTISTS --
IT'S TIME FOR THE LABELS TO HEAR YOU PLAY!
Dear Friend,

Are you a musician trying to get a record deal? Without a top lawyer or manager to submit your works as "solicited" material, it's tough to get a label's attention. But for a limited time, InsideSessions is making an exclusive offer to MP3.com Artists to submit their demos to be heard by a Universal Music A&R executive.

Click here to learn more.

Universal Music Group, the largest record company in the world, has created From Demo to Deal, an Internet-based program that provides the tools you need to take control of your musical career. This program is taught by 75 of today's hottest musicians, producers, recording engineers and executives -- from Fred Durst to Nelly to Sheryl Crow to Shaggy. Log on and learn at your own pace, any time, any place. Best of all, you'll learn how to record a killer demo on a shoestring budget, and InsideSessions guarantees a UMG A&R exec will listen to YOUR music. If you ask, we'll even give you HONEST written feedback on your music. Hear what our members have to say.

Submit your music now; the best musicians will win an expenses paid trip to Hollywood for a free recording session with a top producer at Interscope Records, home of Limp Bizkit, No Doubt, Smash Mouth, U2 and many more ($25,000 value).

Sign up now to receive 40% off! This is an exclusive offer for MP3.com Artists.



[This message has been edited by dhsongs (edited 04-25-2002).]

dhsongs,maybe you should have payed to send the e-mail,probably the only way they would have excepted it.When ever I get e-mail that sounds like I need to pay for somthing that might be beneficial to someone else and not to me,they get filed under delete.A friend of mine was aproached by a man(rat)who wanted to manage and produce her band,the catch was that they would have to come up with 1500$ and give him all their demos and abunch of other B.S.I went with her to meet this so called producer/manager,listened to his speal,and politly told him,thats no problem,just as soon as you prove you can do what you say you can and only after the material by the band has the copyrights stamped and returned.Well to skip the foul part,I think I just ruined her career,maybe she will thank me later.
*The Rats Are Always The First To Abandon Ship*

I was at another forum and ran across something simmilar. http://www.macmusic.org/forums/topic.cgi?forum=8&topic=23
I did not bother to check it out. Probably the same scam.

Well OK, I decided to look at the site (just could not resist the laugh). The guy's address is carson_derek1@hotmail.com (does this sound familliar?). Anyway the forum post had a link that led me to a site ran by International Marketing Group (ever heard of the people?). It goes on to say you (YES YOU) can win a free demo critique, and a chance for stardom!!! WOW what a deal. Or....... just incase you don't win (whatever) you can go with plan A for just $299.99. Or choose blan B for the low low price of just $29.99!

Man what a load! If someone would have actually e-mailed me such a solicitation, I would have been much rougher than you!

[This message has been edited by kaboombahchuck (edited 03-19-2002).]

Funny!: "Maybe you should have paid to send the email"! Classic!

John

[This message has been edited by dhsongs (edited 04-02-2002).]

It's not surprising...the major labels are so desperate for money that anything sounds like good business to them.

Part of being in this business is dealing with scum (there go my chances at a major label deal) who will say anything to get the money of starry-eyed newcomers.

I just got an e=mail from someone at bulkworks.com saying they had heard my music and thought it was perfect for their stores...perfect if you pony up $340 for them to place it in stores...they may be a reputable company, but I'm willing to bet that everyone else who is on IUMA got a similar E-mail from them.

What's sickening (and funny) is that this a a major label doing this now!

Shameful,

Ben Stevenson

Yeah Ben, that other one is going around too. Being in stores won't even matter without all the other promotion that has to go along with it. So, from that standpoint, I would think they are not credible either. It looks like credibility is hard to find.

There should be a standard for accepting memberships when it comes to paying money for a membership, like ASCAP/BMI for example. That would be the professional thing to do.

I'm just really dissapointed, for my peers and for myself. I am lot more than dissapointed towards those companies though.

John

[This message has been edited by dhsongs (edited 04-02-2002).]

I saw this offer a few days ago on Couch Music. I wasen't sure if UNIVERSAL MUSIC was the biggie or not. Well what a surprise. If you buy their video tape you can sign up and 3, count em, 3 lucky songwriters will get a publishing deal if I read it right. It seems the Major Record Labels are scrambling to Re-release music from the past according to posts on COUNTRY NATION. The success of O' BROTHER WHERE ART THOU is really throwing a monkey wrench into Music Row. The tribute Albums to Hank Williams and Webb Pierce sure have a lot to say about the state of country music today. I picked up the album CAUGHT IN THE WEBB. If it doesn't get the Grammy next year I will be surprised.

For just $19.99, that's right! Just $19.95, I will send you a professional looking critique in a plain brown wrapper that has been personally stamped by me and my associates. I will also, free of charge, give you, that is correct! I said, GIVE YOU ten free links to the best music sites on the web absolutely guaranteed to stimulate your muse into action, enabling you to write bettr than ever before music. Not enough, you say? For an extra $9.99 I will include a 3 minute video of my naked grandfather doing the boogaloo in the privacy of his own room at the nursing home. What could be more stimulating than that?? Package C, for an extra $2.98 will include ten never before used hooks. You must hurry to take advantage of this offer as it is only good for the next 2 years after which it will disintigrate into smoke rings. Send only checks, money orders, credit card numbers or diamonds. Real money will be promptly destroyed and cannot be accounted for. Send for your package today! Procrastinaters will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Idamarie

Man...you guys are a rough audience. I visited the InsideSessions web site and did not see the "scam" the rest of you seemed to see. In this thread, no one has mentioned the educational aspects of their offer. They are selling a course in how to prepare yourself to approach the music industry with your talent. Who knows how valuable that might be to each and every one of us? The other part, about guaranteeing that a A&R person will listen to your songs, is only a part of the package. I think the thing is very much like TAXI. I think their price is reasonable AND there is a full refund, 30-day guarantee of satisfaction.

This service may or may not be helpful to writers. I don't know. I have critiqued songs from hundreds of writers who definitely need help from SOMBODY! It is not something I would be interested in personally, but I don't think it is a scam at all.

FYI to all,

I am in communication with some folks associated with this. There is two sides to this issue. I have some problems with some aspects and not with others. We've been talking for quite a while about our concerns with them and also the things they are doing well. I am trying to get them to segregate the educational portion (which is very well done) from the 70 dollars per song critique set up, which.. well leaves a bit to be desired. I'll let you know what progress we make and what the scoop is.

They sent me a complete set of DVD's and Video Tapes of the educational program and it's very strong. They also took my advice and placed video clips of the folks giving tips on their site. If we can get around the not so great aspects, I think they have a valuable tool to offer for a fair price.

Brian

I had received spam from someone with an address like karen1@hotmail.com letting me in on this exciting opportunity for "all us songwriters... bla, bla bla" that she had "come across". I can't see the affiliate link on their site, so can only presume that they themselves employed people thinly disguised as songwriters to spam more or less indiscriminately. This is very fishy and unworthy of any bona-fide business, but perhaps symptomatic of a feudal one such as the music biz which has such glaring disrespect for the pawns (yup, that's us).

To top it all, I am pretty sure I was spammed following a posting on the SongLink site. So they are snitching customers from under other people's noses too. Charming. I wonder are these tactics part of what they include in their educational side?

Smart-ass comments aside, it is pretty shoddy as an approach. However, it might be worth comparing what they offer to Tonos - or the various other individuals and companies that sell showbiz services and opinions.

Michael
http://michael-leahy.indiegroup.com


[This message has been edited by writie (edited 04-08-2002).]

[This message has been edited by writie (edited 04-08-2002).]