19 forwards, no $$

[conniption]

Ok, we have been forwarded 19 times and we got only one call for a no payment up front licensing deal, so what. After reading the posts, I guess 19 forwards and counting is doing ok. What I want to know is how to turn these forwards in to dollars. So far Taxi has a long way to go to pay for itself. If I just wanted good reviews, I would just ask mom what she thinks. I would love to be able to follow up on the forwards, but Taxi does not let that happen. Maybe they need to set up a "Follow Up" service or something. I want to know what is happening with the forwards and who is getting the call back, if anyone. I want to know if anyone else here has had similar results and if anyone has made money above and beyond the cost of Taxi. Any input would be much appreciated. Steve

[nknjmes]

Unless you nail a specific song for Dispatch, money comes from having lots and lots of songs with music libraries which greatly increases the odds of having a song chosen.I haven't made a dime yet.

[mazz]

The reality of the situation is that a lot of deals are for no money up front. At least until you develop a relationship with the library and you can write your butt off and create entire CDs of great music for their library.Even if you decide to sign a back end deal (no money up front), if the library does place your song on TV, it can take 6 to 12 months after the show airs to receive any performance royalties. This is a long term business. Also, the more you write and submit, the better your odds become. The best way to handle your situation is to keep working on your music, submit to TAXI, market on your own, and work on your business and people skills for when you do land that deal.Make a 5 year plan, that's the minimum to start to see real money, assuming your music is great and fits what the clients are looking for.How about posting some music that got forwarded?MazzPS: Check out Matt Hirt's videos on You Tube for a reality check. I believe they're linked from the TAXI home page.

[docdutch]

19 fowards is good how many submissions do you make on average in a month out of 11 critiques ive only had 2 fowards i mainly do hop hop & r&b and i just knew i was going 2 be the hottest thing on taxi in those genres but gettin a good reality check what style of music u submittin to ?

[davewalton]

Quote:Ok, we have been forwarded 19 times and we got only one call for a no payment up front licensing deal, so what. After reading the posts, I guess 19 forwards and counting is doing ok. What I want to know is how to turn these forwards in to dollars. So far Taxi has a long way to go to pay for itself. If I just wanted good reviews, I would just ask mom what she thinks. I would love to be able to follow up on the forwards, but Taxi does not let that happen. Maybe they need to set up a "Follow Up" service or something. I want to know what is happening with the forwards and who is getting the call back, if anyone. I want to know if anyone else here has had similar results and if anyone has made money above and beyond the cost of Taxi. Any input would be much appreciated. SteveNineteen... that's hardly breaking a sweat. If you're selling copiers, try making only 19 sales calls, or selling cars and only talking to 19 customers. If 19 was all it took... can you imagine how EASY it would be for just about anyone to make a living with music? Part of the value of Taxi and the forum (I'm speaking for myself here) is that I got a "wake up call" regarding the reality of business. It's tough, it takes persistance and LOTS of patience. RLD just posted his experience where he signed a paid library deal ONE YEAR after his forward. My first Taxi deal was like that too. I had actually quit Taxi at the time my deal came through. I rejoined and later got a deal that now has my music placed into network television every week, almost daily. It scares the hell out of me when I think that may never have happened because I quit Taxi too soon. Regarding "following up". Had RLD "followed up" three months ago, what would have been the result? It would have been "haven't gotten to it yet". Following up is pointless because they either (a) haven't decided, or (b) decided but not in your favor. There's nothing to follow up on as far as pestering them about previous submissions. If they want your music you won't be able to get rid of them. If not, you won't be able to "follow up" and talk them into it. By the tone of the comment, I'm guessing you turned down the "no payment licensing deal"? If not then good for you. Outside of Taxi, many of my best paying projects came about because of the credit I received on a project that paid little or nothing. It's not always what a project is that's important, it's what it might lead to. "I could have had a credit but I turned it down" never really works well for demonstrating experience. BTW, anything that makes it's way to television pays performance royalties. So low or no-pay upfront deals can turn profitable if and when placed into television, into the right show or setting. Matto has some music in a film called "Harold and Krumar Go To White Castle", during a scene where they're smoking pot with a Cheetah (I'm not making this up). The film didn't win any academy awards that I know of and I don't know anything about his licensing fee but the Harold and Krumar move has aired on various TV and cable channels over and over and over again. Performance royalties pay everytime the show airs. It's a good deal so consider the possibilities of what could happen tomorrow before turning down a deal that, today, doesn't look so good. I think you have to take a closer look and understand what Taxi does. They simply introduce your music to people who are looking for that kind of music, doing that through the listing and screening process. Once it leaves Taxi's office, it's the company that ran the listing that decides "deal or no deal". I introduce you to my wife's friend. You want to get married but she doesn't... that's MY fault as the guy that made the introduction??? Many, many people here in the forum have had their music introduced to some very impressive labels, publishers, and libraries through Taxi. Taxi does what they say they do and, as a result, there's LOTS of great deals that happen, a fair number to existing forum members.The fact that you've received 19 forwards tells me that you're a very good musician/composer/band or whatever musical form you take. I have a theory (and I think it's valid) that most musicians don't make it, not because of a lack of talent, but because of a lack of either understanding or willingness to understand the nature of the business or at least be able to identify a "red flag". Not getting a deal after only submitting 19 demos... definitely not a red flag.Inside our outside of Taxi... don't give up before things have had a chance to happen (and sometimes that takes a while). Develop a five-year plan and don't give up before then... you'll have given up too soon. HTH,Dave

[sgs4u]

conniption : a fit of rage, hysteria, or alarm <went into conniptions> No please, don't fly off into a fit of rage! It's a bummer that you haven't gotten any cash results yet. I have about 40 forwards thus far (in a year and a half of submitting). 1 deal has happened for me tho, and it was very rewarding! It covered almost all my expenses. If Taxi hasn't paid for itself yet, according to you, then maybe you need to figure out why. Taxi calls itself the second best way to get your music heard. Have you tried the best way yet? If you choose to vent your frustrations on this forum and freak out, you still won't likely help you get the results you want. Who wants to help a jerk - any volunteers? However, if you decide that you want to "play nice," you'll get a ton of help, understanding and constructive criticism, from these people. Maybe you haven't yet figured out how everything works, and if or how your short-term expectations, might be unrealistic. And yes, there are a lot of people who have made more money from Taxi, then the expenses they've incurred. Steve from Canada.Quote:Ok, we have been forwarded 19 times and we got only one call for a no payment up front licensing deal, so what. After reading the posts, I guess 19 forwards and counting is doing ok. What I want to know is how to turn these forwards in to dollars. So far Taxi has a long way to go to pay for itself. If I just wanted good reviews, I would just ask mom what she thinks. I would love to be able to follow up on the forwards, but Taxi does not let that happen. Maybe they need to set up a "Follow Up" service or something. I want to know what is happening with the forwards and who is getting the call back, if anyone. I want to know if anyone else here has had similar results and if anyone has made money above and beyond the cost of Taxi. Any input would be much appreciated. Steve

[conniption]

Thanks for the input. I have been "pro" for 17 years, since I was 16 years old. I have had songs on MTV, ESPN, CBS to name a few. My previous band, "Motorplant" had and indie label deal and we did all of our own marketing with our manager. I have done well regionally with my current band, but I have yet to land some of the same deals. I know full well what it takes in this industry and understand that it could very well be my songs. Anyway, I was under the impression that a forward from Taxi was worth more than sending out discs myself. So far I have landed more paying gigs myself. I find Taxi's critiques valuable and I still love a forward, but at what cost? I am running a business here and in 18 months of Taxi I have yet to see a return.Forwarded songs:http://www.taximusic.com/song.php?song_ ... tream=true http://www.taximusic.com/song.php?song_ ... eCurrently we are composing the music for a video game licensed by Microsoft and Crytek. Again, I landed that deal myself. Also, I did accept the licensing deal, you never know.I want to make it clear that I am not complaining here, just tying to figure out my best strategy moving forward.-Steve

[steini]

if the Taxi costs are such a huge part of your income then yes, maybe this is not a good place to be... by seeing posts on this forum I'm seeing that people use this place to get better and therefore sometimes succeed, haven't seen any posts about people getting insta successes.I think someone had about 40 forwards without a callback somewhere, gonna look for it..

[hummingbird]

There is no point in "following up" forwards. They will contact you if and when they are ready to move forward. They simply don't want to talk to you until they've established that they are interested in the potential of your music to make them money. I've seen several cases - and just recently had one myself - where the contact was a year after the Forward.As to making money, even if you sign a deal today for a piece of music, expect that will take a year (or more) to see any money from the deal. Unless there is some upfront mechancial licencing or synch licencing, the rest will be paid via your PRO about 9 months from the time of use.The good news is that you are getting forwards - and although it might not seem that way to you -- many Taxi members aspire to get to that point. It means your music is commercially vaible and that it will find a home. Everyone above already said most of what I want to say about this... watch the Matt Hirt videos, think long term strategy, keep working inside and outside of Taxi to grow your network and pitch your music.

[davewalton]

Quote: Anyway, I was under the impression that a forward from Taxi was worth more than sending out discs myself. It is and here's why. Taxi isn't taking our music and then just doing mass mailing to labels, publishers, and libraries. The listings are specific invitations to submit from companies that are looking for the music. These people/companies are (a) saying they're needing music and (b) they're saying specifically what kind of music they want. When I send music to publishers and libraries outside of Taxi, generally I don't have that kind of information. Still, I think that getting a deal for a focused, targeted listing is harder than getting a deal for no real purpose other than "they'll take the song".Quote:I want to make it clear that I am not complaining here, just tying to figure out my best strategy moving forward. That's a good, fair question and I've changed my "Taxi strategy" over the years as a result of being in that situation. I used to submit to everything under the sun. Now, I submit to only a handful of listings each month. The criteria for me now is either (a) cream of the crop listing, something I'd never be able to submit to or gain access to on my own, (b) a listing that is right up my ally and where I know my chances are nearly 100% for a forward, that I have a strong chance to get the final result and lately (c) listings where I can pair up and collaborate with another Taxi member, someone who does different music than I do, something where I can learn and expand my horizons. The last one is something recent but it's given me another perspective and a fresh attitude.In short, I have what I call "outside of Taxi" opportunities and "inside of Taxi" opportunities. I find a lot of stuff on my own as well as things through Taxi and various other sources. I try not to exclude too many things. Of all the things I do, Taxi would be the last thing I'd drop (me, personally). I ultimately narrowed my Taxi focus down a little tighter, that improved the "Taxi budget" as well as the success rate. It helps to make me a long-term successful Taxi person as opposed to a short-term burned out Taxi guy. The latter is easy to do for lots of reasons and probably you're feeling a little bit of that. Understandable and it was the reason why I left briefly at one point. Glad I'm back though.HTH,Dave