FAQ
Artist Development FAQ
1. "Hey, I’m in a totally sweet band. Do you accept unsolicited Materials?"
It depends. We don’t need new windows, a home equity loan, or Exciting Business Opportunities. However, unsolicited music is one of our favorite things ever, surpassed only by Ice Cream.
Send everything but anthrax to:
HM Concerts & Management
1305 W. 80th Street
Suite 2B#3
Cleveland, OH 44102
2. "Do you work with bands from all over the US?"
All over the US, Europe – hell, if you’re huge on Mars, but need Earthside distribution, we’re your one-stop-shop.
3. "Do you only work with signed acts?"
No, we work with both unsigned and signed artists. We do, however, do everything in our power to turn our unsigned artists into signed artists. Hope that’s ok.
How many bands do you work with at one time?
We do a myriad of things for artists ranging from Representation, Management, Consultation, Publicity, Contract Negotiation, etc. The number of artists will always fluctuate, however we try to limit the number of bands to a manageable number so each client gets the time and attention they deserve.
4. "Wow, you guys are like, the coolest thing ever. How do I become an HM-Live client?"
Aww, Thanks. Send in a press kit and ensure you put contact information on every piece of information. Your CD could be the best thing we’ve ever heard, but if we can’t find your number amidst the (not exaggerated) hundreds of demos we’re sorting through that day, we’re both out of luck. And that’d make Spyder the Chihuahua sad. You don’t want to make the puppy sad, do you? That’s right you don’t. After sending your info in, we definitely appreciate your patience. Like we said, there’s an awful lot of music to sort through. Thanks in advance for giving us the time to sort through it. If and when the staff agrees that we’re interested in taking you on as a client, we’ll contact you through email, phone, or carrier pigeon. (Please include emails and phone numbers though – the pigeons are a little flaky)
5. "Do you scout bands on MySpace, Purevolume, shows, etc. to find new talent?"
It depends. The Internet is a magical place, full of wonderful content as far as the mind can see. Which is all well and good, excepting that to sort through it all would take a small army, and the ability to freeze time. (HM Live is currently working on proprietary Time Stoppage™ technology. Stay tuned) We do have a staff of great people that go out to shows daily, and everyone on our staff routinely checks the great unwashed internets for upcoming and new talent; however, most of the bands that we have taken on have been either recommended or have approached us in some capacity.
6. "Even though I have never played live, recorded, or actually sung, my art will revolutionize human civilization as we know it. I should have a record deal."
I thought these had to be phrased in the form of a question? Regardless, it’s not our place to comment on your life-altering music unless we’ve actually heard it. Our humble advice is that you play a few shows, and really set yourself to the grindstone letting people know about your music, try to see what kind of buzz you can build, and prove to the world that you do in fact deserve a record deal. The future’s in your hands – how much do you want it?
Concert Promotions FAQ
1. "How many shows does HM, Inc book a year?"
We run an average of 200-300 shows a year. That number has been declining recently due to the fact we’re so busy getting bands signed, that we usually don’t have time to book shows anymore. What a crime. Actually the truth is we have designed a new national festival to help us scout out the best talent in each city across the states. If you're interested in performing at one of our festival dates, please visit myspace.com/verusfestival for more information.
2. "How many venues does HM, Inc work with to book shows?"
We have booked shows at the following venues...
Ohio
The Odeon
Tower City Amphitheater
The Agora
Peabody’s
HIFI Concert Club
Phantasy Concert Club
Symposium
Beachland Ballroom
The Grog Shop
The Jigsaw Saloon
Ghoulardi's Bar
The Red Parrot Cafe
Voodoo Concert Club
AMP Concert Club
Terry Macklin Center
Alrosa Villa
CBR’s
The High Five
Little Brothers
Bernie's
Scarlet & Gray Cafe
Club Bijou
The Cellar
The Daily Double
Fat Jimmy’s
The Mad Hatter
The Poison Room
Pennsylvania
Forward Hall
The School
Chameleon Club
Gullifty's
The Championship
Michigan
Hayloft Liquor Stand
The Token Lounge
Tennessee
Hi Tone Café
The Muse
The Complex
New Daisy Theater
West Virginia
HYAMP
Monkey Bar
New York
Club W
Revolution Hall
The Knitting Factory
Indiana
THMV
Zorah's
Boney Junes
Texas
Curtain Club
Forget About It
Forget About It Too
The Compound
Oregon
Hawthorne Theatre
Washington
Studio Seven
Kansas
Granada Theatre
Virginia
The Lime Kiln
Florida
Boomerz
Churchill's Pub
Wisconsin
The Rave
Illinois
Mojoe's Rock House
Maryland
Sonar
South Carolina
Headliner’s
Arizona
The Sets
The Rock
Colorado
Bender's Tavern
Georgia
Masquerade
Arkansas
Juanita’s
Kentucky
Uncle Pleasant’s
California
The Cat Club
Club Octane
Plus many more.
We continue to expand and talk to venues daily about bringing HM, Inc. shows to their stages.
3. "A lot of venues make bands promote shows by selling presale tickets. Why?"
First let me be clear…we are NOT a venue, we are a concert promotions firm. So we aren’t sure why venues make bands sell tickets, we can only assume. As an outsider you can see venues have the luxury of having alcohol/liquor, underage fee, food, tobacco, AND ticket sales to make money each night. You would think that venues would not need presale tickets. Or, if they do have presale tickets, give a bigger percentage to bands. However, that is not the case in most instances. Venues routinely pay less or sometimes DON’T pay and use the “nobody showed up” as an excuse for not paying bands while they cash in at the bar. Bottom line: venues are in the liquor business first, and the entertainment business second (if really at all) hence the lack of need to please the bands, and to focus on as much profit as possible.
As a concert promoter we deal with presale tickets in a different fashion. It all depends on how well your band draws fans to shows. On certain small local or regional shows, no - we do not have bands sell tickets. However, on National shows and most local shows, we do ask bands to help promote the show by selling limited quantities of pre-sale tickets. There are two main reasons for this:
Unlike a venue we can not subsidize expenses from a bar, tobacco, food, underage fee, etc. When we book a show we are responsible for all advertising, venue rental, hospitality, paying the bands, lights/sound, etc. out of our pocket. The National act, the local bands, and all the expenses are paid solely on ticket sales (walk up, online, pre-sale, etc). But more importantly we like to know that a band has drawing power and is willing to promote the show as much as we are to make the event successful. The band should want to work hard at attracting fans as we are working hard to promote the show and the band’s name.
Presale tickets serve as a reminder, and advertisement to a show, as well as a personal commitment to attend; flyers on the other hand, while always a great idea, have a much lesser of a return rate.
The bottom line: you don’t want to play to an empty room, just like we don’t want to spend massive amounts of cash to watch you play to said empty room. If there was a better way to get you in front of a packed house, we’d be using it. At the end of the day, nothing’s proven to be as consistently effective as presale tickets to pay the rent.
4. "There are venues and other promoters that make bands guarantee ticket sales, does HM, Inc?"
99% of the time, absolutely not, no. Every now and then (say 1% of the time?) an agent for a huge national act will give us a show on the condition that there are no more than x amount of bands on the bill, and no fewer than y tickets sold. None of us are terribly brilliant at math, but when 50 bands ask to get on to a show with room for 3 locals, our hands are kind of tied. It doesn’t happen often, but it has come up in the past. For what it’s worth, those tickets usually sell like hotcakes (for this example, let us assume that all of your friends want hotcakes, but can only get them once a year – and you’ve got them cheaper than anyone else, period. Those kind of HotCakes.) Usually, we’ll have bands sign a ticket consignment form so that both parties have a record of how many tickets the band has, what the pay rate for this show will be, etc, and an acknowledgement that the band has in fact received said tickets. Tickets are just as valuable as cash! If a band loses a ticket they are responsible for that ticket just like we would be responsible for the tickets if we lost them. We try to determine a band’s draw while meeting with the band and discussing how they will promote, how many fans they think they can sell tickets to and how many people will walk up. We, along with the band, determine a number of tickets they would like to sell to their fans. Really, it’s all based on what you’d like to do. How many people do you think want to see you? How much would you like to be paid? We’re always happy to work out something that’s fair to both parties. Most of the staff is either currently in a working band (or two), or has been in the past. So unlike many promoters, we’ve been there in the trenches, busting our tails to promote our own shows. Every day, we strive to give bands the experience that we’d all like to have for our own shows.
5. "Most locals aren’t paid well by the venues and promoters in the city, how do you pay local bands for shows?"
It varies from show to show, right alongside our costs. We’ll sit down with you before you sign the consignment form or get the tickets, and we’ll come up with a pay scale that fits the show and your band. Bands with substantial draw, name recognition, and tour history will be paid significantly more. On shows with presale tickets, bands are paid off of their ticket sales – thus removing the guesswork. There are no records to mess up, no chance for misunderstanding. To break it down simply; the more people that show up for your band, the more you get paid. We pay better than any promoter and venue in NE Ohio, and I challenge you to prove otherwise.
6. "There aren’t any venues that give locals guarantees? Does HM, Inc?"
Yes. Again it’s a case by case basis and typically the bands with guarantees have established themselves in the market with a verifiable draw. Again, it comes down to cold numbers: if your band brings 10 people to a show, and wants paid $500.00, that means tickets have to be $50 per person, and we still have no money to pay for sound, lighting, venue rental, insurance, blah blah blah. And venue owners don’t accept Hopes and Dreams as payment. (Yes, I have tried.) Like we said, we’re always more than happy to work out something that’s fair to both parties – but we don’t ride dragons to work, thus, we need to keep numbers in the real world.
7. "We have had to sign contracts for shows at certain venues…Will we have to sign a contract with HM, Inc. to do a show?"
No, we have bands sign a ticket consignment form stating they are responsible for the value of the tickets they are in possession of. Just keep all your tickets safe, and turn in any unsold tickets at the time specified when you pick them up. The Consignment sheet just means you acknowledge that you do in fact have the tickets we just handed you.
8. "I’ve heard about venues and promoters taking bands to court if they lose tickets or don’t sell tickets, is that true?"
We can’t speak for anyone else, but if you heard anything like that about us, you heard wrong. Honestly, we have neither the time, nor the necessary amounts of pure, unadulterated evil that suing kids over unsold tickets would require. When a band does us dirty (and believe me, we’ve been done dirtily) there’s no flame war, no goon squad with baseball bats, no class action lawsuits, nothing like that. What does happen, is we discuss the band’s behavior with our colleagues – everyone from venue owners, ‘rival’ promoters (we’re actually pretty friendly with each other) all the way up to the presidents of record labels (only when applicable, obviously). The music industry is a tight-knit community, and we feel we owe it to our friends to inform them of shady people who might try to take advantage of them. Likewise, we ask around this same network regarding bands all the time, and you’d be amazed to hear how much unsolicited information we receive in kind. It’s not meant to sound like a threat, just a simple fact. When people lie, cheat, and steal – that sort of thing is remembered. This way, we can protect the good bands from people who might sabotage an otherwise great show.
9. "We’ve tried to get on Nationals shows at venues but they want us to sell a ton of tickets? Do you give locals a chance to play on National shows?"
Yes, we book locals all the time for National acts. Routinely we book the larger name local acts for National bands due to their visibility and drawing power. However, we are open to working with any band that is willing to promote and is professional. Opening for a National is a privilege, not a right and we like to offer those shows for those bands that have a true dedication to their craft. Like everything else in this business, the harder you work, the bigger and better opportunities you’ll come across.
10. "There are certain venues that have several stages going on at once and you find out that you are 1 of 25 bands on a show; does that happen at HM, Inc. shows?"
Not on normal shows, no. As HM Concerts moves into a new paradigm, we’re doing more and more Large-scale Music festivals with corporate sponsors, big drawing nationals, the whole 9 yards. Shows are shows, Festivals are Festivals. The nice thing about fests, is that instead of a few hundred people in attendance, it’s usually a few thousand – most of whom have no prior exposure to your band. Many bands spend their entire career trying to land a slot on these big festivals – at HM, we’re trying to bring that experience to a wider audience. As we’ve stated before – we believe in the power of underground music. We believe that there are unknown bands out there making music as compelling as anything ever recorded – and we believe that given the chance, music wins. It’s our mission to give your music that chance.
Welcome back to the stage of history.