Members Contacting Listing Companies -- Ouch!

[jdstamper]

I agree with Dave all the way. Going dark is not appealing, I'm just saying I would do that rather than lose the good listings IMO. If this is such a big problem I suggest getting the word out to all Taxi members right away, and repeating the message often ... maybe add a line on the certificate to the affect of "don't call them, they'll call you" ... Jim

[brindabella]

I'm with Dave in that. I have to say I've never contacted any company that I've been forwarded to ( even when some of them take direct submissions). I might be wrong, but my position is that is they haven't is simply because they are not interested in my music. But I dont agree that we shouldnt be told where we are being forwarded to. Just an ex: I got a call from XYZ library two years after the fact. When they contacted me, they asked about any other piece i had. I sent them 2 more pieces, I have signed a contract with them for 3 pieces . They told me these pieces would be uploaded on their website as soon as they do their next scheduled upload. That was 4 months ago and they still are not on that website. Now, If I didnt know who they are, I would say that was a scam. I dont think that would be a good policy for Taxi to implement, you would be asking Taxi members to have the patience of Job. I can see that people could be pests and bother this person/s at this particular library, but every business that offer services has the risk of dealing with obnoxious people. Heck, I suffer that everyday at my job!

[wta]

FWIW... my take is "Who the heck cares where their agent has forwarded there music?" Real world senerio but in a different department of the entertainment industry; it's NOT professional for an actor to be calling casting directors after their agent has submitted their headshot/resume for a call. PERIOD. That casting director get HUNDREDS of potential actors for a role and they will call who they want to use. PERIOD. Taxi is without question an agent for musicians (they don't take a % they take a fee but same senerio) and ALL a forward is, is a headshot/resume being sent for POTENTIAL gig. Agents send out hundreds of actor's breakdowns and if ANY agent found out an actor went around them to a casting agent they'd be DROPPED AND BLACKBALLED and that actor would be finished in that city. I was not only a professional actor in both NYC and LA but was also an agent with a TOP NYC agency so this is first hand experience. This policy needs to be CLEARLY defined before taxi will take on a new artist and the biggest difference between taxi and a NYC agent is you've got to prove you're a professional BEFORE an agent will take you on and with taxi... EVERYBODY who "WANTS" to be a pro musician will be signed and represented and in this lies catch 22 in this issue. A possible way around this would be to have two levels of artists, those who have proven they can be trusted with client contact info and those who are still being trained and evaluated for professionalism... Or maybe President Obama might have a better solution... LOL!!!! I'm shocked this hasn't been a major issue in the past.


Hang in there Michael, for what you do you've got the best boat in the water and the industry knows this and if someone is going to get in your face KNOWing FULL WELL WHAT TAXI DOES... then I'm with Dave, I sure wouldn't trust a business relationship with the guy, PERIOD.



wta

[remmet]

It's unfortunate that even polite and professional contact has led to such destructive results. One idea might be to ask the listing company how they felt about receiving followup inquiries. It's very possible that not all companies feel the same way about this issue.

For the companies that don't want to be contacted, you could post that information in bold uppercase letters as part of the forward notification.

Or perhaps a company may prefer no contact for X number of months, but a short and polite inquiry (to the right person) may be acceptable thereafter.

If there's a way to communicate each company's preference as part of the forward notification, it might set things on a more positive path. And concurrently, if Taxi sent out a series of emails alerting members to the situation and asking for cooperation, I'd like to think this would take care of the problem. Once everyone is, or reasonably should be, aware of the rules, instituting consequences for breaking them might be appropriate and effective as well.

Richard

[hummingbird]

I agree. I think (as Mojo suggested) that an email should go out to the entire membership saying that this has been issue for certain clients & asking members to be aware that contacting companies after a forward has a negative effect. Obviously, one reason why a company is using TAXI is to avoid unsolicited submissions. They'll contact Forwarded writers if & when they wish to sign the track(s) or hear more.

I also agree (as suggested above) that the Certificate of Forwarding as well as the Forward email should say 'please wait to contacted'.

I very much value knowing who I've been forwarded to. I struggled long and hard for many years to achieve Forwards (and I'm still struggling to achieve Forwards). I like seeing where my music has been sent and I'm content to wait until I am contacted. My very first Forward was in Dec 2006, I was contacted in Dec 2007, and we signed the deal in March of 2008.

(PS - kinda reminds me of those job advertisments that say 'mail in your resume, NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE')

[cardell]

It's very possible that not all companies feel the same way about this issue.

For the companies that don't want to be contacted, you could post that information in bold uppercase letters as part of the forward notification.

Great idea Richard!

If it's spelled out to members that their forward could be jeopardized if they contact the company directly...I believe that might be sufficient de-motivation.

Stuart

[orest]

Contacting the companies after a forward is not god either for the person who contacted them or for Taxi.

I think that's a great idea Richard!

And, I think you should inform all the new members about this great forum. Tell them about it, all the nice and helping people, all the information to get and so on. When I first joined Taxi it took me months to join this forum 'cause I didn't know anything about it. Reading randomize post didn't help so much either, but now after giving it time, it's a really really great place to be at!

[remmet]

It's very possible that not all companies feel the same way about this issue.

For the companies that don't want to be contacted, you could post that information in bold uppercase letters as part of the forward notification.

Great idea Richard!

If it's spelled out to members that their forward could be jeopardized if they contact the company directly...I believe that might be sufficient de-motivation.

Stuart

Another benefit: It would be a clear demonstration to the listing companies that Taxi took their concerns seriously and was taking corrective action responsive to each company's particular needs.

Richard

[JohnnyNutman]

i can understand the logic behind, as they want to show that they are passionate about the opportunity. obviously these people dont really think about the fact that the people who receive the emails would start to get a bit inconvenienced (not to even mention that its going to the wrong place).

[ibanez468guit]

All I can say from my end is, wasn't me. As impatient as I've started to become lately, I have NEVER, EVER, in this 2+ years time, contacted a single music library, publisher, etc...about anything, at all (not even the ones I've been forwarded to). I've read the majority of the most important posts (to me anyway) on the forum ever since I joined back in 2007, and I remember reading about this particular situation some time ago. I've tried to play by all of the rules stated here, as best as I possibly could. So I definitely made a mental note about that one, when I first read about it. It simply stated: NO CONTACTING THE LIBRARIES. So, I took it to heart. I didn't, and I still haven't. On the other hand, not a single one has contacted me either.

Yeah, this kind of information does need to be circulated on a regular basis, it seems. There's new members poppin' up everyday, and membership here seems to be growing exponentially. I imagine this kind of important information gets missed a great deal. Obviously, there are some making contact with libraries, not aware that they could be doing themselves, and the rest of us a disservice. For those that are already aware, I guess this whole episode should be an important reminder of what can happen when we "go against the grain" so to speak. I understand there are times when it's necessary, and there are times when this seems like it's one of those times. But every time I might have thought about doin' it, I thought about what it could do to everyone else!