Should I or should I not renew after 3 years?

[Bernwa]

My renewal has come up after 3 years and I'm contemplating the outcome. I've had 36 forwards in the last 3 years which averages 1 per month. I'd say that's pretty good odds that something could happen with my music submitted. Thing is, not one thing has come of it. I don't mean for this to be a negative post at all but I have to say my faith in Taxi is not great right now. I'd love to hear form some of you to get your feelings.

I've been a pro all my life and have had songs published and continue to but Taxi really sounded like a great avenue when I joined. Just makes me wonder if the connections they've forwarded my stuff on to are all that great.

I don't know anyone in the real world who has used Taxi so I can't get real time critique which is why I'm coming here to help me decide if I'm going to try another year with Taxi.

Thanks and I look forward to hearing form some of you.

[Piewackit1]

Are you continuing to learn anything new here? If so I would renew...if not, move on.

You have to ask yourself if the feedback, Taxi TV, etc is worth the membership cost. Only you can answer that question.

[Bernwa]

My main reason for joining Taxi was to have an additional outlet for my music to be used in TV and film and catalog houses. Sure, we can always learn something along the way. But I didn't understand Taxi to be mainly a learning format but rather a place to get my music out in the production world. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks for your feedback.

[Piewackit1]

I don't think you're wrong. Only you can decide what Taxi is worth to you. I'm not sure I'm helping you at all.

[Bernwa]

Thanks for your feedback. I'm not really looking for a wrong or right answer but hoping to hear positive stories from people with success with Taxi. Just seems to me that after 36 forwards in 3 years that at least one of those forwards would pay off.

[eeoo]

Hi Bernie - I grew up and currently live in Marin County as well, well west marin which is a different world than central Marin. You're obviously a life long pro with chops galore, lots of songwriting/recording experience. In my experience with taxi and with the film/tv licensing world in general, the vast majority of opps are for current sounding stuff. Even the retro opps want the modern twist on it, think Black Keys/White Stripes or Mumford and Sons in folk or Amy Winehouse and the list goes on and on. I listened to a bit of your stuff and it's really good, well written, well produced and pro but to my ear the vibe stems directly from your influences, which isn't a bad thing but I think it limits its appeal to libraries/publishers/music supes in the film/tv market. Also, have you been going for instrumental opps or just vocal song opps? Intrumentals are a great way to get your foot in the door and start building your catalog.

And I can vouch for going to the Road Rally and making those personal connections with both fellow composer/songwriters and industry folks. I've been a few times and it's been invaluable, made great connections and friends and signed deals as a result and it's super fun.

And finally, Taxi ain't for everyone. It seems like with the connections you have you're in an enviable position to get your stuff into the hands of people that Joe Unknown Songwriter could never dream of...

Hope that helps in some way, good luck!

EO

[Bernwa]

Hi Ethan and thanks for your post. My heart still lays in Marin but love living in Nashville.

Yes, I have submitted several instrumentals and they were forwarded. I realize my stuff is very stylized especially my singing. Like you said, that's a good thing but I know that it may not be always what they're looking for.

But I guess my point with this thread is this... Taxi claims that they only forward music on that they feel very strongly about and that they have great connections. I hate to sound like a broken record but again, after 36 forwards in 3 years your would think...

If my stuff doesn't fit the listing then I would expect it to be passed on but that's not the case. So is it worth to me to spend another $200 plus submission fees for more of the same? As a songwriter I wish it was. But I'm giving it a lot of thought.

Thanks again and nice music on your site.

[VanderBoegh]

Hey Bernwa, if you're looking for testimonials from people who have had success from Taxi (at the very least, getting contacted by a publisher as a result of a Taxi forward), then check out the "Success Story" area of these forums. At the top of the Success Story area is a thread labeled something like "How Long it Takes Before a Deal..." All sorts of great stories in there.

As for myself, I wasted about 3 years doing Taxi bass-ackwards, meaning that I'd recorded a handful of songs as was pitching them willy-nilly if a listing came up that sounded like it might be a good fit for something I already had. For me, there wasn't much success doing things this way. Well, ZERO success, really.

It wasn't until I started doing home recordings and writing directly for the listings that I started seeing any type of success. At this point in my career (after 3 years of doing things this way), I now have about 400 songs signed to 11 publishers and am starting to get TV placements, which means money is starting to come in. All of this is a direct result of TAXI. 8 publisher signings came from Taxi forwards, 1 came from the Road Rally, and 2 came from publishers contacting me because of stuff they'd found that I'd written for other publishers.

In the overall scheme, Taxi gets the credit for everything I've done. A couple hundred bucks a year is a pretty small price to pay for the opportunities it provides, and the lessons it teaches.

Remember, Taxi is much more than a listing company (although it is amazing in the opportunities it provides, both in terms of quality and quantity). It is also an educational training ground. If you think of your annual membership kind of like tuition at college, then $200 is nothing in comparison.

If it sounds like I'm biased towards giving you a good slant on Taxi, it's because I am, haha. But I've also been where you are, and contemplated quitting after seeing nothing from it. I'm so thankful I stuck with it.

Hope this helps,

~~Matt

[Bernwa]

It does help Matt. Thanks!

[Bernwa]

Good advice all. Thanks. I just renewed.