Taxi Country Cuts ?

[jjktunes]

You don't have to read any more of this thread if you don't want to. But you know you just can't help it, or you would have left pages ago:)

[wignelson]

I posted a country song here back when I was a member and the owner of the company (TAXI) went out of his way in the thread to jump in and express his distaste with it. (Is that his place? Disparagement for the people who pay his bills?) Now I come to read in this thread by his words that all of the Nashville panel are his friends.That was the best $5.00 I ever saved. (Not submitting)I think now is the time that I should get the speech that, "you'll never work in this town or any other town, for that matter."Wig

[jay10music]

Hi Wig,Jim Funk and Erik Hickenlooper had a song played on a Rally panel and a small, but well-connected publisher who was on the panel heard the song and said, "That song will get cut some day." After the panel, Jim and Erik approached the publisher (who also screened for TAXI), and asked if he'd be interested in publishing their song. He asked me if it was okay. I gave the thumbs up. The song got cut by Kenny Rogers about two years later. When Kenny asked, "Why haven't you ever played that song for me before," the publisher said, "Kenny, I've played it for you about 8 TIMES before."Elliott Park story -- Our VP at the time, Doug Minnick was playing a song called "Cotton Dyed Grey" in his office. I heard it, asked who it was, and took some of Elliott's songs with me on my next trip to Nashville a couple of days later. My first meeting was with the VP of RCA. I played him Elliott's songs. He asked where Elliott was from. "Clyde Texas," was my response.The VP said, "Well, that guy's the real deal, you'd best get him to come here."Elliott met me in Nashville about ten days later. Between myself and a TAXI employee we had in Nashville at the time, we set up two solid days of meetings -- every hour on the hour. At the end of that and the follow up trip, Elliott had 4 or 5 pub deal offers on the table. He signed with a smaller one that had a great track record. He never moved to Nashville, but commuted there frequently. Elliott had probably a dozen holds by the VERY top artists in Nashville, but after nearly three years, he had no cuts. As hope dimmed, he finally got a cut with Heartland on a co-write he did with my friend Walt Aldridge (set up by the pub., not me). The song, "I Loved Her First" was a sleeper on an Indie label. Over the next few months the song crawled up the charts, slow but steady. The day it hit #1 I got a package in the mail. I opened it to find the original lyric sheet to "I Loved Her First." It's framed, right outside my office. I'll always cherish it because it proves what I said the day I started TAXI -- "A great song can come from anywhere."If the reason you asked if they had contact with me prior to their success was to find out if I had any involvement in their success, or gave them special treatment, the answer is YES. EXACTLY the same special treatment that every other member gets when we think they're amazing or something starts to catch fire for them.I have been taking members' songs with me to Nashville for 15 years. The members have rarely known. I routinely spend days plugging on the Row. Andrea (our VP of A&R) has several meetings a week here in LA in which she carries in material from members. I take stuff with me to NY whenever I go. We also have a well-connected industry pro on the ground in NY. I bring stuff with me to conferences when I get invited to speak, because most of the time, I moderate the A&R panels. A&R people will always listen to whatever I give them.Andrea's got the head of A&R at Atlantic interested enough that he's sending somebody to Washington to hear a TAXI band he got from her. We often send special packages/emails to industry people when we hear something exceptional. We've held well attended showcases that on a few occasions have featured artists that got signed a couple years down the road (we identified them before they were fully cooked). Howie Day and Kate Voegle are two that come to mind as I write this.As a matter of fact, prior to my last trip to Nashville, I had songs from three members ready to take with me. Cameron was among them.We generally don't tell the members because we don't want them to get their hopes up too high. If something happens, then of course we tell them We will go to any extent we can to help get our members signed. There's not a person I've met in the A&R community that doesn't love finding great talent and helping it bear fruit. We all love great music and we all love to brag when we're the first to identify it. Ironic that A&R people have the rep of being gate keepers when they are all SO hungry for hits. It's not THEM that keep people out. When they're ready, they'll generally get their shot. Even if they're from Clyde Texas!HTH,Michael

[jay10music]

Jun 18, 2009, 6:47am, wignelson wrote:I posted a country song here back when I was a member and the owner of the company (TAXI) went out of his way in the thread to jump in and express his distaste with it. (Is that his place? Disparagement for the people who pay his bills?) Now I come to read in this thread by his words that all of the Nashville panel are his friends.That was the best $5.00 I ever saved. (Not submitting)I think now is the time that I should get the speech that, "you'll never work in this town or any other town, for that matter."Wig Wig,Why did you originally post the question, asking if I had any prior involvement in the country cuts, then go back and edit out that question and add a question/comment about something totally different?And what's with the "speech" thing? Unusual.And if I remember, wasn't my reaction the song more a raised eyebrow and less than disparaging -- and wasn't the some sort of tongue and cheek thing with the word TAXI all over it, including the title?ML

[cameron]

Jun 18, 2009, 7:50am, TAXI wrote:I have been taking members' songs with me to Nashville for 15 years. The members have rarely known. I routinely spend days plugging on the Row. Andrea (our VP of A&R) has several meetings a week here in LA in which she carries in material from members. I take stuff with me to NY whenever I go. We also have a well-connected industry pro on the ground in NY. I bring stuff with me to conferences when I get invited to speak, because most of the time, I moderate the A&R panels. A&R people will always listen to whatever I give them.Andrea's got the head of A&R at Atlantic interested enough that he's sending somebody to Washington to hear a TAXI band he got from her. We often send special packages/emails to industry people when we hear something exceptional. We've held well attended showcases that on a few occasions have featured artists that got signed a couple years down the road (we identified them before they were fully cooked). Howie Day and Kate Voegle are two that come to mind as I write this.As a matter of fact, prior to my last trip to Nashville, I had songs from three members ready to take with me. Cameron was among them.And that alone is worth more than the cost of membership, even if I never get another forward. Where else do you get that kind of personal attention from the owner of the company? ML's passion is what separates Taxi from all the others imho.

[jay10music]

Thanks Cam. There's SO much that we do behind the scenes that we just can't put in our brochure or on the website...You can all sleep a little better at night knowing that everybody who works at TAXI is a passionate champion of great songs and great artists. So are the people in the industry. When you think about it, even if the so-called "gatekeepers" wouldn't find it in their own best interest to keep you OUT if you've got what they need. Write amazing songs and we'll get them to the right people. Write good songs and we'll try our hardest to help you make them GREAT.Go write,Michael

[claire]

I think everyone I know who has met Michael in person says that he's a quality, stand up guy. Some may say it grudgingly but they all say it Michael, it's nice to know that you're personally listening to your country writers' songs and working to make connections for the songs you believe in. If I'd thought Taxi had that much of an interest in getting the great songs into the right hands, maybe I would have stayed on as a member longer.Still, the forum is fun.Claire

[perrysmith]

Jun 18, 2009, 9:34am, TAXI wrote:Write amazing songs and we'll get them to the right people. Write good songs and we'll try our hardest to help you make them GREAT.Go write,MichaelNOW THAT's something that should be on the front of your website!

[cameron]

Jun 18, 2009, 10:04am, perrysmith wrote:Jun 18, 2009, 9:34am, TAXI wrote:Write amazing songs and we'll get them to the right people. Write good songs and we'll try our hardest to help you make them GREAT.Go write,MichaelNOW THAT's something that should be on the front of your website!AGREED!

[matthoggard]

Yep Michael's the real deal. The Nashville panel cemented my opinion. I know he genuinely cares and will work his a** off to get oustanding material to the right people. Why wouldnt he? No different from a plugger on the row. They need great songs and when they hear one they go balls out with it.Thanks ML!!