DENIED

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jakechec
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DENIED

Post by jakechec » Tue Jul 15, 2008 6:20 am

Ok, so this taxi thing is new to me and I thought lets give it a go. I saw a listing which was geared very closely (or so I thought) to some music which I had sitting in the studio. Here was the listing:DANCE/ELECTRONICA SONGS and INSTRUMENTALS are needed by an East Coast Advertising Agency for major ad/commercial campaigns. They're looking for mostly songs with vocals (male or female), but great instrumentals will be considered as well. Lyric tone should be positive, about having fun/partying/romance/adventure/excitement/etc. Tempos should be mid to up and the overall vibe should fit perfectly into a club scene. Broadcast quality is absolutely necessary for this one, but full tracks are acceptable as the edits will be made by the ad agency studio. Something different and unique will definitely catch the ear of the producers and set you apart from the rest.The three tracks we submitted wereALIVEhttp://www.taximusic.com/song.php?song_id=1369 ... eam=trueOn My Wayhttp://www.taximusic.com/song.php?song_id=137542&stream=trueAl three were denied, I thought at least one would get a fwd. Constructive criticism, words of the wise pleeeeeeease...

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Re: DENIED

Post by hummingbird » Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:17 am

ALIVEhttp://www.taximusic.com/song.php?song_id=136911&stream=true- altho this has a techno groove it comes across as a rock song. Intro is :33, song is 6:37. Mix feels a little muddy to me.REVOLUTIONhttp://www.taximusic.com/song.php?song_id=1375 ... am=true:30 second intro and sounds like rock to me. On My Wayhttp://www.taximusic.com/song.php?song_id=137542&stream=trueas soon as it started to play I thought "rock" & I don't hear anything electronica in it.these are nice tracks, but they are not electronica. Most importantly, you need to read the listing and think about where they would use the song. In this case, it's for an ad agency. In "Alive" the best part for advertising might be that part at 4 minutes in with the "I feel free" but they aren't going to listen for that long to hear it. If it was me, I'd start the song with that part, with very little underneath it, and grow into the rest.These feel like cuts for an indie rock album
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Re: DENIED

Post by vicky » Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:24 am

Hey there again...I don't know much about your set-up, but I've been able to take songs that have genre issues, and rework them pretty easily.....If you can go in and change a few things (guitar sound...turn it into a loop with different effects, for example, less is more) and emulate the breaks in drum stuff from an electronica you like, and change the vocal sound....less edge....you're there..... Quote:merging dance and rock. I can appreciate this, but rock is a tough merge since it's an institution at this point good luck,vtbp

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Re: DENIED

Post by jakechec » Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:44 am

Jul 15, 2008, 11:17am, hummingbird wrote:. In this case, it's for an ad agency. In "Alive" the best part for advertising might be that part at 4 minutes in with the "I feel free" but they aren't going to listen for that long to hear it. If it was me, I'd start the song with that part, with very little underneath it, and grow into the rest.These feel like cuts for an indie rock album Ok, so your telling me the taxi a&r reps don't even scroll through the song, they will only listen to the first few bars and make a decision?? I knew this was for a ad agency and they would only use 30-60 sec clip, so I figured sending the whole song would be best so they can pick..So since all these sound more rockish than danceish, should I be submitting to Rock/pop listings?

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Re: DENIED

Post by hummingbird » Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:30 am

Jul 15, 2008, 11:44am, jakechec wrote:Jul 15, 2008, 11:17am, hummingbird wrote:. In this case, it's for an ad agency. In "Alive" the best part for advertising might be that part at 4 minutes in with the "I feel free" but they aren't going to listen for that long to hear it. If it was me, I'd start the song with that part, with very little underneath it, and grow into the rest.These feel like cuts for an indie rock album Ok, so your telling me the taxi a&r reps don't even scroll through the song, they will only listen to the first few bars and make a decision?? I knew this was for a ad agency and they would only use 30-60 sec clip, so I figured sending the whole song would be best so they can pick..So since all these sound more rockish than danceish, should I be submitting to Rock/pop listings?SCREENERS listen to the whole song. A&R reps MIGHT, if they like what they hear, give you a verse & a chorus. In this case, as they are looking for electronica, A&R reps might give it a minute but when they hear rock, move on. You got to nail it fast. In film/tv the mood has to be set from the outset. "Alive" was closest but doesn't hit it squarely either.My major point was & is you are off target for the listing. Suggest you try submitting same tracks to rock listings. Do I think 30secs is too long an intro for a song? unless it does something very interesting, yes I do. all IMHO of course.
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Re: DENIED

Post by allends » Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:40 am

Jul 15, 2008, 11:44am, jakechec wrote:Ok, so your telling me the taxi a&r reps don't even scroll through the song, they will only listen to the first few bars and make a decision??Jul 15, 2008, 11:44am, jakechec wrote:what a kick in the balls!! LMAOOK, so you're telling me you're a guy with bruised balls and you lost your ass in a laughing fit? Boy, am I glad to be me today!! Seriously... you know you have some strong tracks here. I'll bet that adds to the frustration factor! The way I read the listing, it sounds like the bar was set high so don't let it get you down.I don't have inside info on Taxi procedures but I understand that screeners are obligated to listen to the whole track, but you'll have some strikes against your chances to score a hit if your track doesn't target the listing from the get-go.My 2 Cents,Al

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Re: DENIED

Post by davewalton » Tue Jul 15, 2008 10:03 am

Jul 15, 2008, 12:48pm, vicky wrote:I need to nip this now....just saying..."if I was a screener I wouldn't listen to it all the way through (good I'm not)"Dave thanks for the info..vtbpMy post dutifully edited to reflect that.

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Re: DENIED

Post by davewalton » Tue Jul 15, 2008 11:29 am

Jul 15, 2008, 2:21pm, billg wrote:"Screeners listen to the songs AT LEAST up to the bridge." I remember this point being made before, it's when I decided I wouldn't write any more bridges into my songs. If they start only listening up to the chorus my songs are really gonna get boring.Moral of the story... don't start your song with the bridge.

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Re: DENIED

Post by liamkelly » Tue Jul 15, 2008 11:48 am

Jul 15, 2008, 2:29pm, davewalton wrote:Moral of the story... don't start your song with the bridge. LOL And make your verses and choruses VERY long...

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Re: DENIED

Post by squids » Tue Jul 15, 2008 2:06 pm

Also, make sure you don't get to the chorus before 4 minutes! That's always worked fo me.

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