Listings Statistics

[steve2]

I think it would be a useful service for TAXI to publish information on how many submissions were received for each listing and the number of forwards for that listing. i.e. was my forward one of dozens, or was my music somehow a unique match for that listing? (OK, I'm a dreamer). For example, I don't know if it's true, but I heard somewhere that some listings come with the instruction "...send us everything." If I get forwarded for such a listing then its not much of an accomplishment and I'd like to know that.If the actual numbers are too proprietory for TAXI to disclose because they reflect revenues ($$$), then perhaps percentages could be published. e.g. for listing xxx, 20% of submissions were forwarded - even that info would be better than nothing.Would anyone else find this info useful?

[avillaronga]

Quote:I think it would be a useful service for TAXI to publish information on how many submissions were received for each listing and the number of forwards for that listing. i.e. was my forward one of dozens, or was my music somehow a unique match for that listing? (OK, I'm a dreamer). I don't think that information would be helpful at all. IMHO, being forwarded as part of a smaller group of forwards does not increase your chances of a deal. If you were the only one forwarded for a particular listing that doesn't mean you're automatically getting a deal, if the publisher/library/music supervisor does not like the song, he/she will pass and go look somewhere else. Conversely, if you were forwarded in a group of 100 forwards and your piece really hits the nail on the head for what the listing party was looking for, you'll get the deal, no matter how many other submissions were made. There's also a lot of other variables that can come into play. Was this listing looking for ONE hit song for a well-known artist? Was the listing looking for several pieces to put into a library collection? Was the listing for a specific cue on a specific film or was it looking for cues in general? I could go on. Quote:For example, I don't know if it's true, but I heard somewhere that some listings come with the instruction "...send us everything." If I get forwarded for such a listing then its not much of an accomplishment and I'd like to know that.There are certain listings that have a lower bar than others. That doesn't mean Taxi will send everything they get, if they did that, they'll be out of business pretty soon. Think about it: what would be the value of Taxi's service if the publisher got "everything"? They could just have an open call for submissions themselves. All pieces of music submitted to Taxi, regardless of the bar for that particular listing, have to pass a minimum list if requirements. First and foremost, it has to be on target for the listing. It has to be adequately performed, vocals on pitch, etc. Even though they may seem cryptic at times, the listings have enough information on them to be able to tell whether something is high bar and your piece has to be darn near perfect or whether the bar is a little lower. But I've never seen a listing that gave me the impression that they'll forward mediocre songs or music that isn't on target. You can view being forwarded for a lower bar listing as more or less of an accomplishment if you want but I always ask myself "would I have been able to get my music on the 'solicited' pile on someone's desk without that Taxi listing?" The answer, for me, is NO 99.9999% of the time. If the answer for you is "yes" then don't waste your $5 submitting to lower bar listings. Once you've done this enough you can tell where the bar is for most listings.Quote:If the actual numbers are too proprietory for TAXI to disclose because they reflect revenues ($$$), then perhaps percentages could be published. e.g. for listing xxx, 20% of submissions were forwarded - even that info would be better than nothing.Taxi does not make a dime per forward, that's been discussed ad nauseum on this forum. Do a search or read the threads from Dave W. and HoraceJesse's visit to Taxi's office. So I don't think Taxi has any interest in hiding those numbers, they might be an amusing piece of information to have. But the danger in providing that information would be, as I said, if people took that information as an indication of their chances of getting a deal. It is not. You said you are a dreamer, aren't we all? So just keep dreaming and, more importantly, keep writing, don't waste your valuable time trying to figure out what your chances are on a particular listing. If you were forwarded, move on, write the next one that will get forwarded in the future. If your music is good enough and you are submitting to the proper listings, the deals will come with time, and they will come whether you know your odds or not.Antonio

[Casey H]

Hi SteveAlthough you might not get the exact data that you mentioned, if you learn to "read between the lines" on listings, you will be able to figure out what is meant by the "bar", e.g. "high bar" being extremely competitive. When you see phrases like "must have great performances", "must have great vocals" or "must have killer choruses", you know it is "high bar". Also, if an major label A&R rep for an artist is looking for a breakout song, that speaks for itself. Same for major Nashville artists/publishers... If a listing is high bar, you can assume that the percentage of forwards is probably smaller. Alternatively, if a music library is looking for a "wide range" of tracks- instrumentals or vocals a la [long list of artists], the bar might be a bit lower and the percentage might be higher. Those are general guidelines, of course there could be exceptions.I am here at the Road Rally and have already talked to many folks who screen for TAXI. They will tell you that understanding the listing (read every word carefully) and submitting tracks that closely match what is asked for is one of the most important things. My suggestion is master THIS and don't worry about the statistics.BTW, it's not that your idea (in theory) is a bad one. But remember that every additional thing adds overhead to their system which then adds to their costs. I don't think many would pay $7 or $10 per submission in order to get more data. Think about how many listings they run each month and all that information gathering... The $5 fee has not been increased in the 12 years of TAXI's existence. Warm regards,Casey