CONCEPTS Endorsements
Part 2: Are You Really Ready? by Russ Miller
L
ast month we started our discussion of product endorsements with the equipment manufacturers. I encourage you to read
through that article again to familiarize yourself with some of the terms we’re using this month. We’ve been joined by three of the top artist-relations directors in the drum industry: Joe Testa of Vic Firth, Joe Hibbs of Mapex, and Bob Terry of NFuzed. If you’re wondering whether you’re in a position to have an
endorsement, in all honesty you’re probably not. Testa comments on this: “Focus on your playing and the music. I will fi nd you. I will see
“The most splendid achievement of all is the constant striving to surpass yourself and to be worthy of your own approval.” —Denis Waitley,
author and motivational speaker
you play, and I will hear about you from other players.” Of course there are exceptions, but when you’re ready you will probably be asked by a company to join its roster. Have you ever seen a Nike endorser that you hadn’t already heard
of? I doubt it, because Nike goes after the biggest names in the sporting world. The endorser has made a huge impact on his or her sport, and the company benefi ts greatly by the association. Terry, who was the drummer for Wang Chung in the ’80s, says, “I speak from the company side now, having been a player before. An artist is wrong in thinking that we are going to make them famous.” As I wrote about last month, as an endorser you validate the
product—the product does not validate you. Be patient. Wait for the right time, and it will all come to you. You will also likely be approached by the companies whose gear you’re already using.
Don’t settle for using a company’s equipment just because it might be provided to you at a low cost or even for free. You may be thinking to yourself now, But I see a lot of guys with
endorsements that I’ve never heard of. And you’re right! Let’s address this.
Why Does This Guy Have a Deal? Quite frankly, we have an epidemic in the drum world of unsubstanti- ated endorsements. There are a few reasons for this. First, there are a lot more instrument companies out there than in previous decades. All of these new brands are trying to get on the map and are doing whatever they can to get people to play their gear. This is under- standable. A brand-new company will most likely not get big stars to play its equipment right away. Secondly, many companies have gotten into a battle to sign artists
before the competition does. This is one of the biggest mistakes a company can make. It lowers the bar in terms of who represents the company to the public. Also, it fl oods the market with “artists” rather than customers. Hibbs says, “In the past decade or so, the company’s expectations about the artist’s activities and infl uence seem to have lowered. This is due to the volume of players signed now.” The third reason for unsubstantiated endorsements is because the
criteria for signing deals have lowered dramatically. When I was younger, only the top players in the world endorsed instruments. They kept the company’s perception at the highest level, infl uenced sales, and pushed design ideas forward. “There are way more development artists than superstar artists now,” Testa says. “In recent years, the industry has kept signing players in hopes that they’ll make it. In years past, you would’ve already had to have ‘made it’ to get a deal. It’s pressure caused by the companies trying to get someone before the other guy does. But in reality it takes up budgets, time, and resources and usually doesn’t yield anything in the long run.” All of us want to play great equipment that inspires us. But don’t let
bFor most drummers today, a 22˝ diameter by 18˝ deep
wasn‘t always that way. The bass drums used in “Double Drumming”
(the earliest form of the drumset, circa 1880) were 24-32˝ diameter, 14˝ deep, concert and marching bass drums capable of enormous sound. As popular music evolved in the 20th century, the bass drum was down-sized to support its new role in musical styles where its purpose was to provide “Pitch & Punch”—as low a sound as possible with the potential for varying degrees of resonance and articulation “built-in”. By the middle of the 1900’s, 20˝, 22˝ and
94 Modern Drummer January 2016
24˝ bass drums had become the preferred sizes for most playing situations. Today, bass drum depths of 14˝, 16˝ and 18˝ are also in general use. These drums are big enough to create a low pitch yet small enough to provide the controlled punch modern music requires. Of course, another way to control the sound of bass drums is to muffle them. The first bass
ass drum is considered “standard”. However, it
drum mufflers were newspapers and feathers inserted into the drum. Later, at the turn of the 20th century, the external bass drum muffler was developed and remained popular through the 1950’s. In the 1960’s, drummers began to increase the articulation of their bass drums by using felt strips and by venting or removing the front heads. This was also the era when sand bags and pillows came into use for bass drum muffling. In addition to the development of thicker, pre- muffled drumheads, the use of pillows to control and enhance the bass drum’s sound has become the most common form of bass drum muffling in current
era. There have been many refinements to the pillow’s design over the years, leading up to the recent creation of the KickPro bass drum pillow which, along with the now standard 22˝x18˝ bass drum size, is fast becoming the new standard for achieving a great bass drum sound.
and vintage drum authority, John Aldridge. Excerpted from Pillow Talk No. 1.
Download the full version at
www.kickpropillow.com. Written by world-renowned historian, tech
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126