Hi Jordy. Sometimes Taxi works for some and others it dont depending on their own personal connections. All I can say is it's a good idea to have both the personal connection and the connections taxi provides through their listings. Retain the best of both worlds and make as much connections as one can possibly make.mrwonderful wrote:Re Not Renewing in 2012
Hi folks, I’m looking for input. After six years of Taxi membership I’m thinking of not renewing, despite the almost frantic reminders I get from them that it’s That Time…
I abhor the cliché ‘thinking outside the Box’ (it’s SO ‘Inside the box’). But in my honest opinion the box of the Taxi mindset has gotten rather small, even as my view, perspective, and experience of the Biz has ever-expanded.
There are other ways to ‘get there’ (including for me the up-and-coming publisher I acquired this year). Michael Laskow himself used to tout, before his hard-sell approach became the new m.o., that Taxi was only the ‘second-best’ way to get there. I must agree…as we’ve all seen, (with the Taxi Rally experience as a microcosmic example) the personal touch beats out impersonal every time. And frankly, Taxi for me has been disappointingly most IMpersonal.
I know at least one of the screeners personally, from the days he worked for the big publisher that handled my catalog. (I don’t know which number he is.) I had to wonder, ‘They use HIM for a screener?” I met up with another at a mentor lunch table (the one I paid 30 bucks for) and thought ‘THIS guy’s a MENTOR?’ I knew this fella from my hometown as a certifiable…well, I won’t say. There's more to the story but let's move on...
I’ve been at this for years and am hardly what you’d call entry level. The Rallies I’ve attended have been quite valuable. Why WOULDN’T one go? It’s about the ONLY thing that makes the $200 fee worth it…but I find the focus of Taxi has morphed (as the Biz itself has) from a focus of connection to one of education. The workshops are great, but after this, my sixth Rally, I’m finding them a bit redundant. That ‘magic-bullet’, the CONNECTION (and as-ever the ongoing experience of writing writing writing) is what I REALLY need. Is this something Taxi could yet deliver?
I lingered in LA after the Rally to hook up with an old friend, a former bandmate, who’s made good out there. I won’t mention names but he’s REAL busy composing for Network and Cable, and some film. (He mentioned that he partners occasionally with one of the big ‘draws’ at the recent Rally.) He wondered aloud to me why I’m not yet his ‘competition’. We hung out for like 3 hours, and in that 3 hours I think I got another 3 DAYS’ (another Rally’s) worth of information. There’s that Personal Touch again…
Maybe there is another way to do this. As we all know, it’s more than persistence and doing exceptional work. There IS timing and there IS luck (if you don’t think so, just imagine YOUR radio-ready CD being THE one Craig pulls out of the bin – with HUNDREDS in there - at one of the big panels! I've also heard it straight from the panelists themselves). I've gotten a good number of forwards, ONE little deal, and certainly enjoy the energy and camaraderie at the Rallies…but – pardon the vulgarity - I’d like to get the CHECK. Maybe it’s time to ‘put a little spit on the quarter’, change tack, and get off this Taxi thing, at least for a minute.
Can someone throw in a convincing argument one way or the other?
Sincerely, Jordy
I dont think the taxi or music game is about luck, I think that its about the right song along with hard work thats thrown in it to get there. I'd agree that at the moment, with all the money we pump into our songs for studio time plus the amount of our membership and submissions we make, that a profitable return is HIGHLY unlikely. Unless you have a catalogue of over 500 tunes that are placed with different libraries and being placed in different film/tv shows on a continuos basis, it can not be said that a self employed living can be made out of it. The same goes for those of us who dont list with taxi and manage to get a few placements outside of taxi.
So the submissions we make is more of a hobbie than anything else bar those on here who DO make a living out of placements. But I've yet to meet a taxi member who does on this forum.
I do submit to film/tv listings but I do it for the crack and a bit of fun. I also submit to ad agencies because the 25k is def something I could make a living out of a year.
My unprofressional mind though is here for the rare and scarce record deal. And I've never been as close to a record company before in my life and Taxi walked me right into their office and I got one forward for record deal in the last week and feel like I've accomplished something. It was forwarded by the co-owner of the listing company thats cool that have the owner of the record company dig your songs and forward you and take you home for consideration.
It's a game of patience with taxi but once the foot is in the door its in the door. And if ever I do reach my goal I'll never forget Taxi and even plan ( with their permission ) to put their logo on my new EP cover to help spread the good business Michael has created.
So...dont give up on taxi, as in, dont burn the bridge for another. Use both bridges and build something greater.
Stephen
I hope to make your acquaintance at the next Rally. 
