First Forward Ever, Sports!

[happyron]

FIRST TAXI FORWARD! Last second update: I just got my first “forward” on Taxi, this means the organization deemed it good enough to be sent on to the “big shots” looking for music. I was very surprised, it was a sports listing looking for an instrumental so I submitted “Don’t Stop Playin.” I felt the song really loses something without the words and the backing vocals, but the screener felt it “was a unique rock submission… I'm going to say yes. I'm not sure exactly which sport this would be good for, but this colorful music is well executed and your chorus is a hoot… I just like this... that's going to be 'nuff said” On recording quality said “sounds good” and gave it an 8 out out of 10 in every category. The listing I submitted to was: S081020TVSPORTS INSTRUMENTALS that range from NFL, NBA, Fox Sports, ESPN, etc. theme songs to Extreme Sports/X-Games tracks are needed by a Production Music Library. For this one, you can submit material in a wide range of approaches but the energy level must be high and the adrenaline behind the music must be current-sounding, compelling & marketable. This company needs a wide variety of material that could be appropriate for a Major Network Sports special, as well as material that could rise to the energy of the edgy/adrenaline-pumping X-Games. Everything from high-energy/cutting edge Orchestral/Rock blends to Pop/Punk to Hard Rock to Electronica could work. For this listing, the overall tone and the level of the performance/production are the key factors. The energy must be high! This is a Broadcast Quality listing (great home recordings should be fine). Please submit one to three instrumentals online or per CD. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by TAXI and must be received by October 20, 2008. TAXI #S081020TVHAPPYRON ON TAXI.COM People have been asking me a lot about TAXI.COM and I thought I’d share my thoughts on it. TAXI.COM is an organization designed to help people who are looking for music to connect with people who make music. They publish listings from people looking for usually very specific types of music. Musicians submit their music, then Taxi screens them, and if they think they are good enough AND match what is being asked for they “forward” them to the person looking for the music. Otherwise they “return” them to the musician, sometimes with a critique of why the music wasn’t “good enough” or didn’t match the listing. From what I’ve heard more then 90% of music is returned. It costs $300 a year to join Taxi, $200 for following years. It also costs $5 per submission. On the negative side, this creates a situation where a lot of people (like everything else in the music industry) are disappointed. You pay money to an organization; they reject your music (fairly or unfairly) and don’t send it on to the people who want it. I’ve heard that more then 90% of the time this is what happens. If they return your music they often with give a critique of why they did so. If they do forward it and it ends up being not being used by the person they forward it to. I imagine more then 90% of the music that is forwarded doesn’t get used either, as whomever gets it probably has a lot to chose from. On the positive side you can ask yourself “what is it I can do to be one of those few people who are forwarded and one of the even fewer who music is used.” The first answer to have great music, recorded very well. If it ain’t great it won’t get forwarded, period. Taxi states clearly that part of the service they offer is to people looking for music is to screen everything so that only the best is offered to them. The 2nd key to getting your music forwarded is to make sure your music matches what is being looked for. Remarkably more then half of the music people submit songs (which may be great) to listings doesn’t match what is being looked for. People submit original songs to listings for “cover songs.” If there is a person looking for “Garth Brooks” type music I obviously wouldn’t submit my song “D##kless Wonder” cause Garth wouldn’t touch it (pardon the pun). This cuts to the core of what so many people’s issue is with the music industry: they looking for a generalized “success” but don’t know how to separate themselves from their music and ask “where does my music fit, who specifically would want this music”. I believe that any music that is great has a place out their somewhere for it, and taxi is ONE WAY to potentially reach that place. Looking back, mostly I learned something from the “returns”, either my early demos simply weren’t good enough, or my later stuff was good enough but didn’t match closely enough. The one critique I got was for my quirky song “Pitter Patter” which said it was “cool” but was more of a “kids song” rather then and “Adult Contemporary ” song which is what the listing was for. This made since to me. On the negative side, I did get THREE songs returned for a listing for “quirky high energy punk song” which I felt my song were perfect for obviously. No critique was given on those. So why am I Happy Taxi Member, well one reason really: THE TAXI ROAD RALLY. This is a once a year meeting that comes free as part of your yearly membership dues and to me makes the membership worth it. Similar conferences are held every year and are usually MORE expensive and not as good as this one. It includes classes on every aspect of music and the business: songwriting, production, business, etc. It also includes a chance to have private meetings with people in the business and to get your music potentially played for a panel of people in the business. Most of the people at the Rally (more then 2000 this year) are simply other people who attend like you and me, not big shots. But meeting other people in your same situation can be inspiring.

[dpenn]

Congratz - may it be the first of many!Dave

[bigbluebarry]

Congrats Happy Ron! I believe we met during the first Mentor lunches, we shared a table.- Big Blue

[ibanez468]

Hey happyron!Congratulations!I-468

[orest]

Congrats on the first one on the road to many many more!!

[happyron]

Thanks to all for your good wishes, now back to the drawing board for more songs

[tedsingingfox]

It's an amazing feeling, isn't it? NOTHING like that first forward. It may seem silly, but it is legitimate confirmation that what you're doing is worth it.Major congratulations, Ron.No wonder you're so happy...Ted

[mazz]

Hey Happy Ron! Congrats on the first forward!! That's a good strategy to have instrumental mixes of your music, you never know which version will make it through the first gate!!Hang in there and keep wearing that purple jacket!! Mazz

[happyron]

Thanks, it's actually occured to me that INSTRUMENTALS may for me, and perhaps most people, more likely to get forwarded. Especially with my unique style which would tend to overpower every scene it's in, that might work on shows like South Park (my ultimate goal) but on perhaps most scenes where you are background supporting someone else, the vocals might take away.

[suzdoyle]

Big Congrats, Happy Ron! Here's to many more!I agree that having more instrumentals is a good idea!Wishing you more good adventures at Taxi!Suz