How to target - "a la the wide range of" listings

[bobpaterno]

Here's the listing...FEMALE TEEN POP SONGS a la the wide range of Jordin Sparks, Taylor Swift, etc., needed by a Major Label for a 15-year old star of the hit Nickelodeon show "Spectacular" and who also is also a co-star on "Zoey 101". All tempos are welcome. Lyrically, the language must be hip, current and appropriate for a young crowd. Vocal and instrumental demo presentation must be top-notch! Please submit one to three songs online or per CD, include lyrics. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by TAXI and must be received no later than Friday, November 13, 2009.TAXI # S091113TP Getting a discouraged feeling after 4 returns. Very gun shy about pitching to listings like this. I've got two songs that would work well for a white-girl, teen pop, up and comer, like Miley Cyrus or Taylor Swift. But they're definitely not Jordin Sparks songs!Jordin Sparks and Taylor Swift aren't even in the same ballpark. So how the heck am I suppose to figure out what this listing is for?

[hummingbird]

Oct 24, 2009, 11:46am, bobpaterno wrote:how the heck am I suppose to figure out what this listing is for?That's a good question. I'd go to iTunes and listen to the most popular track from each of those artists and try to figure out where they are similar.And I'd also post the listing, lyrics & link to the song(s) you are thinking about submitting in Peer to Peer to see if one or more members can help you decide whether your track(s) are on target.

[mazz]

I'm not a songwriter, but I'd look for the similarities, even if they're broad. For instance, the listing says:"Lyrically, the language must be hip, current and appropriate for a young crowd."I would be willing to bet that both of the artists listed have that in common.Also, if you were to place one on the left and the other on the right, there has to be some sort of continuum of artists in between those extremes that could be some sort of "average". That might be another way of looking at it.Just some more ideas to try to crack the code.MazzPS: Don't be discouraged. Four returns may feel like a lot, but keep at it. You'll win some and lose some, that's just the way it is for any writer, even the top ones. Learning to read the listings unemotionally and being able to step back from your music is an ongoing process. The only way to learn those are to jump in and do it, knowing you're going to get returns along the way and learning from them.

[fusilierb]

I noticed the listing you posted was critiqued. I don't know if your critique was helpful or not, but I've found that they give me a good reason why a tune didn't make it for a particular listing. If there was something about the music that they mentioned, then maybe the songs themselves need a bit more work. Maybe not.But it could be that it just wasn't right for "that" particular listing. The critique should give you a clue to that as well. Either way, don't get discouraged. Learn what you can from the critiques and let that guide you in how you submit those songs in the future. For my first year I actually submitted things to listings that I knew were way off the mark just so I could get the critiques. Those critiques helped me target other listing where they were more appropriate. I know you can pay for a custom critique, but why not kill two birds with one stone was my attitude.B

[t4mh]

I also do this when there is a listing that includes a critique as I find them to be extremely helpful. I'll send in 3 tracks, one may be close to the listing and the other 2 are long shots. But I get 3 critiques for $15 bucks instead of $60. Maybe I'm abusing TAXI's system but I don't really think it is an issue for them. If it is I guess they'll change the rules.Keith

[jjktunes]

Your right Keith, I think the 5 bucks takes care of any issue Taxi may have.