MEMBER DEALS ON FIRE!!!

[davewalton]

Quote:Which brings me to a question I have had for a while, Dave. And that has to do with the marketability score.I have believed most of the scores on a critique are inteneded only to be relevant to that listing.For instance I would interpret a 9 for production on a song pitch as meaning, "easily good enough for this listing." Whereas the production score for the same song could be a 5 on a library listing where broadcast quality is needed.I am wondering if the marketability scores are only to be interpreted in terms of the particular listing. Could a piece that receives a 10 for marketability receive a 5 or a 6 for a different listing, or is the marketabilty score considered more of an absolute than the other categories?That'll have to be answered by Taxi because I'm not sure. What I thought is that the numbering system and such was designed to reflect the song in general and to help me be a better songwriter. In other words I've always thought that if I get a 7 on marketability that it's saying "Generally speaking, this song is a 7" and that more or less that number should hover in the same area (say, 6, 7, or 8) regardless of the listing.Now that's just what I thought from piecing different things together but I don't know for sure. It makes sense because to critique a song to improve the song and us as songwriters based on a listing would mean that the suggestions are only to make it "right for the listing" and that by following those suggestions, it could make it "wrong" for another listing. If they're speaking in general terms (which I believe they are), it theoritically makes it a better song and us better songwriters overall, thereby making it better for any listing for which the song might fit.Critique numbers based on the listing wouldn't be helpful since the listings are rarely ever the same. That's my deduction Mr Watson.Sherlock

[yod]

Quote:Quote:Just wondering from those who have been generally-succesfully-fowarded Taxi members that long whether you've broken even yet.Well, I have broken even over three, going on four years. Actually more than broken even. These have been both directly and indirectly related to Taxi.OK....I found one. I hope you are doing much more than breaking even but that is a good sign that it happened before 5 years. Are there many others?If it isn't too personal or offensive...do still need another job to pay the bills?yod: as a direct result of a taxi-forward, 4 of my tracks are on a sony/bmg sampler.this answers your question if there is any major distribution deal through taxi.That's nice but it wasn't my question. From what I've heard here, it looks like at least 3 years before I could determine if TAXI would actually be worthwhile for me. That's only about 2k...not a big deal.But the "life-value" for me isn't dependant on the amount of money alone. It's the time I spend away from doing things that ARE making money right now....and the things I make money for...like vacations with kids, etc.In other words, if at the end of 3 years I don't make more than $700 a year then I'm not breaking even. But I'm not interested in working to break even, either. Maybe this would be a better question:how many people have been able to go full-time doing music libraries/tv/jingles/etc because of Taxi?Is that number over 10? Or is everyone here doing this as a part-time supplemental income? Are there 10 people making at least 10k per year doing these listings part time?

[davewalton]

Quote:Maybe this would be a better question:how many people have been able to go full-time doing music libraries/tv/jingles/etc because of Taxi?Is that number over 10? Or is everyone here doing this as a part-time supplemental income? Are there 10 people making at least 10k per year doing these listings part time?I totally understand why you're asking but I think you're trying to make your decision based on a set of outside criteria that can't be accurately quantified. It has to be more about what's going on with you, not so much about us. One guy here has gotten something like four Taxi deals in eight months, it took me more than a year to get just one. There's nothing really to conclude there with any certainty.Plus, and this is very important, the forum folks who hang around here only make up maybe 1% of Taxi members. Not enough to where you can take a poll and get any meaningful results. And of course, we sure don't know about how the rest of the 99% of Taxi members are doing, full-time vs part-time vs no-time.My basic criteria were this:Are the listings legit? (Yes)Am I "industry connected" (No)Do people (inside and outside of Taxi) make a living in film/television music (Yes)Do I want to be one of those people? (Yes)Is my music ready for "primetime"? (I don't know)You might want to contact Taxi directly for the experiences of the other 99% of the members if that's really important. Personally, I'm doing fine, better than breaking even, not full-time income yet but headed that way conclusively. That's because of the opportunities through Taxi combined with my own business sense and experience. But I'm just one guy, albeit, not an exceptionally connected guy so if I'm doing it, it's definitely possible, maybe probable and certainly not impossibly possible or probable.That's my psycho-babble for today but that's really what I think and about as much as I can offer in complete honesty with going into random speculation, which I KNOW you don't want. Dave

[ddusty]

yod,Although understandable, I don't think it's possible to truly answer your questions.Some people are here for different reasons (some looking to sell songs, some looking to generate interest in a band/artist) and most people here do not use taxi as there only means of promotion.There are no guarantees, and results vary on many factors.Since your original questions were about "how the most successful" here have faired, it's safe to assume that you hold your work in high regard.If that is the case then Taxi will be an excellent tool for you.Robwarning - just about everyone on this forum felt like their songs were can't miss prospects, just a matter of getting into the right hands. some of us found taxi to be a (necessary) cold bucket of water dumped on our heads!

[yod]

Thanks for your patience and help, Dave.This will probably sound arrogant to anyone who doesn't know me but I have no doubt that I can produce what these listings are asking for. My only doubt is whether it becomes profitable in a relatively short period of time because I don't have time for chasing my tail. Hearing your testimony makes me inclined to jump but it would be nice to know if there are people who have been able to take it to the full-time level here.I already have a career in the music business so that allure doesn't really matter to me. If I want exposure, I'll go stand in the sun.I'm still trying to determine if the amount of royalties for these other-than-major-label listings amounts to more than a distraction that pays for itself eventually.Writing songs and getting music in a library is relatively easy if you know who's looking (as TAXI does)...but are these being placed with premier companies who are actually using them or mostly sitting on a cyber-shelf for clients in the future? Most of what I've seen in the listings appear to be 3rd tier companies or less.But suppose that I got 10 songs forwarded to a music library tomorrow...how long before I can expect that to start paying off even in the smallest way? In other words, I am not asking how hard it is to succeed in doing this. That always depends on outside factors and no one could answer that for me. It's a matter of how hard one works at it But what I am trying to decide is whether success in "music libraries" is worth the time spent writing/recording...or if it is only a distraction from the songs I would otherwise be working on.And I only asked for 10 examples. I've got 1 so far....

[yod]

Quote:warning - just about everyone on this forum felt like their songs were can't miss prospects, just a matter of getting into the right hands. some of us found taxi to be a (necessary) cold bucket of water dumped on our heads! Ha! LOLYeah, I've been writing since 1973. Did my first 1,000 gigs before I was 19.Got lots of live experience and know what works. Got lots of studio experience and know how to translate a good idea into a finished project that can be played on the radio.I write in a lot of styles so I have a huge catalogue of songs sitting around. What I don't want is to sign a bonified hit to a publishing company who doesn't really have major clients to pitch it to. That might sound good on the resume' but it doesn't taste good even with ketchup.With the music library approach, it doesn't matter as much since these are mostly what I call "junk" songs sitting around anyway...but I would like to think that there is a worthwhile pay-off possible before investing $900-3k over the next 3 to 5 years.

[aubreyz]

Quote:Quote:warning - just about everyone on this forum felt like their songs were can't miss prospects, just a matter of getting into the right hands. some of us found taxi to be a (necessary) cold bucket of water dumped on our heads! Ha! LOLYeah, I've been writing since 1973. Did my first 1,000 gigs before I was 19.Got lots of live experience and know what works. Got lots of studio experience and know how to translate a good idea into a finished project that can be played on the radio.I write in a lot of styles so I have a huge catalogue of songs sitting around. What I don't want is to sign a bonified hit to a publishing company who doesn't really have major clients to pitch it to. That might sound good on the resume' but it doesn't taste good even with ketchup.With the music library approach, it doesn't matter as much since these are mostly what I call "junk" songs sitting around anyway...but I would like to think that there is a worthwhile pay-off possible before investing $900-3k over the next 3 to 5 years.Yod,I’ll try and answer some of your questions on my lunch break here, though you probably won’t be able to get as specific of info as you are requesting. There are several reasons for that:1. A small percentage of Taxi members actually participate in this forum. Though I think there is a good sampling of the variety of members—from Matto to more of the hobbyist, it is very unlikely that the actual ratios of success are the same as a total sampling of Taxi members.2. Even some of the forum members here don’t post much about their successes and deals. It’s kind of like asking someone what their salary is. Some are open about it, some play their cards pretty close to their chest.3. There’s really not a specific answer to such a vague question.Why is the question vague? Because there is such a wide variety of placement options, and potential success depends on how much variety one can actually produce. What I mean is, if you are able to produce only one style of music, then the potential to make considerable income is more limited.I too have a day job in the industry. I didn’t join Taxi to generate income at first. In fact, the thing that I could do to generate the most income, ala instrumentals, I’m not even focusing on right now. If you want to make real money in the placement business, it’s all about volume. Lots of tracks, in lots of libraries, and lots of placements. The ability to produce a wide variety of styles and genres with a relatively quick turnaround is very important. It also seems from your post that you have an idea about how much work is involved – lots of legwork outside of Taxi is required as well if you want to make a living at this.How soon can you expect a return? Well to generate “make a living” kind of income, you will need to either land a few huge deals, or have dozens of tracks out there being placed. The latter option is the more likely. The income doesn’t happen fast. Royalties take a while before they are paid. Matto has posted some great detail about this in the thread “Help Me Define Success”.So far, almost a year, I’ve made zero dollars from Taxi, though what I’ve learned about my goals and direction has been invaluable. In my opinion, writing music to get placed and generate income is not at all a waste of time, but I think you would have to have minimum a several year plan in place before it became really profitable. You can run some of the numbers that Matto posted and see how many placements it would take to generate the kind of income you have as a goal. I toyed with that. The few instrumentals that I’ve submitted have all been forwarded and I know that direction is possible. However, with my limited time resources right now, and because of some other goals, I have chosen to work more on development as an artist rather than the actual business of getting as many placements as possible. But on down the road, I’m going to hit that game hard and heavy.This is not one of the ten examples you are looking for, but maybe it will help.Aub

[sgs4u]

Quote:With the music library approach, it doesn't matter as much since these are mostly what I call "junk" songs sitting around anyway...but I would like to think that there is a worthwhile pay-off possible before investing $900-3k over the next 3 to 5 years.dear Alfie E Newbie,Do you really think Taxi, or any music libraries want your junk songs? And if you are so experienced, why are you even considering bothering with Taxi? Time to fess up, or clam up. Your songs will or will not be chosen, by Taxi screeners or libraries, based on whether you have what THEY are looking for. Not what you think is quality, or junk. And the screeners don't seem to change their opinions about whose music they like, by posting about it here on this forum...Nobody can advise you whether there will be a pay-off for you, so maybe you shouldn't join. heheBut you can't know how cold the water actually is, until you actually feel the shock of disappearing substance between your legs (or your wallet). So I dare you, jump in. Why challenge us to decide if you and your music are worth someone else's time? Most of us wear a reversible Taxi hat that says "I Love Taxi," on one side. When you turn that hat inside out, the words "F... Taxi" are written just as boldly. With a little luck, nyuk. nyuk, the nasty letters on the inside wear out within a couple of years. (wait a minute, am I the only one wearing that hat?)

[davewalton]

Quote:My only doubt is whether it becomes profitable in a relatively short period of time... I'm still trying to determine if the amount of royalties for these other-than-major-label listings amounts to more than a distraction that pays for itself eventually.Generally speaking, making money through film/television placements is VERY, VERY much a long term thing. The real income comes from the accumulation of placements into various television shows. Because performance royalties are paid every time a show airs, having music on popular show(s) creates a stream of income that slowly builds because you're getting royalties from the new shows as well as the repeats as well as the syndicated airings on various cable channels, foreign country airings, etc. Quote:But suppose that I got 10 songs forwarded to a music library tomorrow...how long before I can expect that to start paying off even in the smallest way? Inside or outside of Taxi, absolutely no way to answer that. What happens beyond a forward is outside of Taxi. The deal (if there is one) is only between you and the company you were forwarded to. They get your music and they decide. You get their name so you might make something happen (like Zircon did) where another might let the whole thing slip through their fingers. Really though, if they're interested you won't be able to get rid of them, if they're not, you'll never hear from them. Quote:Most of what I've seen in the listings appear to be 3rd tier companies or less.Definitely not true, just the opposite. Off the top of my head, a few examples of companies I've been forwarded to are the production company for MTV's most popular shows, the music supervisor for a very popular, long-running cop/crime show, the post-production company for hundreds (literally) of Hollywood blockbuster films, the largest video game company in the world are a few that come to mind. Oh yeah... the production company for televisions most popular talk show (no, NOT Jerry Springer ). Overall, the film/tv thing is not really much different from the the "performing musician/group" thing of setting things up, finding a good manager/agent or doing bookings yourself, getting a touring schedule, building a fan base, selling CD's, etc. For most, not an overnight thing and the bands that are successful at it have been working hard and doing it for quite a while. I'm hoping to clear some things up but I might be muddying the waters so I'll just sit down and be quiet now. Dave

[Casey H]

Quote:I'm new around here...not sure whether it makes cents to take the TAXI plunge....but it appears that 90.5% of the placements are for music libraries. Is that correct?Considering how long a song can sit in a library without even being used...and then the amount of time before someone actually gets paid for that...does anyone ever break even around here?Help me with the math here:If I joined today and got forwarded next month to 4 companies that signed my songs for a library and one them gets it placed, it is still at least a year before I see anything from that.That means I've got 2 years membership ($600?) and however many listings I've sent in times 5$ per month (lets say 10 listings @50$ month = another $600 per year) so now I've got approx $2,400 investedDo the most successful writers around here make decent $$$ per year doing music libraries? How long did it take to get there? The long term plan of going full-time even if you have the goods is at least 3-5 years, right? It takes a while to establish oneself so even a fully-committed individual would need some patience but averaging $1,200 a year for 5 years would be 6k. Is there a realistic chance that could be totally recouped in that same 5 year frame?It doesn't sound all that hard on cyberpaper, if I'm willing to committ to an all-out songwriting binge to fullfil the orders over the next 5 years. So after much rambling, I guess the real question is does anyone have an idea what a successful writer of "other-than-label-artist-material" can realistically hope to make?I'm just wondering if there is some general average of the best someone can hope for recording these kinds of songs as a full-time professional?If I can find 10 people here who are making real-world $$$ doing this from deals through Taxi, I'll join today.Which is not to say that I won't join later anyway...just trying to do the math about that avenue.Next question would be much simpler:How many major label/distributed artists have used Taxi songs/writers over the last 3 years? Just the numbers of each year would be very helpful...but I'd also be interested in which genres does Taxi have the most success with major distributed labels.YodJust to chime in... Whether you work inside or outside of taxi or both, you need to make a five year plan and not expect to be revenue positive before that. Studio equipment, demo services, memberships like taxi, submission fees, tip sheets, CD's, postage, etc... It really adds up and it takes a long time to make that back. Many never do. My own philosophy is do it to build up placements and credits and not think of the balance sheet for a long time. Casey