Zildjian endorsement and the cymbals

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multijd

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Toward the beginning of this year (2023) I became a Zildjian endorser. Previously I’ve played all brands of cymbals including a stint as a Bosphorus endorser in the 1990’s. The way this happened was that I was traveling to a conference to perform and really did not want to travel with cymbals. So I inquired with a freind in the industry as to whether I might borrow cymbals at the conference from a manufacturer or distributor. When they asked what brand I would prefer I said Zildjian having recently purchased a K Constantinople 22” Thin Overhammered Ride that I was very happy with. It turned out there were no cymbal manufacturers at the conference but when I returned my friend called and said that Zildjian wanted to bring me on as an endorser. A couple of emails later and the deal was done. Now as many of you know endorsement deals at this level do not involve free stuff but rather a great discount. So I commenced my Zildjian buying and selling of other brands which I knew I wouldn’t be using. Here is what I’ve been using:
K Constantinople 22” Thin Overhammered Ride
K Constantinople 19” Crash Ride with 2 rivets
K Constantinople 16” Crash
K Constantinople 14” Hi Hats (2 tops)
K Constantinople 20” Renaissance Ride (3 rivets)
K 20” Light Flat Ride (3 rivets)

Other than the K Constantinople 22” Thin Overhammered Ride (which I purchased from Amazon!) these were all selected by a cymbal tester at the factory according to my specs. They are spot on with what I needed and wanted. They are wonderful cymbals that complement my collection of vintage K’s and A’s and can blend with all of those cymbals quite nicely. In addition they are slightly brighter and I feel more durable. At least I’m not as concerned with damaging them on more high energy gigs or through the constant wear and tear of gigging. I’m very happy to be associated with a 400 year old family owned business that has had such an amazing impact on music history. Thank you Zildjian!!
Here are a few photos.
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Not talking about you here, but…

Most people have a mistaken impression of what an endorsement means. Look up the word, it means YOU endorse something, not “please give me a bunch of free gear ‘cause I’m cool”. You GIVE an endorsement, you don’t GET one. An endorser should be thinking about how they can make their company more successful, about what value they can provide, and in turn the company will reciprocate because the artist brings value to the endorsement. Most people have it totally backwards. The Mike and Eddie podcast has a good episode where they talked about it, Mike has a fantastic perspective on it.
 
Rusty Knorr said:
Not talking about you here, but…

Most people have a mistaken impression of what an endorsement means. Look up the word, it means YOU endorse something, not “please give me a bunch of free gear ‘cause I’m cool”. You GIVE an endorsement, you don’t GET one. An endorser should be thinking about how they can make their company more successful, about what value they can provide, and in turn the company will reciprocate because the artist brings value to the endorsement. Most people have it totally backwards. The Mike and Eddie podcast has a good episode where they talked about it, Mike has a fantastic perspective on it.
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Yes. I’m endorsing their cymbals. They offered me an official endorsement deal which has specific agreements on both sides.
 
jashoup said:
I joined the Z endorser family in 2018 and couldn’t be happier with the experience. Make sure you take the opportunity to visit the factory sometime. I turned into a 12 year old kid again, walking thru those doors.
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I’d really like to get there this year since it is the anniversary year.
 
Very cool, congrats man! If I ever got to that spot, I would definitely endorse Z as well. The history! So, so very special. ❤️❤️❤️
 
Congratulation, multijd

This must be a great honour. to be invited to the Zildjian family.
 
Congratulations! Those K Cons look amazing. The K Cons and K light flats are my favorite rides from the Z catalog.
Since the topic of endorsement and specific agreements was raised, I’m curious (and not to put the OP on the spot, this question is for anyone who knows)… does an endorsement mean that you can’t / shouldn’t play other brands in any public way? Ie not on gigs, video recordings, etc.? I would assume that’s the case, but maybe that’s negotiatiable? For those with endorsement deals, was that a hard choice to make (with all of the wonderful options out there, it would be for me; luckily nobody’s asking :) )?
Don’t want to hijack the thread so ignore my question of it’s too far off topic.
 
LukeS said:
Since the topic of endorsement and specific agreements was raised, I’m curious (and not to put the OP on the spot, this question is for anyone who knows)… does an endorsement mean that you can’t / shouldn’t play other brands in any public way? Ie not on gigs, video recordings, etc.? I would assume that’s the case, but maybe that’s negotiatiable?
Don’t want to hijack the thread so ignore my question of it’s too far off topic.
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I can answer that for you. Yes to your question. It means you endorse/use a company's products exclusively. It's not negotiable. Otherwise what's the point of endorsing a company or a company signing you as an endorser? It goes both ways.

Hope that answers your question.
 
John DeChristopher said:
I can answer that for you. Yes to your question. It means you endorse/use a company's products exclusively. It's not negotiable. Otherwise what's the point of endorsing a company or a company signing you as an endorser? It goes both ways.

Hope that answers your question.
Click to expand...

It answers my question very clearly, thank you John! That does make sense.
 
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