FW: [Dixielandjazz] Jazz CDs to Brazil

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

In a message dated 8/17/04 5:51:51 AM Pacific Daylight Time, kash at ran.es 
writes:

> 
> Uh, I get those kind of requests all the time!  I don't respond.  Seems to
> me a radio program should have some kind of budget to get their music.
> Dunno...always sounds a bit of a scam to me.
> 
> Jim
> 

Some of them are JIm, however if and when you are serious about promoting 
your band/music and want to travel outside your region it is essential to 
distribute the best audition and promotional piece you have.

You can bet on the fact that they won't play it if they don't have it and 
they will play someone else's.

I used to  find that the scams usually were college kids trying to build 
their recording library without spending any money, like the guys who sit around 
and send 3X5 cards to booking agencies and managers to try and get Celebrity 
autographs that they then print copies of and sell to others that they can con 
into buying them.

I used to get a lot of request for autographed pictures of some of the Star 
acts I booked from prisoners incarcerated in the penitentary.   I passed the 
request onto the artists and let them deal with it if they chose, some did and 
some did not.   Tammy Wynette always sent them a photo, and told me that even 
prisoners buy CDs and cassettes, and at  the wages they get they are a lot more 
expensive than what we pay for them.

I send these guys information on how they can tell folks they can purchase 
the CDs by direct mail and rarely is the case I do not get a few request to buy 
the CDs.   Well worth the promotion as far as I am concerned, and the donation 
is tax deductible anyway as advertsiing and promotion, so I can't lose any 
money on the deal anyway.  

There are so many thousands of artists out there begging for airplay and many 
on smooth jazz actually buying it to get their stuff heard, so it is worth 
the effort to try and help a small station get started, itmight someday grow up 
and be a big station.

I have also gotten many calls for good gigs from this process which helps to 
fill in dates on a tour in secondary markets that are for the most part 
ignored by major artists on tours.

Just my take on it.   Beats having the guy download it from the internet if 
he can find us there at all, and not even telling us he is willing to play it 
and promote us in his marketplace.

In my opinon, In today's musical climate where Jazz recording sales as a 
whole are on the bottom of the list of genres being sold we need to do anything we 
can to expose the music to new generations and the folks who have not heard 
it.   Perhaps we often get too comfortable withour success and or way of 
operation of our groups and forget how hard it really is to compete in our own 
market muchless the World marketplace.

Say It with Music I say.

If one wants to take the extra time one can do some research to check out the 
legitimacy of the stations in question but I find it a waste of time that 
could be spent on other things.  I still get emails from a guy on a Radio Station 
in Vladivostok Russia that has been playing one of my Cds for five years.   I 
have not gone there to play yet, but did go to Moscow where he met me and 
requested a copy of the CD.  Maybe someday, maybe not, but at least I know there 
is some OKOIM music being played in that part of the world.

Cheers,

Tom "Been scammered a time or two" Wiggins  But never  twice by the same 
scammer :)
It goes with the territory,