Returned "Halloween" song

[joshuabennett]

OK, I've learned a lot in my first six months with TAXI, and the comments on the returns I've been racking up have all been clear, helpful, and informative, even on the brief, "Y/N" listings....Until this one:

"Lyrically, this song isn't scary or dark enough for Halloween."

Grammatically and semantically, this is perfectly clear. When you read the listing to which it pertains, however, you will come across this information:

"QUOTING THE SOURCE: 'Moods should be upbeat, happy, fun, loving, and celebratory'. NO melancholy or negative songs for this one."

Here's what I submitted: http://soundcloud.com/joshuabennett0/dr-frankenstein

My question is: Do they not require the screeners to first read the listings for which they are screening?!? Are you kidding me?!? (Okay, I admit: those are merely rhetorical questions. )

The kicker is that I had coincidentally just received a custom critique I had requested on this song (on which I got both very good marks and very solid, useful suggestions for improvement) when I came across the Halloween listing. I made many of the suggested changes (particularly in upping the production values), submitted to the Halloween listing, and held my breath.

Now, if the screener had told me the production still wasn't good enough, or the storyline was too detailed (which I can believe, as they did request no detailed storylines...), or pretty much anything other than what they actually gave as the sole reason for the return (yes, I know it's a Y/N listing, but I have gotten far more useful single sentences back in the past), well, I wouldn't be here annoying you all with my rant this morning.

Instead, I'll be able to annoy you all in person next week. Thanks for reading and/or listening and/or ignoring! See you at the Road Rally!

Josh

[sedge]

Is it possible to have a fun and upbeat song with dark and scary lyrics?

[joshuabennett]

Sure! I've got a jaunty little tune I wrote about the end of the world. It's another catchy, 3-chord ditty like Dr. Frankenstein, and it always gets folks smiling and tapping their toes, in spite of the grim subject matter.

BUT, there was no mention of the requirement for "dark, scary lyrics" in the listing. For reference, here is the complete text:

HALLOWEEN SONGS (in all genres) needed by the Co-founder of a VERY successful Music Licensing Company that specializes in pitching to videographers and photographers for special events. QUOTING THE SOURCE: "Moods should be upbeat, happy, fun, loving, and celebratory". NO melancholy or negative songs for this one. Production values MUST be polished and contemporary with an UP-TO-DATE sound. UNIVERSAL LYRICS are needed for this one (no names, places, detailed story lines etc.) MALE or FEMALE vocals are OK. ORIGINAL songs ONLY! NO Instrumentals! You must own or control 100% of your composition and master recording. REMEMBER - if you submit a song, please make sure you have an instrumental mix on the shelf and ready to go if your music gets picked, but NO need to submit an instrumental mix at this time. Broadcast Quality needed (great home recordings should be fine). 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 Monday, October 22, 2012. TAXI #Y121022HW

So, yeah, Sedge, I get your point. That's a fair question. It just doesn't seem to jive with what they actually requested in the listing. I can see how they may have rejected the song for other reasons (too many specific details, not "current" enough production maybe?), but the reason given just really seems at odds with the listing itself.

[sedge]

Hey Josh, From what I remember for Taxi listings, sometimes they can feel like shots in the dark

There's a girl I love and I have only one concern
It's becoming very clear that she won't love me in return
I went patiently outside her window every night
but she says I am a monster and I fear she may be right

How can the supervisor pitch this an upbeat Halloween song?

[sguiles]

Josh,

I think this was a pretty darn clever interpretation of the listing. I like your lyric and the vibe in general. The only thing that stuck out to me that might have needed fixing where some pitch issues in the background vocals. I could hear what sounded like autotune making some corrections and maybe it was too much for the reviewer (even though he didn't mention that). Sometimes there's a just something that they can't quantify easily in a sentence or two, but they know it's not right.

That said, it seems like this particular reviewer definitely DIDN'T read the full listing or was thinking of another one. This is how life is sometimes though, sometimes our best efforts meet the wrong person and the right time. Eventually, if we keep working at it, I believe our best efforts will meet the right person at the right time.



Still, it sucks they didn't read the listing carefully.

[mikeymike2000]

Hey Josh,

I am gonna have to agree with the screener on this one but for different reasons. I think the lyric was fine and you did a good job at making a scary song upbeat, something that is pretty tough to do.

The reason I would not have forwarded this one is two fold:

1) you started out with Toccata and Fugue, and while I may be 100% wrong, they may have said not to incorporate any other songs or samples in the mix. Even if they did not, doing that is really tricky unless it is public domain. That song prob is but I don't know for sure. Still I think you could have done something similar but different to achieve the effect without using the exact phrase.

2) it sounded to me that you have a master compressor pumping like wild fire.

All this aside, each listing is different. I have had songs forwarded and then the same songs were rejected on different listings. I had originally thought that one or two forwards would mean forwards all the time, but no. They are asking for a very specific thing each time so keep an open mind with each audition.

You should start posting up in peer-to-peer. You will learn just as much, maybe even more than Taxi feedback alone and most definitely faster and for free!

See you in a few days.