From A Whisper To A Dream

New trial program helps major gear companies connect with unsigned artists


Musicians love gear, and it's no wonder why - without it, we're limited in what we can do from a musical standpoint. Musical instruments and equipment are the fundamental tools of our trade. And let's be honest - among the perks of being signed to a major label contract and "making it big" that appeal to many musicians are the endorsement deals that star musicians often have with musical equipment manufacturers. And who wouldn't love to have an endorsement deal, with manufacturers hooking you up with deals or samples of their latest offerings? But short of being a household name or in a nationally recognized act, how do you obtain an endorsement? Most musicians, regardless of how exceptionally talented they may be, have little idea of how to go about getting an endorsement from a big-name musical equipment manufacturer. But it's about much more than just getting some free gear - more importantly, it's about building relationships. Exploring a potential means of addressing this issue that was initially conceived by David Missal, Sennheiser's Manager of Technical Services and Market Development for USA and Latin America and musician Brian Hardgroove, Sennheiser, Impulse Groove Foundation and Harmony Central recently came together to "beta test" an idea aimed at providing musicians and manufacturers with an opportunity to connect.

On Friday and Saturday, October 17-18 2014 Impulse Groove Foundation performed its first "Silent Performance" concerts for Sennheiser and Harmony Central at Skylight Night Club in Santa Fe New Mexico. The two hour events ran from 5-7 PM both evenings. While admission was free and open to the general public, the primary purpose of this concert was to provide an avenue for talented local musicians, bands and singers to show the endorsement company that Santa Fe has an active and mutually supportive music community that will turn out to support the artists who reside in the area. Impulse Groove Foundation were the exclusive performers at the event. Founded by Brian Hardgroove (who will no doubt be familiar to many readers as a longtime member of Public Enemy), the concept for the band came from the melding of two ideas - expressing the most important thing about us as humans, which Brian feels is examining our own motivations and getting others to identify theirs as well, and to serve as a vehicle for Brian and his bandmates to do good things in the world and encourage positive motivations through their artistic expression.

Upon entering the venue, audience members were given a pair of Sennheiser HDR-120 wireless headphones (Fig.1) to wear for the event, and returned them at the end of the evening. The concert was then broadcast to the audience by way of a Sennheiser wireless transmission system, allowing the audience to enjoy the performance by Impulse Groove Foundation over the wireless headphones. The band also monitored wirelessly, utilizing Sennheiser SR 300 G3 in-ear monitoring systems.