From Mexico... to join or not to join?

[sergeman]

Hello, everyone! I hope everyone is happy and getting into some sort of holiday spirit, whatever holiday that may be.This is my first post and it's going to be a whopper, full of information going every which way, so bear with me...My name is Sergio Mendoza. Serge. I was born in Chile, have a Mexican nationality (I live in Mexico City right now), Ecuadorian heart (where I'll be moving to live to in 2-3 years) and was raised in 10 countries, including a 4-year stay in San Antonio, TX. I'm a musician and teacher.I'm 34 years old, unmarried and have been making music since I was 17. I wrote my first song when I was 19, in December, 1993. I now have over 240 songs, the vast majority of them being in Spanish but a good 40 or so in English, and I've been writing in English way more in the past 5 months. I record my songs in my small, Pro Tools-based, home studio, using Reason for a bunch of MIDI stuff, a good condenser mic, Amplitube, Samplemoog and Sampletron, all legally bought. I sing, play guitar, piano, bass and have a (also legally bought) collection of thousands upon thousands of drum and instrument loops for whatever I might need. I sing in English completely without an accent due to my upbringing and going to American schools outside the U.S.As far as my actual songs are concerned, my first song was recorded and played on the Radio in Ecuador when I was 19, at which time my band got interest from EMI Odeon in Chile. In 1998 I was "discovered" by a very famous producer from Spain and was introduced to the directors of EMI and Warner Music here in Mexico, and I got pretty close to signing with EMI, altough after 6 months of negotiations and a showcase, things fell through. In 2000, I signed 9 of my songs to Universal Music Publishing and in 2002 there was interest towards me from two record companies in Colombia (one of them being Sony). In 2001, I also had the most heard song from Mexico in mp3.com!As far as jingles are concerned, the first one I wrote, in 2006, went straight to TV here in Mexico and is still being shown, so it ended up being a sort of success. I've written some jingles and some corporate-use songs for some companies here, too.I've been thinking about joining TAXI for about 3-4 years. I have contacts with publishing companies here in Mexico for my songs in Spanish but since English is, musically speaking, my native tongue, I've always loved music in English, singing it... and writing it. I've studied songwriting as a craft for a good chunk of my life and I believe I am at a place right now where I FEEL something about to happen. I've been writing more country music (geared more towards country pop) which has made me grow as a lyricist to such an extent that I can finally say I'm progressing more now as a songwriter than I ever have before.As far as music for tv and/or film, I've found it very liberating to write music that is instrumental, letting the instruments and melodies speak for themselves in genres that can go from moody to tribal, from acoustic to electronic, so it's another part of music that I would love to get involved in. Is the time now? Do you guys think that TAXI could be what I need. I've been going over this seriously for months now. The $300 dollars I have now and the money-back guarantee makes things even easier, but do you think I might be ready. Is TAXI the next logical step?I LOVE writing, whether it comes directly from me or I use the guidelines set by somebody else in order to target the song more accurately. I strongly believe in the "business" part of the music business since I've gotten screwed business-wise but I've also been lucky enough to do things most people haven't.You can listen to some of my songs at http://www.myspace.com/sergemhAnyway, I hope the end of this post finds you all still awake.Any replies with insights and comments are most welcome.Thank you very much,Serge

[elser]

Hi Serge, to begin with, you already have more success than many members here. Having said that I think Taxi could be another valuable connection and support forum for you. I would be prepared that like any organization, there is a Taxi way of doing things. I consider this another challenge that refines my skills. If your worried about credibility, I've been a member for about 2 years and I'm very wary of music business vultures and scam artists; to me Taxi has been worth 100% of the investment value.So, while I personally believe that that ringing endorsement should get me some kind of kick back, sadly it won't. Best of luck to ya! Elser

[Casey H]

Hi SergeExcellent music on you myspace page! I see a lot of versatility too! I absolutely think you should join, especially after hearing your music and reading about you. Remember there is a money-back guarantee the first year and I know people who have asked for the refund and received it with no hassles... not that I expect you will want a refund-- I just wanted to mention the lack of risk and that they truly live up to their word there.If you are really on the fence, you could contact them and ask to be put on their e-mail list for listings. You don't have to be a member for that so you can observe the listings for a few cycles (they come out 2x a month) and see if there are a decent number of opportunities for your style of music. Based on that, you could make your decision.Also, if you can do quick turn-around, "on-demand" work, usually within less than a week, consider Taxi Dispatch. It costs another $150 over your regular membership but for those who can generate b'cast quality music very quickly, it's great for film/TV opps. You can also ask taxi to put you on the Dispatch e-mail list. Those leads are e-mailed out whenever they become available.... so you can sit back and observe there too.If you need more info, post here or feel free to drop me a PM.Best, Casey

[sergeman]

Hello, Elser and Casey!Thanks a lot for your replies! I've been checking out TAXI for quite some time now and I'm already on the list checking out the listings for at least a good two months. I see dozens of things for which I either a) have stuff already done and b) have stuff I could write and record in a couple of days. Right now I'm also in the process of finishing up recordings on over 20 songs and going to start recording another 10 or so new ones.About the 150 dollar dispatch thing, I'm thinking that would be an investment a little more into the future because I usually have a lot of stuff I have to do on a week to week basis (not just music but teaching, since I teach four days a week U.S literature, speech and world studies & communication skills II at a high school and middle school here in Mexico City... yes... I LOVE teaching).About the money-back guarantee, it is definitely something that makes it feel a "safer" investment, although I wouldn't want to actually have to get that. If I've been thinking so much about TAXI, doing so much research about it, getting the listings, watching all the videos on youtube.com, etc., I would want my investment to speak for itself through learning, fine-tuning and, hopefully, success on my part.Anyone else have their two-cents worht, please?Thank you all!Serge

[davewalton]

Dec 16, 2008, 4:31am, sergeman wrote:Anyone else have their two-cents worht, please?Hi,Welcome to the forum. It's important to emphasize that Taxi has no control over the ultimate results once the forwarded music leaves the Taxi office and is placed into the hands of the listing company. They simply introduce our music to people that are looking for music (specifically through the listings). Since we're responding directly to the requests of the listing, it is a very favorable introduction though.Stick with the forum. Lots of real people with real Taxi deals... not just one or two isolated incedents either. Also many with Taxi-related successes that weren't necessarily directly from a Taxi forward.Separate your music from the art of targeting the listings. It's not uncommon for someone to submit to a listing where their music doesn't quite fit, get a return as a result of the lack of proper targeting, but then misinterpret that as a commentary on their music.Really getting clear sense of what my individual music really is, where it really fits and where it doesn't... that's turned out to be kind of an slowly acquired art form for me. Fine-tuning that sense of what each individual song is and where it fits is probably one of the most important things I strive for. A life-long pursuit actually but a fun one. Good luck,Dave

[mazz]

Welcome!!To get a broader sense of where you stand, at least as far as the forum members are concerned, take a look at the listings, pick one that you think you have a match for, and post the listing and a link to your song on the Peer to Peer section. You'll get a lot of feedback and you might get a good reading as to if you're on target for that listing (I emphasize that it's on a listing by listing basis).Also, the tradition here on the forum is to participate in the Peer to Peer reviews as you can. It's kind of a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" vibe.Good luck!!Mazz

[nomiyah]

Serge,If you join Taxi, you'll have a door to Los Angeles while you live in Mexico. Each month there is usually one or more listings for Spanish vocals, Reggaeton or Latin music. Even though you can sing in English too, your voice sounds better in Spanish, from the myspace songs I listened to. One of my favorite gigs was in Mexico for Cabo Mil Radio in December 2001. There were about 40,000 people in the audience. Welcome to the forum.Nomi

[sergeman]

Once again, thank you all very mucho for your replies and points of view. It's helping me out a lot in order to make my final decision, which does lean towards signing up.Serge

[mewman]

Hi SergeAs someone who has been forwarded and signed one deal so far, I can heartily endorse Taxi. Sounds to me like it could work for you too.Mewman

[sergeman]

Thank you very much!Serge