Can TAXI still Work for Me ?

[jaredlutes]

Hey guys! I'll try not to write this in a complaining tone - that's not my intent. But in my situation, I think about this more and more.

I've been a full TAXI member for 4+ years. During the last few months, after producing some new music under my own power, I have actually started to enjoy some consistent forwards. But unfortunately, I haven't heard back about any of them; I must have missed the target higher up on the chain. In fact, I haven't yet earned a single cent for my efforts - and the one library placement I earned seems like a dead end (they won't respond to my emails about submitting new material). I know that this is a long-haul waiting game - that I can't be waiting by the phone all day - and I also admit that my time with TAXI has been very educational and eye-opening. I sincerely feel that Michael and the staff do everything in their power to improve their members' chances of success. But here is my situation, and why I waver:

Like you, I am usually disappointed when my songs are returned - especially when I think I've hit the target. But inevitably I dust my self off and learn from the failure and the advice offered by the screeners. They are always impressed by my music and have even "made a note" or "kept it to the side" for future opportunities on their radars. Even Michael himself highly praised one of my songs. They even suggest what genre or artist I should submit the song for in the future. But that's just it: The listings can be so specific (and understandably so) that my songs continually just miss the mark.

The problem is that I am NOT a prolific jingle-writer or cue composer. I have a niche carved in my area as a live Roots-Rock singer-songwriter with a penchant for ballads about home, family, and life on the road - much like Springsteen or Seger or Mayer. That's my style and who I am; I don't feel compelled to branch out into Latin instrumentals. My songs are diverse, personal, and painstakingly written and produced. I only record my best material, and by the time the band and I are recorded, mixed, and mastered, I am lucky to have 8 new songs available each year. Out of those 8, one or two may have great potential, so I submit them via TAXI. They're usually returned for missing the target. So I wait - sitting on my best music in hopes that the PERFECT opportunity will pop up in the listings.

I do continually write, record, submit, and repeat - but the TAXI listings in my genre are so few and far between (and subject to the flavor of the month), I get disappointed, and wonder if there is something else I should be doing to improve my chances of earning a few bucks with my best music!

Is anyone else in my boat?

https://soundcloud.com/jaredlutes/sets/jl-top-picks

[HectorRContreras]

Hello dear Jaredlutes,

I understand your dilemma.

TAXI is very much about Productivity, Music Industry, Production Companies, Libraries, Record Engineering, Music Partnership, and ... America. And what America wants, most of the time.
Ourselves, Hector and I, we are not Members of TAXI for this kind of Productivity and Business. We just cannot go that way, for different reasons.
But we love TAXI.
Michael is a wonderful Teacher, with outstanding means and resources, (his Shows, this Forum, the e-Mails, the TAXI Website, the Road Rally, the Books, etc ... ) and we gain so many precious insights from Michael and his Colleagues and his Guests and his Members ! It is very interesting.
And we help as well, when we can.
Food for thought ...

Take care, Blessings

[DesireInspires]

Continue to use Taxi along with other resources. That is what many other successful people who work with Taxi do.

[jaredlutes]

Thanks guys. I've begun poking around at other options, for sure.

But here's a case-in-point, today: Listing searching for "POSITIVE, ACOUSTIC-BASED SINGER/SONGWRITER SONGS in the stylistic ballpark of artists like Joshua Radin, A Fine Frenzy, Andrew Belle, etc....bright, positive, joyful aspects of love".

Okey dokey. So I submit an acoustic-based (no drums) song with optimistic and complimentary lyrics about home-with-you-is-more-beautiful-than-anywhere-I've-been. Returned. Screener "loves" my vocals, but song is "not joyful enough".

I could argue with that, but I won't. It just goes to show that unless your song is DEAD ON EXACTLY what they want (or a sound-alike) - forget about it. I believe that's a good thing though, and it's why TAXI works so well, and why their clients are so pleased. However, that listing was by far the best chance for that song I've seen yet. And many of my songs are in a similar vein (it's what I do as an artist). I'll probably have to wait six months for a more appropriate opportunity to pop up. That's a long time to sit on my thumbs!

[jaredlutes]

And if my songs are just not good enough, someone please tell me! I'll go back to Accounting school before it's too late!

[DesireInspires]

Just submit songs to Taxi listings and shop them around to other places.

I do not understand why people get so frustrated with getting songs returned. A return is a rejection, but it is only rejected for that particular listing. The song is not worthless because it was not forwarded. Continue to use a rejected for other purposes and work on new songs for new listings.

One thing I learned about this business is that you have to keep plugging away at being creative and submitting songs to multiple opportunities. It is a lot of work. If a composer is not ready to work hard for little reward (in the beginning), I would encourage that composer to not even create music for business purposes. The failure drives great people insane.

Can Taxi work for you? Yes. Can other things work as well? Yes. You just have to do the work.

Plus, I would encourage you to go to Accounting school too. I see no point in choosing between music or being an Accountant.

[LittleRedChurch]

You're good. Know that.

My thing is probably not something that you want to hear, but ultimately all we do is write. It may be for a big movie deal, an established artist, a library deadline or, in the vast majority of cases, the happy feeling of being returned. But ultimately what we are doing is writing. That's what we do. The frustrations, the little joys, the set backs are the experiences that every song writer goes through. It doesn't matter at what level, the process is the same. The same angst the same struggle the same reward. We're creative. We dive into ourselves and try to find/show what we are. It's a form of expression. More than a hobby...it's an art. In many ways, we're lucky - We have the taxi forum to share our work with.

I think this sounds like a copout, sour grapes, but it's actually not. Talk to anyone who's had any degree of success with their writing and they'll concur. (I actually had a brief encounter with something that could be termed, 'success', and my immediate thought was, NOW WHAT?) You have the respect of quite a few of us, Jared. Maybe too, that's more than a $200.00 spot with your song in the background of some crappy teen flick could provide. - like a 17 second scene, when the older brother throws the pizza at the younger brother and misses and hits the neighbourhood bully. (Just clued into the show my daughter was watching...) My vote is for hanging in there. I'll keep listening, if that counts for anything.

LRC

[jaredlutes]

Thanks again for the kind words and encouragement. Just keep in mind my original point, that i believe TAXI leads haven't earned me anything because A) my output as a singer-songwriter artist is too narrow and slowly-produced; and B) listings that ask exactly for what I create are rare. But even the few dozen forwards that I have earned over the last 4 years have lead nowhere. As a result, I simply can't rely on TAXI as my only vehicle; I can't wait 4 months at a time for the perfect listing to pop up in my genre, hope that the right screener digs it, then pray that a supervisor is in a good mood - or even hears my song over 150 others on her desk! And yes, I am a painstaking, slow-paced singer-songwriter - without the benefit of thousands of jingles and their variations to choose from for every possible situation. Neither am I (nor my band) set up to write and produce on demand (I will only use live musicians - again that's my style).

I always believed TAXI would be my passport to initiating relationships with music libraries, but after all this time - and because of my unique situation - I've decided that I'll have to make that happen myself.

I can hear you all saying "DUH!" at the same time. LOL

[songmaster]

Hey Jaredlutes

Tonight on TV there is a special about the Beatles, celebrating 50 years since Ed Sullivan. It suddenly occurred to me, that ever since I heard that first " she loves you yeah yeah yeah " I have been writing songs, one half of a century

I guess my point is that, even if you wanted to ( go back to accounting etc. ) you will probably never stop writing and having heard your amazingly heart felt songs, you shouldn't.

From what I've heard of most Taxi members, success usually comes when you least expect it

So all I can say is...write on and don't look back.

All the best

Tom.

[rdance]

wise words from graham. we are writers and we write...that's what we do. i think it takes that kind of mindset to not become dejected in this business. it's kind of a taoist/buddhist/hindu thing...no attachment to the outcome...no worry or second guessing about the result. old zen phrase: "don't think, act." (write!)

sounds contradictory on the surface: why should i create if it is not meeting my goal or sees little reward? but in my experience, this is actually the key to good music and eventual success. art for art's sake. and in the end, good music always rises on its own merits. later, when you're old and gray, no matter how financially successful you were, you can look back and say, i lived and created out of my own center. somehow that will get recognized.

jared, i know this all sounds philosophical and you wanted practical answers about a direction to go, but that is also my point. even let go the need for practical answers. ok, couldn't help myself--i used to teach eastern philosophy...but enough metaphysics...now get in that studio and crank out another one for its own sake!