Taxi feels more and more like a scam after all these years...

[Paulie]

I'm right there with you Marcus!

Wait... i get it. This thread was started by one of Trump's alleged Russian troll bots, because it makes NO freaking sense.

"I've scored award winning documentaries, short films, YouTube channels, produced beats/tracks for multiple hop hop artists and have had the honor of sharing the stage with many of my hero's. My point here is that I've had success with every avenue I have taken except Taxi. My frustration is that I have spent a lot of money w/ this establishment. More than any other and have had zero results. Oh and I have had way more than 7 forwards. Not sure where you're getting your numbers."

Why did you join Taxi in the first place, and what were your expectations? To me the main benefits of Taxi are threefold:

1. Listings offer up specific project with finite deadlines. Inspiration and motivation.
2. The forums and weekly broadcasts are great people tools. Networking.
3. The Taxi Road Rally. Have you ever attended one? If you live in SoCal and have not attended, you have nobody to blame but yourself for not taking advantage of what many consider the best part of membership.

You have spent on average about $20 a month since joining. Eleven years of membership, plus less than five submittals per year. And you haven’t posted in the forums until now?

If this post is legit, you really have no ground to stand on unless you put some of your music out there for us to hear. And if Admin’s numbers are wrong, don’t you own this conversation the respect of correcting the data? Otherwise, you are just trolling and wasting a lot of time and energy.

Taxi isn’t perfect, no business is. But it has worked for a lot of people. Emotion is the enemy of critical thought.

[Paulie]

The internet, where nothing is secret. Sorry to out you, but it only made sense given the nature of this thread. You can't just come out and lob bombs without backing it up.

https://twitter.com/collothen

https://soundcloud.com/witch-eyes/

https://witcheyes.bandcamp.com

Colton, from what I've listed to already it is obvious you have created some really nice tension music. So, to me, your music is not the problem. Five submittals per year, with seven forwards... that's a mere drop in the bucket. That, is the problem.

Forwards are just a step... Personally I've had well over a hundred forwards, but have not heard back from any of them in well over a year. BUT, Taxi is more than just submittals and forwards. It is a TOOL that when used properly can help musicians get connected, get better, and get heard. It is about networking with collaborators, improving your music via member feedback, mix feedback, musical feedback, etc. And it's about helping each other out.

So, if Taxi doesn't make sense for you, stop renewing. We each have our own budgets and business plans.

Is any of your music signed by libraries or supervisors? If so, are they keeping you busy enough? Or, do you need access to more libraries? Taxi can help with that. A forward is music that a screener things will meet their client's needs, but it's just an educated guess. And a return is not necessarily bad, it just means that your music was deemed as not a fit for that particular listing.

I think your music sounds really good. So, you need to decide how best to promote it. Taxi is a tool, just like a hammer or a gun. It only works as good as the person using it.

Peace

[AnneHouse]

Where does one go to see stats? Just curious....

[Paulie]

From the Taxi web site, after you logon go to the "My Music" section and then "Submission History." There is a table listing all of your submittals. If you have done a lot there will be a "Check out your submission archive" link at the bottom that shows the rest.

Paul

[collothen]

You're seriously going to use a baseball analogy? Wow. I've scored award winning documentaries, short films, YouTube channels, produced beats/tracks for multiple hop hop artists and have had the honor of sharing the stage with many of my hero's. My point here is that I've had success with every avenue I have taken except Taxi. My frustration is that I have spent a lot of money w/ this establishment. More than any other and have had zero results. Oh and I have had way more than 7 forwards. Not sure where you're getting your numbers.

Please provide your real name and a link to your work. It's hard to credit your comments with any validity since you have not identified yourself. It's easy to come here anonymously and tell us TAXI is a scam. So, let us hear your award winning music!

If you are so successful, why did you think TAXI would work for you? I hardly submit and I have deals through TAXI, and I've not scored anything award winning... yet. Why did you spend your hard earned money for 11 years, then? Year after year, someone twisted your arm?

A couple of hundred dollars a year isn't much. I spend more on steeped tea at Timmy's But it was your choice. If you don't like your choice, end your membership. But don't try to tell me TAXI is a scam. I have plenty of proof that it's not.

The reason I have come back for so many years is because I constantly get Forwards. It's just that after 11 years of Forwards and not one contact as a result makes you start to think that maybe it is a waste of time and money. I can sincerely say that it is nice to see that some people have had some success here.

I came here to voice my honest opinion about having zero results from Taxi over many years. I didn't expect to get as much backlash from people who seem to defend Taxi to no end and not really thoughtfully acknowledge that I am merely calling out the elephant in the room.



All of the material on these links are all 100% written and produced my myself.

http://nulogicnetlabel.com/?music=radia ... soundtrack
http://www.bendbulletin.com/entertainme ... resistance
https://soundcloud.com/atheliteproducer
https://soundcloud.com/witch-eyes
https://soundcloud.com/coltentylerwilliams
https://soundcloud.com/mosleywotta/crac ... llextended
https://soundcloud.com/collothen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOHmW5MiEM8 (I wrote and produced the music to this whole series)
https://coltentylerwilliams.bandcamp.com/releases
http://ritualsystems.virb.com/

I also have several publishing deals w/ music libraries. None have which have come from Taxi.

[collothen]

I've scored award winning documentaries, short films, YouTube channels, produced beats/tracks for multiple hop hop artists and have had the honor of sharing the stage with many of my hero's

Ok, put em up so we can all see the quality of your work. Till then you are asking us to make a leap of faith here.

You've come in with a big whine and whinge and questioned the integrity of some genuine people here.

TAXI is the most transparent company I have seen. Personally I have not had the success you claim to have had but if it wasnt for Michael Laskow I wouldn't be pursuing a dream and getting better at my craft.

I have seen countless people on this forum alone who are progressing their careers as composers and making inroads to the industry. Many years ago I asked Brian Cadd about TAXI and he had peers who use TAXI's services.

I know my tracks aren't hitting the mark yet but I relish the opportunity to rise to the challenge and get better.

Till you post up some links to your work you are nothing more than a troll in my book!

Here ya go.

The reason I have come back for so many years is because I constantly get Forwards. It's just that after 11 years of Forwards and not one contact as a result makes you start to think that maybe it is a waste of time and money. I can sincerely say that it is nice to see that some people have had some success here.

I came here to voice my honest opinion about having zero results from Taxi over many years. I didn't expect to get as much backlash from people who seem to defend Taxi to no end and not really thoughtfully acknowledge that I am merely calling out the elephant in the room.



All of the material on these links are all 100% written and produced my myself.

http://nulogicnetlabel.com/?music=radia ... soundtrack
http://www.bendbulletin.com/entertainme ... resistance
https://soundcloud.com/atheliteproducer
https://soundcloud.com/witch-eyes
https://soundcloud.com/coltentylerwilliams
https://soundcloud.com/mosleywotta/crac ... llextended
https://soundcloud.com/collothen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOHmW5MiEM8 (I wrote and produced the music to this whole series)
https://coltentylerwilliams.bandcamp.com/releases
http://ritualsystems.virb.com/

I've scored around 15 short films as well. I seriously don't have time to go out and grab links for all that stuff though.

I also have several publishing deals w/ music libraries. None have which have come from Taxi.

[lesmac]

You write quality tracks man! Thanks for providing the links. Now we can see you are a real person [not a bot] with feelings its easier to empathise with you. It's nice to see you have acknowledged member's success too. The "payroll" comment was a bit of a "red rag" though and if it were me I'd apologise.
Anyway we can see you're peeved!

I honestly think the TAXI model is completely genuine and functions as many previous poster's have said as a CONDUIT on a number of levels. It's really about how you position yourself. Are you going to be a feeder doing bulk tracks quickly? Possibly specialising in a genre to increase your efficiency and quality and pump that &*@# down the pipe. OR pump it into your catalogue so when you do connect with a library/libraries you have the goods to offer them.
It seems the cues game is all about quantity [quality is assumed]. Its obvious from previous posts that the method works. Amazingly, they have given testimony and told us how they did it! Quality, genre specific, bulk!

Artist pitches, music supervisors: QUALITY! If you aren't in it for cues and quick workflows doing bulk tracks you have to write GREAT #%^*! Your'e up against the best, connected writers and producers in the world. You have to write a killer song with ready to go production and top notch vocals.

If you wanna make TAXI work for YOU, you gotta play smart. You have to identify what your game is. Either churn out quality tracks quickly for cues or write and produce dope songs that can make whole populations feel what you feel.

I sincerely wish you success and happiness with your music and hope you come to the realisation that you haven't been scammed. I think we scam ourselves [I know I am guilty of that EDIT: in the past}.

[hummingbird]

"I came here to voice my honest opinion about having zero results from Taxi over many years. I didn't expect to get as much backlash from people who seem to defend Taxi to no end and not really thoughtfully acknowledge that I am merely calling out the elephant in the room."

As I posted back on Dec 15, 2009: "you don't have to be a member of Taxi to be on this forum. There are Taxi members, former Taxi members, maybe-gonna-be Taxi members, and maybe a few never-will-join members. However, this is Taxi's forum, and while we all welcome debate and discussion about all things music and all things Taxi... it should be remembered that this forum is here because Taxi supports our networking with each other. We've all invested a considerable amount in what we are doing. So err on the side of respect when discussing the merits of the organization that maintains this board and in whom many of us trust."

By posting a thread with 'TAXI's a scam' in the title, you can bet those of us who have met Michael and seen how hard he works to help us, are going to step up and speak our truth. We have spent thousands on attending the TAXI Road Rally, we have belonged for years or been members on and off as finances allow, we watch TAXI tv, we read TAXI newsletter, we support this community by coming here to listen to each other's work and give helpful advice. Until you have participated here, it's hard for us to respect your point of view.

It's a truth that, you can get forwards from TAXI and get crickets. You can sign tracks to music libraries and get crickets. You can pitch your music to sups and get crickets. You can send your reel to film producers and get crickets. You may make a perfect apple pie but for whatever reason, they picked the first person with extra cinnamon or the guy with the cute title that caught their eye. TAXI is one vehicle. If it took you 11 years to figure out just being a member and submitting here and there isn't working for you, then time to put that money to some other use, eh? But, just because YOU weren't successful with the TAXI model, doesn't mean others aren't. I've been in this community for oh... a good dozen years and I have seen and heard the success of members. I've sat in the movie theatre with a TAXI member and listened for song placed in that film. I've heard the stuff forwarded by TAXI and subsequently placed on tv shows. I've heard my own tracks on TV shows, placed my music libraries I signed with as a direct result of forwards from TAXI. Ergo, there is no scam. Just maybe an error of judgement on your part, in not using every resource TAXI offers, like this community, TAXI TV, the Rally, opportunities to collab with successful members, etc etc. Thus I have thoughtfully acknowledged your post, pointed out that as a first post here to label TAXI a scam is not going to win any friends, and shared my own success which is small compared to the full time producers of great music who have also taken the time to post on this thread. Back to writing music!!

[collothen]

The internet, where nothing is secret. Sorry to out you, but it only made sense given the nature of this thread. You can't just come out and lob bombs without backing it up.

https://twitter.com/collothen

https://soundcloud.com/witch-eyes/

https://witcheyes.bandcamp.com

Colton, from what I've listed to already it is obvious you have created some really nice tension music. So, to me, your music is not the problem. Five submittals per year, with seven forwards... that's a mere drop in the bucket. That, is the problem.

Forwards are just a step... Personally I've had well over a hundred forwards, but have not heard back from any of them in well over a year. BUT, Taxi is more than just submittals and forwards. It is a TOOL that when used properly can help musicians get connected, get better, and get heard. It is about networking with collaborators, improving your music via member feedback, mix feedback, musical feedback, etc. And it's about helping each other out.

So, if Taxi doesn't make sense for you, stop renewing. We each have our own budgets and business plans.

Is any of your music signed by libraries or supervisors? If so, are they keeping you busy enough? Or, do you need access to more libraries? Taxi can help with that. A forward is music that a screener things will meet their client's needs, but it's just an educated guess. And a return is not necessarily bad, it just means that your music was deemed as not a fit for that particular listing.

I think your music sounds really good. So, you need to decide how best to promote it. Taxi is a tool, just like a hammer or a gun. It only works as good as the person using it.

Peace

Thank you for the most thoughtful reply here. In your case it sounds like you've had a lot of Forwards as well and you say that if you did hear back something it was well over a year... That being said, don't you find it a little strange that in over 11 years of receiving Forwards I have not heard a single thing??

Yes, I have several music publishing deals with music libraries.

The reason I have come back for so many years is because I constantly get Forwards. It's just that after 11 years of Forwards and not one contact as a result makes you start to think that maybe it is a waste of time and money. I can sincerely say that it is nice to see that some people have had some success here.

I came here to voice my honest opinion about having zero results from Taxi over many years. I didn't expect to get as much backlash from people who seem to defend Taxi to no end and not really thoughtfully acknowledge that I am merely calling out the elephant in the room.



All of the material on these links are all 100% written and produced my myself.

http://nulogicnetlabel.com/?music=radia ... soundtrack
http://www.bendbulletin.com/entertainme ... resistance
https://soundcloud.com/atheliteproducer
https://soundcloud.com/witch-eyes
https://soundcloud.com/coltentylerwilliams
https://soundcloud.com/mosleywotta/crac ... llextended
https://soundcloud.com/collothen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOHmW5MiEM8 (I wrote and produced the music to this whole series)
https://coltentylerwilliams.bandcamp.com/releases
http://ritualsystems.virb.com/

I have also scored probably around 15 short films over the last few years. Some great films, some terrible and some in between. I have enjoyed working on all of them though.

[lesmac]

It looks like you've submitted 53 times in 11 years. That's 4.8 submissions per year.

Your music has been forwarded 7 times.

The reason I have come back for so many years is because I constantly get Forwards. It's just that after 11 years of Forwards and not one contact as a result makes you start to think that maybe it is a waste of time and money.

Back to writing music!!

+1