Hi all,
I've had plenty of returns and have always understood and generally agreed with the screeners comments. However, on this occassion I'm feeling very disheartened. The listing was:

a PRETTY and SOPHISTICATED ADULT ALTERNATIVE SONG with FEMALE VOCALS for a TV Promo. Quoting them: "We need a current-sounding, pretty song with an underlying sense of melancholy," a la:Zero 7 - In The Waiting Line - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tZlu4wP4pwAir "All I Need" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw8i28bNoYY&obSia "Breathe Me" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSH7fblcGWMAs always, DO NOT rip-off or copy the referenced artists in any way, shape or form. Use them ONLY as a guide for tempo, texture, and vibe. Your SONGS should be at LEAST 2 Minutes in length. The company adds, "The key here is a song that is both beautiful and anguished, pretty but heartbreaking. Going even more melancholic than the referenced songs is okay as long as the song moves melodically. LYRICALLY, any of the following themes could work: love lost, broken dreams, living in the past, lies, compassion, forgiveness, isolation, or destroying others. We are NOT looking for beat-driven dance tracks, but it should have a nice beat that pushes it along a la the referenced songs." All submissions need to be Broadcast Quality

From listening to the forwards (thanks guys for posting), I can see that they were looking to veer towards the more floaty side of things and I'm annoyed with myself because I can certainly do floaty and instead I mistakenly went in a more hip, cool direction. Nevertheless, I'm still feeling very disappointed, because I feel that my song has the right, vibe, emotional energy, melancholy, prettiness, melodic progression, and all the the other ingredients that make it fit in with the three referenced songs, despite my drum track being a bit more choppy than the first two references.

I'd really appreciate a bit of feedback as I'd like to learn form this. I guess it's either, I was close and just unlucky, or I really need to wash my ears out!
The Screeners comments were:

Gary, This song has that anguished song requested in the listing. There is a Portishead sounding hiss which comes in and out which I do think is intentional and cool but I find the way it comes in and out to be distracting. I also think the song lacks that beat requested in the listing.
My track is Empty Buildings (Siobhan's mix)
I understand this was a yes/no and appreciate getting the feedback even though I disagree with the first comment!


Thanks
Gary

Hi Gary

Cool song. Really great vocal. I have the feeling that the one element that didn't work in your favour for this was the drums. Both the Air and Zero 7 songs feature very minimalist and real sounding drums (and probably are real drums in fact.) The Sia track has a little more of a trip hop feel to begin with but the drums on her song are also mostly organic sounding. I think (in my opinion) that every other element of your track was on the money.

Hope this helps.

Mark

Thanks Mark,
I appreciate you taking the time to listen and comment.
Yes, drums are the bane of my life, just can't seem to get it right whatever I do! Still it's a further reminder pay very close attention to them, even though it's not my thing.
Siobhan has got such a great voice, I know I'm lucky, I guess it's partly why I was so frustrated with this return, because I know all the ingredients are there and I mucked it up with the drums. Also those quick turnarounds, come when you've been working on the song for hours and there no distance between that and the return.
After this return I was thinking of taking a couple of months off from submitting anything, (those fivers are taking their toll!)
but I think I'll just keep being more selective and careful.
Thanks again for your comments which are reassuring and good luck with your forward on this one.
Gary

Loved the track, though I agree that the percussive parts may too distracting at times. I'm sorry it was returned because it's a very good song. Don't give up.

Yup...drums guilty as charged...

I also think the "song" is holding out for a better listing...

All the Best...
Billy

That's ashame, because I think the song is outstanding!! I agree the drums are too heavy, maybe something lighter like bongos would have been better, I disagreed about the beat though, I thought it was fine.

Thanks guys,
your kind words are very encouraging, and I very much appreciate you taking the time to listen and to comment.
All the best
Gary

Man I hate it when that happens.... you feel like you nail it and they return it.

My take: I generally do what the producer on the other end will do... not what the screeners do.

Screeners have to listen up through the chorus of the song (according to what I've heard Michael say)

The producer will listen no more than 15 to 20 seconds. If it doesn't grab him/her, it's on to the next one..... so that's what I tend to do when listening to music here on TAXI.

I liked the instrumentation and the singer..... but the kick drum was distracting.....annoying even. I listened far enough to hear the other percussion come in....

had this been mine, I would probably have left the kick out, and possibly even the drums altogether, but definitely the kick would be out and the drums would have been lower and more subdued IF I used them at all. I think this would carry well w/o drums.

Thanks for the feedback and your interesting points.
I'll certainly bear in mind that the screener may potentially only listen to the first verse and chorus. I was aware that I needed to make a good impression early on, but I assumed that they would listen to the whole song.
Still, I suppose in this case, it wouldn't matter as the drums were clearly wide of the mark. It's odd, because I'm normally so afraid of the drums that I mix them down. I think I got distracted by something I heard Robin Frederick say on taxi t.v, that a contemporary sound has the drums upfront in the mix, and maybe I took it a little too far, with the wrong sound!
It's good to get this kind of feedback and it's very much appreciated.
Cheers
Gary

My understanding of the screening process is they are supposed to listen to the entire song.