Re: What's the etiquette for contacting a company.

mikegoudreau · Post by **mikegoudreau** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 5:53 pm

Congrats Steve on your forward ( s )!I'm new at TAXI too ( 1 year and 1/2 ) , but I think it's a no-no to mention a company's name here, etc...They could be solicited afterwords by folks that they might not want to hear from..Lots of loonies out there and remember, this forum is open to non-taxi members too and it's not good to give out this info to them...That's the point of being a member. I've been forwarded about 40+ times so far and I've always waited for them to contact me... certain forwards were back to me in a week and some in a few months and then some I've never heard from at all. Some of these companies are very busy and will only get to your listing ( song ) when they're projects are due...Patience is key...But I know how you feel bro. Also don't forget that there are usually many others that were forwarded too, so sometimes you're up against some tuff competition. Anyway I hope this shines some light on these matters...If your music's on target they will contact you. Good luck !Mike

tedsingingfox · Post by **tedsingingfox** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 5:54 pm

Uhm, Steve, the first piece of "etiquette" advice I would offer is to NOT post the name of the company you were forwarded to. You should edit/modify your original post to that effect.And then I would say (and this is NOTHING more than my opinion) that it seems better to me to wait until THEY contact YOU about your tune.Granted, I'm a chicken S**T who is petrified to stick my nose where it isn't already welcome. BUT, that being said, I know there are plenty of stories on these boards of people who took the initiative and contacted libraries they were forwarded to, only to find out said libraries also accepted unsolicited material and got DEALS from the non-TAXI-related stuff they sent in.Go with your instincts, just remember to be a PRO in the way you approach them (should that be your decision). Short, to the point, and respectful of their EXTREMELY limited time.Good luck in whatever you choose, and congrats on yet another forward.Ted(And I'm sure others will chime in with better, smarter, more experienced advice than I can offer.)

hummingbird · Post by **hummingbird** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 6:03 pm

Steve, as above, Taxi asks that we do not publish company names on the forum. IMHO you should never contact a company about a forward. They will contact you if and when they are interested in signing the piece - and it could take a year or more to hear anything (I just heard this December from a publisher I was forwarded to last December). You could check and see IF they accept unsolicited submissons, and if so, submit other pieces to them. That's as far as I would go.

stevekrause · Post by **stevekrause** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 6:23 pm

Thanks to all -- was not aware of the TAXI policy to not publish company names on the forum. I have removed it from my post.If the TAXI policy is to ask its members NOT to contact the company about a forward, why do they inform us of the company's name? It seems almost too tempting...

davewalton · Post by **davewalton** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 6:31 pm

Quote:Now, like everyone else here, most of my forwards go out into the ether, and I never hear from them again. At what point is it OK to contact the forwarding company and check on the status of my submission? Hi,Quickly, Taxi prefers that we don't post the names of the companies we were forwarded to. There's been problems with lurkers using those names and causing problems, etc. If you get forwarded to Sony Nashville, no problem because any lurker isn't going to get past the first layer of gatekeepers. Just edit your post to remove the names.So back to the question of contacting them. It never makes sense to contact them asking for the "status" of your submissions because you'll never hear them say these things... 1. Thanks for calling! We wanted to offer you a deal but we were too shy to call.2. I didn't want to offer you a deal when I heard your music but now that I've talked to you, I'm offering you a deal because you have a nice phone voice.3. I'm sorry... we're so new at this. We offer YOU a deal? We thought it was the other way around and were wondering why you hadn't called yet. OK... hang up and we'll call you right now. Regardless of how I got the contact info, I never ask about previously submitted material. If I decide to contact them later (like after a couple months go by) I only ask about their submission policies regarding new material. I always ask via email if possible because that's the least obtrusive. Don't be the one who emails or calls with "I'm checking on the status of my submission". They HATE that. Like one guy told me... "If I AM interested, trust me I'll call, email, write letters... you won't be able to get rid of me."Dave

stevekrause · Post by **stevekrause** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 6:39 pm

Folks, my apologies again for posting a company name. Please be sure that it was unintentional, and that it will not happen again!!But my innocent mistake begs the question...why give us the names of the companies at all?

jay10music · Post by **jay10music** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 6:50 pm

so you know who your material was forwarded to. We ask that you dont post the names on here because this is a public forum. If you post the name, someone could call that company and say, "Im a taxi member too, i want a deal!" then TAXI has egg on its face because their members are contacting companies unsolicited.

davewalton · Post by **davewalton** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 6:50 pm

Quote:Thanks to all -- was not aware of the TAXI policy to not publish company names on the forum. I have removed it from my post.If the TAXI policy is to ask its members NOT to contact the company about a forward, why do they inform us of the company's name? It seems almost too tempting...It's only "tempting" when you think that calling will improve your chances. When you find out it's really an absolute, world-wide, universal deal killer, not just a "Taxi thing", the temptation level goes way down.

mikegoudreau · Post by **mikegoudreau** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 6:51 pm

Hi Steve,I think that when Taxi gives you the companies name , it's a way to let you know that this forward is real and that a real person will screen your song...At least this is the way I see it. As was already said here...If they're interested they will contact you. Hang in there ! Mike

stevekrause · Post by **stevekrause** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 6:56 pm

Thanks to all for your responses. I will now delete the post, to ensure that my inadvertent use of the company name will not be disseminated.