Music Funding 101
Videos
The first thing you have to do when talking about videos is to break them down into two types: "gig" videos and "music" videos. Gig videos are basic camcorder movies taken of the band's live shows, so the band can show prospective clubs and sponsors what the band looks and sounds like. "Music" videos are the type that everyone thinks of when they think of "video": the heavily produced mini-movies that MTV made famous.
Every band needs a gig video, and there is no excuse for not having one since they are very easy to shoot (and they need to look like an amateur shot them.) Even one of the band's fans could shoot it. Gig videos have traditionally been used by bands to help them get bookings in larger clubs, because these clubs want to see how the band performs live. But more important for TalentFunding.com are the prospective sponsors. A sponsor needs a realistic presentation of the band's shows, because the sponsor might have too high of an expectation if he sees a produced music video before he sees the band live.
So a band should consider a low cost, self made gig video as a marketing tool to get more and better shows, and also as a presentation tool to give to prospective sponsors. If the band already has a gig video, they probably already have it on their site too. But DVD copies of it will be needed to give to clubs; and believe it or not, some VHS copies will be needed to give to certain older prospective sponsors that are just now looking at entertainment (and music) sponsorship for the first time (these new sponsors have had no need for a DVD player yet, much less web streaming). Note: I do not recommend putting a video on a CDrom or on the music CD. We've just seen too many times when they won't play, and it makes the band look bad. So make a separate disc.
Then there are real music videos. These have pretty much always been the last items in the budget for most bands, because music videos just don't do anything solid for the band (except impress friends). But that was before band sponsorship. Since some band sponsorship interest comes from outside the music and entertainment business (where the sponsor's only memories of bands are from radio and music videos,) these sponsors never got into music online, or got into going to live shows (they were too busy with family and career). So, since music is so non-visual, a music video can be a very interesting possibility for a sponsor who feels better if he gets to "see" some results. This means that it may be easier for a band to get this type of sponsor if a music video is part of the sponsorship. And there are some other uses for a music video too: They can be sold at shows; they can be projected up on the wall behind the band as the band is playing (or in-between sets); they can be given away at retail, etc.
The cost of a real music video can vary from free (if done yourself or by some college kids) to $100,000 if you buy the most expensive and well-known everything. For indie bands, a decent broadcast-ready video can be done by a production company without using any name talent for $20,000 to $40,000. This should be good enough to please most bands and sponsors. By the time you add in video promotion (to cable outlets) and duplication (DVD and VHS) you are at $50,000. Again, that's why it's one of the last items in the budget. But if the band is talking to the type of sponsor who responds to visuals, or one a sponsor from the film business, then offering a music video as part of the sponsorship proposal might make sense.
You have to look at your sponsorship situation, the personality of the band, and the desires of the sponsor to see if a music video is of use. I only recommend considering a music video once all the exposure basics have been taken care of: radio, print, outdoor, booking, travel, shirts, banners, etc. But if the sponsor has a strong desire to make (or even be a part of) a music video, and there is enough money left over in the sponsorship to give exposure to the video, then by all means put it in the proposal.
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