Artists get scammed all the time, event producer and talent promoter Danette Lovato Pimentel said, particularly by restaurants.
They tell the musicians to play a free two- to three-hour set, she said, and if the customers respond positively, maybe they'll hire the band. This way they get free music each week.
"And they never get hired," she said. "There are people out there that are taking advantage of artists and talent and they're using them. And the artist is usually so genuine and hungry for the work that they get sucked into that - they get used and they give their services away for free for the hopes of being heard and hired. And I don't like that."
She said the situation continues itself because artists are willing to perform at their own expense.
"That's a problem for them that they create because then people want it for free," Lovato Pimentel said. "They should get familiar with what they're worth. They can talk to me. They can call me. They can ask for representation. They can audition for me so I can hear their talent, or I can put them in front of a client they can audition for who might be interested in their services."
Her company, Danette Lovato Pimentel Music Enterprises Inc., at 216 Broadway Blvd. S.E., began when a musician from South America asked her to represent him in 1992.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
"He was already clearly a developed artist, so that struck my interest," she said. "He was already out performing. It was attractive. It was cultural. It was something that could be presented and promoted. And, so then, I just found more and more talent . as I got enmeshed into it."
Her easygoing ability to connect with people make her a natural promoter, she said.
"It's not difficult for me to knock on doors that I have no clue who's on the other side," she said. "Or not even bother knocking - just open them up and walk right through. Typically (they don't mind), not when they're greeted in a positive way."
She said that while today's youth offer lots of creativity and talent, they can be harder to work with because they don't understand the challenges of working in the entertainment industry.
"They can be intimidated when you ask them for a bio or a profile," she said. "In my case, I offer to put it together for them."
She said whether dealing with a promotion agency or venue or recording studio, artists should be persistent.
"It's kind of like the squeaky-wheel syndrome - the more noise you make, the more you're heard," Lovato Pimentel said. "Once an artist is getting to that point where . they're starting to break some ground in a regional area, that's usually the point where it works out good for them to maybe take on a talent broker.. They probably have no clue how much they're worth, and a talent broker is the best person to represent them because they go in with more credibility, so they have contracts that are in place that protect them, that protect their wages."
She said she loves cultural acts like Aztec dancing, spanish Castilian music, African drumming, Dixieland brass bands, Arabic music and belly dancers.
"I (even) had a woman playing keyboards, singing in French out in Bernalillo," she said. "I have clients who have performed as street musicians, in coffee houses. I have talent that have made it to the level of being national acts, and I have talent that have been homeless."
She said she's booked events drawing thousands of people in the U.S., Japan and Canada.
She has booked acts for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta for the past few years, she said, and around this time is good for performers to call her about auditioning for the event.
To contact Lovato Pimentel, call 242-8355 or e-mail danette@danettelovato.com
