Recording musicians BEWARE

[@DaveElke]

OMG, i just had this happen. Not from Jake, but from Ardiola. Same freaking track. So glad you made this video.

[@dimi409]

+1 here today 👋🏻 I had seen your video before and went back to it. Literally the same kind of profile and msg…

[@TheFeelButton]

I scored a double album working for a Nigerian prince so I'm not looking for $300 gigs anymore! Cheers Justin!!

[@BartDietvorst]

He just found me too. I was thinking this is off and then I remembered you doing this video and sure enough it's the same 'guy'. Thanks for this video, I'm glad I remembered it!

[@thebaldshredder]

Same thing just happened to me this week. Almost exactly the same details. One of my viewers alerted me to your video. And it's the EXACT same instrumental track! LOL But mine was from a different IG profile, but same thing as you said. Also offered $300. Mine went a little further where she said it's a check for $3000, and I should send them back $2700. Like you, I'm hoping to save people out there from falling for this. Trust your intuition guys!

[@j.r.g3548]

I've seen this all to often in Nashville recently. Happens in all of the Nashville musician FB groups. I had a friend that was contacted on fb, and was convinced to send a back catalog of STEMS to a friggin gmail address from someone claiming to be affiliated with BMG...first red flag, but he was blinded by "exposure". It's an unfortunate reality of the digital age, and as creatives we are prone to see the best in people. I make PSA posts about this allllll the time now. Thank you for using your platform to shine light on this dark issue Justin.

[@JustinOstrander]

Yikes!

[@richardgoguen775]

Thanks for taking the time to give a solid heads up. Be well.

[@DaniMustangMeazzi]

Thanks so much for this video! I started to record guitar on Fiverr few years a go and going well, actually it's paying for my postgraduate, but would love to hear from you about tips on fees / prices and other tips if you are happy to share, I think that channels like yours are very good for the industry because they educated clients on one hand and on the other us too, recording musicians! I think knowing how to price our services and how to act in specific occasions (for example about 'sending drafts') will make this a safer job for all of us! Thanks!

[@JohnOShaughnessy]

True Justin. This sort of thing happens a lot these days, the worst is if you give your bank details and any other personal data to "receive" a payment. And I'm in Europe. There were lots of red flags there, particularly the lack of mutual connections.... thanks for sharing.

[@BV_Beve]

Glad to hear you avoided this ! & took the time to put out this video Justin buddy ! hope all is good with you !

[@JustinOstrander]

Thanks, you too, Beve!

[@piktormusic2538]

Thanks for taking the time to make this PSA Justin.

[@philf4086]

Glad you caught it before any commitment, great lesson for everyone! The track sounds like it was generated from loops which are commercially available also.

[@pitchisperfect]

I’ve had something similar happen to me twice. They wanted a birthday song for their son. Fortunately for me, what they were willing to pay wasn’t close to my rate. Social media needs to do something about these bots.

[@RobTackettCovers]

Hey Justin, I've been scammed as well, but I won't go into it much, but will give a generic take on it: I wrote this song what my wife called an angry rant after my ipod got stolen out of my car after doing a cover tune gig at a bar in the town I grew up in...I'll try to keep this as concise as possible...I submitted it to this rather popular songwriter's contest, not thinking that it would ever win, but thought the judges would get a rise out of it, because of the topic, because it had some repetitive swearing in it, calling the person an Ipod stealing something or other, but before I sent it, I submitted it as an SR at the copyright office...a few years later, I was driving with my daughters (toddlers at the time) and this song on the radio got to a certain part where the singer was singing "higher than a ..." something or other...repetitively" and after the lady sing it a couple of times, I was like "I'm changing it...I wouldn't play Ipod Stealing in earshot of my daughters..." then it hit me...later, I found out that someone else sued that person for the first section of that song that was nothing like the second section using profanity...that song is NOT by any stretch my proudest moment...my point is, what it appears to me, that these listened to different songs, and pieced together main concepts of two different songs, then turned it into what it is...because of that experience, I will never submit any of my original work to a song steali...uh, I mean, a songwriting contest ever again. These have deep pockets as well, so there was no use of me contesting it. Really though, I still feel like I should be included in the writer's credits of that song.

[@rogeralleyne9257]

Thanks for the heads up!!! It's easy to get caught up in these things!!!🙏🙏🙏

[@dougjones4538]

I couldn't see how this could harm someone until near the end where you explained how the money exchange finalizes the "take." Now I can see now how people get roped in on these scams. Thanks, and good on you, Justin!

[@cajuncrackerranch7990]

Thanks for sharing this information Justin. Snakes and Skanks everywhere. Stay alert! Stay alive!

[@aft41]

I faced a similar scam for a freelance journalistic project. The "client" sent me a large check in advance, then said he had overpaid me "by mistake" and asked for a refund of the excess amount, several thousand dollars. Ofc, the check was bad. Fortunately, I investigated and turned back at the last minute. A waste of time and energy though!

[@AdamLevyGuitarTips]

Dang. I'm glad it was *almost*. Thanks for sharing this. Take good care, Justin.

[@michaeleaster1815]

I think it is important here to note Justin's intuition raising red-flags and then him following up on them. A useful PSA: thanks! p.s. LOL on deriding the track... "it's just three chords... stoner jazz"

[@roberts6053]

Sounds like On-Hold-Muzak

[@UnitedEffect]

Hey Justin, it's sad that people try to scam others. Besides music I do a lot of visual artwork... and recently there has been a surge of very questionable offers to "purchase" my art. A few weeks ago I was getting anywhere from 2 to 5 offers a day or more. Most were offering to pay me in NFT's. I've sold enough work to know when an offer is genuine. The last artwork I did for an album cover was for Michael Gregory Jackson's "Frequency Equilibrium Koan" with Michael Gregory Jackson - Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Julius Hemphill - Alto Saxophone, Abdul Wadud - Cello, and Pheeroan aKLaff - Drums. It was all honest, detailed and obviously "above board". I've always done okay by following my gut instincts. What a world we live in having to keep our guard up when accepting work! You've done a great service by sharing this experience you had. Keep on straight ahead! Best regards. ~Glenn ,

[@ceddmack2816]

Great information. Crazy how this still happens and how many hopefuls fall for it.

[@salahbaker4089]

Funny the youtube algo put a SCAM (free tv) ad into the middle of this warning!

[@JustinOstrander]

Ha!

[@salahbaker4089]

@@JustinOstrander It's all about "make a buck"

[@salahbaker4089]

@@JustinOstrander It's also interesting you don't go out of your wheelhouse.

[@johnnywalkerguitar]

I’ve had the “ do you write songs?” Which turns into them asking to write a song for their kid’s 5th birthday…. They need to change their script, sniffed it out every time so far! Appreciate this video, and take care! -Johnny

[@JNiel]

Heck, I haven’t been paid for anything music related since the ‘90s and we have two mutual friends. Glad you figured it out in time.

[@chucklee347]

My neice owns a cleaning business. Every week she gets a message a foreigner wants to send her a check for hundreds more than her quote then they ask her to take x amount of cash to a third party. Always before they have a chance to deposit said check. This happens once or twice a week.😮

[@joem8457]

Definitely dont open those emails if you're not sure who its coming from. I suck as a musician, but am good at tech and email opening attachments are a very easy way to get compromised. Keep it up with the excellent content and stay vigilant to the scam!

[@JustinOstrander]

It was just an mp3 attachment that cleared Gmail's antivirus software.

[@kennethdarlington]

​@@JustinOstranderplease don't overrelay on "antivirus software". It's better to have different PC or at least virtual machine with e-mail address that is not used for any of your actual accounts (bank, plugins, messengers etc.) to do back and forth conversations or receiving files.

[@JohnDoe-xr5is]

Dear Mr. Justin, I am grateful for you play my composition. I have plenty to authorize payment for service. Joyful friendship will be from your guitar.

[@robert_starling]

We get the same type of scams running through the film and television production business preying on the newbies, wannabes and even those of us who have been around awhile. We all want to work, but with age comes experience to sniff out the red flags and trust our gut.

[@TonyThomas10000]

There are a lot of scammers out there. The worst one I heard of is someone pretending to be a company offering a brand sponsorship and sending the agreement in a file that was actually a virus that allowed the person to take over the victim's KZbin account and lock the victim out their Google account. Needless to say, you have to be careful and make sure you know who you are dealing with.

[@bobstaurovsky3506]

Justin, tell him need to go through my manager, they will drop out of sight !

[@MrPhins]

This was a big scam in the photography industry as well and you're right. They offer to pay you thousands for a shoot. When you get a message as a new photographer it's easy to get blinded. I'm sure it's everywhere.

[@americanpancakelive]

I get weird messages all the time via Facebook Dm and Instagram and I can just sense when it is super sketchy. As a music writer and part time musician the cajole is usually about how great my music is- IT IS NOT- ha and that is the first tell, when people blow smoke up your butt. So glad that you didn't get swindled, it is not only the money thing but the waste of time that just makes you feel so disgusted. You really are doing a great service sharing your story.

[@CrushingAxes]

I got almost the same message, it was something: Do you want to play over a soundtrack. Something like that.

[@stevenstabile4379]

I would have had trouble staying awake playing on that track!! I have had people try and scam me but usually if I'm selling something like an old snare or pedal I'm not using and say for the snare I'm asking $300 and all of the sudden they send a check for $1500 and tell me it's a mistake their assistant make so "Please send the snare after you deposit the check into your bank account and send me the $1200 change!! Knowing it's a scam and I will not be depositing the check into my account ( I always call their bank and find out they don't have an account and the check is phony) I tell them "I've decided to keep the snare and I cashed the check at your bank and am keeping all the money!! They freak out saying they are calling the police which I tell them go ahead my father is the county sheriff, they scream and shout and finally hang up and I take the check and put it on the wall with the warning sign "Scammer #5 and the date!!! So neither of us get the money but it's fun to hear them scream!!!!

[@personalfreedom2700]

The only way to never get scammed is to take upfront payment. Artists need to understand this…. Pay later is unacceptable.

[@OliverAmberg]

Justin, how can your refuse to play on such an epic song? 😁

[@chrisg5271]

It’s the Wild West now online, there’s so many scams out there. I have been affected by some and had many attempts. Sadly now I don’t respond generally to anything unless 100% sure who I am dealing with. Well done for avoiding this. I imagine your in enough demand now that you don’t have to fear missing out and less venerable. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@chasearrington346]

Thanks for sharing. BTW, do you have a video discussing how you got started when you moved to Nashville? I’d love to hear more about your experience. Cheers, -Chase A

[@kitgroovemachine]

thanks for the heads up, good detective work !

[@tomfoolery2082]

Good to know , thx for ur time .

[@BlairSangeetC]

Hi from India 😊 These type of things are happening a lot on instagram. Never happened with me but fake accounts reaching out for tarot card readings, etc . This is a nightmare. Kind regards

[@tribalflute3895]

I just wrote a killer jazz flute bit for that hypnotic groove. JAKE! Are you out there? Thx 4 the post!

[@Astr-w6y]

Just can't be too careful these days, glad you became aware of the scam in time.

[@mortonwilson795]

The whole 'scam' thing seems to be endemic these days - I live in HK and it's amazing what's going on here in Asia and beyond. Just gotta stay awake and check the profile etc. etc. I tend to work with people I know or others who they know . . .

[@enthusiast1]

I don't know of you, your endeavors, video landed in my feed... good video... we cannot hear too many earnest personal stories like this... it's good fuel for healthy vigilance. Thank you, great success to you.

[@Paul-D]

You know you're in a heatwave here in the UK when the first thing I noticed in this video was the AC unit and being highly envious of it hahaha.

[@peterkelly8357]

I noticed that too, watching from Manchester UK

[@partriotsfight5039]

I saw it here in Iowa USA too

[@olivergiles6731]

30 ° Celsius is a normal summer temperature. ...

[@peterkelly8357]

@@olivergiles6731 not in the UK. That's a heatwave and the country would come to a stop after two days

[@olivergiles6731]

@@peterkelly8357 I LIVE in the bloody Uk. Where people like to go for a walk in a rainstorm because they find it so exciting to "expose themselves to the elements " ..... Well...? Expose yourself to some SUN for a change. .....

[@robertmellang6998]

The music biz. What an animal. I never envied anyone in music. I love playing. Technology kinda turned it into a wild deal. It’s always something with technology.

[@GuitarCareerCoach]

4 weeks on from watching this and had exactly the same thing happen via insta! “Can you play on a soundtrack?” Glad I’d seen this Justin! As always brilliant and valuable content buddy!

[@HuffwareStudio]

This happened to me a few years back. Like you, I felt something was off with the story they had and so I asked them a rediculous question:::> "will your vocalist be bringing their own mics🎙🎤 to the studio or would they need to use ours...😂... They replied "whatever I thought was best"... 😂 btw I bout spit my wendy's frosty out when you played that track they sent you to work with..😂🤣😂

[@tommykennedy7827]

subscribed at your open, as you described Evans playing approach. :-)

[@GuitarBySamMartinez]

Thank you Justin.

[@musicmann1967]

I've gotten these scammers too, for mastering, which is what I do. I've been scammed exactly one time, and I swear, I think it was so long ago, it was at the birth of the internet! lol (no worries, not a lot of money, but it was slightly annoying and embarrassing to me personally!) Since then I see red flags everywhere!! lol Many scammers do try occasionally, either through social media or email, but I can pisk them out from a mile away at. this point. This is a very good PSA post!

[@BopsStudios]

Thanks for the heads up

[@frankd4875]

Justin, I'm just a music fan and made a trip to Nashville in early June to see a show at the Ryman and go to a couple of museums. I went downtown to go to the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum, located it on Google maps, then looked for a place to park. I pulled into a parking lot but there were no attendants. It was a remote pay parking lot, and I was not familiar with them. I parked in a slot, then a woman parked nearby who looked like a regular there, and I asked her what the process was. She said I needed to open the camera on my phone and go over to a sign across the lot that had a QR code and to scan it and it would take me to the parking lot operator's website so I could remotely pay. I did that and it appeared initially that I was taken to the parking lot operator's website. It asked for my name, credit card number, number of hours I was paying for and my car's license plate number. Just when I had typed in my name and credit card number, I was suddenly taken to what appeared to be another website that had games and slot machine wheels on the screen. It seemed totally out of place, it confused me, so I exited the screen, got back in my car and drove to a public parking garage where you punch the button when entering and get a ticket and then pay cash when leaving. When I got back home in Louisiana on the following Sunday I got a text message from Citibank, the issuer of my Costco Visa card, asking if I recognized a $49.95 transaction with a website based in Pennsylvania. I did not and then found out that this charge had been set up as a monthly recurring charge, so Citibank had to cancel my card and issue me a new one. It took awhile but Citibank finally issued a temporary credit on my account and only last week made the credit permanent. So, somehow this QR code on this sign got compromised transferring me to this scamming website as I was trying to remotely pay for parking services. When I called the 800 # that was associated with this website, an operator said that the business was a "third-party payment processor", and when I explained what had happened and that my card was inappropriately charged, she hung up on me. There's no telling how many people have been similarly scammed in this way, and I am pretty careful, but I thought this was next level stuff. You just can't be too careful these days.

[@JustinOstrander]

Thank you for sharing that! Glad your CC issuer took care of you.

[@thisisblakemillermusic]

This happen to me!! Same track and story! Wiiild! He went as far as to respond when I asked about pay to say his account manager added an extra 0 to it and sent a check for $3,000. I can deposit it and send the rest back… haha! I was like nooooope. Just had to see where it went. Then a couple weeks later, I got a message from a new profile. Same game. Appreciate you posting about this

[@martinmillsmusic]

I received this exact message on Instagram and the very same chord progression on August 21st 😮 I've blocked the instagram sender and reported the gmail email address. Thank you for this video.

[@wewilliewilson1974]

I’ve been approached by several to write songs for people for sons bday party. All scams. They send you an invoice thru cash App and the link is actually you pay them the same amount they agree to pay you. If it’s linked to your bank account you send them 300

[@stevebadachmusic]

I would not have downloaded any files from a scammer. Doesn't matter if gmail said it was fine or not.

[@daliusBSP3]

I get "fake" messages every day Justin. I'm only in it for the fun tbh, as a songwriter with my buddies. The big ones are "Hey, I'll promote your track fam" from someone with far less followers on IG than myself. Great video Justin. Love your content man. Regards. D

[@jgmopar]

Lucky for my i am not a good enough musician to have this happen. But scary for the musicians that are. I work with my friends or people in our circle. Never anyone from outside our circle

[@thebrokenorder]

This just happened to me a few days ago. Almost exactly as you describe: $300 for guitar over a "soundtrack"

[@tylerpartain2782]

This exact thing happened to me and my buddy litterly like a month ago same track same amount of money everything…wow!

[@oceansiderecordingstudio]

Thats the midi chord pack comercial music. Good you caught on.

[@thedaviesmusicacademy4602]

Thanks, Justin.😃

[@AMPR45]

Damn looks like you were *this close* to being the lead guitarist in one of those “music to do homework to” backing tracks that try to mine views and listens on Spotify or KZbin

[@Denver_Risley]

The trend I'm seeing, probably quite a few rungs down the ladder from where you are, is the Learn-how-to-produce-for-sync-licensing courses. It seems like a lot of people aren't selling as well as they used to so they're going to teach us how to do what they do...Maybe not malicious but still misleading. Reminds me of the get-rich-with-worm-farms offer in the back of comic books.

[@BillyBlaze7]

Man honestly I wouldnt have even downloaded that music file lol Its a crazy world we live in and if you go clickin links and downloading files its like playing russian roulette

[@dbspecials1200]

This reminds me of a guy and on his channel "Kitboga" he scams these scammers back, it's hilarious what he does to them just over the phone. it's brutal torment. but it's the same idea, they want you to refund a "mistake" they made. this guy has even wiped some of their files. you have to see some of it.

[@davenovak6310]

Hey Justin, First off I’ve been a subscriber to your channel for quite a while now and like what you are doing. Thank you. I’ve been reluctant to reach out to you for the exact reason that you describe in this video.I was afraid that you’d think I’m some sort of huckster that wants something from you, believe me I’m not and I don’t. I have very little online footprint, because I don’t need it, and you are going to wonder who the hell is this dude & what does he want from me. I don’t want anything but to help your videos look better. No compensation, I just want to help. I think that you could use a little help with your newest lighting scheme for your videos. I like where you are going with the orange back lighting, but you are missing some stuff. Just like you teaching us guitar, you could use a little help in the film making department. I’d be happy to help you get this sorted out. I’ve been teaching lighting at a college level for decades and did it for a living before that, so I’m not some angry dude throwing shade on you, but would like to help your channel look professional. Don’t worry, I won’t charge you anything and it won’t cost much, I might send you on a trip to Home Depot for some cheep lights. If you want to figure it out on your own I applaud you, but if you want a little help, reach out. Dave Novak

[@JustinOstrander]

Would love some pointers. Email me. Address is on my channel

[@haganhere5592]

Jake from State Farm. Glad you did not get scammed bro!

[@gregkoelling615]

Thank you!

[@DavidFeilyMusic]

I’ve gotten a bunch of these on instagram as well. Sometimes it’s “will you write a birthday song for my (wife/kid)” or “need some guitar for an instrumental” or need some guitar for a “documentary”. Broken English in DMs, commenting about message requests, multiple accounts asking the same thing. All the same.

[@mothersgauri4137]

Thanks for this video to get awareness out there.. I believe there are places to report these things, so hope it was reported.👍

[@duncanmcneill7088]

Personally, I would have sent back the most atonal experimental Fripp-esque solo that I could do in one take just for a laugh. “Well, you said to play what I wanted...”

[@MeTuLHeD]

LOL! Now THAT would have been funny!

[@matheuscanteri]

Yep! They reached out to me with the same story and same song lol hahaha.

[@PatRguitar]

They tried this on me too, I knew it just didn't feel right.

[@chrisoltman1253]

Hi Justin. I'm sorry to hear that this happened to you. It sucks that there are so many leeches out there. I guess the upside may be that guys like me may hear your story. Guys that aren't used to hiring session players and have zero idea what that cost is may say to themselves; wait - you mean it may be within my budget? And I'm not making any assumptions about what you would charge for any project. I just figured that a working session guy in Nashville was gonna be --- well - out of reach.

[@0013619511]

Some people think a cashers check is good as soon as it is issued no it still takes time to clear the bank !

[@DieselWeazel]

A scammer can ruin your day.

[@gregallen4855]

I support, the family first. A hectic balancing act!

[@DDE_ADDICT]

Most valuable advice in music. 1976 interview with Ronnie Van Zant. "The Singer Is The Song". To me, that means all musical parts must be melodically supportive, the song is commercially viable under 3:31 radio play time, and let the story sell the song with memorable lyrics as the hook. Look at all Skynyrd songs, they are all perfect, till 1977. The only time to step away from this is a very rare performer like SRV when the guitar is larger than the sum of all parts.

[@flatpickerd28]

That chord progression is a banger, though.

[@gtr0271]

Stupid question, but what are they intending to do with your track? Are they trying to sell the finished product with your free track over it, or are they farming tracks just to keep a reservoir that they can chop up and serve where needed?

[@JustinOstrander]

They won’t use it. The scam is that they “accidentally” overpay you with a check (3000 instead of 300) and ask you to refund the difference. It isn’t until later that you find out their check bounced.

[@danarcotta1283]

I was selling a Peavey tube amp years ago and was contacted by a scammer. The price was $500. He sent me a check for $2400 instructing me to cash it and give his " shipper" the amp and the difference. Yeah right. I also looked up his address. It was an abandoned warehouse in Kansas.

[@jimdep6542]

I don't get it. He sent you good check for $2,,400, but you were asking $500 ?

[@danarcotta1283]

It wasn't a good check

[@jimdep6542]

@@danarcotta1283 What was the point of him sending you a check and telling you to cash it. You'd know right away it wasn't god, so why did this chump even bother ?

[@danarcotta1283]

@@jimdep6542 it was a head scratcher to me. The best part was when I brought the check to Wells Fargo, telling them that the suspected that the check was fraudulent, they started to bust MY balls🙄

[@bryanh3057]

Was it Jake from State Farm?

[@MichaelGrecoGuitar]

Wow i was sent the same track! lol When it was time for payment he said he didn't use paypal/venmo because he was going to send me a digital check through a business account. That was it for me. I blocked him and didn't give any information

[@Santaheckler]

Knowing that most musicians I’ve met have little to no money, I’d ask for half down for me to start. Then the other half when completed and all is approved before final copy sent. Typical contractor deal. You set the terms of how payment is made. They send too much, then it’s a tip. No refunds.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Dude! I got the same dm and sent the same track. The guy was trying to convince me to take payment via an emailed photo of a check. I stopped there, but that seems to be how they're attempting. So unfortunate that this stuff is out there...

[@WilliamAshleyOnline]

its not bad easy listener but needs a vocal. R&B urban feel to it though. I can sense some higher vocal melodies to it.

[@BenJBrandt]

Same happened with me. Saw through it. Insane.

[@JimmyKSimmonsOfficial]

Ol' Jake paid me $600.00 to lay some flute on the same track!

[@AspiringSpaceWizard]

“Lay some flute” sounds hilarious 😂

[@Robowx]

Yeah that's definitely a part of a free backing track he got off youtube

[@JWEmbry-wc7qi]

More good info Justin, thanks.

[@quiksilver78]

I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that loop on people’s video intros to some demo (of any product) or podcast

[@JustinOstrander]

Yeah it’s some free backing track off the internet somewhere

[@graemero5532]

Cheers Justin. That track 🤣

[@edwardgordon4309]

Thank you for your recent payment. Any overages will be considered a gratuity and not be refunded at any time under any circumstances 🤣

[@patrickbailey9000]

This happened to me a few weeks back. Exact same name, comments.

[@oscarsosa8863]

Thanks for the PSA man, I almost fell for the exact same scam 🤦‍♂️

[@JustinOstrander]

I am glad we both avoided it!

[@zazoomatt]

THANK YOU for This >.

[@randyzeitman1354]

Three minutes in and you don’t say what the scam was. It’s exactly exactly exactly like a scammer.

[@JustinOstrander]

It wasn’t, but then you used that 3rd “exactly”. Dang it, I got busted. 🤷🏻‍♂️😂