Introduction, and another is taxi right for me thread...

[AndyKotz]

I'd be more concerned with licensing opportunities that have some upfront money but more importantly, I really don't want to sacrifice any of the back end. Is that possible or do you find most of your placements are through libraries/companies, rather than music supervisors?

You will find plenty of listings that will fit your requirements. The advertising listings pay the best upfront fees, but you (we) are also facing off against the best composers and agencies that the advertising industry has to offer. Most of what you will find in TAXI listings are licensing opportunities that lead to library deals. But the more you have (and with your track record) the more money you will generate with your music.

You can choose to spend as little or as much as you want submitting to opportunities. You don't have to wait for anything to come in the mail... since you're already a member. You have online access to all the opportunities except for the Dispatch Listings (unless you paid for that also). If you haven't done so, establish your TAXI profile and hosting site. There you can upload the music you want to submit to opportunities or just park tracks there for future listings.

You need to familiarize yourself with the TAXI website. There's a lot of stuff! Great info, advice and invaluable resources... and I'm not even including this forum which is alone an amazing resource.

If you need help navigating or finding stuff on the TAXI website... you can PM me (or any TAXI member on this forum)... we're all a willing bunch of helpers!

[popbaby]

I can't seem to find much info on dispatch. Is anyone here a member that can give me some info? Thanks

[Casey H]

I think you should request to receive the listings. You can do it without being a member. Usually the terms of the deals are in the listing.

Yes, I often recommend people start that way. If you see listings that fit what you do, you can join at that time. With someone as experienced as you are, that's probably the best route.

If you signed up for the listings, you won't get your first email (I don't think) until the next 2x a month one on the 1st or 15th of the month. However, you can go to http://www.taxi.com/industry.php and view the most recent listings.

You can also get on the email list for Dispatch without joining Dispatch. Simply email or call Taxi and ask.

Dispatch listings are additional quick turn listings for film/TV. The deadlines are usually much closer than with standard listings. I would say those who are able to quickly write custom music per listing requirements do best with these (Often true with regular listings as well), but it's not always the case.

If you are unsure about joining Taxi, follow the email listings for a few cycles. Keep in mind that closely matching the ‘a la’ references in listings is often a key factor for film/TV and sometimes other listings.

You mentioned that you do not have a lot of interest in generating a lot of instrumental tracks. One should always do what they enjoy. If you force yourself to do something you don’t enjoy, you probably won’t be good at it. However, the reality of film/TV music is a large percentage of placements are instrumentals through music libraries… Yup… lots of them including variations, cut-downs, etc. Just keep that in mind.

Best,
Casey