Agree with the 'Return' but confused about the scores..

[garywhite]

Hey all, and screener #325.. just got a return on the grounds that the submission wasn't on target - too strident for the romantic wedding listing S150604WI - which I fully take on board - no argument there, but the scores were between 5 and 7 overall, and 'marketability' getting a '5' and 'production' a '6'. Also, Sound quality 'Not Great'. The critique took 6 weeks to come back, so maybe the screeners were in a bit of a hurry. Here's my tune: https://soundcloud.com/musicsynctank/the-ceremony NOT written for this pitch, but already used by BBC for a prime time documentary 3 years ago, and was nominated for a BAFTA for 'best original music'.. Any ideas?

[hummingbird]

Hi Gary - sounds pretty nice to me. Could you post the listing? Just want to see the context in which the song was reviewed,

cheers
H

[garywhite]

Thanks for the reply. Here's the listing: (again, I don't disagree with the return on the grounds that it was off target - it was worth a 5 dollar gamble...)

ROMANTIC, ORIGINAL, CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTALS are needed for NON-Exclusive, Direct-to-Producer placements in an extremely popular Reality TV Show. He's looking to find solid Instrumentals in All-Tempos that could sonically and melodically work for a variety of different wedding scenarios, ranging from: guests arriving, walking down the isle, ceremony, reception, cake cutting, etc., etc., etc., etc. Here's a link to some Top Wedding music that could point you in the general direction of the sound he needs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJDaWskBvrkGive them original (no covers or Public Domain for this pitch) Instrumentals that are well-crafted from start to finish, with great musicianship, sounding like real humans playing real instruments. Anything that's obviously synthetic or MIDI-driven won't work well for this pitch. Your ensemble size can vary, but should be consistent with music you'd hear before, during, or after a wedding. Anything from a really well done solo instrument like a harp, piano or cello, all the way up to a full orchestra and anything in between could work for this show. Please avoid overly frenetic or busy material that might distract from the show's dialog. This is a Direct-to-the Show's Executive Producer Pitch, so you'll keep 100% of your Copyright and Publishing, plus you'll also get any applicable sync fees and performance royalties! You must own or control your Master and Copyright. Please, do NOT copy or rip off the referenced music in any way, shape, or form. Use them only as a guide for general feel, vibe, and tone. Submit one to three full-length Instrumentals online or per CD. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by TAXI and must be received no later than Thursday, June 4, 2015. TAXI #S150604WI

[garywhite]

Screener's overall comments:

'This piece drives too hard and is too upbeat for this listing. They need intimate, romantic music for this use.'

Cheers

Gary

[Len911]

Gary, the meanings of the scores have been discussed a few times in as many years, and without remembering any quotes in particular, suffice it to say that they're not so important in the big scheme of things, unless of course you are getting really low numbers, then it might be cause for concern.

Marketability a 5. As a general arbitrary number, it sounds average. But technically, since you didn't get forwarded for this listing, shouldn't it be a zero?? Because it's a critique for a listing it sort of should probably have a little context with the listing imo. Had you gotten a 10 instead of a 5, you might have wondered why you didn't get forwarded,lol!

Production a 6 and sound quality "not great". Again a 6 is pretty good when compared to the arrangements and classical composers on the youtube example. Same with the sound quality. However, I really thought your sound quality was superb and marketability a 10, not in the context of what was asked for in the listing, but in a general arbitrary sense.

To get the most use of the numbers imo, would be to check off the boxes yourself of the submission for the listing before submitting, then compare with what numbers are actually given.
Obviously, the further off the mark your submission was from the listing, the more difficult it would be. It's much easier to "just see what happens".

It just makes sense that the closer to the target you get, the numbers will get better, without changing a thing really. And sure, extremely low numbers would mean that there are more technical problems.

[garywhite]

Thanks Len for the feedback. Guess you're right.. it's a score in the context of the listing. Never had my production marked out of 10 before! (it's my job since 1988, you see..) Interesting that the screener also decided that the listing asked for 'intimate' music. Did I miss something? ha ha! Cheers, Gary

[VanderBoegh]

Personally, I never really look at the individual scores. The comments mean more to me than the numbers.

But usually I just submit to Yes/No listings which don't use the number scales anyway.

~~Matt

[Paulie]

LIsting: "He's looking to find solid Instrumentals in All-Tempos that could sonically and melodically work for a variety of different wedding scenarios, ranging from: guests arriving, walking down the isle, ceremony, reception, cake cutting, etc., etc., etc., etc."

I got two returns for this one, both because my tracks were too dry, "The recordings lacked warmth and ambiance." Funny thing, I toned down the reverb not knowing if the wedding scenes were going to be in churches, out doors, etc. (I've played hundreds of weddings in my day, time to switch from sideman to engineering mode I guess). Every submittal is a learning experience.

[daveydad]

Ha... and I got 7s and 8s on my forwards and thought they were low! lol. Your track, although it didn't fit this listing, sure is a wonderful cinematic piece that will fit the bill somewhere else. Nice!

[garywhite]

Thanks for your comments everyone! Sorry to reply so late - been away from taxi for a couple of months, but back now and GOING TO THE ROAD RALLY! (I live in UK, so it's quite a big deal for me!)