Hire A Consultant

When we first begin working with a new Artist, Band or Manager and prior to offering them a percentage situation with Countdown Entertainment, Hire A Consultant (a division of Countdown Entertainment), has a "Trial Period." We started to implement this process to help us decide if it makes sense to actually enter into a bonafide Management Agreement, or Consultant Contract, or any percentage "commission based" Contract with an Artist/Band or their Manager, as it gives us a chance to get to know the Artist, and for the Artist to get to know us, prior to entering into a percentage based contract together.

If we secure a reasonable deal for you, then at your option (if you choose to continue working with us), we can discuss working on a percentage basis (without a monthly expense fee), which is what we prefer to do. Right now, our monthly "expense" fee initially covers our employee's time, and our time and expense we incur on your behalf during the Trial Period. If we come up with deals for you, we hope you will want to continue working with us, that's our risk. The Trial Period can be for as long as you want it to be, or, as short as a thirty (30) day Term, and/or after you receive a "reasonable" Offer, then, at that time (at your option), we can negotiate in good faith a Percentage Agreement, and there's no longer a monthly "expense" fee to be paid to us. If we each agree to a percentage Agreement, then Countdown Entertainment is only paid a commission on offers we present to you which you agree to enter into, as you always have final decision on any Offers we present to you.

The Trial Period demonstrates to us whether or not the music can prompt a reasonable industry offer, and at the same time, Hire A Consultant clients receive the benefit of our experience, expertise and advice, in addition to having their music heard by Contacts specifically asking for their style of music. We have high standards. First and foremost we must truly like the music, (that goes without saying, as we then may provide to offer you this opportunity), but during the Trial Period, we also evaluate how a client works with us on an everyday basis. Professionalism, integrity, responsibility to Contracts entered into, and clear communications rank right up there with the quality of the music when deciding whether or not to offer a client a percentage situation with Countdown Entertainment.

Countdown Entertainment is a music management firm that represents Artists, bands, music producers, composers and DJs/remixers on a commission/ percentage basis. One of Countdown Entertainment's industry distinctions is that it also brokers intellectual properties, including Major music publishing catalogs and masters and secures distribution for films.

Hire A Consultant, a division of Countdown Entertainment, gets you the music industry contacts you need to get your music heard by key decision-makers around the world in the music and entertainment industry.

Hire A Consultant is an individualized, non-exclusive Consultant firm paid monthly service that provides Advice, Industry Resources, Industry such as contacts and Opportunities of music leads from key decision-makers worldwide who are asking for specific types of music, as well as Opportunities we are privy to, such as Record deals, Music Publishing deals, International Licensing deals, film/TV music licensing deals and many more. You can read more about Hire a Consultant here.

We cannot guarantee you any deal, nor can anyone, but we can and do guarantee that your music will be heard by key decision-makers from around the world. If they like what they hear can use and have a need for your music, then they will make an offer. You keep all advance monies from your music deal or record deal. Hire A Consultant takes no commissions or percentages from any deal you receive.

Basically, you pay us a low monthly expense fee, and in return, you receive the following:

Personalized advice based on our 30+ years of experience.

Personal attention. You may call or e-mail anytime, Monday through Friday, to speak directly with me, James Citkovic, president of Hire A Consultant. Your music is our number one concern. If I am not there to personally speak to you, I am always not far from a lap top, however, I will respond back to you as soon as I can to discuss your question.

Industry resources, important information to help you be successful in the entertainment industry. We e-mail you information and opportunities on a weekly basis, if not more often. These key international decision-makers are asking for your style and type of music for all kinds of opportunities, including film/TV deals, established record companies and music publishers, record companies, music managers and artists looking for cover songs, record companies looking for Artists, songs for their Artists, Producers, and backing tracks, as well as music managers looking for Artists, Bands, Producers, International Licensing deals, Distribution deals and TV/Film opportunities, and companies looking for music.

Music-industry contacts—leads, inside information on opportunities from international key decision-makers who are asking for your genre of music or music to be created for their specific needs. You are building your contact list with real decision makers from around the world.

We try to provide the best opportunities we find, which will help you. Keep in mind that we speak to CEO's and presidents of major entertainment corporations, and we are privy to opportunities you cannot find in any Tip Sheet, however, the Tip Sheets we subscribe to cost thousands of dollars per year. Some of these Tip Sheets are only available to those who represent a major artist, because they will only except a high level of professional artists and songwriters submissions, and because we represent you and your career, and because Countdown Entertainment represents major artists, you benefit from these high-quality music leads if you are our client.

That's why we can only represent talented artists. Even though we charge a fee for our Hire a Consultant services, we are very discriminating about who we accept as clients. You must have lots of talent and great music, since we cannot afford to jeopardize our industry reputation and lose the respect of our colleagues, friends and business associates. The point is, you will have the opportunity to be heard by these key decision-makers from around the world. If they feel your music is what they're looking for, and have a need for your music, then they will make an offer. You keep all advance monies from your music deal or record deal. Hire A Consultant takes no commissions or percentages from any deal you receive. We cannot guarantee you a deal, but we can guarantee that you will be heard by music industry professionals who can offer you a contract.

Yes, and we work with all genres of music, internationally, including underground hip hop labels. The USA is only 30% of the world market, so we work Internationally, as we have many international hip hop, rap, R&B, urban and underground labels that are asking for product, and that’s the key to your success. We go to music labels and top decision-makers who are looking for your genre of music, so instead of us trying to persuade someone to listen, we know they will listen, because when you go to music contacts looking for your style of music and have a need for it, you have a better chance of succeeding with them, because these contacts will listen to your music.

Yes, because of their request. Contacts call us asking for music, and we call Contacts as well. Also, in the course of our daily business, especially in brokering Intellectual Properties (selling Major Music Publishing Catalogues and Masters of Major Platinum Artists), when working at this high level, we come across and are privy to leads of opportunities you won’t find in any tip sheets, anywhere, which we provide to you.

Our inside track to the music industry’s leads and opportunities we give you also comes from the many subscription-only industry Tip Sheets from around the world. We spend a tremendous amount of money per month for these tip sheets, because we want to find each and every opportunity which are the most appropriate and right for you, as we are a clearinghouse of leads from all over the world.

Some publishers of these Tip Sheets only let a representative of a major distributed artist subscribe, because they only want extremely talented artists, bands, songwriters and composers to respond.

That’s why we only work with and represent extremely talented artists. If you were to subscribe to even the less expensive Tip Sheets, or if you think you can afford the costs and subscribe to every Directory and Tip Sheet out there and do it yourself, you still would not have the opportunities from key contacts we speak to everyday, and receive the Leads which are not in any Tip Sheets - anywhere. Additionally, what would you do with the 100’s of other Leads in those Tip Sheets that are not in your genre of music, as the opportunities for other genres of music are of no use to you. We provide the best Leads, specific to your needs.

It can happen, but rarely. All leads are checked and double-checked prior to sending to you, but sometimes a duplicate lead will slip through the cracks. Sometimes we will find the same lead previously sent by a contact because it was listed in a U.S. Tip Sheet and also in a Tip Sheet published outside the U.S. Additionally, contacts may not have found what they were looking for, and they will list it again, or update it with new or further information.

We recommend that you always keep track of the leads we send and file them all in a special folder so you can crosscheck to see if it was previously received, what the contact was previously asking for the last time, and if you sent your music out the first time.

As an added benefit for you, you keep all the information from the contacts and leads filed away for future pitching of your music, so you are actually building up your contact list.

You will definitely receive an excellent amount of leads (such as record companies looking for artist/bands, publishers looking for artist/bands, artists looking for songs to “cover,” TV/film music supervisors looking for songs, distributors looking for product, etc., and that’s not counting other leads we provide to you such as press contacts for reviews, radio stations, record pools, valuable information to help you in this music Industry, etc.). So expect a good number of music leads and contacts that can help you. Hopefully after they review your music they will like it, and they make a reasonable offer.

The number of leads you receive depends on your style of music (hip hop, rap, rock, classical, New Age, etc.) and what opportunities you are looking for. Please understand that it’s impossible to pinpoint the exact number of leads you will receive. Remember, contacts worldwide may be looking for your genre of music at any given time, but it depends on what kind of opportunities you are looking for.

You will notice that sometimes you’ll receive more leads on certain days than others. Simply put, that’s because of the varied flow of leads coming into our office, and the different contacts worldwide who are looking for your product on that specific day.

In some cases, we will hold on to a lead for a few days if there is no required “deadline.” This way, we can include it with your cumulative e-mail package of new music leads we have saved for you, then we send them all in one email to you.

Keep in mind, we try to provide leads from key decision-makers for your genre of music, and we are constantly filtering out those that are inappropriate.

If you are involved in a very big style/genre of music, there are more opportunities for you than a niche market such as classical music. So the number of leads you receive varies, but no matter what the leads you receive are high-quality music leads.

Actually, that’s a two part question: Okay, you can hear back within a few days to a week, or it could take a month or so. We procured an offer within 12 days for one Client, to 3 weeks, four weeks, and other Clients have received deals several months later. One thing you can be sure of that if someone likes what they hear, they will not keep it a secret, and they will contact us or you directly. Remember, these contacts are very busy and are not looking to waste their time. They have a need for product (or they wouldn’t be asking for it), and in some cases, such as TV/Film Music Supervisors, they list a deadline to receive product. They have to find the right song or film composer for their project by a certain date, and you can bet that they will listen to what you have. If they’re interested, they will move on it.

If you are offered a reasonable deal during your time as a Hire a Consultant client client within the Trial Period, then at your option, we can discuss working for you within a percentage-based agreement. A “percentage agreement” can be a Management Agreement, or a Publishing Agreement, of a Consultant Agreement on a percentage basis, and is actually how we’d prefer to work with you, because that’s where the money is for you and for us. So it only makes sense to enter into this kind of percentage agreement once you have proven that your music is a viable “earner” in today’s marketplace. For more information on Countdown Entertainment, click here.

We ask that you hire us for at least 60 days, to give yourself a fair chance to find out where your music stands in the worldwide marketplace. Some of our clients, however, continue for longer periods because they find our music leads so advantageous to their careers. Keep in mind, is your “Presentation” professional and accurately reflect you and your music? When we first begin to work with you, we make sure your Presentation is the best it can be.

If you don’t have a Bio, professional “Industry Standard” photos, and a quality Presentation, then why should the industry take you seriously? Also, you are not being fair to yourself and giving yourself the best possible chance to succeed if it isn’t ready. Please understand that it is our job to tell you what we think, in our professional opinion if your Presentation needs further work. If you want to take advantage of the High Level Contacts we have from around the world, you want to have the best Presentation that reflects you and your music, so that we have the Best possible chance to score deals for you.

Your Presentation is your “calling card”, and should reflect you and your Music. That is another aspect that we can help and assist you with. Remember, you don’t get a second chance at a first impression. If your music is excellent, then your entire presentation needs to support that high standard.

The music leads and contacts we provide have specifically asked for your style of music and are in need of it, so you can be assured they will listen to the music you send. In some case, we provide a special code given to us from the contact, and these are important music industry decision-makers worldwide that can be of benefit to you. In our experience, 99% of the entertainment companies out there do not accept unsolicited material, so we provide you with a special code that you write on the outside of the package you send so it always goes to the contact whom was asking for your music.

These are people that you or Countdown Entertainment know or have a working relationship with, and this would get my music/promo seen and heard. Is this an accurate assessment? Some of the contacts we know very well and have a relationship with, although there are some contacts we don't know, because we do not know every single company or person in this industry worldwide.

In any case, you will be heard by key decision-makers around the world, this we can guarantee.

Music industry contacts don't ask for music unless they are serious about needing music.

Some of the contacts we know very well and have a relationship with, although there are many contacts we don’t know, because we do not know every single company or person in this industry worldwide.

In any case, you will be heard by key decision-makers around the world, this we can guarantee.

Music industry contacts don't ask for music unless they are serious about needing music.

Our incentive is to find talented artists whose music can secure a deal, and that's one of the important factors about the Trial Period. We want to see if the music industry likes your music enough to make a reasonable offer. We started to implement this process to help us decide if it makes sense to actually enter into a bonafide Management Agreement or Consultant Contract or any kind of Agreement with an Artist/Band, or their Manager, or a Producer or Production company, Composer, or Indie Label, as it gives us a chance to get to know the Artist (or Company), and for the Artist (or Company) to get to know us, prior to entering into a percentage based contract together.

If we secure a reasonable deal for you, then at your option (if you choose to continue working with us), we can discuss working on a percentage basis (without a monthly expense fee), which is what we prefer to do.

Right now, our monthly "expense" fee initially covers our employee's time, and our time and expense we incur on your behalf during the TRIAL PERIOD. If we come up with deals for you, we hope you will want to continue working with us, that's our risk.

If we each agree to Terms of the percentage Agreement, then Countdown Entertainment is only paid a commission on offers we present to you which you agree to enter into, as you always have final decision on any Offers we present to you.

We prefer to work for a percentage as that’s where the money is, but you first have to show us your music can score a deal. Also, if we offered you a percentage agreement (such as a management agreement), however, you would have to reimburse us for the expenses we incur on your behalf, especially if you’re a new, unproven act, which would be much more then our retainer fee.

Every management agreement has an “expenses” clause, where the artist has to reimburse the manager. We make our Hire A Consultant offer to you because we think you have a chance to succeed. We help and assist you and provide you with the means to prove yourself, your music, and to succeed.

Why? Because we cannot give you the opportunity to work with us if we do not think you have a chance in the marketplace. We only align ourselves with talented artists. Otherwise, we’d lose our contacts and the respect of the music industry.

We are extremely mindful of the expense it takes to break an act. We know managers who have spent $50,000 alone just to make a video, and nothing happened with that Artist! Remember, 9 out of 10 acts lucky enough to sign with a record company, nothing ever happens. The record company believed in their music, but nothing ever happened. Just because someone “believes” in your music does not guarantee your success.

No. Your monthly fee barely covers our team’s time and the money we spend on your account. The more time you are with us, the more time (and "time" is money) we could lose. If you were with us for a year, your costs would be under a couple thousand dollars. However, if we were within a percentage Agreement, our fee could be 10% percent and up. Major label deals can start at $250,000.00. So, as an example, 10% of $250K is $25,000.00, you do the math:-)

We want you to procure a deal during the trial period, because once you secure a deal, and at your option, we can then discuss working for you within a commission basis, and that's where we would make our money.

Either way, you keep 100% of any upfront money advance. Our prices are affordable, and if and when you come up with a reasonable deal, we do not receive anything from that deal. You keep 100%. We want deals secured so we can then work with you on a commission basis, without the expense fee, and that's where we would make our money.

We also have this arrangement because we care more about having a long-term business relationship with you, rather then a quick deal and we're gone. We believe we can earn more money over the long term working for you within a percentage arrangement, than on one quick deal...that is, if you can actually secure a deal.

You’re missing the point of what we do and what we provide. We do so much more than provide names and address, as we provide: (1) “ADVICE,” based on our 30+ yrs of experience; (2) “INDUSTRY RESOURCES,” such as Radio and Press contacts, and general Industry information; and (3) “INDUSTRY CONTACTS,” information and opportunities from key Decision Makers who are currently and actively looking for your type of music. Many of these unique worldwide opportunities come from inside industry information we are privy to, and subsequently pass on to you.

Most companies you find in a music directory are listing just their contact information for the artists they represent and the style of music they are looking for.

That is totally different from how we work. We only go to contacts that have a real need and are asking for specific material. We are a clearinghouse of leads and opportunities from around the world asking for product. They are not looking to waste their time.

In the past, you’ve sent out packages blindly, and we provide contacts asking/looking for product, not just from Tip Sheets, but we also provide opportunities you won’t find in any Tip Sheet anywhere, as we are privy to certain opportunities from contacts we speak to.

Here is the very process: In the beginning, we only go to contacts who are asking for your music. Once your music secures a deal, then we can begin speaking directly to many more contacts we know (and don’t know) because you then have a “distinction” of scoring deals. Our Major contacts we personally know (and many others worldwide), prefer doing deals with Artists securing deals, and once you have a track record, our pitch is different to the contacts, because they would be attractive to you because of your track record. That’s why we’ve been so successful.

Don’t waste your time sending out blind emails to contacts you don’t know or search the Internet to find contacts to send your music to in the hopes that they will listen. Hire A Consultant provides your best possible chance to succeed while creating quality opportunities for your music to be heard by top decision makers in the industry worldwide. Nobody can provide as many key decision-makers and opportunities as we can.

No, absolutely not. The leads we provide are from contacts who are asking for your music. They are too busy to waste their time on unsolicited packages. In fact, music supervisors at film companies have a deadline where they immediately need product for their film. You can bet music supervisors as all contacts listen. Here's a Testimonial: “Hire a Consultant is truly one of the greatest services to independent artists ever! They provide detailed information, pitching and face to face networking with key decision makers in the business. Honestly, you couldn't get information like this by any other source even if you paid them. Trust me, by Hiring a Consultant you eliminate the risk of your material being trashed, your letters piling up on someones desk and frankly artists simply not being heard.” — Hitchhiker

In many cases, we provide you with a special code you write on the outside of the package or in the subject line of your email if sending an mp3. That way, when the package is received, the contact knows this is not unsolicited music and knows what the project is about, and to open the package (or email) and listen to the music inside.

Read what one Hire a Consultant client who scored three music deals has to say.

TAXI is a good service for artists, although, we provide much more than they do. TAXI is for artists who reside outside the major music media centers, such as New York, Miami, Atlanta, Nashville or L.A., that do not have a manager, agent or attorney to represent them to shop their material.

Here are the facts:

• TAXI doesn’t represent you, and we have a “non exclusive” Contract with you because you need Representation for respectability.
• TAXI forwards clients’ music to their contacts they think might be a fit and they never provide any contact information to you; However, we provide contact info of companies you can directly send your music to who will listen to your music (that’s a Big difference); We actually provide more Contacts to you who are requesting your style of music, including all of their Contact information and what they’re looking for, so you can build up your Contact List with real Decision Makers, as we provide that information to you.
• TAXI is limited to the USA. The U.S. music market represents only 30% of the world market for music. We engage opportunities Internationally, as we cover 100% of the worldwide Marketplace.
• TAXI does not provide international licensing opportunities and international TV/Film soundtrack placements. We do, as we receive the best TV/Film, Ad agency, and Video Game opportunities from Hollywood, the UK, and Europe.
• We also provide contacts for Distribution of your product worldwide. TAXI doesn’t.
• TAXI doesn’t provide the total Amount of Contacts that we do, (and that’s what past Taxi Clients have told us).
• TAXI is limited not only in the services they provide, but TAXI doesn’t give you Personalized Attention. You can call me up on the phone and speak to me for answers on your questions, or Industry information or Advice, they don’t provide a specific person that’s in charge of your account, and we do. They don’t charge that much, but Hey, you get what you pay for, and you get more with us. You will have your own “personal” Consultant that you can speak to, because we give you personalized attention.

There are other companies out there that specialize in placing a song, finding a publisher or film for your song—sure, we do that, too—but we take it much further. We provide you with TV/Film soundtrack placements, distribution contacts, record company contacts, music publishing contacts and international licensing leads.

Once you sign on to Hire a Consultant, you have full access to us with questions, problems, considerations, advice on record deals and much, much more.

Send your music now!