Billboard Charts # 8

[deankripp]

This is for those of you who have not yet taken the Taxi leap.So, here’s the deal… My deal – if you will. You [me] join Taxi some years ago and you submit a song here and there and don’t get much action but the critiques seem helpful. After a year or so you get a forward or two but no calls from the biz types. Another year goes by and you read some of Laskow’s articles on “work ethic” and wonder if maybe you should make a plan to pursue writing and recording more diligently. You wonder about it for another year. You finally make yourself a daily writing plan. You get busy. You start submitting tunes on a more regular basis, reading the critiques more carefully. You begin to study the nuances of popular songwriting and producing. You upgrade your gear. You work on the stuff that you are learning. After a few more forwards, a few music libraries start contacting you. You sign some songs and then you sign some more songs. You keep working. One of the music libraries gets one of your songs in a network show and then another. You go back and work even harder thinking to yourself “I may actually be able to build a career out of this stuff.”A year later some nice ASCAP royalty checks start coming – every three months. You get a dozen more network placements. You keep writing, you keep recording, you keep producing and submitting songs to appropriate Taxi pitches and also to the seven libraries that you now have deals with. You get excited because one library contracts you to do an entire CD of music – and then another. You decide to go to the 2006 Road Rally. It is the coolest party you’ve been to in years and as a bonus you learn a lot of stuff and make some new friends. You vow to yourself that you will attend Taxi’s Road Rally’s forever.Then one day about a year ago you get a call from a publisher whom you were Taxi-Forwarded to. He is interested in some of your pop/soul songs. You and the publisher come to an agreement. The publisher starts pitching and asks you for more songs. You resist the urge to daydream about a publisher actually liking your music and asking for more tunes. You get back to work and try to come up with more songs that the publisher will like. You send him more stuff. The publisher calls and has “holds” on three of your songs. Time passes. The publisher calls back again one day and says that one of your songs “Do your thing” has been recorded by a new Universal artist in Germany.You learn that her name is Stefanie Heinzmann. You find out that Stefanie’s CD which was released March 7th made its debut at # 8 on Billboard’s European Top 100 Charts. (# 1 in Switzerland, # 3 in Germany and # 3 in Austria) You go online to print off a copy of the Billboard Charts. You smile, you jump up and down and “Hi-5” the air.Then you realize that you are just an aging musician living in Seattle and that you owe a great deal of this (and these) successes to Taxi. You decide to share your story on the Taxi boards thinking that others might be encouraged by it. You hope that you are not sharing your story just to brag ;-)You want to soak in the moment a little longer but then you remember how you got here. You’d rather daydream but you decide to get back to work.In a nutshell - Taxi Rocks!Dean k

[mazz]

Awesome story!! Very inspiring Dean!! Congrats on the fantastic success, very very cool!Now get back to work! Very happy for you!Mazz

[ibanez468]

Hey Dean,That's awesome news dude! (High 5'ing the air right now). Congratulations on the success! That's a great story, and a very nice turn of events! COOL! More success to ya' my man.I-468

[hummingbird]

well that's just about the coolest story I've heard. One thing that is very very clear from all the success stories posted, including yours, is the work ethic, the willingness to listen, to keep composing, keep trying. Slowly building on your success over the long term does pay off. Kudos, and congratulations to you!!!

[kg]

Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing. Successes like yours are the very reason, I keep writing, learning, pushing and pursuing. Congratulations on your well-deserved and earned success! Here's another High 5

[bombaycharlie1]

Wow Dean...that's awesome...congrats on the hard work and perserverence. The payoff is well deservedCharlie

[elser]

That's really great. And a really cool way to tell the story. Here's to your continuing success.Elser

[keithl]

that is a great story!!congrats to you...you definitely earned it!

[ncc1701]

Amazing.I think every one of us should print out your post and tape it to our studio wall. And our refrigerator, and our bathroom mirror ...Thanks for reminding us that perseverence is undoubtedly the key to success in this pursuit. And that it CAN actually happen!!!Tons of congratulations to you, Dean. What an inspiration!Kathleen

[Casey H]

That's FANTASTIC Dean... Major congrats. This is what just about everyone here dreams about-- writing one that lands on the charts. Casey