5 referrals = 2,000 targeted Radio plays + 1 month VIP

10 referrals = 4,000 targeted Radio plays + 6 months VIP + chance to win site skin

15 referrals = 6,000 targeted Radio plays + 1 year VIP + chance to win site skin

20 referrals = 20,000 targeted Radio plays + lifetime VIP + chance to win site skin

Top 10 referrals overall = Featured on Grooveshark social media (50k+ readers)

Top 5 referrals overall = Custom banner ads featured on Grooveshark

Winner will receive a free custom site skin on Grooveshark ($10,000+ value)

Here’s how to do it!

In Grooveshark Artists, click My Account.



Click Invite Fellow Artists.

Copy the Share Link and send it to friends, or type in some emails:

Musicians you know can also type in your Grooveshark Artist username when they sign up!

And here’s a bunch of legal mumbo-jumbo that my lawyer tells me are Terms of the Contest:

Artist Referral Sweepstakes—Official Terms and Conditions
NO ENTRY FEE OR PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THE SWEEPSTAKES. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. ARTISTS MUST BE REGISTERED USERS OF GROOVESHARK ARTISTS, PURSUANT TO GROOVESHARK ARTISTS’ TERMS OF USE, MASTER RIGHTS CONTRACTS, AND THE ARTISTS’ REFERRAL SWEEPSTAKES TERMS OF SERVICE (OUTLINED BELOW). IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE TO BE ENTERED AND WIN, REGISTERED USERS OF GROOVESHARK AGREE TO THE OFFICIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OUTLINED BELOW. The Artist Referral Sweepstakes period (the “Sweepstakes”) begins at 12:01 a.m. on August 19, 2010, and ends at 11:59 p.m. on October 19, 2010 (the “Sweepstakes Period”). The winning artists’ names will be randomly drawn from all eligible artists pursuant to the Sweepstakes “Official Terms and Conditions” outlined below.

I. Eligibility of Sweepstakes

The Sweepstakes is open to all legal residents of the United States (except where prohibited or restricted by law) who are at least eighteen (18) years of age or older at the start of the Sweepstakes Period. All participants must be registered users of Grooveshark Artists (“Users”) and, will be required to unconditionally agree to be bound by and adhere to (i) these Official Terms and Conditions, (ii) the Sponsor’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service (both of which are available at http://www.grooveshark.com/terms), (iii) the Sponsor’s Artist’s Master Rights Contract, (which is available at http://artists.grooveshark.com/support/masters), (iv) the decisions of the sponsor, which are final and binding in all respects and (v) any additional terms and conditions as provided by or on behalf of the Sponsor. Employees of the Sponsor and each of its affiliated companies, subsidiaries, sponsors, advertising and promotion partners (all of the forgoing, together with the Sponsor, the “Promotion Entities”) and such employees’ immediate families (i.e., parents, spouse, children, siblings, grandparents, step parents, step children and step siblings) are not eligible to enter the Sweepstakes. None of the Promotion Entities is liable for any disputes between collaborators arising under or related to the Sweepstakes.

II. Sponsor of Sweepstakes

The Sweepstakes is exclusively sponsored by Escape Media Group, Inc. d/b/a (“Grooveshark” or “Sponsor”), 201 SE 2nd Avenue, Suite 209, Gainesville, Florida 32601.

III. How to Enter

Eligible Users will automatically be entered into the Sweepstakes. To be eligible to be automatically entered into the prizes set forth below: (1) the registered User must refer at least five (5) artists (each, a “Referred Artist”) to the Grooveshark Artists platform during the Sweepstakes Period; and (2) each Referred Artist must upload at least one (1) original song to their Grooveshark Artists account.

IV. Prizes of Sweepstakes

One winner will be awarded a custom site theme (“Skin”) on Grooveshark, which Sponsor will feature for seven (7) days, starting and ending at the date of the Sponsor’s sole discretion. The Sponsor may in its sole discretion change or cancel the Skin. The Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to shorten or expand the time the Skin is featured on Grooveshark.

In addition, Users may receive the following prizes for participating in the Sweepstakes:

· 5 referrals = 2,000 targeted Radio plays + 1 month Grooveshark VIP membership
· 10 referrals = 4,000 targeted Radio plays + 6 months Grooveshark VIP membership + chance to win site skin
· 15 referrals = 6,000 targeted Radio plays + 1 year Grooveshark VIP membership + chance to win site skin
· 20 referrals = 20,000 targeted Radio plays + lifetime Grooveshark VIP membership + chance to win site skin
· Top 10 referrals overall = Featured on Grooveshark social media (50k+ readers)
· Top 5 referrals overall = Custom banner ads featured on Grooveshark

V. Winners of Sweepstakes

The winner of the Sweepstakes Grand Prize will be selected by a random drawing of all Users at the end of the Sweepstakes Period. Only one (1) User will be randomly selected to win the Sweepstakes Grand Prize. All taxes on prizes, including, without limitation, income tax, and any incidental expenses associated with the prizes are the sole responsibility of the winner. The winner shall be notified by
telephone and/or e-mail within five (5) business days of the end of the Sweepstakes Period by a representative of the Sponsor. The winner may be required to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility and publicity/liability release in form and substance acceptable to the Sponsor, and/or a completed IRS W-9 form. If the winner cannot be contacted within ten (10) business days of the Sponsor’s first effort to contact the winner, is ineligible, fails to claim the Grand Prize and/or where applicable an affidavit of eligibility and publicity/liability release is not timely received, is incomplete or modified, the Grand Prize may be forfeited (and entitled to no form of compensation) and an alternate winner will be selected. Grooveshark is not responsible for failed efforts to notify the winner, and failure of the winner to claim prize.

VI. Rules of Sweepstakes:

(a) WHERE PERMITTED BY LAW, WINNER (AND IN THOSE INSTANCES WHEN INTERIM DRAWINGS HAVE TAKEN PLACE, POTENTIAL WINNERS WHO HAVE BEEN SELECTED IN THE INTERIM DRAWINGS) HEREBY IRREVOCABLY GRANTS TO SPONSOR AND ITS LICENSEES, AFFILIATES AND ASSIGNS, THE WORLD-WIDE, ROYALTY-FREE, NON-EXCLUSIVE AN PERPETUAL RIGHT AND LICENSE TO PRINT, PUBLISH, BROADCAST, DISPLAY AND USE, IN ANY MEDIA NOW KNOWN OR HEREAFTER DEVELOPED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WORLD WIDE WEB, AT ANY TIME OR TIMES, THE WINNER’S NAME, PORTRAIT, PICTURE, VOICE, LIKENESS, STATEMENTS AND BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION AS NEWS OR INFORMATION AND FOR ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONAL PURPOSES WITHOUT ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATION; AND FURTHER WITHOUT SUCH ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION, APPEAR FOR, OR PROVIDE BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION FOR USE IN, ANY PRESENTATION OR OTHER ACTIVITY WHICH MAY INCLUDE FILMING/AUDIO/VIDEO/ELECTRONIC OR OTHER RECORDINGS AND/OR INTERVIEWS, AS MAY BE DETERMINED FROM TIME TO TIME BY SPONSOR.

(b) Failure to make such appearances or grant such rights may result in disqualification with an alternate winner or potential winner selected; and while not obligated to do so, Sponsor may in its sole discretion, bear such reasonable costs and expenses which Sponsor, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate for winners or potential winners to appear for a presentation or other activity. Further, by accepting a prize, each winner agrees to release and hold harmless Sponsor, its licensees, and their respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotional agencies and their respective directors, officers, employees, representatives and agents from any and all liability for any injuries, loss or damage of any kind to person, including death, and property, arising in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, use or misuse of a prize, participation in any Sweepstakes related activity, or participation in this Sweepstakes. Void where prohibited.

(c) Each User represents and warrants that the information provided to the Sponsor when the User registered with the Sponsor’s website is true and accurate as of the date the information was provided to the Sponsor. Each User agrees to indemnify and hold the Promotion Entities and their respective affiliates, officers, directors, agents, co-branders or other partners, and any of their employees (collectively, the “Promotion Indemnitees”), harmless from any and all claims, damages, expenses, costs (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) and liabilities (including settlements), brought or asserted by any third party against any of the Promotion Indemnitees arising out of or in connection with (A) any breach by the User of any warranty, agreement or representation contained in these Official Terms and Conditions or in any documentation submitted or agreed to by the User, (B) the User’s conduct during and in connection with this Sweepstakes, including, without limitation, trademark, copyright, or other intellectual property rights, right of publicity, right of privacy or defamation, (C) any claim against the Promotion Indemnitees by any Referred Artist resulting from the conduct of the User or (D) the acceptance, use or misuse of any prize.

(d) At any time during the Sweepstakes, the Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any User from the Sweepstakes for any reason including, but not limited to, if the Sponsor believes, in its sole discretion, that such User has violated any of the rules of the Sweepstakes, tampered or attempted to tamper with the outcome or operation of the Sweepstakes of the Sponsor’s website, violated any applicable laws or regulations, harmed the Sponsor’s business, goodwill or reputation, acted in a unsporting manner or otherwise does not meet the requirements set forth in these Official Terms and Conditions. The decisions of the Sponsor on this and all matters relating to the Sweepstakes are final and binding. ANY ATTEMPT BY A USER OR ANY OTHER PERSON TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE SWEEPSTAKES IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS, FOR WHICH THE SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

(e) The Sweepstakes is governed by and subject to the laws of the United States. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. The Sponsor is not responsible for any typographical or other errors in the printing of the offer, administration of the Sweepstakes or the announcement of the Grand Prize or for any errors caused by technical problems with the Sponsor’s website, including, without limitation, inaccurate tabulations of Referred Artists. If any provision of these Official Terms and Conditions are found to be unlawful, void or for any reason unenforceable, then that provision shall be deemed severable from these Official Terms and Conditions and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions. Headings and captions are used in these Official Terms and Conditions solely for convenience of reference, and shall not be deemed to affect in any manner the meaning or intent of these Official Terms and Conditions or any provision hereof.

VII. Limitations of Liability

The Promotion Entities assume no responsibility for any computer, online, telephone transmission or technical malfunctions that may occur during participation in the Sweepstakes or any Sweepstakes-related activity. The Promotion Entities are not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by other Users, the Sponsor’s website or any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Sweepstakes; or for any technical or human error which may occur in the tabulation of Referred Artists in the Sweepstakes. The Promotion Entities assume no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, failures or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers, providers, computer equipment, software, email, players or browsers, whether on account of technical problems, traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, or on account of any combination of the foregoing (including, without limitation, any such problems which may result in the inability to access the Sponsor’s website or registration of Referred Artisrs). The Promotion Entities are not responsible for any injury or damage to Users or any other person, or to any computer related to or resulting from participating or downloading materials in the Sweepstakes. If, for any reason, the Sweepstakes is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of the Promotion Entities which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Sweepstakes, the Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Sweepstakes in whole or in part (including, without limitation, any Sweepstakes date or deadline) and determine the winner from that portion of the Sweepstakes that has not been compromised, if any.

IN NO EVENT WILL THE PROMOTION ENTITIES BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES (including loss of use, data, business or profits), ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SWEEPSTAKES.

VIII. Disputes and Governing Law

Except where prohibited, as a condition of participating in the Sweepstakes, each User agrees that any and all disputes which cannot be resolved between the parties, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Sweepstakes or the determination of the winner shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action. Further, in any such dispute, under no circumstances will any User be permitted to obtain awards for, and hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys’ fees, other than User’s actual out-pocket expenses (e.g., costs associated with entering this Sweepstakes), and each User further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased. All issues and questions rights and obligations of User in connection with the Sweepstakes shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Florida, U.S.A., without giving effect to the conflict of laws rules thereof and any matters or proceedings as set forth in these Official Terms and Conditions, shall take place in the State of Florida, County of Alachua. The parties waive rights to trial by jury in any action or proceeding instituted in connection with these Official Terms and Conditions and/or the Sweepstakes.

IX. Privacy

By entering the Sweepstakes, each User agrees to the Sponsor’ use of his or her personal information, as described in Sponsor’s Privacy Policy, located on the Sponsor’s website.

X. Winners List / Rules Request

For a copy of these Official Terms and Conditions or the winners’ names, send a separate, stamped, self-addressed envelope to: Blaise DeAngelo, Director of Artist Relations, Escape Media Group, Inc., 201 SE 2nd Avenue, Suite 209, Gainesville, Florida 32601. Requests received after January 19, 2011 shall not be honored.

1. Contact information: this could be the single most important tip. Say an agent happens to stumble upon your MySpace and loves your music. What’s this? No email address? Never mind.

   If you have no contact information posted on your website, NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO CONTACT YOU. Plain and simple. Also, make sure when sending an inquiry to a venue that all of your contact information is accurate. Include not just an email but a phone number as well. Everyone has a different preference, but it never hurts to make the flow of communication as easy as possible.

   Remember – almost no one will go out of their way to reach you.
   

2. Read directions: never intentionally make yourself look stupid. If a venue specifically states that they will not respond to booking requests via MySpace, don’t send a booking request via MySpace. If an agent tells you to contact them before sending in any material, listen to what they want! Use common sense.
3. Be professional: no one will ever take you seriously if you write an email in all lowercase or even more annoying, alternating lower and upper case. Obviously, the music industry is more laid back, but it doesn’t mean you should act like you don’t care.

   Another way to give off a good impression is to always respond in a timely manner. Don’t blow off emails or phone calls and think an agent or venue is going to work extra hard to book you. After a couple of days you will become an afterthought.

4. Be flexible: Yes, you might like to play last in the line-up but that may not always happen. Yes, you may like to get $500 from a gig but sorry you are probably going to make very little from the get go. Obviously, don’t accept any offers you don’t feel comfortable with, but remember that it’s all about exposure. Bands who behave like babies don’t get booked again.

   Try to be flexible when it comes to what an agent or venues requests. You may not have an electronic press kit, but it is probably a good idea to make one. Remember – this is the 21^st century. You are expected to be tech savvy and if not go to YouTube and learn how.

5. Keep up to date: Make sure your MySpace is updated with your latest material, contact information and any other important stuff. I know from experience that when a band website looks like it hasn’t been touched in months, I assume their instruments haven’t been either.

   Also, if you have an electronic press kit, keep it current. There is not point in sending a kit if half of the information on it isn’t even accurate. It basically defeats the purpose of putting it together in the first place.

6. Understand your band: Make sure everyone in the band is one the same page when it comes to how much money they hope/need to be making, what they want to accomplish on tour and what type of gigs they want to play. Nothing is more unappealing than an unorganized band. Even if you don’t know what you are doing, act like you do. It is key to always leave a good impression.
7. Do your research: If you are planning on putting together an East Coast tour, you need to find out where your band will be the most successful. Yeah, the kids in Gainesville, FL might like your indie music, but the ones in Jacksonville, FL might not. (Hint – Grooveshark Analytics can help you figure this out!)
8. Work in advance – Don’t expect to get booked by contacting an agent or venue one month in advance. Most book at least two to three months out. If you truly care about putting together a tour, don’t put everything together last minute.
9. Make friends with other musicians: It’s all about connections. Other musicians can help you find the right places to play or even invite you to play with them. Other musicians can even refer you to agents who are interested in particular talent. Plus, if you choose to be friendly you might find a place to crash that night. Never turn down a lil’ help from your friends.
10. Be patient – Agents and venues will probably take at least two weeks to get back to you. It can be a slow and frustrating process, but stay positive. Try to read policies on whether or not follow-ups are appropriate for a particular venue. Remember, these people are incredibly busy and receive massive amounts of mail every day. It may feel like a double standard after a while since you are putting so much energy into it, but it will pay off in the end.

Not everyone is going to want to book you but many will. My general advice is to be smart and be prepared. Good luck!

Written by Sarah Conde, Edited by Hannah Pyper