why I will not renew my membership

[squids]

Thanks. Don't wanna hijack the thread though. I did pass a PM onto taxi dave about it, hope he got it.

[ernstinen]

Hey Guys,I've had many forwards, and out of those have signed over 30 music library deals. But it DID take awhile!Of those, most were "on the shelf" stuff that I had recorded before I joined TAXI.When my compositional tastes changed from pop/electronica to orchestral, my options dried up. I was frustrated by the lack of listings for what I have been writing, and I, too, eventually let my membership lapse.But I'm having second thoughts. Where else can you get to the "source" like TAXI can do?Soooooo ---- If anyone wants to be my "friend" when you renew, I'd be happy to accept a little kickback and rejoin! Ern

[gitarrero]

hi onnofirst off, you need to decide for yourself what path in music you want to choose. not everyone I know really want to do commercial music (that is as soon as you make money with your music) although they're music is saleable.taxi is clearly a tool to sell music (a great tool, btw); if that is not you're goal, it might be not the right thing for you.just some quick points to think about if you'd like to make money with your music:* it's a longterm game, especially libraries. it can easely take a year or two until you hear something after a forward. also in terms of placements, cd releases etc. in march a nu-metal DVD will be published by a larger library. it will also be distributed by one of the major. I got 5 tracks on that disc - which I did a year ago for that library. so: it took a year until that disc got released. now you can figure that it will take at least another year until actual placements start to happen. than it will take some more time for the royalties to roll in.the good news is: after an initial period of investement (that is: getting your songs out there, getting deals), those royalites will sum up through the years, and also roll in constantly.* would you have got your deals without taxi? only you can answer this question for yourself, but think about it: yes, there are other ways to get deals & placement besides taxi, but are you able to use them (which would mean: work your butt off to aquire all the knowledge and get direct connections to companies)?also, what would this mean financially, and timewise? how much money would you need spend for overseas phone calls, postage, envelopes etc?how many hours would you sit in front of your computer and doing researches?in my experience I find this a very cool side of taxi: you only have to deliver the music. if the listing party is in need what has been forwarded, they'll contact you. so you are able to focus on the music, and don't have to do all the researches etc.one last thing about your sentence that a track of yours was "right on target": maybe it was, I don't know. but if you're sure it was, or are unsure about why it has been rejected, why didn't you post it here in the forums & ask for the opinions of other members?the very few times when I didn't agree with a screener (and I have LOTS of submissions, espeacially in the first 2 yrs of my membership) I did exactly that.and it worked well: in some cases I understood why it hasn't been forwarded, and in some cases I actually was forwarded after contacting taxi with a brief, polite email. I might add that I only did this 2 or 3 times, and I only did it after posting here at the forums.so that's just my personal view/experience. as I said, ultimately you need to decide for yourself what path you choose in music.best,martin

[Casey H]

Feb 23, 2009, 8:53pm, squids wrote:Thanks. Don't wanna hijack the thread though. I did pass a PM onto taxi dave about it, hope he got it.www.taxi.com/abouts/contact.html There is an option there to email them about deals. I'm not sure how often Taxi Dave pops in here...

[simonparker]

Hey Onno...I can relate in many ways to you regarding Taxi...I've spent about 3 times as much as you over a 10 year period with this company, and have not gotten a return on the investment.I did learn a lot in that time frame, though, so the 'return on investment' depends on a person's perspective. For example, I've learned the common ideas that screeners have. It has helped me become better at pitching selectively. It has also eliminated the bad habits I had in my songwriting. And now, as a producer that also screens for outside material for some of the artists I work or consult with, it allows me to be an effective screener as well. Many of the outside songs I've received when I'm wearing my producer hat, has similar critiques to what the screeners have put either on my songs or songs I've heard/read from this forum.So for me, there's a net sum gain of zero. i spent money, but I learned something that has helped me make money in other areas of the music business. I also now know what to go with to A&R, producers, managers, and publishers when it comes to material. This is mostly due to the years of learning at Taxi.I guess what I'm trying to say is, that you may not have any luck with Taxi alone. I view them as "someone I know". I know a lot of people outside taxi too that look for material. I view Taxi as just another connection I have. FYI, I probably will not renew Taxi as I've done well enough outside the circle that I no longer need to rely on them to get my material to the people I want. Good luck to you in your endeavors...

[arkjack]

Hi OnnoI let the Taxi drop me off after a 3 year ride. I had worse meter tallies than yours, and I couldn't see where I was making any mileage or headway. I like my songs and I think their great. If the rest of the world doesn't get it, I guess that's just tough luck. My luck has always been tough. It would be nice to get published or placed someday, but for now there are other things I like to do with my time. I haven't stopped my music, I'm just not obsessively and relentlessly pursuing a pipe dream.ArkJack

[mojobone]

Thank you, Simon, for that brilliant and telling post. I, too, am more producer than writer, if only because I'm not driven to write. Taxi is a tremendous resource for many kinds of musicians, and nearly anyone can benefit from the forums, but I think one has to have both the ability and the desire to write commercial music to derive a benefit from Taxi's connections/service. These forums are of great help if you wish to determine which of those you have. (if any) If your (speaking now to onomatope) membership helped you realize that your path lies elsewhere, I would suggest that you still got great value for your money, as many others have spent much more to learn less. Bon chance in your future endeavors.

[wrdsnmuzik]

I gather I'm not alone in feeling jealous about the 2 deals. I'm in my 2nd year, and have only had a few forwards so far. I can completely relate to your situation, tho, as I find myself questioning whether or not to go for a third year.Frustration often gets to me. There are times when I just check out for a month or few, ignore the listings (as I'm doing now), and try'n make progress with music and recording for me. And the great thing is, I AM learning, and growing. And, oddly, I look forward to getting back into the Taxi swing when I've made a bit more progress. I still wonder about re-up'ing tho. We'll see in November! Bon chance and goed geluk! gw

[jchitty]

Hey, Ono As some have pointed out, the music biz moves very slow....and with your forward rate (66 fowards is EXCELLENT) your chances of getting a deal have increased dramatically. It's a waiting game. I don't have near the foward rate you do, but I'll keep my TAXI membership because it's a good tool to have...where else do I have a direct pipeline to A&R folks? It's up to you whether you want to keep it, but if I had your foward rate, I'd ponder it a little before I'd let my membership lapse

[claire]

It's always a tough call when you've made friendships through the forum but nothing has happened through Taxi. I hope I don't lose my connections with the people I've gotten to know but I too will be leaving Taxi when my membership expires in March. Unexpected expenses have come up, helping my folks in New York (both in their 90s and one in a nursing home), and in two years I've signed 3 songs to a music library and never heard anything from any of the country forwards I've gotten. Sadly that return on investment isn't working for me.When you write country and the only listings are for artists, many of them major artists, the opportunities to get a country cut are beyond slim. I love reading about all the tv and film placements that other members have gotten, I know Taxi is incredibly successful in that market, but it's obvious ain't nuthin' gonna happen in the country market. I gave it a good shot, had some fun printing out certificates, but that's not enough to make me want to renew.Claire