Wow, did you know that Punch The Air are an award winning party band? We’ve just “Won” “Best UK Wedding Band….Blah Blah Blah” from the prestigious “N.E. Industry Awards.” Just look at Andy from the band collecting the award at a sit down, black tie awards dinner. Totally legit right?….er…..RIGHT???
Now look at the awards company logo, isn’t it marvellous? It has a crown and everything.
Do you know how we won it? We paid for it.
Just like every other “Award Winning Wedding Band” out there paid for theirs too. You didn’t realise that’s how this industry works? You didn’t know it’s all a sham? Of course you didn’t. It is a very well-kept secret designed to part brides, grooms, in fact any types of clients from their hard-earned cash.
If you don’t have time to read this full breakdown: DO NOT book a band based on ANY award they claim to have won. IT’S ALL A SCAM!!!
The “Award Winning Party Band” Myth: Why It’s a Total Scam
An awards company is just like any other business: they exist to make a profit. These schemes aren’t run out of the goodness of someone’s heart to celebrate talent. They are money-making machines. Here is the lifecycle of the “Best Wedding Band” scam:
1. The Fishing Trip
It begins in one of three ways:
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The Spam Email: An awards company contacts a band out of the blue claiming they’ve been “nominated.”
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The Fake Nomination: They ask a friend or client to nominate the band (which then triggers the sales pitch).
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The Re-Up: They target bands who were “entered” in previous years—regardless of whether they won or lost.
It’s worth noting at this point that the band / musician is FULLY aware this is all bullsh*t but it will help to trick potential future clients into giving the band more authenticity and part with their hard earned cash easier.
We get at least 5 emails a week from these shysters. Here’s one example below.
2. The Participation Trophy
The goal is to get as many entrants as possible. More entrants mean more fees, more tickets sold to gala dinners, and more digital “winner packages.” In this industry, everyone is a winner.
How do they ensure everyone wins? By adding extra words to the title until it fits the EXACT band.
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Best Band (Too broad) – But someone will still win it
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Best Party Band (Still too many)- But someone will still win it
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Best Indie Wedding Band (Getting there) – But someone will still win it
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Best Indie Rock Wedding Band in the West Midlands (Bingo!)….Or similar
So this gives the “Awards company” an unlimited number of awards to SELL. Even if a band “loses,” the MAIN award (I mean how could they but that number one short “Best <Insert word> Band” title is the most coveted ) the company will sell them a “Finalist” or “Runner Up” badge. This is simply an award for anyone who paid the entry fee to put on their website. And you now realise that it means nothing.
The most prominent “Awards Company” that you will see on MANY, MANY party bands websites has a purple circle and white circle on a darker purple background for a logo. If you see it anywhere then run a mile.
Why “Award Winning” Does Not Equal “Excellence”
You might see a band with a shiny logo on their website and assume they are the best in the country. In reality:
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No Experience Required: You don’t need to be established. You can win “Best Anything” in your first few months of trading if your payment clears.
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Agency Manipulation: “Agency Awards” are just as bad. These are internal accolades given to agency-managed bands to convince you to book through the middleman. (Also did you know if you book through an agency you will pay over £200 more than booking the same band directly – AND that the agency give you NO extra support in case something goes wrong?…I need to write a blog post about this too don’t I)
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The Judges Aren’t Experts: Often, the “judging” is done by people who have never seen the band play live. They aren’t industry legends; they are office staff looking at a spreadsheet.
How I “Won” an Award Winning Party Band award in a few minutes.
To prove how easy it is to fake an award, I created my own. I came up with a name: “N.E. Industry Awards” (Get it? Any Industry?).
I ordered the CHEAPEST award from Amazon with a custom engraved plaque which cost a whopping £8.44 delivered. (I didn’t even really need to do this but thought why not go the whole hog).
I used Photoshop to create a logo with a crown (very convincing!). I then used a projector to beam the logo onto the wall behind me, stood in front of it for a photo, and—Bob’s your uncle—Punch The Air are now “Award Winners.” Most bands don’t even go that far; they just pay a “Business Awards” company to do the same thing for them.
Real Wedding Band Quality vs. Pay-to-Play Accolades
Don’t be fooled by physical trophies or logos plastered over websites. A piece of plastic on a shelf doesn’t mean the dance floor will be full. When searching for a professional wedding band or high-energy live entertainment, ignore the badges and look for:
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Genuine Live Videos: Not highly edited mimed to promo reels.
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Direct Reviews: Real feedback from couples on Google or TrustPilot (We wouldn’t even trust social media these days).
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Transparency: Bands that don’t need to hide behind fake titles.
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Bands that have an actual website: Anyone can set up a facebook profile in less than 5 minutes and claim to be a business. Creating, maintaining and constantly updating a website is harder work but are easier to lie about their age. So why not check how long your band has had an online presence for here at https://www.whatsmydns.net/ As you will see www.punchtheair.co.uk was registered on Wednesday 27th of February 2013 so you can rest assured we’re not trying to pull the wool over your eyes on how long the band have been together.
Wedding band awards don’t mean excellence; they mean the band has a marketing budget and a lack of integrity. We would rather be known for a packed dance floor than a purchased trophy and a logo on our website. So if you want honesty and over a decades experience in the same band together then contact me, Andy and I’ll be glad to quote you for your wedding or party.