BUYER BEWARE: Artist Relations Company – May Charge You “Up Front” for Services

COMBO says: If you get a message like this, beware and read the fine print carefully! Also, we checked and one of the websites listed is no longer good. However the info promised in this letter is something that musicians should be careful about!

Good day,

I found your music through Music Dish, and hope it’s alright to contact you this way.

I’m an A&R representative at XXX [name redacted by COMBO], an artist relations company representing independent musicians and labels around the world. We are looking for new music for our radio network, music licensing catalog and artist promotion roster, and I’d like to invite you to audition. [Spam e-mail – Interesting since COMBO is not a musician!]

Subject to a successful audition, SRL will get your independent releases heard by entertainment industry professionals and fans around the world, and help facilitate music licensing and distribution deals, live events bookings, record label and music publisher deals and more. You will receive a detailed agreement once your audition has been successful. [There is NO WAY for you to prove that this service was done.]

Please do get in touch, it would be a pleasure to hear from you. In the meantime, you can also find out about the audition and obtain an audition ticket at http://www.skunkradiolive.com/auditions

Kind regards,
Steve

[This following disclaimer is suspicious. If you are truly and honestly recruiting musicians, then you would want them to pass the info along.] This message is intended only for the use of the Addressee and may contain information that is privileged and confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please erase all copies of the message and its attachments and notify the Sender if possible. Thank you.

Similar story from 3 Denver bands:
https://www.westword.com/music/midnight-marionettes-public-display-of-agression-and-avrell-sue-shawn-barusch-11391865?