clones not talent

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chillious
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clones not talent

Post by chillious » Mon Aug 15, 2005 2:49 pm

It's quite clear to myself and many others this simple fact about Taxi:Taxi does NOT look for talent, they look for clones. Do you sound like someone else? You'll get forwarded regardless of talent. Do you have talent yet have your own sound? You won't get forwarded. Taxi is seeking clones, not talent.

chip
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Re: clones not talent

Post by chip » Thu Aug 18, 2005 3:48 pm

I'm very, very new at this, and I get where you're coming from. I write country/folk music, more in the Bob Dylan/Willie Nelson vein than anything on country radio. (I'm in no way comparing myself to them, I'm just saying that I tend to be dense -- too dense, perhaps -- in my lyrical imagery like Dylan and I like Willie's approach to chord structure and melodic twists.)I think Taxi is looking for hits, and for better or for worse, hits sound a lot alike. Alan Jackson comes out with 5 O'Clock Somewhere and a dozen other guys follow suit. I don't think Taxi claims otherwise -- Dylan's songs would probably get rejected by Taxi and, you know what, he's a genius but he hasn't had a whole lot of hits in his 45-year career.If you have your own sound, the way to go is probably to figure out how to market yourself. I'm still working on that one. In the meantime, I submit my songs to Taxi with a grain of salt. I think my songs are original and I'm proud of them, and if a reviewer tells me to do a little of this or that, either I will or I won't. Either way, life goes on and I still like the way I sound when I play and sing. And I know others do too. I just may never get rich making music, but that's ok too. My wife likes to listen to me.Taxi, like everything else in life, is a learning experience and you can either accept the lesson or not. I think you're onto something, but writing a hit -- even a soundalike -- takes some talent. Bob Seger wrote Night Moves after he heard Springsteen's Born to Run. Same idea -- innocence lost -- two very cool songs.

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Re: clones not talent

Post by bobc » Thu Aug 18, 2005 4:23 pm

Quote:I think my songs are original and I'm proud of them, and if a reviewer tells me to do a little of this or that, either I will or I won't. Either way, life goes on and I still like the way I sound when I play and sing. And I know others do too. I just may never get rich making music, but that's ok too. My wife likes to listen to me.Hey Chip That's a healthy attitude. Keep it I guess a lot of folks forget, that although talent is certainly somwhat involved in getting forwarded and eventually signed..what is going to make the deal is the marketing and potential sales. Is the material on target, in every way for the listing? If the listing calls for Led Zep, don't submit the Carpenters. If the folks in high places, who are putting up the bucks don't think they're going to get a return on their investment...why bother. From a screener's standpoint. If the screener continually submits material to a buyer knowing the material is not what the buyer wants...how long will TAXI want to keep that screener around? Money, not art is what rules the commercial music business. What kind of product are we selling with our music and to what audience? Don't try to convince a guy who wants a long neck that he should really have some nice fresh buttermilk instead. (Now that would take some real talent) Bob

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Re: clones not talent

Post by andyshelton » Fri Aug 19, 2005 4:32 am

chip wrote: "Dylan's songs would probably get rejected by Taxi and, you know what, he's a genius but he hasn't had a whole lot of hits in his 45-year career."I wonder who has made more money, Dylan or Timberlake?Any guesses?Andywww.andyshelton.com

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Re: clones not talent

Post by brandondrury » Wed Aug 31, 2005 6:46 pm

Speaking of rock terms, I think back to the Nirvana / grunge takeover of the early 90s. Who on earth would have put money up for Nirvana to record a major label record? I certainly would not have. Listen to their first record, Bleach. While it has it's merits, it has no commercial potential.Yes, through some miracle all the planets lined up and their record sells an enormous amount. It's just the lottery. Everyone calls them geniuses. If fate would have been a microsecond different, everyone would have been calling Nirvana a bunch of bums who need to get jobs.I'd be careful how I would use the genius word. I think the same analogy goes to Bob Dylan. Genius? Maybe, but we are talking about $$. Give the people what they want.Brandon

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Re: clones not talent

Post by bunyip » Mon Oct 17, 2005 5:10 am

I Agree its people power,npt just what the industry wants,If you get College airplay and the kids love it.or a good Rep hears it and takes a chance ....its no pipe dream it has and will happen again.I recon the internet will change alot of of this clone mongering corperate moneygrabbing biz."Build it and they will come Viva la Revlolution!!!

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Re: clones not talent

Post by bunyip » Mon Oct 17, 2005 5:10 am

I Agree its people power,not just what the industry wants,If you get College airplay and the kids love it.or a good Rep hears it and takes a chance ....its no pipe dream it has and will happen again.I recon the internet will change alot of of this clone mongering corperate moneygrabbing biz."Build it and they will come Viva la Revlolution!!!

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Re: clones not talent

Post by gregor » Thu Apr 27, 2006 4:52 am

From a cultural standpoint, I think the suits do a lot of damage in terms of inhibiting a creative atmosphere when it comes to popular music. Thank God the internet is here and real artists have a way for for their music to at least have a chance to get heard by the masses. In the end, I think the world of corporate cookie-cutter music will choke to death on its own greed and the public will once again have a chance to choose what they really like to listen to rather than what the suits are pushing down their throats via payola and media market control.

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Re: clones not talent

Post by thedivys » Fri Aug 18, 2006 11:19 am

Sorry but i'm going to have to disagree with you opinion.We are a very new wave band. As we like to label ourselves:The Reincarnation of New Wave.We get alot of slack for 'living in the past'.Nobody says that to blues, jazz or classical musicians.Any, my point is, there is no 'sounds like new wave' section on taxi.they have rap, rock, classical, etc but not new wave.Yet somehow, by really thinking about it, we've had 11 submissions forwarded within 9 months. I think we're doing something right.hang in there and just think more about the listing and your songs sound.

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Re: clones not talent

Post by stoneman » Wed Oct 11, 2006 8:05 am

[/quote]If the folks in high places, who are putting up the bucks don't think they're going to get a return on their investment...why bother. From a screener's standpoint. If the screener continually submits material to a buyer knowing the material is not what the buyer wants...how long will TAXI want to keep that screener around? Money, not art is what rules the commercial music business. What kind of product are we selling with our music and to what audience? Bob [/quote]I think Bobc is right on point with this one. The main of objective for music business exec's is to make money. So, they examine material that has made money and look for similar songs because they know a similar song or group has a higher chance of making money. Art has no bearing on this. Most music exec's can't play or sing a lick. But they know how to run a business and make it profitable. Turning a profit is always at least partially tied to the marketability of the product. In this case the product is music, bands, artists etc. Taxi is simply feeding these exec's with the kind of product that gets requested. As a servant of the industry, they must serve the industries needs. This practice is prevalent in most genre's with the exception of genres like Jazz and classical. For these two, there is one basic format that has remained the same for many years. However, the sales numbers for those genre's pale in comparison to the others. Rap, Hip-Hop, Rock, Pop are all driven by the flavor of the season. Usher's or Beyonce's album goes double platinum and every trade listing that I use(Songlink, Taxi, Bandit etc) has listings looking for artists and music that sound like Usher or Beyonce. The entire entertainment industry is this way. "Housewives", "Survivor" or "the 4400" generate large revenues and every network starts working on similar shows. It is the nature of the beast called entertainment to sub-clone proven successful ventures. Our objective as artists is to learn how to be original but similar to what is already a proven hit. However, every now and then someone is bold enough to do something so different that it becomes the new norm. I saw this in the 60's/70's with Hendrix, Elvis, The Beatles. Each had their on mini musical revolution that became the consensus sound of their day. Other bands came along and took certain key elements of their style and then added their own personal take on it. Were they clones? No, a clone is supposed to be "exactly alike". They were hybrids of what had already been done. Later, because of the hybrids success, others became hybrids of the hybrids. Each taking a little bit and adding their own. Eventually, so many hybrids of the original brings us a whole new genre altogether. Any hybrid that doesn't make money is forgotten quickly. Mass appeal is at the center of every successful recording or act. What better way to Gage mass appeal than to examine what has been previously successful and pattern your product releases to that format. Taxi is simply the middle man. They must provide the kind of products that the powers that be are looking for. Otherwise, they to will be quickly forgotten.Stoneman
Small minds make big mistakes.

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