Sonic Bids Sucks
Monday, April 16, 2012 at 11:52AM I received a post from Sonic Bids today. They told me that, even though I had paid for a submission, the venue had filed my submission without looking at it, AND that the fifteen days remission period had ended and I could not get a refund on the fee that they charged me.
So I just paid these bozos a fee to not have my music listened to.
This is the only kind of experience that I have had with these Sonic Bids people (whom I will forthwith describe as BloodSuckers).
Nothing has ever come of it.
And to make matters worse, as a member of the Folk Alliance International, I am aware of, and consistently submit to their showcases that take place at their conferences.
FAI and it’s affiliates have moved to suggest that we all make use of Sonic Bids as it makes it easier for the judges –and we all know that is the most important thing about these conferences, --making it easier for the judges.
And when I get selected by a jury of my peers to showcase, the BloodSuckers, actually want to take credit for it.
I have had this discussion with friends, who say I should view their fees as a finders fee. But that is far from accurate.
A finders fee is paid to someone who finds you something concrete; a contract, a job, a home.
BloodSuckers is charging you for the chance to be considered, with no guarantee of work. So a musician must pay for every audition, every listen with no guarantee of anything but being charged a fee?
How many people are going to come into a club; buy a cd; buy a concert ticket to see the folks who are charging for the listening? Eh, that would be ...none.
They need good music to present. They need us. We don’t need them.
I am advocating the complete avoidance of these kinds of organizations that suck the essence out of the business for their own gain.
They need people with low talent but high hopes. That's not you. Don't be one of them.
I invite all professional musicians and artists to shun these types of organizations, so that what is left in their stables will not be viable. They are not about the elevation of the arts, they are about squeezing money out of the disenfranchised.
Squeeze them out like the pimples they are.
Reader Comments (4)
boy oh boy..i could rant for years on this subject... I say we take all of those vampires that suck the life out of us singer/songwriters, and tie them to a tree in the garden and watch the sun come up and enjoy the great sizzle sound of watching them turn to ash when the sun FRIES them!
Bastards! Sorry...I just hate all those leaches.
So you're paying them to do nothing but take your money
Your post got me searching the web and I came across this chestnut form October of '07
http://www.jimhodgson.com/2007/02/01/why-sonicbids-sucks/
Also, it seems to me that Reverbnation has picked up the ball that Sonic Bids apparently dropped. As usual, your blogs are A-Number 1, James.
I agree, SonicBids has taken our money for 3 years and probably did not even submit our bid to MidPoint Music Festivus, the only frigging reason we subscribed. Ted/ Northside-Garage.com