Been in Biz for 30 years. Dissapointed in Taxi.

[Casey H]

I think this quote (or paraphrase) is from Dave Walton...

"Nobody ever calls the screener an idiot when he/she FORWARDS your song"...

What I've learned these past few years is:

* No system in the world is 100% perfect but some are pretty damn good.
* When you get to the point whereby no ONE submission means that much, you are finally 'getting' it.

I've had a few "head scratchers" like everyone else. I've gotten much better at 'shaking it off' and moving on. And don't forget that a piece you write for a Taxi listing that gets returned is still one more piece in your arsenal for the future, both inside and outside of Taxi.

Casey

[sedge]

* was nothing negative here, just dipping out of conversations like this from now on / doesn't appear to help / bit of a waste of time

[Kelil]

Well I'd have to admit I've heard a few people ( not complaints or calling the screener an idiot but close enough ) who said that they had forwards on listings that were no where near in the ballpark for the referenced artists in the listings and yet got forwarded.

There are always positive and negatives to being a member of taxi and submitting music for me.

The positives have been that when I first joined ( many others have said this ) I got a return after return on my tunes because I'm a baby in the music industry and dont know what it takes to get my music forwarded. So....Taxi's critiques custom and official ones from the returns really helped me. I took ever single piece of the screeners advice with my song ''She Blew Me Away'' then came back with it and got 9's and 8's on custom. screener was impressed with sound but had little praise for anything else. Then I submitted it for official listing and the screener who forwarded it gave it a 10/10 and said he wouldnt change a thing.

I remember one return I got with it and the reason was my lyric ''smile could light the bulb of a Christmas tree''. he said it was too generic and overused...que the biggest laugh of my life followed by rage and upsetness. lol. I googled it and absolutely nobody has ever said that lyric in a POEM let alone a song. So you do get the knit picky ones.

But since taking their advice on my first initial acoustic demo of the song I've had 6 forwards with it since the summer. 4 of which all came back in two weeks.

Ya just never know with the screeners. I still love taxi as it gives me so much more that forwards and returns and I wouldnt take my music anywhere else to be honest.

Stephen

[Hookjaw Brown]

It isn't just the screeners who listen to our music. On an episode of Taxi TV, Michael mentioned us by saying that "if a song is a yard long, Hook Jaw Brown's music is just two inches short of being great". I have found that world wide, our music is in the top 7% and we need to get it into the top 5% to "make" it. That 2% increase in quality is tough to do!

On another episode of Taxi TV, Bret Anderson (singer for The Donnas) was interviewed by Michael on her background and how it was to use her background in the screening process. Shortly thereafter was a listing using as the "a la" The Donnas... I asked why the music editor just didn't contact Ms Anderson for a piece. Michael replied that since Ms Anderson was an employee of Taxi she was not allowed to pitch her own music to the customers of Taxi.

It is a very convoluted world out there. T & V have a wealth of experience. Pay close attention to their comments.

[Nigmatic]

This has been an interesting read.

My neighbor, whose last album was produced by a Grammy winning producer, and mixed by a Grammy winning engineer who's worked with Aerosmith and ACDC, had a song returned because the mix sounded amateur (or something like that).

He, of course, is assuming they didn't even listen to it. I also think that particular situation smells fishy.

In any case, I am relatively new to Taxi, so I'll reserve judgement until I've experienced more of the interaction.

How did you maintain your composure when your neighbor told you that?

I must have missed your joke. Honestly, I don't understand what you're implying.

[shoodBworkin]

After receiving several critiques that were just silly, contradictory, and a few that were flat-out absurd I came to accept that TAXI screeners' opinions are no more 'informed' than our own. Further, I doubt the screeners enjoy critiquing stuff, so I stopped ticking the 'critique' box. I accept the forward or return as is. I'll tell you, it's done wonders for my blood pressure lol . . . just my two cents

[davewalton]

I came to accept that TAXI screeners' opinions are no more 'informed' than our own.

Huh... so why do the listing companies (including all the major labels) do repeat business with Taxi? They don't know the difference either between good and bad music?

[shoodBworkin]

Well, I'd have to conduct tedious research to ascertain whether or not "ALL" the major labels do business with TAXI but regardless, I'm of the opinion that if you and I were screeners those listing companies would still be doing business with TAXI.

[sedge]

I'm of the opinion that if you and I were screeners those listing companies would still be doing business with TAXI

who cares whether this is true or false. Taxi is about introductions first of all.

Beats hitchiking, sleeping rough ,busking and living off pancakes like many of us used too!

Now we busk online

Just another perspective....

[Eric Bolvin]

Would be interesting to know many companies are there that do run listings?
Of course we only get the name of the company when we are forwarded. I've been forwarded numerous times to the same 4 or 5 companies.
Some I've had contact with, others not. In fact I just got 3 forwards to a company that I'm signed with already. A waste of time and my money.
I understand the need for some anonymity, but perhaps there could be a way with the new Taxi that you avoid submitting to companies that you are already working with or were rejected by or don't want to work with. Perhaps each user has a list and if the listing matches a name on the list, then it is not submitted or charged.

Eb