Saxophone Endorsers......

Several times a week, I receive an unsolicited promo pack from players who wish to become endorsing artists for our products. I try to listen to all the enclosed CD's, and want to assure you that there are some very talented but as yet unknown players out there. It's a tough business, and there are thousands of people trying everthing that they can dream up in order to gain some recognition and further their career. I don't blame them in the least: I did the very same thing myself thoroughout my career, and currently have been known to fire up the old propaganda machine myself in order to promote my products and my agenda.

These promo packs are invariably accompanied by a letter explaining how the artist in question will do wonders for introducing our product and promoting it. They usually expect us to give them horns and feature them in our advertising in exchange for their efforts. Well, I'm not sure that's the way it works.

I've had many, many endorsement deals myself. I've been affiliated with horn companies, reed companies, mouthpiece companies, stand companies, microphone companies, etc. etc. etc. I've even endorsed a line of stage clothing. I honestly used all the products I endorsed, and never made a secret of the fact that I was invariably compensated one way or another for the use of my name. I never endorsed a product I didn't actually use myself. Some of these deals are still current, and if you look around the web, you will find my smiling likeness shilling various saxophone products.

After you read this post, take just a moment to look at the various saxophone manufacturer's websites and make a list of which one(s) of their endorsing artists you would actually pay money to see in live performance, or that you have actually ever even heard of. Not many, huh? That's the problem. IMHO, endorsements by unknowns are meaningless. I would respectfully submit that if a manufacturer could obtain the endorsement of a big name player, they would. Most of them can't. They fill their web sites with pictures of people holding saxophones. Who are these guys? I don't know the vast majority of them, and I make it my business all day every day to get to know saxophone players of prominence.

At Orpheus, I have a rule for our saxophone endorsing artists: No Grammy, no endorsement. This means a Grammy in your name, not a recording you appeared on as a sideman. I believe the Grammy award to be the recognized standard of achievement for a player. I don't know of any other yardstick I would consider significant.

We have two endorsing artists at present: Tom Scott and Jay Beckenstein. These men both have a record of solid acomplishment for a very long time, and have millions of fans worldwide. They are also both very, very nice people, and frequently appear on our behalf at trade shows, where they are friendly, grateful and humble with their fans, and extremely articulate in explaining why they chose to endorse our product rather than another brand. We are all too aware that any instrument maker on the planet would be all over them to obtain their endorsement, and we are quite happy that they both chose to use and promote our products. Yes, I see to it that Tom and Jay are well taken care of, and yes, I provide them with instruments and other products that we sell. Tom and Jay could play any saxophone in the world, but they choose to play Saxgourmet horns. To me, this is the greatest possible honor they could ever bestow on a humble saxophone designer.

I'm not sure you should ever make a saxophone purchase decision based on the use of the instrument in question by somebody else. I do think that if you are going to consider an endorsement, make sure it's an endorsement that actually means something, from somebody who has an infinite choice and for whom the choice of an instrument is a critical decision.