I received these two emails over the weekend and, having looked at the sites they claim to represent, I can’t figure out if either of them are (a) too good to be true, (b) fishy, or (c) just plain phishing…

what does the collective think?

1) “Hi there!

My name is Sandra and I saw your band (listed as xxxxx*) on unsigned.com. If there’s someone else who deals with the bands music, please forward this onto them if you don’t mind.

I work with a site where you can upload your music called indiefreedownloads.com.

We are contacting every band we can right now because we have a goal of getting 500 bands on the site by December 31. We had 100 of them sign up recently and can’t wait for more.

We are going to begin marketing the site after the first of the year when there are a large number of band online. When we do so, we’re going to sell advertising on the site and split the money with the bands.

So, it’s a great way for you to get the word out and just another site to help you spread the word about xxxxx*

Go check it out and upload some music or videos!

http://www.indiefreedownloads.com

Thanks so much! Have an awesome week and a great Christmas / New Year!

Sandra”

* no real point changing the band name as it’s my profile but what the heck

2) “Hey guys! My name is David Roc, and I work for LaFamos, a Hollywood-based PR & branding firm. I was listening to your music on
http://www.unsigned.com and loved what I heard. Your rowdy and gritty sound is awesome. I am very interested in hearing more from you.

We would love to talk to you more about your specific needs regarding marketing your music and if you’re currently looking for PR
representation. Our firm works exclusively with independent and developing artists, and we offer quite a few different services. We’d love to help you get your music out there!

For now, definitely check out http://www.lafamos.com for more information.

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

http://www.lafamos.com

La-Fa-Mos: (verb) To become famous; to become a known individual or groupamong a community.”

and yes, the band does have a limited presence on http://www.unsigned.com, so as far as that goes, they could be genuine

the collective’s opinion would be most welcome. I’ve also posted it up on my local music forum but no replies yet, let’s see if the STW hive-mind is any quicker 😉

Your rowdy and gritty sound is awesome. I am very interested in hearing more from you.

spam from surf mat

Clearly I have nothing useful to add but this is stw what did you expect ❓
Hope it is legit but honestly, no idea

I think it’s spam TBH so just looking for confirmation

They shouldn’t need money from you if they’re going to sell ad space, so as long as you don’t pay or give bank details it could be worth a punt.
Can you contact any other band on the site?
Go with eyes wide open though.

no mention of money changing hands anywhere on either site – except in our favour from the first one. “money for nothing” eh?

although contacting the other bands might not be a bad idea, cheers

How secure will your music be?

I think teh first one is ok, well they will post your music up for free download and give you next to nothing, prob want some rights to it so id check the small print.

The second one sounds like a lure to draw you in then drop the “oh we will need £xxxxx to carry on” so id avoid that one

well I was only going to give one song, which is already available for free if you know where to look, and possibly a second which is on a compilation CD/download so is relatively cheap anyway.

TBH we’re at the stage where giving away one or two songs can only help get the band’s name out there; Lars Ulrich I am not 😉