I'm starting to feel the one year itch

[bgorsira]

Kelil,

I have been a member of Taxi for 3-4 years or so. Have around 40 forwards and nada for a deal yet. Was close awhile ago, someone contacted me to get my soundbeds for background on a tv show, but have heard nothing since. I am continuing to plug away...but feel your pain and a financial pinch. At some point will have to bail on the investment of submitting songs, but not sure when that will be as hope spring eternal..... I guess year 5. I think that is it just really competitive, and there are lots of layers of "No".

Best of luck

Bryan

[Kelil]

Kelil,

I have been a member of Taxi for 3-4 years or so. Have around 40 forwards and nada for a deal yet. Was close awhile ago, someone contacted me to get my soundbeds for background on a tv show, but have heard nothing since. I am continuing to plug away...but feel your pain and a financial pinch. At some point will have to bail on the investment of submitting songs, but not sure when that will be as hope spring eternal..... I guess year 5. I think that is it just really competitive, and there are lots of layers of "No".

Best of luck

Bryan

Thanks Bryan for all the encouragment

[AndyKotz]

"Thanks Bryan for all the encouragement"

There's that Irish sense of humor!!!!!

[mazz]

I hear what you are saying and I feel your frustration.

However, any successful person you talk to or read about will say that the one thing they never considered was giving up. As a creative person, I'm confident that you can cook up any number of ways to get your music recorded and pitched without spending a lot of money. You have the entire internet open to you and even just this forum, which is a tiny slice of the whole internet community, is a fertile place for spawning successful partnerships, if one uses it well and fosters a good presence here. In my opinion, if one wants something enough, then something like lack of funds won't be an obstacle for long.

Now Taxi may or may not be a good fit for you and what you do, but in either case, one year is really not enough time in this business to make a solid determination on success or failure. I got my first deal after 3 years in Taxi, after lots of submissions and tons of returns along with some forwards. I considered (and still do) the submission fees to be a cost of doing business and an investment in my career. Yes, it can get expensive depending on one's submission strategy, but as in any business, it takes money to make money. Some capital has to flow, some things can be done on barter or partnership, but at some point, some cash has to change hands to keep the wheels of commerce greased, there's no getting around it.

And I would also suggest taking a look at your definition of success. If your only goal is to get a label deal, then with or without Taxi, you'll have to be ready for a ton of rejection, it just goes with that territory of the music business. So very few actually get those label deals and it will take a lot of gumption on your part to overcome those odds. One of the things that could get you there is a "never give up" attitude. So maybe having more defined interim goals would be a way to have a feeling of accomplishment along the way, because you'll need those small successes to help maintain a positive attitude in the face of pretty stiff odds.

You probably know this stuff already anyway.

For me, there's never been a thought of quitting completely. Even when I veered into the corporate job world, the thought was that it was always a temporary thing and music would always be what I do as my life's work. Taxi has been a good fit for what I do and the benefits of this community have been an awesome and unexpected side benefit. Your mileage may vary.

Whatever you choose, I wish you the best of luck.

Mazz