Making Six Figures Plus

[wcsdproducer]

I am new to Taxi since about December. I have had the first 6 out of 7 submissions forwarded by Taxi. I have seen most of the Taxi TV videos and have joined watched the show weekly. I am getting some conflicting messages. I saw a video on Six Figure income Taxi members doing instrumental cues for film & TV. I also see videos and posts were it appears that making a living at this is nearly impossible. If there is anyone who is making Six Figures or better out there, please give me some encouragement to know that my many hours of creating music aren't going to waste. My goal would be to do this full time, but I've got to eat and feed a family, etc. Please help enlighten me.


https://soundcloud.com/westcoastsounddesign
https://www.westcoastsounddesignllc.com

[TerrellBurt]

I know of two people that make six figure incomes but I don't believe that they frequent the forums. They are Matt Hirt and Chuck Henry. There are a few others but they come to mind first since I know Matt personally and have interacted with Chuck at the Rally. It's very noble to aspire to make the income of these men, but not everyone will unfortunately. Some will be fortunate enough to only make a few hundred dollars off of doing what they love. Plus both Matt and Chuck have been at this thing for years perfecting their craft and building relationships. So if you are looking for quick results you will be highly disappointed.

I don't currently have a family but I can somewhat sympathize with what you feel. It may take you years to even get a library deal. We all run our own race at various paces and results will hopefully happen in due time, but it can take many years. I've been doing music seriously for almost 10 years and I'm just now scratching the surface of seeing results and I still feel like I have a long way to go. Glad to have you apart of the TAXI family though. This is the place to be!

[hummingbird]

I think it's important to realize that those making a larger income from this have been paying their dues, producing tracks and getting placements for them for a significant amount of time - years. Matt shared his BMI statements at a Rally a few years ago and I saw that in the first three to five years his placements were not that numerous, and then it started to take off. It's a numbers game. It starts with producing quality tracks that are needed by the industry, getting them signed, building a catalogue and networking effectively. Even if I could write a track a day that's decent I still have to pitch them and get them signed, and then they have to get pitched again and finally placed, then I need to receive (if any) the synch fees (3-6 mo after placement deal) and (9 mo or a year after broadcast) the royalties. That's why there is the class at the Rally called 'five-year plan'. That being said, I live on money made from music but I am a teacher of singing, a performer, as well as a composer, and composing wise I am still a baby.

[wcsdproducer]

Thanks for the response. I did see a Taxi TV interview with Matt and Chuck. They seem to be the only Taxi members i have found making significant income from Film & TV Cues. I am not apposed to working hard assuming there is an eventual payoff. Any business takes time to develop. I just wanted to know if it is possible.

[Paulie]

You can do it if that's your goal and you have the time to commit to it, and the patience to receive feedback and the ability to network. Like others have said, Matt and Chuck didn't start as Taxi members, they have been paying dues and working in the industry for years. Taxi is just one of the many tools out there needed to become successful at this. Best of luck!

[wcsdproducer]

In the interview with Matt & Chuck, they said they knew nothing about the Film & TV Cue business before they joined Taxi. I got the impression that some library owners really liked their stuff and started working with them directly, ultimately getting them a lot of placements. I have also seen some posts suggesting contacting library owners directly. Would anyone have some good advice on which avenues to pursue to build a full-time career?

www.westcoastsounddesignllc.com

[DesireInspires]

Would anyone have some good advice on which avenues to pursue to build a full-time career?

Make a lot of great music and shop it to many companies. After that, pray.

[Casey H]

You can do it if that's your goal and you have the time to commit to it, and the patience to receive feedback and the ability to network. Like others have said, Matt and Chuck didn't start as Taxi members, they have been paying dues and working in the industry for years. Taxi is just one of the many tools out there needed to become successful at this. Best of luck!

AFAIK, not true. Matt DID get his start as a Taxi member and grew his Film/TV music career off of that. After much success with Taxi, he expanded his business further, but it all started with Taxi for him. Of course, he would be better answering this himself. I'm pretty sure that Chuck Henry and Stephen Baird both began their journey to 6 figure careers as Taxi members.

No one would say it is easy and it takes an unbelievable amount of hard work, persistence, focus, and dedication. And I'm pretty sure that Matt, Chuck, and Henry would say it is even harder now than when they started with the incredible increase in competition with the tools for home studios being so accessible and so many players in the game. But they would never say impossible.

I can't speak for the above folks but I did want to clarify that AFAIK, it DID all start with Taxi for them.

Casey

[mojobone]

I won't put words in anyone's mouth, either, but I know of more than two Taxi members in the Six Digit Club. (and no, I ain't talking about my inbred relatives in southern Indiana, bless their hearts) I know a bunch more that are headed in that direction, but...it's a slow business, writers are the last to be paid, careers are built on relationships and relationships take time. If you want to get there faster, find collaborators, because "self-made" and "bootstrapping" are myths. There's so much to know about this business, a single person couldn't learn enough in a lifetime to be so successful, so be nice, make friends, write up and most of all, pay it forward.








P. S. I'm keeding; my relatives in southern Indiana are just in-laws, and not much more inbred than my neighbors; it's a running gag about how southern Indiana is like northern Kentucky; (we joke about Kentucky, the way Norwegians joke about Swedes) not so much an inbred joke as an inside joke. Before you call the ACLU, I'll remind you that in my neck of the woods, it's been legal for cousins to marry for a lot longer than same-sex couples.

[mojobone]

In the interview with Matt & Chuck, they said they knew nothing about the Film & TV Cue business before they joined Taxi. I got the impression that some library owners really liked their stuff and started working with them directly, ultimately getting them a lot of placements. I have also seen some posts suggesting contacting library owners directly. Would anyone have some good advice on which avenues to pursue to build a full-time career?

http://www.westcoastsounddesignllc.com

Well, one thing leads to another; if you start from an attitude of, "How can I help?", rather than the more common, "What's in it for me?", you'll get farther, faster. If you can learn to work quickly and to spec, opportunities are gonna come your way, outside of Taxi. When you're ready to take a shot, Taxi is supposed to be an arrow in your quiver, not your only means of access; you're supposed to take what you learn here and apply it to opportunities you create and/or discover on your own.