Getting Sponsorship for Indie Musicians

The penultimate entry in the series discussed here. 

Sponsorships. Nothing says big-time like an endorsement deal. It's for the big-time, established acts, so obviously, independent musicians shouldn’t even bother. Right?

Wrong. Very, very wrong.

“We’d get sponsorships for our bands all the time, even the ones who weren’t signed” says former concert promoter/artist manager Jonathan Killstring¹. “Sometimes, it wasn’t even a specific thing; we happened to know somebody at an energy drink company, or people from a soda company just liked rock music, and told us to figure something out.”

Sponsorships are out there; it’s just a matter of asking.

If you’re interested in reading more on the topic, Simon Tam’s book “How to Get Sponsorships & Endorsements” has some good, common-sense advice², and the Kindle version usually goes for about $4. For now, here’s the basics you’ll want for getting started.

Your Packet

If you want a sponsorship, you’ll want to speak your target’s language. That means putting together a packet; a nice digital file (usually .pdf), and a high-quality print version. It doesn’t matter how great you are – if they only take physical packets, your email’s not getting you anywhere.

To that end, here’s the format you’ll want to use.

1: The Cover

It should look distinctive; not too busy. Your band logo’s probably all the art you need, but consider tailoring it for each company you send it to; something like “2017 [Band Name] [Company Name] Sponsorship Proposal” should do it. Give them the opportunity to think about working with you.

2: Your “One Sheet”

If they only see one page, this is it. A dramatic, pro photo, major stats/accomplishments, press coverage,  or the big winner: testimonials from existing sponsors. You’re answering the question “what can this artist do for us?” Make sure that they read the answer as "expand our brand awareness, making us fat stacks of cash."

3: Partnership

Here’s where you go into more detail on how the sponsor benefits from working with you. Why are you a good fit? Remember, this entire thing is meant to make someone else's job easier; you're taking some of their advertising burden off of their to-do list.

4. Fact Sheet

What, exactly, are they sponsoring? A tour? You in general? One event?

Make sure they’ve got the details. Be specific: who/what/where/when/why – don’t leave them in the dark. You’re here to get them exposure, which will turn into profits; spell out exactly how that happens, and what you expect them to do on their side.

5: Key Marketing Information

This builds on the last category. As an artist, you represent a niche market; demographics that your sponsor is going to want to reach. Know your audience, and be really clear on how your branding works; if you’re a horrorcore rapper, you’re not going to rep their product in a family-friendly way.

Then again, death metal babies need diapers too, so you can always give it a shot. Everybody wants to go viral, so marketers are much more willing to try unorthodox solutions than they were in years past³.

6: Co-Branding Opportunities

3-5 pitches on how this could work in practice. Illustrate how this could work; let them see how working with you can expand their reach to your demographic. This will make you stand out from the crowd; marketing departments are always trying to get at hard-to-reach demographics; you represent that opportunity. Let’m know.

7: Benefit List

This should mostly be a recap; by now, you should have shown why they benefit from sponsoring you.

Spell it out anyway.

Focus on the custom benefits — go beyond simple logo placement — but cover everything. This is basically your formal offer; be clear on what they get for their expense.

8: The Sponsorship Agreement

Make it easy to fill out and return. If physical, including a SASE, and printing the agreement on carbonless copy paper — so they can tear off a copy for themselves, and send one to you — makes a nice touch, as does a QR code for the digital version. Can't stress this enough; make this part as easy as you can manage.

It’s Within Reach

Musicians represent a unique opportunity for marketers; don’t sell yourself short! There’s room for you in the sponsorship game, so step up and claim it!

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1 - Man, this guy was such a quotable source! Can you tell that I'd gotten a little punchy by this point?

2 - It's a little outdated, but provides a nice outline. Probably worth four bucks if you're interested in the subject, though it's nothing you couldn't find online with some searching.

3 - Obnoxiously so. "We need a viral video" is like saying "we need a hit song," only with far less likelihood that prior success is an indicator of future behavior. Still, mention that you've got "viral potential," and watch eyes light up. Don't overdo it, but plant the seed.