Should You Hire Guest Musicians

This week on ManageMental, Mike and Blasko take inspiration from one of their loyal listeners on the subject of either hiring or collaborating with guest musicians on your songs: The Question: Guest vocals. Is it worth it for underground bands to shell out big money to get reputable and well known artists to feature on tracks. It seems this is a promotional tactic that has increased in popularity over the recent years, and I'd like to hear your and Mike's input. Seeking Advice: Recently my band has contacted a few artists to feature. A few middle tier and a few household names. We got responses from two out of our list. We contacted one of them directly and he proposed 1000 USD to feature on our song. This was a higher budget than we would have liked, but entirely plausible for someone as well known as he is. We contacted the other band through their website, and got a response from their manager. We proposed  $500 and their manager proceeded to cut down our offer very aggressively. In our email chain I politely told him what we were quoted from the other band, and said sorry for wasting his time. I was met with a lengthy email professing his artists skills and more stream documents. He said he could work with his team to "Meet the Quote". Near the bottom he adds "If nothing else please consider Our Management for your future needs". This is where things get interesting, as we are an unsigned and unrepresented band. I fired an email back in my most polite form  declining his offer and asking to open up a dialogue further on representation. He responded with a list of credentials and a possible showcase in the United States for “A Summer Tour" My question to you is: Should I be concerned about this guys overall attitude? We were met with such aggression then a long list of why he's a good choice (without asking). His management company only has one band on their roster. I've asked advice from friends who are in middle tier bands, and have gotten a 50/50 on whether this is good or a pass. Did he check us out and think there is something there to work with? Or is he just flexing in hopes we cough up money to his artist. Will he represent us with the same tone he used on us? Would love to hear your input. Forever a fan and avid listener, -Chris We would like to give a big thanks to GEO 43 CORE for our first 5 star rating and positive review of 2018! Rockabilia is your One Stop Shop for all band merch with the largest selection of officially licensed music merchandise in the world! Find merch from your favorite bands and use PCMANAGEMENTAL for 15% off at www.rockabilia.com Want more industry insight? Outerloop Coaching’s got you covered, head over to www.outerloopcoaching.com and http://outerloopcoaching.bigcartel.com/product/2018-coaching-intensive to sign up for the 2018 Outerloop Coaching Intensive! We want to hear from you so please don’t hesitate to email any questions or comments to [email protected] Find Blasko on Twitter and Instagram: @blasko1313Find Mike Mowery on Twitter and Instagram: @mikeoloop ManageMental is part of the Jabberjaw Media Network. www.jabberjawmedia.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices