Music Funding 101

What Sponsors Are Like, And What They Want

Understanding what sponsors want (and we are speaking here of band sponsors) is the key to talking with them, and eventually, getting funding from them. Sponsors are not advertisers, investors, manufacturers, groupies or musicians. Sponsors are either well-off people that really love music and want to be recognized for helping the music grow, or, companies that feel that the music environment is a good place to promote themselves. Either way, they maybe feel they would not fit into the music scene themselves (as musicians); yet they are always music observers, just not participators. They may even have some tunes that have rumbled around in their heads for twenty or thirty years, but they never tried to record any of them. They probably don't even own an instrument (any longer!) But they do love music and the music scene. These folks, who are usually older than most of the people who attend the band's shows, are the ones who sit in the back, quietly, and they do not jump up and down (but they always applaud). Bands rarely try to meet these people, because compared to the band's typical "fans", these sponsor-types just don't seem that interested.

But they are. Just in their own way. And their way is usually not the band's way, so you have to understand how sponsors think if you are going to work with them. If you've ever read the credits of a film and seen "executive producer" listed, that is similar to what a music sponsor is. They want their name involved with a band, in a creative and cool way.

This involvement usually starts with allowing sponsors to go backstage at all the band's shows (and this is something which is hard to charge for, so it's best to make it a networking tool). But the real involvement is when the sponsor puts his name on some of the band's materials, such as T-shirts, banners, posters, etc. Of course, some on-stage "mentions" about the sponsor, before or after the show, are always a nice thing to do: "We'd like to thank John Doe and Sons Tractors for helpin' us out. They are really cool folks." (Although, like going backstage, doing mentions is hard to charge for and is best left in as a freebie or bonus tool.)

Beyond that, there are a million other ways (and sizes) that the sponsor can be given exposure and recognition from the band... like putting the sponsor name on the band's site, tickets, and flyers. It all depends on how big the sponsor wants their name printed, how many places they want it printed, how often they want it printed, and how much they are going to pay the band for printing it. (!)

Also of importance, but not mentioned yet, is the personality match between the sponsor and the band. This is actually the most important matching point that has to take place. If the sponsor does not like the band's members (personally), then the sponsor is not going to give the band any money, no matter what. The band will never know why either, because no sponsor is ever going to tell a band, "I did not like your personality." Unlike an investor or advertiser, where a measured business result is expected, a sponsor's primary reason for becoming involved is the "feel good" factor of being involved in the music scene. Thus a sponsor needs to really like the band, and the band needs to really like the sponsor, in order for it to work out. There will be no "just get the money now, and then we'll avoid each other for a while" going on. TalentFunding.com allows you to find these right personalities.

Next Article: Why Sponsors, And Not Investors?
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