Trying to learn from return

amweiss · Post by **amweiss** » Thu Aug 09, 2012 2:36 pm

Hi All
Since I'm relatively new to Taxi (since June) and just received this return, I'm trying to understand what is going on so I can improve my chances of getting a forward. So here is the information, and a bit of background. First, the listing

AUTHENTIC FOLK SONGS (recorded prior to 1975) in the style of Crosby, Stills & Nash, Bob Dylan etc., needed by a Highly Successful Publisher of PERIOD Music for FILM & TV Licensing. This company has been a HUGE go-to publisher for some SUPER-POPULAR TV shows and they get TONS of AWESOME placements! Several TAXI members have recently signed deals in the $10,000 Plus range!!! IMPORTANT: They are NOT looking for newly recorded tracks that made to sound old. They will ONLY take SONGS that were actually recorded back in the day and have copyright dates that prove it (1975 or earlier)! Your name (not your friend's name) needs to be on the copyright! This is a GREAT opportunity to dust off those old masters that you never thought would see the light of day! TAXI TIP: Just because they're looking for OLD-ish music, doesn't mean they're interested in mediocre material. Their bar is still high! MALE or FEMALE vocals OK! Please submit one to three songs online or per CD, include lyrics. All submissions will be screened on a YES/NO BASIS - NO CRITIQUES FROM TAXI - and must be received no later than Thursday, August 2, 2012. TAXI #Y120802FO

Great...so I played in and wrote the songs for a band (called Cole Tuckey) in the 70s that recorded a folk song in the style of that time (in 1974). The song I wrote called Passing Fancy that made it into the top 10 on the major music station in Kansas City and other markets and got the band tours with major record acts touring throughout the Midwest. As a result of that song (and others), this year the band was put into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame.

So, I thought my song Passing Fancy would work for this listing. (you can hear it on my taxi page as Passing Fancy - Orig). But here is what the reviewer said (after ticking off Vocal Performance and Music as reasons for not forwarding the song).

Sweet melody,cohesive chord progression, melodic phrasing..poetic imagery.. nice work but some vocal intonation rough spots..
.. in any genre, the more recognizable, ,memorable the chorus, title, the better.
.." then for a band that was recently inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame." cool... what band?

So, what am I supposed to make of this review? What am I supposed to learn from this for future submissions? The listing didn't say "hit songs", they appeared to want good songs in the style (and note, the box Stylistically Off Target was NOT checked). The review didn't like the music (according to what they ticked off, but then said they liked the melody, etc.)

Thanks,
Allen

davewalton · Post by **davewalton** » Thu Aug 09, 2012 2:58 pm

amweiss wrote: So, what am I supposed to make of this review? What am I supposed to learn from this for future submissions?

This was such a "one off" listing that I'm not sure that anything can be learned and even if there was, there's nothing you could fix and keep the "original recording" aspect of the listing. I've seen a few listings like this and they all appear to be from the same source (they're obviously building a sub-catalog of various styles of music recorded in various periods, not a bad idea really).

Y/N listings by their nature never have any detail (they used to not have anything but "Yes" or "No"). Sometimes a little bit of info creates more questions than what a flat "No" might create.

Anyway, I think it's amazing that you *have* an original recording from an era that I define as "my high school years".

amweiss · Post by **amweiss** » Thu Aug 09, 2012 3:03 pm

Thanks Dave...yes, this makes me never want to spend time submitting to listings like this since the feedback was useless....the only reason I still had the recording (by the way) is that the song was bootlegged by so many people throughout the country that I was able to a hold of it after all these years.

davewalton · Post by **davewalton** » Thu Aug 09, 2012 3:33 pm

amweiss wrote:...the only reason I still had the recording (by the way) is that the song was bootlegged by so many people throughout the country that I was able to a hold of it after all these years.

OMG

What a great (and crazy) story.

I do agree in general that dedicating a lot of time creating a track from scratch for an obscure listing may not be the most efficient use of composing time. Not to say that I haven't done that because I have. A track already recorded? Well... just a few minutes to complete the online submission process. If there's a good chance I think it's always better to try.

I think your submission was a good one. It missed but certainly just by a hair. I would have submitted that for sure.

cardell · Post by **cardell** » Thu Aug 09, 2012 3:46 pm

I like your sound Allen.

davewalton wrote:I think your submission was a good one. It missed but certainly just by a hair. I would have submitted that for sure.

Agreed.

Stuart

amweiss · Post by **amweiss** » Thu Aug 09, 2012 3:48 pm

thanks Stuart!!

Len911 · Post by **Len911** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 3:21 am

Allen, they didn't say they didn't like the music. They mentioned vocal intonation rough in a few spots and imo didn't like the title "Passing Fancy". I could detect artifacts from the "old cassette", maybe that had something to do with the intonation as they called it??
I personally didn't fancy the hook "Passing Fancy", a stronger hook would have put it in the 'much like' category for me, personally, and I could have overlooked any cassette artifacts or "vocal intonation" as it were. The lesson to be learned I suppose is to write stronger hooks and not settle on a passing fancy because once it's set in stone there is nothing you can change down the road.

amweiss · Post by **amweiss** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 6:39 am

thanks Len...hmm, well, the audiences we played for (and radio stations at the time) had no problem with the title, and as I said, the listing said nothing about hit songs...in the 70s (which is what they wanted), non top 40 songs didn't all have strong hooks..they were just good songs. On well. Guess I'll need to start with titles (isn't that top down writing?)

Casey H · Post by **Casey H** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 8:07 am

davewalton wrote:I think your submission was a good one. It missed but certainly just by a hair. I would have submitted that for sure.

Sometimes with very high bar listings, this happens... Even the best of tracks sometimes doesn't get the nod. Don't sweat it. All you can do is submit, forget, and move on. And the good news is you spent zero time writing this for the listing!

Best of luck!

Casey

amweiss · Post by **amweiss** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 8:13 am

Thanks Casey...this process, I'm noting, is why I've seen lots of posts where people get very discouraged by this process (partly, I think, because even some people's really good songs don't get forwarded). Anyway, this is all part of a process (and frankly, I'm glad this isn't my main career

Trying to learn from return

Trying to learn from return

Re: Trying to learn from return

Re: Trying to learn from return

Re: Trying to learn from return

Re: Trying to learn from return

Re: Trying to learn from return

Re: Trying to learn from return

Re: Trying to learn from return

Re: Trying to learn from return

Re: Trying to learn from return

Who is online