Po Boy Drums Endorsement Opportunities
With the large influx of press packs and requests we have had for inclusion into the Po Boy Drums endorsement family, we have recently decided to split the endorsement program into two distinct programs bent on aiding as many working drummers as we can. As of January 2009, Po Boy Drums will be splitting the program into two distinct opportunities. The Po Boy Endorsement Family and as well as the Po Boy Army are the two new levels of sponsorship being offered.
Po Boy Drums LLC is excited to announce our new expanded Endorsement program. While we cannot endorse the whole planet, we would like to give the opportunity to include as many hard working drummers as we can in our company. With this being said, Po Boy Drums is proud to announce the new Po Boy Army program. We have created this program to aid up and coming drummers in getting endorsed by Po Boy Drums, as well as upgrade their existing gear to more professional and affordable equipment. While you may not get the full discount that is awarded to a full endorser, this program allows for you to start the road to endorsement and could ultimately lead to a full endorsement from our company. Being in the musical trenches is key, and regional acts are most welcome into the fold to begin the road to endorsement. We are offering 15-20% off our products to help us market and promote our products, and the likelihood of getting bumped up to the endorsement level is much higher going through this program.
Endorsement: Po Boy Drums is looking for drummers who will afford our company as much exposure as possible. Touring drummers, instructors, independent drummers, and studio session drummers are all eligible for this level of support, but the amount of exposure given to our company will be the determining factor in this decision of allowing for the maximum discount afforded by our company. If you are a regional band playing a few shows a month, the reality is that you may not be eligible for this program. With this being said, you very well may be eligible for the Po Boy Army program and can certainly move up to the endorsement level through referrals, effective marketing of our products, as well as if your band or project starts getting bigger. While being a great drummer is a bonus for us, being a smart business person and exposing our products to the max amount of people is the single most important aspect of any company’s inclusion into any endorsement program. Please keep this in mind when applying for this program as it is most important in any decision companies will make about your professional relationship with them.
If you have any further questions about these opportunities, feel free to give us a shout at endorsement@poboydrums.com and we will get to you as soon as possible!
Also, please note that we have hundreds of requests weekly…and it may be some time before you hear back from us. We work hard to get to everyone, but Sonicbids is just a portion of the submissions we get. Please be patient…and again, if it has been a while please feel free to follow up with us at endorsement@poboydrums.com as follow up is one of the most important things you can do for your professional career. Please read the following Endorsement FAQ to help answer some of the most common questions.
Tony Chadwick, owner, Po Boy Drums
Endorsement FAQ<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />....
Welcome to the next step in achieving an endorsement relationship with Po Boy Drums LLC. ....
While we are very much into speaking with you in person, please take the time to read over this document in order to familiarize yourself with our program, what it entails, and how to proceed to the next step. We are very excited about your inquiry and will get back with you as soon as time allows. Please understand that we are always building, speaking with, and promoting our drums…so it may take some time to get back with you. If you do not hear back from us in a month please send an e-mail to followup@poboydrums.com so we can get to it!
Also, please read the Endorsement FAQ written by Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz as it is the absolute best explanation of what an endorsement is, what it requires, and truly why you should be either pursuing or not pursuing and endorsement from a company. It should be required reading! Check it out at the following link: www.bermudaschwartz.com/endorsement/index.html
What does this endorsement mean? ....
Po Boy Drums endorses artists for the simple reason that it is a great way to expose our products to our target market. This is the whole reason we have started this program. With this in mind, it is reserved for artists who offer a lot of exposure and potential for selling our product. Po Boy Drums is a big fan of Guerilla marketing, so this is one of the single most important aspects of our business growth and success. Artists are required to expose our products to our target market to be included in our program. While we are not a stringent as most companies, please be sure that you as the artist are able to expose our product to a significant number of people in your professional journey as a musician. Po Boy Drums is offering you a very deep discount in order to achieve this and it is expected that you pull through on your end of the bargain. With this being said, one of the most crucial aspects of endorsing, or being endorsed by a company is really quite simple. You should be in love with the product. If you are not, it will do neither of us any good and the relationship quite frankly will not work out.
So what is in it for me? ....
This is also a very simple equation. You get professional level gear for the deepest discount available in the industry. We are also developing quite an extensive network of drummers that are communicating and working together. Some of the most successful artists on our rosters are the ones that are communicating with each other and utilizing this network. Finally, we are constantly getting questions from musicians, movie producers, magazine publishers and the like about our artists and we truly try to send any and all opportunities in this realm to you or your management. After the information is exchanged, please understand that we have no further involvement in whether something happens with that opportunity or not.
Do I get free drums? ....
No. This expectation in the industry is quite honestly out of the question. Less than 1% of all drummers in the industry do, and it will take some time for an artist to get there. We discount as deeply as possible but do not give away free goods to anyone for any reason.
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Can I get a set now and pay you back later? ....
No. We have tried this process and have been burned. In most cases what we are building is a custom product made for a custom individual. Also, we are not here to finance you career as we have great expenses as well. We require payment up front with no exceptions. The moral of the story is this: If you do not have the money to invest in the professional gear to further your career, do not proceed with trying to buy a drum set. In the incredibly rare case that we do take a deposit, the deposit is non refundable and will be lost if not paid within 45 days of the drum set’s completion. No exceptions. No going back.
Who is my main contact? ....
Tony is the main endorsement contact for all endorsers and potential endorsers at this time.
Do I have to sign a contract? ....
If you are touring nationally we do require you to sign a contract as well as an artist marketing release. While we do not want to force anyone to sign a contract that is not comfortable with it, we do require it to protect both your interests as well as the interests of Po boy Drums LLC. The agreement and release defines the relationship between Po Boy Drums and the artist and is in place to make sure that the agreement is honored.
If I sign the agreement can I play other people’s drums at a show? ....
The answer is quite simply no. Being an endorsed artist means that you need to play the endorsed product at any public appearance you are performing at. All transport of the product should be factored into the tour budget for any band to make this happen. Work with your management to make sure you are covered in this department.
How do we get our most recent news and information posted on the Po Boy Drums web site? ....
This is simple. Please send the news to news@poboydrums.com and we will get it posted. If we do not know about it, we cannot post it. While we are regularly poking around to see what is happening with our artists, it is physically impossible to know what is happening with everyone at all times! If you do not E-mail us…please do not assume we know!
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What if I am not accepted? ....
If you do not get accepted to our program…it does not mean you should not try in the future. The reality is that an endorsement program is meant to expose our drums to a lot of people. It may be that if you are just starting up the gig, you may be eligible in the future. Also, you may be able to get on in the meantime in the Po Boy Army program. This is definitely a step In the right direction, and allows us to track your exposure on a more identifiable level. Also, you may be able to get moved up to endorsement status if you prove to us that you really are in this to help us promote! If this is the case you will get bumped up to endorsement level to get all the benefits and the maximum endorsement discount.
Why did it take so long for you to get back to me? ....
Please understand that while we try our hardest to contact everyone as soon as possible…we get a lot of these applications and have a lot of other work to do that keeps us very busy. Also, there are some points in time that we may or may not be looking for your genre, or if we just have too many folks to deal with in the time period! Please understand…we are human too! Also, FOLLOW UP WITH US. This really is the mantra you should be chanting every day in every aspect of your music career.
Po Boy Army Information....
Calling All Drummers:
Po Boy Needs You!
The Po Boy Army is for gigging drummers who want to spread the word about Po Boy Drums! We are offering local, regional, and national touring bands the opportunity to cash in on spreading the word about the Po Boy Drums family of drums. By enlisting in the Army, the member automatically gets 15% off all Po Boy Drums gear, as well as the gear of the myriad of other producers we represent! Get the updated gear you have been dreaming about while doing what you do normally!
So how does it work?
It is simple:
E-mail the following information to PBA@poboydrums.com with the subject header Army to begin the approval process.
Name:
Address:
Phone Number
Band
Band web site (myspace ok)
Touring information
Local, regional or national
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All approved inquiries will be E-mailed a welcome kit, an instruction sheet, and all the happy rules and regulations that go along with the program!
Well wait a minute…what is in it for me? ....
The answer is simple:
Post our logo on your web site with links to the Po Boy Drums site. Also, pass along any Army E-mails to your fan base to help spread the word! In doing this, not only will you get the 15% discount on some of the best valued drum gear in the market…but we will be giving away monthly prizes to the top referring web sites, special deals and limited coupon codes for further discounts, and the first shot at any new, prototype, and limited edition Po Boy Gear and instruments that we concoct in the Top Secret Po Boy Bayou Bunker. This is no small perk…this is the first shot at limited edition Po Boy Drums products that will be available, as well as prizes such as Aquarian head packs, sticks, cymbals, popcorn snares, shirts, cd’s, gift certificates and more! To further sweeten the deal, Po Boy Drums will offer a limited edition Jimmie-C Custom series drum set at the end of 2009! What do you have to lose??? Nothing!
Get in with the army now…and get some killer weapons to do musical battle with!