Don't Consider Giving Up on Taxi

[randonpurcell]

So, I talk to people all the time who debate whether they should join (or renew) their Taxi membership. Look, I get it. The business can be disheartening, to say the least.

BUT...

LISTEN to what you read in the forums and hear on Taxi TV. Listen to the advice that is so abundant. Go to the Rally and listen to the lectures. This stuff works, trust me! And above all, listen to the feedback on your returned submissions. It is GOLD!

In 2014 - I had written maybe 3 instrumental cues and a ton of songs that were not really going anywhere. I started focusing on a few things based on advice from the forums, feedback from submissions, etc. I refocused and started writing -- a lot!

By the end of 2016, I had written over 150 instrumental cues (from hybrid orchestral to minimal retro wave). I have had 130+ of those cues signed to various libraries around the world (12 of them, in fact). 10 of these libraries came directly from Taxi listings! And best of all, I have a recurring buyout-deal with a library that keeps ordering albums. I wrote 4 10-track albums in 2016 just for this one library that does buyout deals. So, the end result is that I made more money off my music in 2016 than the previous 10 years combined.

And let's talk about the long game we always hear about. I'm JUST NOW starting to see a lot of the tv placements showing up from early 2016 and even late 2015. As it turns out, I've got 19 TV placements on 8 different series - and EVERY ONE of those is from libraries I hooked up with via Taxi. I imagine in 2017 and later I'll see a lot more as these buyout albums start showing up on my ASCAP statements as well.

Bottom line - don't give up. Keep submitting. Keep writing. Submit often, embrace rejection and learn from it. And for god's sake, DO NOT cancel your Taxi membership. It is the vehicle that will get you where you want to go, as long as you listen to the advice of the driver.

[sperljam]

Congrats on your success, Randon! Thanks for sharing - It’s so inspiring to hear from people like you who are further along in the process.
-E

[randonpurcell]

No problem, Erik. Good luck to you!

[artturner]

Congrats on your success Randon. That's the stuff I had hoped to achieve one day.

The latest golden advice on my two returns today was that my synth was too synthetic.

[Telefunkin]

Spot on Randon. Well said!

[Oh, and Art, it sounds like you need to invest in one of those real synths! ]

[randonpurcell]

Art - that is a bit funny sounding - too synthetic

That said, there is a different between synth lines that have a natural or almost organic flow to them vs those that are rigid like what you might get out of the old 80's synths we all know and love. So, I could see where the screener might be coming from on that one. Sort of like comparing the synth lines on just about any song on Depeche Mode's 'Violator' album against pretty much anything on their old 'Speak and Spell' or 'Broken Frame' albums. All synths, but the synths on violator sound like instruments with body and texture and most of the others sound like a demo track from an old casio keyboard.

Still though - it is funny comment. Good luck to you!

[artturner]

Still though - it is funny comment. Good luck to you!

Thanks, definitely didn't mean to distract from your success and motivation. Thanks for blazing a trail we can follow!

[randonpurcell]

Art, no distraction whatsoever. Thanks, and I'm sure you'll get what you are after if you keep moving forward!

[VanderBoegh]

Randon, I couldn't have said it any better! Taxi is amazing. Without them, I'd probably still be working corporate America. But because of them I'm a full-time composer. There's nobody else that I can credit that to other than Taxi. My work and dedication would have been futile without Taxi, because I wouldn't have known what to do or where to go with my music.

Keep up the great work, man. Looking forward to hearing more from you!

~~Matt

[randonpurcell]

Thanks Matt. And big congratulations to you!

I'm still in corporate America and doing music on the side - but each month I tip that balance more and more. I've got a 5 year plan now to be full time music - and I'm getting there.

Of course, if I could stop buying everything Spitfire Audio releases, I could probably have a 3 year plan