8 Forwards No Call backs OR Placements..Wheres the light?

[KRP]

Hey Guys,
I'm 6 months into my membership. I have at least 50 submissions and only 8 forwards. I'm trying to stay encouraged but I keep seeing all these wonderful post about people getting forwarded and receiving call backs within days if not a few weeks after being forwarded and I'm just looking around like " Hello, am I the problem in America?" I can admit my first forward I was geeked aka super excited (for the non slang users among us) then the 2nd one came and so on. But No calls, no happy dances, no new exciting conversations to share in regards just me looking at my bank statements like hmmmm.. Should we eat or spend another $5 for a possible lottery ticket at taxi? Excuse me, sometimes my sarcasm overrides my disappointments. I'm in it to win it, just trying to get some encouragement from anyone else who has been through this same path but finally saw some light at the end of the tunnel..SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME THERE'S LIGHT AT THE END OF THIS TUNNEL!

Sincerely,

A Frustrated Rap Princess.

[cosmicdolphin]

SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME THERE'S LIGHT AT THE END OF THIS TUNNEL!

There is..but it's a reeeaaally long tunnel...and a small amount of light initally

I think it took around 20-30 forwards for each Library contact for me. It's not an exact science though..Michael mentions a guy who had a couple of hundred forwards and no deals but it turned out they were all Drone tracks..So YMMV considerably depending on what you are making and who it's being forwarded to. That's why we say the mantra : Write - Submit - Forget - Repeat

16% forward rate is not terrible but the most successful folks seem to be up around 50%+ - Ask yourself if you are using all the resources available to get your music up to par. I.e.

Have you tried using the forums to get feedback on your tracks..there are some really great producers in all styles on here that can give you some free objective advice

Do you load reference tracks into you DAW to A/B against when you are creating your music

Have you broken down a reference track by writing out all the elements that make it tick ? i.e. stucture / sounds / playing style / emotion

Did you read any of the reccommeded books by people like Dean Krippaehne - Robin Fredericks etc

If it's any consolation my first track that earned a placement was writen 18 months into my Taxi membership...was signed by a Library 6 months after I wrote it , and about a year after it aired paid £9 in royalites..but this is par for the course.

Mark

[ResonantTone]

I'll second what Mark said. The biggest challenge at first is staying focused on honing your craft, creating exceptional music for the listings, and just keep submitting. The forwards will come! It's a long tunnel for sure, and the light is very small to start... but the good things is that if you can pickup up momentum and stick with it, it gets bigger and brighter.

When I started submitting to listings, I was getting a decent amount of forwards, but it felt like I was sinking in a lot of money for all the listings. Felt a little bit like a waste, but now looking back it was exactly what I needed to do in order to build some relationships with some great libraries. Now that I have those relationships in place, I don't submit nearly as many songs since I am working directly with the libraries.

Think of every $5 as an investment in a future relationship that is necessary to get your stuff placed. The more you invest in the right opportunities and have the right product, the better your chances of having something good come from it!

Andrew

[KRP]

Thankyou for taking time to shed some light in my time of darkness. I'm sure we all have been there as indies but man I was losing it for a second but I'm still ready to rock n roll ,just needed a little confirmation that I wasnt crazy I guess. I appreciate your kind words and wisdom.

[KRP]

SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME THERE'S LIGHT AT THE END OF THIS TUNNEL!

There is..but it's a reeeaaally long tunnel...and a small amount of light initally

I think it took around 20-30 forwards for each Library contact for me. It's not an exact science though..Michael mentions a guy who had a couple of hundred forwards and no deals but it turned out they were all Drone tracks..So YMMV considerably depending on what you are making and who it's being forwarded to. That's why we say the mantra : Write - Submit - Forget - Repeat

16% forward rate is not terrible but the most successful folks seem to be up around 50%+ - Ask yourself if you are using all the resources available to get your music up to par. I.e.

Have you tried using the forums to get feedback on your tracks..there are some really great producers in all styles on here that can give you some free objective advice

Do you load reference tracks into you DAW to A/B against when you are creating your music

Have you broken down a reference track by writing out all the elements that make it tick ? i.e. stucture / sounds / playing style / emotion

Did you read any of the reccommeded books by people like Dean Krippaehne - Robin Fredericks etc

If it's any consolation my first track that earned a placement was writen 18 months into my Taxi membership...was signed by a Library 6 months after I wrote it , and about a year after it aired paid £9 in royalites..but this is par for the course.

Mark

Mos def will be taking some of your advice , main thing i'm taking away from this is stick with it and keep writing so i must get back to it, thanks again Mark!

[cosmicdolphin]

Mos def will be taking some of your advice , main thing i'm taking away from this is stick with it and keep writing so i must get back to it, thanks again Mark!

Yeah great attitude..post us some of your music

[songmaster]

I agree with Andrew. It is much better to submit your music to some libraries to have a better chance at having your music used. Once you get in with one, they will more readily accept other stuff from you as you build a relationship with them. I have had many forwards over the years and I have not heard back from any. I know your frustration and that is why I keep sending material to libraries as well. Hope that helps.

Tom

[KRP]

Mos def will be taking some of your advice , main thing i'm taking away from this is stick with it and keep writing so i must get back to it, thanks again Mark!

Yeah great attitude..post us some of your music

Here's one that I have at least 3 forwards for called ISSA VIBE
https://soundcloud.com/kiarapprincess/k ... -issa-vibe

[ttully]

Well....
Just to put you in your place
I once had a string of 160 forwards without a call from anyone! (not even my mom) ha!!!


Now git back to work, (yes I said git)

Tim

[DannyWeber]

My first deal came about 3 years after joining and exactly on the 38th track that was forwarded by TAXI.

It's important not to give up! If your music is great, it will happen (but that's no guarantee).. if it's not there yet you'll know it from the critiques you get from Screeners and here on these Forums.

The latter means you should learn all you can from everything TAXI has to offer before packing it in! 8 is great but odds are, it will take more than that many to have a track in the right place at the right time.


Dan