Sponsorship

Sponsorship is one other income stream you could consider, and it is increasingly used by emerging artists. It works like this: You want money or services that the sponsor can supply. The sponsor, in turn, wants to use your mass appeal to further spread their name. It is another form of advertising, and one that can work well—but only if the relationship is equal on both sides. Obviously, a sponsor will not achieve much exposure if you have no fan base or audience draw.

The problem for you is finding companies who see live music as being a good fit with their advertising plans. Those companies receive hundreds of applications for sponsorship—how are you going to stand out?

The first step in securing sponsorship dollars is to create a professional proposal presentation. The potential sponsor needs to see the benefit of entering into a deal with you. They need hard facts and statistics, the same kind of statistics you used when approaching concert promoters (refer to Chapter 8, “How to Get Shows”). The emotional aspect of you and your music (“We are the best band since the Beatles!”) is irrelevant. Your potential sponsor wants to know that if they give you $2,000 and paint their logo onto your van, you will be seen by a certain number of people who will have an interest in purchasing the products or services of your sponsor.