Don't Consider Giving Up on Taxi
Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 9:09 am
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.
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.
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