just wanting to know what is the best way to get paid by drum companies? how do i go about it?, you knwo when drum companies come to your local music store and showcase there products and have a drummer play for them.








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simon

simonedwards wrote:

just wanting to know what is the best way to get paid by drum companies? how do i go about it?, you knwo when drum companies come to your local music store and showcase there products and have a drummer play for them.

you usually have a manager before you really get paid for "clinic" drumming. unless you have full endorsement deals with lots of companies and you're in really really good with them that they think you're the best person to demonstrate their drums.

I'm not sure I'm understanding your question, because I'm not sure if you understand how endorsements work. There are many kind, but none that I know of that offer a salary. If you are asking how to become a full-time clinician (like Dom Famularo) who receives and endorsement, here are some essentials:

- Become a very good drummer and a very popular educator who can engage an audience with a lot of charisma

- Write a book, hopefully one that states something new to a large audience (i.e. the beginner audience that buys the bulk of equipment)

- Submit your qualifications to a drum manufacturer.

You need to do that pretty much in that order. I think you might be sorely disappointed in how much drummers make for clinic appearances. I spoke to one clinician off the record and he said he usually makes somewhere between double- to triple-scale for a clinic. Basically, the same as a weekend recording session. No account for travel save for a few bucks per diem.

Endorsements in general usually represent a discount in aqcuiring gear from said manufacturer. For example, X local pro might get an endorsement because it's decided he plays in front of a big enough audience each week, so Zildjian cuts him a deal for cymbals at wholesale prices. Dave Weckl, however, is probably at the top of the heap. He probably gets his cymbals at whatever it costs Zildjian to make them, plus a few freebies here and there.

If clinics were a good way to make money, you'd see more drummers doing them. Instead, you see drummers fitting them in between tour stops, which is where their bread and butter is, just to meet the terms of their endorsement deal. You don't see studio or session cats traveling far out of their neighborhood to do a clinic, unless it's a big event, like Modern Drummer or Buddy Rich Memorial.

dont some if not all endorsed drummers get their kit free?
because mike portnoy says he gets his whole thing free on his dvd.
it mite not be the same with less well known drummers tho








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Yamaha
Pearl
Zildjian
Evans
Vater

Quote:

dont some if not all endorsed drummers get their kit free?

You're getting Endorsements mixed up with Sponsorships








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Drums are ME..... www.myspace.com/jwoo10
or
www.jwoo10.com

AzFaz300 wrote:

dont some if not all endorsed drummers get their kit free?
because mike portnoy says he gets his whole thing free on his dvd.
it mite not be the same with less well known drummers tho

Yeah, it happens. You basically gotta be a drummer that the magazines talk about constantly. It certainly helps. But I knew a guy who got free Yahama kits from the manufacturer. I got kicked down one once. (The one rule I know of is Gretsch doesn't give out free kits. I knew someone who did backstage setup stuff for TV shows and he said Gretsch was the only manufacturer that wouldn't send them a kit because they said "they didn't need to advertise and the drums speak for themselves".) Considering I pay $ hand over fist for drum stuff and rarely play, all the reason I have to hate Portnoy and his ilk more.

AzFaz300 wrote:

dont some if not all endorsed drummers get their kit free?

It is very, very rare. Basically, when your name is more popular than the brand name, that's when you might get stuff for free. It's a big misconception, even among those who have sweet endorsement deals.

Tre Cool caused a big ruckus a few years ago by boasting to a Modern Drummer interviewer about trashing his kits every show and his endorsed manufacturer sending him a freebie for the next show. Knowing the whole thing sounded fishy, MD called the company, and the rep had a good laugh over it. He said Tre Cool may not be aware, but he pays for every kit they send him. He probably doesn't pay attention to where his money's going, allowing it to be handled by the tour manager.

its easy to get sponsered by a drum company..as long as your touring..it doesnt matter how good of a drummer you are..when your on the road all the time..thats all they care about...i know..im not on the road enough..till this summer..then hopefully the sponsers will come....my band is sponsered by halo guitars..and it was pretty easy

Gaddabout wrote:

AzFaz300 wrote:

dont some if not all endorsed drummers get their kit free?

It is very, very rare. Basically, when your name is more popular than the brand name, that's when you might get stuff for free. It's a big misconception, even among those who have sweet endorsement deals.

Tre Cool caused a big ruckus a few years ago by boasting to a Modern Drummer interviewer about trashing his kits every show and his endorsed manufacturer sending him a freebie for the next show. Knowing the whole thing sounded fishy, MD called the company, and the rep had a good laugh over it. He said Tre Cool may not be aware, but he pays for every kit they send him. He probably doesn't pay attention to where his money's going, allowing it to be handled by the tour manager.

Haha!!!
lol
What a very very stupid guy (doesn't want to use worse terms).

Tell me, what brand of drums does Tre use? I know he uses Zildgian cymbals.

Btw, Tre is probably one of the most, and I mean MOST full of himself drummers out there! Along with Billie as one of the Most full of themselves guitarists, and Mike for the bass. What a sad excuse for a band. =/








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I play drums with the following items: Tama Superstar SK Hyperdrive, Sabian, Paiste, Aquarian Heads, Vic Firth sticks, and Latin Percussion. Nicko McBrain(Iron Maiden) deserves FAR more respect than he recieves!!!

Drum companies may look you for just one thing: brand exposure... so, the more you play and the bigger your audience is, the more you'll have a chance to be endorsed.

Of course, if you're a good drummer it will help, but it's not a condition. Some brands do want just good drummers (Like Yamaha), because they want to affiliate their brand to that specific characteristic, again, just marketing.

If you're a good drummer, some companies will take the risk to endorse you (like happened with Mike Portnoy when he was starting).

And something more to know is that companies make just 1 year contracts. If the want to renew it, they'll do, if they don't, then won't.

But drum companies DO NOT pay to you, the just offers endorsing (for we mortal drummers). Almost all companies have "endorsing levels", like:

Silver: you get some discount on your new gear (like 60% of list price), wich you'll buy through an autorised dealer.

Gold: Free equipment once in a year (most cymbals cies. do this)

Platinum: (just for "gods") you get free equipment whenever you want.

Said so... a famous drummer won't we asking for equipment everytime he wants, they both respect each other as bussiness men.

A company, MAYBE (I'm not really sure about this) may pay a drummer for using his name... in signature lines (Like SABIAN). But again, they'll get paid with gear I supose, not cash.

Gaddabout wrote:

Dave Weckl, however, is probably at the top of the heap. He probably gets his cymbals at whatever it costs Zildjian to make them, plus a few freebies here and there.

By the way, Weckl is not a Zildjian guy anymore, since like 2005... he's bein' well treated at SABIAN (With HHX Evolution and Legacy lines, I think he won't come back to Zildjian NEVER EVER!)

If I recall correctly, Nicko McBrain is soooo close to Paiste that he is now referred to as an "ambassador" and he can basically even tell Paiste, "hey get this person a set of cymbals!" And they'll do so! It's fact, it's because he's been with them since like, BEFORE he even joined Iron Maiden WAYYY back in 1983....
Goes to show something...








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I play drums with the following items: Tama Superstar SK Hyperdrive, Sabian, Paiste, Aquarian Heads, Vic Firth sticks, and Latin Percussion. Nicko McBrain(Iron Maiden) deserves FAR more respect than he recieves!!!

phoenix7289 wrote:

Gaddabout wrote:

AzFaz300 wrote:

dont some if not all endorsed drummers get their kit free?

It is very, very rare. Basically, when your name is more popular than the brand name, that's when you might get stuff for free. It's a big misconception, even among those who have sweet endorsement deals.

Tre Cool caused a big ruckus a few years ago by boasting to a Modern Drummer interviewer about trashing his kits every show and his endorsed manufacturer sending him a freebie for the next show. Knowing the whole thing sounded fishy, MD called the company, and the rep had a good laugh over it. He said Tre Cool may not be aware, but he pays for every kit they send him. He probably doesn't pay attention to where his money's going, allowing it to be handled by the tour manager.

Haha!!!
lol
What a very very stupid guy (doesn't want to use worse terms).

Tell me, what brand of drums does Tre use? I know he uses Zildgian cymbals.

Btw, Tre is probably one of the most, and I mean MOST full of himself drummers out there! Along with Billie as one of the Most full of themselves guitarists, and Mike for the bass. What a sad excuse for a band. =/

Tre' Cool uses Ludwig Drums by the way.
i wouldn't say Tre' Cool is full of himself, he and the band has achieved alot, and alot of it came quite hard to them, i actually respect them








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vgarate wrote:

By the way, Weckl is not a Zildjian guy anymore, since like 2005... he's bein' well treated at SABIAN (With HHX Evolution and Legacy lines, I think he won't come back to Zildjian NEVER EVER!)

I'm just in denial he ever left.

It depends on the company, but very few will actually "pay" a drummer- most offer either comped or discounted gear.

The general rule is that the bigger the company, the bigger your name needs to be to be an endorser or receiver sponsorships. Though there are different levels of endorsements from each company- some companies such as DDrum even offer local sponsorships, which basically offer preferential support from any of their local dealers and honestly aren't as difficult to get.

Regardless of what level of sponsorship, most companies are looking for a drummer in a band that has mass market appeal, name recognition (nationally, regionally, or locally), and who tours these markets frequently to create brand exposure. You'll basically need to have a press kit of yourself (much like you would for your band) which includes a bio, photos, your band's touring schedule (to prove you are established and worth their investment), and any press clippings.

Like I said, it's easier to get sponsorship or endorsement deals from smaller or up and coming companies than it is the big dogs like Pearl, Tama, etc. The key is to prove that the endorsement is a two way street- it needs to be just as beneficial to the company as it is to you.

Dane