R&B/Pop Songs

[ajenkz]

I just joined TAXI and i'm ready to get started with the submissions. I already have about 25-30 R&B and POP instrumentals and lyrics and melodies ready to be recorded to most of them, but not all are right for TAXI as they aren't all commercial. Obviously, licensing rights to songs is extremely expensive, and to really get the most out of TAXI you are going to have to submit a lot of material to hopefully get some forwards and that gets very expensive, and I unfortunantly am not capable of creating the music myself.So, are there any producers willing to sell their beats at much reduced prices, or even to let me use them for TAXI purposes with the agreement for you to profit should it land a deal? I'm looking for stuff of all R&B/Pop styles, doesn't really matter as long as its catchy. Also, I have been searching for classic R&B/Soul/Funk stuff forever now (think Motown, The Ojays, Aretha, or for more recent examples, Joss Stone, Ryan Shaw, and Amy Winehouse). Does anyone have these kinds of instrumentals available?Unfortunantly I don't have any good examples of my voice up yet considering i'm still putting together my little home vocal recording studio, and its going to take a little while to get started with the recordings. However, most people i've talked to ,and obviously the music track sites online, don't care as long as they benefit financially in the end haha. Also, anyone who might have songs already written in these styles but no vocals, let me know as i'm interested in trying them out too. Hopefully I can hook up with some really strong songwriters here to get even stronger material, as im mainly looking to pitch myself as an artist rather than place songs in TV/Movies although that would be great too! Just basically looking to get the most out of my membership, and to submit the best quality stuff I possibly can.

[ghost]

well when ever ur up and running im a producer/Rapper...i do hip hop and R&B so just holla at meGhostGhst443718@aol.com

[edteja]

A reasonable request...but.I am a little confused here. You want beats to do Motown? I am working on some Motown style cuts, but I'd hardly call the backing tracks beats! Nor the Staxx label stuff. And you say you have melodies---are they written or performed? To produce Motown tracks you need to think a lot about how they were done. The rhythm section is one take (submix), the horns another, and strings another, and backup vocals another. That is how Leonard Horn and the Holland Dozier Holland team got that sound. It is a little like trying to do early Phil Spector digitally--kind of goes against the grain of the three track tape in the wall of sound...what is it about the sound that you actually want? And what kind of collaborative effort?So, are there any producers willing to sell their beats at much reduced prices, or even to let me use them for TAXI purposes with the agreement for you to profit should it land a deal? I'm looking for stuff of all R&B/Pop styles, doesn't really matter as long as its catchy. Also, I have been searching for classic R&B/Soul/Funk stuff forever now (think Motown, The Ojays, Aretha, or for more recent examples, Joss Stone, Ryan Shaw, and Amy Winehouse). Does anyone have these kinds of instrumentals available?

[sgs4u]

Ajenkz,After listening to your first vocal effort with Ain't to Proud to Beg, I'll wait 'til I hear you sing a little more. All my songs (not beats) came to be as a result of great musicians listening to a great singer, and responding in kind, or countless hours of overdubs trying to get the just the right vibe. So no, I'm not not going to let someone use my tracks, unless their singing bowls me over, or they have some very serious reasons for me to trust and like their personalities. Or a clear business plan. Or I owe them a favour. Ed - all the kids call an entire backing track "a beat", nowadays. Like there's some kind of music faucet, ya just turn on, and perfect music comes out for the singer... like the musicians don't really have much to do with the music. rant complete

[ajenkz]

I don't usually call them beats, but from my experience with R&B music, if you say instrumental or music people look at you like your crazy, but beats means anything. Basically, like Amy Winehouse's Back To Black, a mix of real instruments but also some drum machines and that kind of thing, because from my experience its hard to find people willing to do all live instruments.The clip wasn't a good representation, and I have no clue when i'll have more stuff finished because things keep piling up to the point of not having any one song totally complete yet, but eventually i'll get there. I'm not so much looking for songs right now even, i've got a few in the works of this style luckily.But anyways, not trying to disregard the importance of the musicians, because musicians are far more important than a singer to a song obviously even though i'm one of the few singers in the world that would admit that:D Just trying to use the terms that i'm used to using when it comes to modern music with a throwback sound.

[ajenkz]

Quote:A reasonable request...but.I am a little confused here. You want beats to do Motown? I am working on some Motown style cuts, but I'd hardly call the backing tracks beats! Nor the Staxx label stuff. And you say you have melodies---are they written or performed? To produce Motown tracks you need to think a lot about how they were done. The rhythm section is one take (submix), the horns another, and strings another, and backup vocals another. That is how Leonard Horn and the Holland Dozier Holland team got that sound. It is a little like trying to do early Phil Spector digitally--kind of goes against the grain of the three track tape in the wall of sound...what is it about the sound that you actually want? And what kind of collaborative effort?Its easier for me to write lyrics and the vocal melody once I have a finished piece of music to listen to. For these sorts of songs like I said, they are mainly for artist pitching projects, but if its a collaboration than whoever else works on it is of course free to use it for whatever as well. The lyrics and melodies I have right now are for the music tracks I already have for different things, I don't usually write just vocal melodies then try to fit a song around it.

[edteja]

I guess I still don't get it. When I do a track, I can't write it unless I know the melody. You want to write a melody on an instrumental line? That isn't the way songs usually get written. Rap, maybe, but you harmonize a melody. It isn't a matter of "fitting a song" around a melody. A song is words and melody. That is called a lead sheet. The rest is the arrangement. Arrangers don't usually go to work until after the song is written. I am not criticizing, I just don't see how you work this. If you sent me a lead sheet, I would build the music around it (track, beats, whatever...I am a musician, so it is music). I just don't understand the process you envision. R&B is particularly structured, more so than rock in some ways, and you can't do the horns (as an example) unless you know what sound you are trying to achieve. That means knowing the melody and lyric--at least to me. Anything else seems like pushing string uphill.And Steve, where do I get me one of them faucets? Do they have hot and cold?

[ajenkz]

Its just the way im used to working I guess. Check out some R&B instrumentals on the web. I usally write to them, and then I can come up with a melody off of that pretty easily, or sometimes someone will have a set melody and I just add lyrics to it. Sites like musictrackstore.com are good for that. Very complete good songs, then you just write your own stuff on top of it. Its not really an ideal working condition, but its one i've had to use a lot.

[edteja]

Okay, as an amazing coincidence I was just contacted by someone who does exactly what you want--and does it as a 50/50 split. Check your hotmail account for his email address.

[ajenkz]

Thanks i'll check the email in a second!