Different Day, Different Genre, Taxi Help!!

[singer1]

I find it almost humorous at this point that different screeners will take the same song and re-categorize it, depending on their background. I've had a song, " What I See" ,categorized as too country for a pop listing; I've had it sent back as too Singer-songwriter to be country; now it's been sent back as not singer-songwriter.
People, people!! Can you guys maybe have a powwow on these genres. According to all of you, this song HAS NO GENRE. This is but one song. I've had this blessing bestowed to me on many occasions, with numerous songs.
Custom critique probably would not help, unless that screener is the one that then screens this track for a listing that he, or she would suggest.
I think Casey once said he thought it maybe slightly AC. I've covered everything but Urban/Rap. Could we PLEASE, have a discourse on Taxi T.V., on what genres are what?? I really don't think you will have 3 screeners agree on genre. I haven't! D.B.

... the only race we're in, is the human race...
www.taxi.com/davebradley
www.reverbnation.com/THEdavebradley

[moomy]

Your best bet would probably be to listen to a lot of the A Las in all the above categories and figure out why your song isn't in the category of each. Personally I hear country in the vocal and some of the guitar, pop in the production and mostly adult contemporary which is an easier bucket if your music is a mixture of styles. But that's just a listener opinion - not a bonafide musician here.

[Kevm]

I also find it humorous, I've had a different opinion on genre from every screener pretty much, I laugh every time I get a return that says this sounds more like blahblahblah when in fact the last return I got said the same thing only a completely different artist. If it's not the genre, it's the subgenre. I've had my stuff not fit into like subgenres that I didn't even know they were going for. It's electronic, but too much like depeche mode and not enough like blahblah. IMO it's like me, and that's the only person I write for.

99% of listings seem to pretty much be for people who want to target listings, I imagine if you can work quickly and efficiently and know your stuff you could find listings listen to the a la's and cater to that, that seems to be the only way I see much success through taxi, beyond luckily getting a screener who agrees with you on where your stuff falls categorically.

I'm also assuming they listen to the music on nice headphones, because I've had numerous really really small things (not pop, not looking for a flawless recording, can have a note or two that isn't perfect/autotuned..) get nitpicked that 95% of people wouldn't hear or ever care about or notice because they aren't listening to it on HQ headphones. I don't know if some people get that.

I honestly believe they could open up their business model and it'd be really beneficial, seems to me like their customers are more the people making the listings, personally if I were able to get even a little somewhere through taxi I would certainly be on a soap box about them. I understand their logic on making the listings so narrow, being very stringent, etc. but there's a point to take it, and they have taken it waaay too far IMO. But I could be totally wrong, maybe there's a ton of talent finding success through taxi and I'm simply not talented and it has nothing to do with taxi. Maybe It really is a cool theory to centralize licensing people/publishers/etc to then have a base of people who can just submit to it, I just think it needs a little opening up.

Which came first the chicken or the egg? Well, I'll tell you this much, the music came before the genre!

[moomy]

So - someone is listening to your questions....
You may have not seen this email yet.

"Want to know what "contemporary" means and how to make your music more competitive in today's market? Let's figure it out!....
I'll also do my best to cover any other questions you might have. All I ask is that you email them to us in advance because the questions often fly by WAY too fast for me to grab them from the chat during the show.
Email your questions to TAXI_Music@TAXI.com, no later than 3pm (PDT) today, and I'll do my best to answer as many as I can.
See you at 4pm (PDT) / 7pm (EDT) TODAY!!!
Click this link to watch the live show:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/music-marketing-online

Warm regards,

Michael"

[singer1]

Thanks Moomy. The country/ Pop thing eh? A/C eh? I will try both. Yes, I did see. Will try that as well. Take care... D.B.

... the only race we're in, is the human race... D.B.

http://www.taxi.com/davebradley
http://www.reverbnation.com/THEdavebradley