forward "certificates"

[yrrepy]

How do y'all feel about those certificates you can print out when you get a "forward?" You know, the ones that look like diplomas ... congrats!! ...you've been forwarded to XYZ Major Label !! What am I supposed to do? Print them and frame them and hang them on my wall? Then all my friends can come over and say "hey, are you making any money at this songwriting thing?" And I can say, "nah, nobody ever called me. But the certificates are nice, don't cha think?" I wish TAXI wouldn't patronize us this way. I guess the certificates are their way of saying, "hey, you're pretty good, but don't expect a call from Mr. A&R Man."

[aubreyz]

Quote:How do y'all feel about those certificates you can print out when you get a "forward?" You know, the ones that look like diplomas ... congrats!! ...you've been forwarded to XYZ Major Label !! What am I supposed to do? Print them and frame them and hang them on my wall? Then all my friends can come over and say "hey, are you making any money at this songwriting thing?" And I can say, "nah, nobody ever called me. But the certificates are nice, don't cha think?" I wish TAXI wouldn't patronize us this way. I guess the certificates are their way of saying, "hey, you're pretty good, but don't expect a call from Mr. A&R Man."Nice first post. pa·tron·ize Pronunciation: \ˈpā-trə-ˌnīz, ˈpa-\ 1 : to act as patron of : provide aid or support for 2 : to adopt an air of condescension toward : treat haughtily or coolly 3 : to be a frequent or regular customer or client of I'd say your post succeeded with definition number 2 quite well. For those who have worked so hard to get a forward, perhaps those "certificates" are something. IMHO, it's a nice little gesture by Taxi to indicate that you've succeeded in crossing the bar. A little cheesy? Maybe, but I don't think they are trying to "patronize" us.Aub

[tedsingingfox]

I have every music-related "Congrats" certificate I've ever earned or won in frames on my wall...dating back 8 yrs or more...and proud to have 'em. that includes the three TAXI postcards for my first three forwards that are STILL on my refrigerator door.I don't find anything wrong with little pats on the back for moving one step closer... As a matter of fact, I appreciate them a LOT.And yes, I still print them out. Haven't framed one in a while, but I still print out every one of them.

[mazz]

I guess if the certificate doesn't work for you (or your friends) you could choose to ignore it.If your first forum post is any indication, I suggest that if you do get a call (and with a forward there's a much better chance that eventually you will), you check your attitude at the door before picking up the phone. Good luck,Mazz

[jchitty]

I'm rather weird....I tend to frame my 'rejection' critiques and hang them on the wall. It's a great motivator. (and yes, I still get pissed when I get rejections, hehe)Each to his own. I don't have any problems with the foward certificates....I just don't have that many to hang on my wall yet!

[sgs4u]

Welcome to Taxi - I guess this is your first post.How did you come up with that cool name? You planning to stick around?My first reaction to the certificates was pretty much like yours. But if you really don't like them, I bet Taxi would stop sending them to you. This forum, is not the same as Taxi customer service,which might well be the best customer service of any company in the entire world. Once you get to know some people, here on this forum, and some of the people that work at Taxi, you'll see why a certificate like that would've been designed only to make people FEEL GOOD. It's not about any of the bummer thoughts you might be having towards the company. It was likely Taxi's way of making guys like me & you feel more patient, and accepting of the whole process. If you choose to stick around here, you'll also learn that there's a large number of people from Taxi that have never gotten forwarded, so you're in with a pretty good crowd. But as you can see, most of us here LOVE taxi. And the members tend to police themselves rather well... Quote:How do y'all feel about those certificates you can print out when you get a "forward?" You know, the ones that look like diplomas ... congrats!! ...you've been forwarded to XYZ Major Label !! What am I supposed to do? Print them and frame them and hang them on my wall? Then all my friends can come over and say "hey, are you making any money at this songwriting thing?" And I can say, "nah, nobody ever called me. But the certificates are nice, don't cha think?" I wish TAXI wouldn't patronize us this way. I guess the certificates are their way of saying, "hey, you're pretty good, but don't expect a call from Mr. A&R Man."

[yrrepy]

All I'm saying is, getting a "forward" doesn't mean you've grabbed the brass ring. A lot of things have to happen before you see a royalty check. First, the A&R guys have to like the song enough to play it for the Artist and/or the Producer. Second, against all odds, they have to decide that it's a song they want for the project. Then, they have to put the song "on hold." That's when most of us would probably pee our pants. Then, after being "on hold" for six months to a year or longer, they decide that your song is the 13th cut on a 12 song CD. And if that doesn't happen, you're song gets recorded and put on a CD of an Artist who gets dropped from the label before it even comes out. If you do get lucky and everything falls in to place, the Artist will probably want half of the writing credits because he put the word "and" or "but" in a line of one of your verses and you will gladly allow that to happen because this is your first cut and you have no track record as a songwriter. I understand that we all work hard to get that "forward." And it is a first step to greater things. But I don't need a "certificate" from Taxi to let me know that I am on the right track. Just getting a "forward" is good enough for me. My validation will come when I open up the mailbox and I see a check from ASCAP.

[sgs4u]

I'm not sure if you know this, but most of us here already know exactly what you're telling us. And we're pretty OK with it all. Forwards are a kind of introduction, to a potential user of your music. Taxi doesn't make promises to forward everybody's music. And if you have a solid personal relationship already established with artist or producer X, well that will always be your best way onto a CD.Maybe you're just having a lousy day?

[aubreyz]

Quote:All I'm saying is, getting a "forward" doesn't mean you've grabbed the brass ring. A lot of things have to happen before you see a royalty check. That's very true, but when you realize that such a small percentage of that get forwarded, your chances of getting that royalty check go up exponentially when forwarded. Not the brass ring, but very much closer to it than wiht some kind of blind submission pot shot.Quote:First, the A&R guys have to like the song enough to play it for the Artist and/or the Producer. Second, against all odds, they have to decide that it's a song they want for the project. Then, they have to put the song "on hold." That's when most of us would probably pee our pants. Then, after being "on hold" for six months to a year or longer, they decide that your song is the 13th cut on a 12 song CD. And if that doesn't happen, you're song gets recorded and put on a CD of an Artist who gets dropped from the label before it even comes out. If you do get lucky and everything falls in to place, the Artist will probably want half of the writing credits because he put the word "and" or "but" in a line of one of your verses and you will gladly allow that to happen because this is your first cut and you have no track record as a songwriter. Let's see... I think you forgot to mention that you could possible be run over by a taxi cab on the way to deposit the royalty check None of what you posted is untrue, but it is better to concentrate on the positives of possibilities than all the million scenarios of why one might not succeed.Quote: I understand that we all work hard to get that "forward." And it is a first step to greater things. But I don't need a "certificate" from Taxi to let me know that I am on the right track. Just getting a "forward" is good enough for me. My validation will come when I open up the mailbox and I see a check from ASCAP.While you are waiting for that first check, concentrating on more forwards increase the odds of the second, third and fourth check And btw-- checks aren't the only validation out there. Personally, I get validation from setting a goal of self improvement and seeing evidence that it is working. I don't "need no stinkin' certificate" either, but I do remember how good it looked the first time it had a record label name on it. Welcome to the forums. Hope you enjoy the ride.Aub

[matto]

Quote: But I don't need a "certificate" from Taxi to let me know that I am on the right track.If I'm not mistaken you have to click on "certificate" to view the certificate. If you don't want to view it, don't click...problem solved. To some people that certificate might be a meaningful pat on the back that their on the right track. They can click the link and even print out the certificate if they like.It's a free country...