Comments about the 2007 Rally post yours

[gitarrero]

Quote:hurowitz is the only reply so far that understands where im coming from...you mean the point the her lie was possibly not "right", correct?well - I simply think it's absolutely pointless to waste time and energy about such a detail - I don't say it was "right" what that a&r did, I just say: you can't change it, so move on.a famous (with lots of major credits) songwriter once told: "you know why a&r's keep coming back to me? because I don't freak out. I still get rejected, but so what?"in fact, dealing with getting rejected or getting denied is in my point of view a vital part of the music industry. it happens all the time, you can't change it. BUT you can controll how you handle it.btw: are you from switzerland or used to live here? somehow I recall your name, but I'm not absolutely sure.cheers,martin

[matto]

Hi Reggie,You say you're not angry and that you are a professional. If you are not angry, then why are you calling some A&R people "jerks"? If you are a professional, then why do you think you are ENTITLED to receiving every A&R person's business card?People who think it's "professional" to storm the stage after every panel and hand every panelist their CD and demand their business card in return, seriously need to WAKE UP. You ask what an A&R person's job is? (I know it was meant to be a rhetorical question, but I'll give you a real answer nonetheless.) Their job is to find great artists (actually the smallest part of their job time wise), make great records with them and then coordinate everything required to hopefully sell a lot of those records. They find the great artists thru a network of contacts they've built over the years, one of which may be (and in the case of the folks participating at the Rally actually IS) Taxi.It is NOT their job to spend their day off to come to the Road Rally to educate Taxi members. It is NOT their job to accept the hundreds of CD's which they are being inundated with by overeager members. It is NOT their job to hand a business card to every member who would like one. They are going WAY beyond the call by even just showing up and helping all of us better understand the business, so that we may have a better chance at succeeding in it.Reggie, you are probably a really nice guy, but in this thread you come across as selfish, unprofessional, ungrateful, and, well...I'm a professional and won't lower my standards to using that "j" word. matto

[Casey H]

Quote:hurowitz is the only reply so far that understands where im coming fromReggiePlease don't quote me as "getting it" here. I really made 2 points... One was re-iterating what Martin said and the other was (although maybe she could have said it differently) to put yourself in the shoes of her at a place with 2000+ wannabees. You have to cut her A LOT of slack there. Think about everyone in the world wanting her email address, phone number, and mailing address so they can submit or ask to submit material. As a matter of fact, that very problem is WHY A&R folks use screening services such as TAXI, reputable publishers, entertainment attorneys, etc.It sounds like everything else at the 2007 rally was a good experience for you. I think you shoudl let this little thing go and focus on the positives.Regards,Casey

[reggiesnd1]

gitarrero....im from the states you probally are thinking about the baseball player:) i get that a lot...i am tripping about her telling me a lie to my face. Im grown you can be straight with me. hurowitz..... i cant let it go this makes me work harded IM INSPIRED!!! yall have a great day!!

[aubreyz]

Quote:i am tripping about her telling me a lie to my face. Im grown you can be straight with me. I'm tripping on your statement that you are a professional I don't have time to be all nice and diplomatic, but if you actually expect that a CD throwing cattle call is going to get you heard by some A&R person then you don't have a clue about this business. It's a chance to build a relationship, yes -- but what could possibly make you stand out? Asking for a card on your first face to face is sheer ignorance. Like that card would help you. Like she's actually going to answer your call?? These people seldom take unsolicited material. They have assistants that pre-screen what they hear. Most likely your CD goes in a box with a few hundred other wannabes.All of the panels, mentors, etc... gave a common theme. Labels don't do development anymore. Here's what impressed me. I never tried to push through the crowd. I spent a lot of time just observing, figuring out the game. I was personally amazed at how patient these guys and gals were, and how unprofessional 90% of the people pushing through the line were. One thing struck me. A guy who looked like a rock star (not someone TRYING to look like a rock star-- there's a big difference!) waited patiently in line. Before I get to what he said, most Taxi listings to labels suggest the same things I heard over and over again at the rally. They're looking for a story, touring experience, CD sales, and web presence.So back to the rock star. When he got his chance, he introduced himself, and his first sentence was brilliant. He said, I'm in an alternative rock band from New Zealand (STORY), we've been touring here in the states for the past few months (TOURING EXPERIENCE), and have sold about 30,000 CD's (SALES). Okay, so this A&R guy who had been kindly answering stupid questions for 15 minutes suddenly changed demeanor. This guy had HIS interest. In one sentence he proved himself as someone who fit the criteria of what a label is looking for. He looked hard at the CD-- asked a number of questions, and guess what-- the A&R guy walked out of that hotel, into a limo with that CD in his hand (right under mine btw )That's how it works. You can ignore what is repeated over and over, and you may not like it, but the industry is what it is and works how it works.Now about the "big lie". People seldom remember comments verbatim. They hear and remember what they want to hear-- me included. An example, I don't give cash to homeless people. Not a nickel. You may think that heartless, but I've done enough work in shelters and on the street to know that's the last thing they need. However, if I have the means, I will buy a meal, or some gas. So this guy walks up to me at subway and asks if I could give him some money so he could eat. I have a well practiced line for that question: "I don't have any cash to GIVE AWAY". Is that a lie because I had a wad of bills in my pocket? No. I don't have any to give away because I have a rule not to do that. I did buy him a sandwich, but 9 times out of 10 those asking for money for food will turn YOU down when you offer to buy them some. They just want the cash.So is it possible that one word in your quote of hers was remembered incorrectly? From this:I dont carry them to these types of eventsTo this:I dont carry them FOR these types of eventsEither way, the point she was making was that business cards aren't going to be handed out in an event like that 99.9% of the time. That's not a lie, it's a reality. At the risk of being harsh, perhaps you are lying to yourself that even having her card could possibly make a difference for you, because it honestly doesn't sound like that you've done the homework to prove to them that you are what they need.One thing that amazed me was how unrealistic and unprepared the average Taxi member was. It is people like you that make people like me not want to continue to attend these events.Once again, not to be harsh, but to be realistic -- it is unprepared, unprofessional people that make the rock star I mentioned earlier shine like a beacon of hope.Aub

[augustheat]

"Can't we all just get along...?"Reggie:Welcome to the forum!Emails and forum postings often make it difficult to determine ones demeanor. If you "objectively" read your post, you might see where it could have come across as a bit rude, attacking, or unprofessional. I'm sure that wasn't your intent...You're obviously upset with what you perceive as being lied to. While that might be the case, is there another possible scenario you didn't consider? Without the benefit of walking in the other person's shoes, you really can't determine exactly what happened or why. There are a lot of reasons this A&R person may have not given you their card, but chose to give it to another individual. Previous meeting or relationship? Was expecting to make contact with that person? Liked their nails better than yours? Hands out cards using the love-me, love-me-not method?...These guys get hounded and pounded at these events with CD's, business cards, 8-track cassettes, family photo albums, and so on. I wouldn't take it too personal, or think you were somehow singled out. It's a tough arena to be in...Blessings,

[kg]

Just providing a point that I think is relevent. Technically the definition of an A&R Reps job is to seek out and develop talent, not to be a receptacle, so no it isn't their job to take anything that's handed to them. Don't be offended about what you percieved as a lie, just go on better prepared for the next opportunity that presents itself as an open door.

[stkeb]

Seriously, everybody...haven't we all been there...felt how Reggie is feeling? Reggie, let me say that I hear you - it definitely isn't good feeling like someone is being untruthful, but I think others have offered some really good reasons why this person may have acted the way in which she did. If I can offer you any advice -- please see this as a growing experience. Part of working our way through, around and into the music industry is to grow our tough outer skin and learn to tell ourselves that regardless of the criticism, others behavior, etc. - we are valuable. It's rough out there, certainly...just hang in there, try not to take things personally and don't give up. Keep moving on to the next opportunity, keep a positive attitude and know that you are growing all along the way.Best of luck,stkeb

[mazz]

How about this? Person A said that Person B would be at the Rally and could you please give them my business card? Is it beyond the realm of possibility that, just in case Person B came up and introduced themselves to the A/R rep they A/R rep would say: "Hey Person A wants you to call them, here's their card" ?I think that the mark of a professional is the ability to let stuff roll off their back and move on to the next opportunity. Also, assuming that the person was handing out their own business card is a valid assumption but you know what can happen sometimes with assumptions.Good luck and welcome to the forum and don't take anything personally, it's tough but it's the professional way to approach the music business successfully, IMO.Mazz

[ponch]

My comment about Taxi Rally is AMAZING, i learn a lot from all the class sessions and mostly from the hang out with some great musicians there . I hope that I can come again for the next Rally 08 ! regards,Ponch