Forwards and Formalities

[MBantle]

Dear All,
I just returned to Taxi after being on a break for almost a year and my first submission was forwarded I had a couple of forwards during my previous membership, too, and I was always wondering what actually happens when a forward is being chosen by e.g. a music supervisor. Do they email or call and what kind of formalities do I need to observe (or prepare to be ready for that eventuality). Will there be a formal contract, do I need to prepare an invoice etc.? I can imagine every case is slightly different but maybe someone can share their experiences how that typically works.
Cheers,
Matt

[Unstar]

My understanding from watching the Taxi TV shows is that the music requestor will contact the composer directly. That's why it's really important to have contact information in the meta-tags and such. I'm new to this and my understanding could be a bit incomplete.

As far as a "contract", I would think they provide the terms. I don't know if you have to prepare your own formal invoice. Good question.

One thing I'm not sure about myself is if the requestor gets a link to your forwarded song or if they get an e-mail with a file in it. Reason I'm asking is, if they get a link, then I believe I can replace the current version of an existing song with an updated version -- say for example if I clean up the mix a bit. Their static link will play the current version of the music.

Otherwise, if they get an e-mail with a file then that's the version they hear.

Cheers,

-Vic

[MBantle]

Hi Unstar!
Very good point as I am actually trying to polish the mix of the forwarded song in the background at the moment so a link (in my case) would work much better
Cheers,
Matt

[Unstar]

Hi Unstar!
Very good point as I am actually trying to polish the mix of the forwarded song in the background at the moment so a link (in my case) would work much better
Cheers,
Matt

It definitely looks like you can replace the file for an existing song. Hopefully they just send links.

-Vic

[hummingbird]

The listing party will contact you, usually by email to see if you are still interested in signing the track. They will forward you the written agreement. In order to be prepared make sure you have access to a printer/scanner/fax; also make sure you are registered with the PRO in your country and know your IPI. If you live outside the US they may also ask you to sign a W8-Ben.

I would also recommend making sure you understand the terminology of the business. If you submitted to a listing the terms were usually spelled out in that listing. There are articles on TAXI's website that might assist.

cheers
H

[Casey H]

Uploading a new version of a track AFTER the forward may not have any effect-- absolutely no guarantees. It depends on what method Taxi used to send the forwarded track to the client and when they did it.

I wouldn't bother doing that if you got a forward. Obviously it was good enough to pass the tough screening. If the listing party contacts you, they will want high resolution .wav or .aif files and at that time you *could* send minor tweaks. But keep in mind that making ANY changes to something already good has risk. Most often, the little tweak YOU think matters is meaningless to most others.

Casey

[MBantle]

Thanks Casey and Hummingbird!
Cheers,
Matt

[DannyWeber]

Dear All,
I just returned to Taxi after being on a break for almost a year and my first submission was forwarded I had a couple of forwards during my previous membership, too, and I was always wondering what actually happens when a forward is being chosen by e.g. a music supervisor. Do they email or call and what kind of formalities do I need to observe (or prepare to be ready for that eventuality). Will there be a formal contract, do I need to prepare an invoice etc.? I can imagine every case is slightly different but maybe someone can share their experiences how that typically works.
Cheers,
Matt

Congrats on the forward and the fact that you just re-joined!! Awesome!!!

If you would like to let others listen to that forward, please do so by posting a link. Letting us hear your forward, helps us tweak our own music for future listings.

The business side..
Maybe it would be helpful to fellow members to know the details of the TAXI listing you were forwarded to, so they can give you a more focused insight. Was it a direct to Music Supervisor request, a Library, a Publisher or Advertising Agency etc…? That kind of info. would be useful to anyone giving advice.

You could just copy and paste the whole listing in this thread. You can find the listing text, in your TAXI Submission History.

You should realize, the business side only comes into play, if they actually choose your song. It’s great that you want to be prepared and I understand your enthusiasm but most deals happen over a period of time. It usually takes a series of TAXI forwards but over-night success is not totally out of the question.

My advice..
Keep plugging! Don’t worry so much about post-forward opportunities. Think about the next listing by writing another forwardable track! The odds will most likely to work in your favor after you have many tracks forwarded rather than just a few.

Trying to help and Congrats, Matt!

Dan