Why put your name on a product if you're not using it??

[diosdude]

We've all seen them, signature snare drums, signature sticks, signature kits. But then you see your hero live playing something else and you're like, "s/he's not using his signature item!!!!!" Why don't these artists just pick out the gear they like to use, go back to the manufacturer, ask them to make a special finish version of it and then stamp their name on it?

 

[Nickropolis]

It's usually kinda backwards to the way you describe it, unfortunately. I'm pretty sure most companies come up with a product first, or at least a concept, then look for faces to fill the advertising/endorsement void that can tolerate using said product and sell it to the target audience. Sometimes the product is created with the target face in mind so there will be a greater chance the face will endorse it through personal preference, combined with huge piles of dough.

But yes, bass ackwards I do say. It reflects today's culture quite well I think.

 

[GruntersDad]

The better question is why would an artist put their name on a product as their signature product and then use something else?


For the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[drnez]

We've all seen them, signature snare drums, signature sticks, signature kits. But then you see your hero live playing something else and you're like, "s/he's not using his signature item!!!!!" Why don't these artists just pick out the gear they like to use, go back to the manufacturer, ask them to make a special finish version of it and then stamp their name on it?

The "hero" doesn't really need product endorsements, but the manufacture's do.

For example, if a company was to come to you, offered you a boatload of cash to put your name on their new "dog poo" flavored candy, would you do it? You sure as heck wouldn't eat it.

 

[mind_drummer]

PEARL are the baddest when come time to market a signature snare.


None of Chad Smith or Joey Jordison ever used their own signature snare drum, is any of both would like to tour with their 200$ signature snare drum ???

I think they try to market these kind of entry level snare for sales profit.

 

[Fuo]

To be fair, maybe they use it, just not all the time? Like they have a sig. snare, but they only use it in the studio, or only live?

 

[Thaard]

PEARL are the baddest when come time to market a signature snare.


None of Chad Smith or Joey Jordison ever used their own signature snare drum.

Ian Paice does!

202020

 

[Big Foot]

If someone or a company is supporting you, then you should return the favor and at least be seen, as much as possible, using that product. Even rebadge is you must.

A resent example was Steve Jordan in Drum magazine. I was confused as to who he endorses. Okay, maybe he had no endorsments (but we know he did). That was a perfect time for him to make sure his endorsers name was out loud and clear. It's perfectly fine to play what you want in a studio but at a photo op. make it clear. That's part of being a pro.

 

[mind_drummer]

Ian Paice does!

202020

I know but Ian Paice signature snare isn't in the 200 $ target too...

 

[Pollyanna]

TFor the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

+1

$ ¥ £ € $ ¥ £ € $ ¥ £ € $ ¥ £ € $ ¥ £ €

 

[bermuda]

The better question is why would an artist put their name on a product as their signature product and then use something else?


For the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

For Chad Smith, it goes deeper than just his signature snare, which happens to be a nice drum. When Pearl recently introduced the Chad Smith signature kit - their very lowest line as far as I can assess - it was just ridiculous... a genuine 'jump the shark' moment in drum marketing. If Pearl said "here's the perfect starter kit for your little chili pepper and has Chad Smith's endorsement" that's one thing, but calling it his Signature Kit means something else.

Sorry, but if Chad's not up there playing that kit, it's just a lie. I'd be embarrassed to be any part of such marketing.

Bermuda

 

[mind_drummer]

For Chad Smith, it goes deeper than just his signature snare, which happens to be a nice drum. When Pearl recently introduced the Chad Smith signature kit - their very lowest line as far as I can assess - it was just ridiculous... a genuine 'jump the shark' moment in drum marketing. If Pearl said "here's the perfect starter kit for your little chili pepper and has Chad Smith's endorsement" that's one thing, but calling it his Signature Kit means something else.

Sorry, but if Chad's not up there playing that kit, it's just a lie. I'd be embarrassed to be any part of such marketing.

Bermuda

I totally agree Jon, if his sig kit would have been a Reference, it would have completely been another story...

 

[thedrumninja]

Paradigm Shift - If you were in that position would you do it if it meant an extra few thousand in your bank account every month?

Be a responsible human being or pay off your mortgage a few years earlier - which would you choose?

This is one of the biggest dilemmas high-profile performers face in their careers. Remember Michael Jackson doing the Pepsi commercials but refusing to be seen actually drinking the stuff.

 

[DrumEatDrum]

The problem with the "signature" model is nearly every pro drummer uses different gear for different situations.

We all know that most of the top pros go into the studio (be it a session or their own band) with numerous snare drums and cymbals, and use what's best for that song/session/room/whatever.

So it's always a little weird when you see some of these signature products being advertised, because you know these guys aren't using this snare drum or ride on every single session they do. It's just not practical for them, and thus, to me, is not practical or realistic to be marketed that way.

One of the few exceptions is perhaps Neil Peart, who really does use his Paragon cymbals with Rush, but then again, he rarely plays outside of Rush.

The other aspect of all this is ego. Drummer A develops a "signature" product, and drummer B says "hey, if he gets one, I want one too". Or if Drummer A is with one company, and another company comes along and says "hey, if you switch your endorsement to us, we'll let you have a signature product.."

One more aspect is simply keeping your name in the spot light for as long as you can. Most pro drummers know a career can be fleeting. A hit band one day is not necessarily a hit band the next day. Session work is not the same as it was. There is always the next hot young drummer ready to come along and do the next session/tour/band that would have gone to you.

So I think some drummers see the signature thing as a way to keep their name in the public eye just a bit longer, or at least to take advantage of the exposure while they have the chance. Just pick a Modern Drummer issue from 5 or 10 or 15 years ago and see how many guys were name players who might be better listed as a "what ever happened to" right now.

But yeah, if I were a star drummer and someone made me a signature product, I'd feel like I had to use it as much as possible, and I'd feel really guilty if I was ever seen without it.

 

[Living Dead Drummer]

For Chad Smith, it goes deeper than just his signature snare, which happens to be a nice drum. When Pearl recently introduced the Chad Smith signature kit - their very lowest line as far as I can assess - it was just ridiculous... a genuine 'jump the shark' moment in drum marketing. If Pearl said "here's the perfect starter kit for your little chili pepper and has Chad Smith's endorsement" that's one thing, but calling it his Signature Kit means something else.

Sorry, but if Chad's not up there playing that kit, it's just a lie. I'd be embarrassed to be any part of such marketing.

Bermuda

They did the same with Joey Jordison. It was the same as the Chad Smith kit, but black and with a few more toms and another kick. Yet, we all know he didn't tour with it or record with it.

I am fine with a signature product, but I feel really strongly that said artist uses it at least most of the time.

 

[bermuda]

Paradigm Shift - If you were in that position would you do it if it meant an extra few thousand in your bank account every month?

Be a responsible human being or pay off your mortgage a few years earlier - which would you choose?

This is one of the biggest dilemmas high-profile performers face in their careers. Remember Michael Jackson doing the Pepsi commercials but refusing to be seen actually drinking the stuff.

1) Chad has money. A lot of money. He is very wealthy thanks to his 25% of the Chili Peppers business. A few thousand extra per month probably means very little to him, and with the price of those cheap kits, it's unlikely his royalty adds up very quickly.

2) The payoff for Michael Jackson at that time - Thriller album sales notwithstanding - was HUGE compared to whatever Chad would see from Pearl on a shell-pack that typically sells for $3-350.

2a) Would I sell-out for big bucks? I'd be stupid not to! But a few thousand a month doesn't even come close. Maybe that's the worst part... Chad's selling-out 'cheap'.

3) I think the Chad kit may already have been discontinued... I hope it wasn't something I said!

Bermuda

 

[diosdude]

Yeah, of course it's for the $$$$ or endorsement deal but can't the manufacturer make a lot of $$$ off just about any product that has a signature on it??? If i want to order a commemorative R30 Neil Peart Kit directly from DW, I'm pretty sure they'd build me that kit from scratch and then sell it to me for $75K or however much they were. That's equal to what?? 150 PDP m5 kits?? Personally i'd never put my name on a piece of crap, i'd give my specs to the manufacturer and say, "Here's the specs, build it, make it look this way and slap my name on it". Perfect example:

http://drums-percussion.musiciansfriend.com/product/ddrum-Vinnie-Paul-6piece-Signature-Skull-Flame-Shell-Pack?sku=581369

Gotta admire vinnie for making that kit his way. Ddrum's gotta know that they could have sold 100x these kits if they cut corners and marketed it to Vinnie fanatics who can only drop $1500-$2000 on a kit. Metalheads are mostly pimply faced, sweaty, smelly teenagers and tweeners so if i were ddrum i would have marketed a specially sized and wrapped dominion kit and slapped vinnie's name on it and then i would sell it for about $1200.

Do the manufacturers Like Pearl make guys like Chad put their names on items that aren't that great?

 

[bobdadruma]

Lets look at it from this angle.
I don't know about you guys, but I have never bought a product because it had someones name on it!
That goes for sporting and auto equipment also!
I always shied away from such products. I find it tacky to have someones name all over the product that you are using. Company logo, OK, I don't want to have a pro golfers name on my golf clubs! I don't want to have a NASCAR drivers name on the white letter tires on my truck! I don't want Bode Miller's name on my skis either!
I have never bought a "Signature Product" in my entire life!
I will however buy the product if I see that a pro that I like uses it only if his name isn't written all over it!
That type of marketing just doesn't work with me!

 

[diosdude]

Lets look at it from this angle.
I don't know about you guys, but I have never bought a product because it had someones name on it!
That goes for sporting and auto equipment also!
I always shied away from such products. I find it tacky to have someones name all over the product that you are using. Company logo, OK, I don't want to have a pro golfers name on my golf clubs! I don't want to have a NASCAR drivers name on the white letter tires on my truck! I don't want Bode Miller's name on my skis either!
I have never bought a "Signature Product" in my entire life!
I will however buy the product if I see that a pro that I like uses it only if his name isn't written all over it!
That type of marketing just doesn't work with me!

Funny story, i don't normally buy sig items either for the sig, that is. I was an hour before a gig at guitar center in WPB, Fl and i needed some sturdy sticks. They had 4 packs of Vater mike wengren (Disturbed) sticks on sale for like fifteen bucks or something like that. I picked one up, nice weight, good size, perfect taper and perfect nylon acorn shaped tips. jet black. "Yeah, I'm down with these". Bought 'em. Got to the gig, kicked ass, thinking, I've found me a new favorite stick!! Lights come up at the end of the show. heavy, long black smears all over the cymbals from where the stick stain had rubbed off. Took me an hour and a half to polish that crap off. I hate Vater. I hate Mike Wengren.



Nah, J/K Mike your band rules but your sticks SUCK.

 

[bobdadruma]

Funny story, i don't normally buy sig items either for the sig, that is. I was an hour before a gig at guitar center in WPB, Fl and i needed some sturdy sticks. They had 4 packs of Vater mike wengren (Disturbed) sticks on sale for like fifteen bucks or something like that. I picked one up, nice weight, good size, perfect taper and perfect nylon acorn shaped tips. jet black. "Yeah, I'm down with these". Bought 'em. Got to the gig, kicked ass, thinking, I've found me a new favorite stick!! Lights come up at the end of the show. heavy, long black smears all over the cymbals from where the stick stain had rubbed off. Took me an hour and a half to polish that crap off. I hate Vater. I hate Mike Wengren.



Nah, J/K Mike your band rules but your sticks SUCK.

When I was about eight years old my father bought me a Joe Pepitone signature first baseman's mitt. I took a knife and I scrapped off Joe's name! My father asked me why I did that? I told him that it wasn't Joe's mitt, It was my Mitt!
My father laughed! He understood!
You young guys will have to use google to learn who Joe P was! LOL