To be (with TAXI) or not to be....I’m due for renewal in the next couple of months, and right now I am dead set against it. However, this is not about a perceived failure of the TAXI model. I have learned an awful lot of good stuff in the last year (yes, I’ve not been around here that long, or that often)...from tunes that have been forwarded (a few), tunes that have been returned (quite a few!), and from my peers on the forum. Lots and lots of things about production, structure, melody, instrumentation, pitching sensibly, genre, style, technique. As a whole, the resource is quite fantastic, especially if you explore and contribute to the debates. That’s not to mention what you might pick up at the Rally – can’t speak from personal experience, but believe what I have read and heard.
My reality sounds a little like yours, 53mph. The competition is HOT! HOT! HOT! And there are so many of us trying to get the gigs, too. In honesty, my music is well played, well mixed, well produced, generally has a lot going for it...but it’s not perfect, and it’s not great. My tunes consistently get the nod for being well crafted, well recorded & being of broadcast quality – all very pleasing to hear, because they definitely weren’t good enough before – but somehow they are consistently just not right, either stylistically, or maybe the bar is too high (that ain’t exactly measurable on the TAXI barometer, but I kinda get it!) One can only strive to be better, and continue working. That’s always been my purpose, and I will continue - armed with new ideas and information. However, my own style has been diluted somewhat by taking a lot of advice – sometimes I just wanna play outside the ‘rules’. I believe the screeners know exactly what they are looking for, based on the relationships TAXI has forged. That’s one of the important factors here: music forwarded by TAXI is at least solicited. But, does a music supervisor or company executive know what they want until they hear it. Foo Fighters, Coldplay, U2 really alt rock, for example? Ultimately, I think your art is equally vulnerable is this controlled environment, as it is elsewhere in the so called music biz. You hear something, you tend to either like it or not, and then you’re after the next thing. As an artist, you may be bearing your soul, but your song is still just a commodity that is either a good fit or not...the hard part is getting it to the table in the first place. Rather like making your employment CV stand out enough to get a face to face interview.
The fact is, I do this part time, there hasn’t been a suitable TAXI listing for me to submit for in quite a while, and I’m getting more opportunities through other avenues – bearing in mind that authenticity & playing to your strengths are key metrics. There are tons of opportunities at TAXI, but you have to be damn versatile (and very, very good) to be able to submit to more than a handful on a regular basis. Remember, too, that the listing requirements are usually very specific. If 3 reference artists are listed, you’d better be a ringer for one of ‘em. As a very simplified analogy, it would be pointless for me to keep submitting songs and music to a Nashville based label, for example, because my music is rock / metal based (and not what we hear as being particularly contemporary, either). Barking up the wrong tree. So all the advice about finding the right niche is pertinent, and that’s no different with or without TAXI.
I believe I’d be correct is saying that some of the very serious and successful artists around here have helped themselves by being able to deliver the right kind of product. Y’know, they have a great chameleon like ability, either as imitators, or through collaboration with experts in another genre. If and when I get there, TAXI could well be an even more beneficial ride.
Btw, I think the reason you have had more input than expected is because you have been reasonable and realistic with your thoughts and ambitions You’re not really bitchin and moanin!
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