First of all,thanks to Vic and Sarah for the (unsolicited) endorsements as to how our agency operates.Like anyone else,I enjoy a pat on the back now and then.
But back to the crux of the matter - I could just as easily have set up a website called 'Jigs N Reels Ceilidh Band' promoting myself as caller with my own band of musicians and give an impression to anyone looking at the site that 'this is what you will get'.(In fact,I have considered that option previously and decided against doing so).
For example,Fiona at bandsandmusicians.co.uk promotes her own band (Jigabit) on her website BUT she does not give the impression that this band will necessarily be the band that a client books - she makes it clear that this IDENTIFIABLE band line-up (and I'm sure they must get the odd deps every so often) is an option,subject to contraints of workload/geography/suitability for the event and she also makes it crystal clear that,as an agent,she can arrange for other similar bands to perform.Very straightforward.
Now,with the Ship Band promotion website I suggest that the 'client' thinks that they are going to be enquiring about that particular band.So if you are the Ship Band from Bristol and your punter in Barrow-in-Furness enquires about your band - well,you may wish to do the gig if the fee is right.BUT,if your original intention is to engage another band closer to Cumbria then you are effectively acting either as an 'introducer' (unpaid) - and I'd doubt this - or you are effectively acting as an agent (paid).In the latter case,the promotion website is a promotional ploy to attract clients - and I would consider that to be misleading (albeit,possibly effective but misleading nevertheless).
It would be no different to my representing myself (and the band that I call with most regularly) by way of a website/video clip and pretending that we perform in Truro regularly (being based in Worcs,I think not !).Ok,yeh,we all know that the conversation with your client will run along the lines of 'Oh,sorry,we're already booked on that date but I know a very similar band nearer to Truro bla bla bla...'
In such a scenario,it would be
(a) misleading 'cos the band and I never had the least intention of travelling to Truro
(b) misleading 'cos I would be really just acting as an agent (and should fall under the trading standards of DTI and their mountains of clauses and red tape from which all established agencies suffer)
(c) wasting the time of the client who thought they were checking out a band in the Truro area.
As for the comments about 'bidding for clicks' - frankly,I just can't be arsed to argue the toss or get involved in 'point-scoring'.How you operate PPC is your concern (and mine is mine).
The guy in Oxford should consider Vic's suggestion of Geckoes (or their smaller line-up which they also offer) and also any band that has Flos Headford on fiddle is going to be 'very danceable to'.
Chris Mulvey