Scam Alert™!!!
MusicBizAdvice.com wants you and your money to be safe while you pursue your music
industry career! Following are some of the scams that are making the rounds of the music
industry...
Scam Alert Safety Quiz Answers
If you’ve read our
previous Scam Alerts and Q&As about online modeling and talent agencies,
you know there were at least 6 red flags in the story that pointed to a
potential scam (or worse). How many did you catch? We’ve highlighted each
one in red.
Red flag #1: “The actress,
who lived in the Midwest”
Just a hunch, but we’re willing to bet that working but agent-less actresses
who live in industry-saturated cities like L.A. and New York aren’t invited
to audition, because they’d know too many legitimate casting directors.
Red flag #2: “posted her headshot
and resume on a paid modeling and talent
agency website”
In many states online modeling and talent agencies that
charge a monthly fee are illegal, because in those states it’s illegal for
agents to charge in advance for services, and can only be paid a standard
10% commission…after you get paid.
Red flag #3: “what looked like a legitimate casting ad for
New Line Cinema.”
With all New Line Cinema’s vast networking contacts, and the
abundance of actors who live in a huge city like New York, why would they
recruit actors from hundreds of miles away?
Red flag #4: “She was
asked to come to New York for an audition.”
See Red flag #3 above.
Red flag #5: asked a male
employee from her hotel to accompany her as her bodyguard.
In this case it worked out, but the actress put herself in another
vulnerable position here. Just because someone works at your hotel doesn’t
make it safe to go alone with them to an unfamiliar area, in an unfamiliar
city. When choosing your “bodyguard,” choose someone you already know and
trust.
Red flag #6: “turned out to be a
“real estate office” in an industrial area,
and the two people there said they didn’t know anything about any
auditions.”
How many legitimate real estate offices are in industrial areas?
More scams
Know of a music or entertainment industry scam? Tell us about it. Send the details to
TalktoMBADC@aol.com with "SCAM ALERT" in the
subject line. Include the company's name, web address, and contact information, along with
a brief description of the scam. All
submissions are confidential. |
