We've talked a lot in the past couple of weeks about applying for music business loans and looking for music industry investors - but what about arts council/creative industry endowment funding? To some people, the very notion of an arts council or other group that hands out money for music projects - in some case money that you don't even have to pay back (!!) - sounds a bit like the Tooth Ferry or Easter Bunny (let's leave Santa out of this). The reason for that is that the availability of these types of funds depends entirely on where you live. For instance, in Europe, there are tons of opportunities to receive money from government funded arts councils. In the US, not so much. But even if you don't live in a place with goverment arts funding, you may find there are charitable groups/private creative industry funding groups that fall into the non-commerical loan category with money available for you if you do a little research. Either way, it's worth knowing how to put together one of these applications. It's a different kettle of fish from, say, applying for a bank loan, but following the correct process is still the key. Learn more about writing a music industry funding application.

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Today's blog was always going to be about bad deals, but I had no idea Coldplay was going to come along and hand me such a perfect example. The band is having a contest to give unsigned artists a chance to open for them on several of their US concert dates - Chicago, San Jose, Philly, Hartford, D.C. and Boston. To enter, you have to submit a video of your band performing a song to YouTube (limit five band members/five minute song). One band will be selected for each city. Here's the catch - once you enter, you give Capital Records "worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free" rights to use your music, your band name, your image, and well, anything else they think they might like. Translation - they can use you however they like - including on a comp - forever, and you won't see a penny for it. You also give them a 60 day option on signing you. Before you get too excited about that, the deal includes a $5,000 recording budget. For a major label deal, that's nothing to write home about. Plus, they specifically say, if you have to travel to record your album at the studio of their choosing, they won't pay for your travel or your other expenses. Nice!

Presumably, Coldplay didn't set these rules, but I can't resist commenting on the irony. This one flies a little (read: a lot) in the face of Chris Martin of Coldplay's fair trade campaigns, don't you think? Apparently this is one of those times it's ok to exploit the little guy. This is the epitome of what he supposedly stands against, so while they didn't make the rules, I can't understand why they haven't come out and called the whole thing off. Maybe that's not fair, but I'm so appalled by this whole thing. I can't even tell you it's that unusual, but that doesn't make it ok. What do you think? Let me know. And, if you really, really want to give it a go anyway, you can read the rules here.

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