Dumb Newbie Questions that should have asked at the Rally

[BradleyHagen]

Hello Everyone!
I had a great time at the Rally, met alot of great people, and had a great time, but I didn't ask some really basic questions, so here goes:

1.) How do you "name" your Instrumental Tracks/Cues so that you recognize them later? I have a hard time naming tracks with no vocals on them...
2.) What is a "button/stinger" ending exactly?
3.) Do you upload tracks to TAXI??? At -14 LUFS?? -9 LUFS? ?? Do they have to be MP3 files??
4.) Is it OK to release songs to streaming while waiting for a deal with a library?? It seems like you can always pull it down later right?? I would release through Soundcloud Pro, which I believe is a different setup than say CDBaby Pro.... Not interested in the pittance of money this way, just more exposure the better.... My PRO is BMI
5.) This is directed to the more successful and experienced TAXI members that I am aware of ( Like Casey, Matt, etc...) Do you always write TO the briefs?? Meaning, do you dissect and reverse engineer the reference tracks and just start from scratch?? Or do you try to fit an existing piece of music that you have already recorded (maybe remix or do a few edits ...etc) and submit that?? I have mostly rock SONGS, not many "Cues", and I have found that trying to sneak something by the screeners that it isn't all that close to the references .... doesn't seem to work! lol

Sorry for the stupid questions, I have only been a member for one month, and have already accepted that I don't know crap....Thanks in advance for any and all comments

[Telefunkin]

Hi,
Yes, it would have been best to have asked these things at the rally, but another thing I always recommend is searching the forums for answers because many/most questions have already been asked (and you might also discover some other nuggets along the way). Anyway, here's a few viewpoints that might help....

1) Naming tracks is really important. If you want to attract anybody (especially editors who drop tracks into video) to any track then it helps to choose a name that reflects what the track is all about and/or its potential use (and you could keep a simple spreadsheet to remind you of every track name and its style plus other things that are useful to know (bpm, keywords for potential use as metadata, and cowriter info, etc). For example, or a stomp-rock sports track 'Stomping On Rocks' is much better than something like 'Don't Call Me Again'. This topic leads on to......

5) Its much better to write to briefs, then right from the start you have a style in mind and the reference tracks and briefing to help guide you. That also should give you enough pointers to help you generate an appropriate name. Its very difficult to shoehorn existing tracks to briefings or listings, and although its not impossible its a mistake that many make in the hope that they'll offload old tracks that could well be totally inappropriate. If you've already tried that approach it might explain the reaction you've had from Taxi screeners. Some serious editing could help you get closer, but in that case it might be easy to write from scratch anyway. However, this assumes you're writing for library briefings or Taxi listings. If you're writing an album to submit cold to a library then its up to you to choose a style according to your own tastes (as long as you're convinced you can get them contracted). Again though, simply bundling some existing tracks together might only work if they have a consistent style and are suitable for sync.

2) There's plenty of info on button/stinger endings here and in many Taxi TV episodes. Basically, its a composed ending rather than a fade. Editors can very easily fade a track should they so wish, but they can't compose an ending for your track to end a scene (for example), which is why you should do it.

3) Taxi is not too picky on LUFS levels but I would suggest aiming for around -12. Mp3 is fine, although I believe they will also accept other formats (check what others say on that). BTW, if making an mp3 is a problem then it will help you to find a solution. You never know what file format libraries will request for if they offer you a contract. They might want mp3, wav, aif, aiff, 16bit, 24bit, 44,1kHz, 48kHz, and you should have the capability to satisfy all of those options.

4) I'm not saying that you shouldn't do it, but I would suggest being careful about uploading tracks to any of the streaming platforms. Again, lots has been said about this on Taxi TV. In your agreement with streaming services if you tick any boxes that allows them to act as you publisher and monetize your music then you have a conflict with any other entity that offers you an exclusive deal, so you cannot sign that track exclusively to someone else without first dissolving that agreement for the track in question. What you really need to avoid is a situation where you get a library offering you a deal on a track (and maybe offering to sign more tracks that are similar if you can supply them) but then you have to either let them down, or keep them waiting while some streaming platform provides evidence that they've dissolved any conflicting agreement. The easy solution adopted by some here is to have two completely separate piles of tracks, one that you can use on streaming platforms but will never offer to sync libraries, and another solely for offering to sync libraries that will never be uploaded to streaming platforms. That said, some libraries don't mind you putting the tracks they've signed on various platforms although you'd need to check that (and any other associated conditions) with the library in question, and of course you won't know upfront.

I hope there's a few things there that help.

[Casey H]

Hi Bradley!
Sorry we didn't get a chance to talk at the rally. I know I met you briefly in passing. I would have been happy to get together with you and answer these questions. Much of this gets talked about on Taxi TV and/or is somewhere on this forum.

I get tired of typing so if you'd like to have a phone chat one day next week, drop me a PM.

Best,
Casey

[cosmicdolphin]

5.) This is directed to the more successful and experienced TAXI members that I am aware of ( Like Casey, Matt, etc...) Do you always write TO the briefs?? Meaning, do you dissect and reverse engineer the reference tracks and just start from scratch??

Yes 100% - Do this and you will likely be far more successful

[BradleyHagen]

Thank you everyone for the helpful responses..... I will also search the forums for already dispensed wisdom as well...Casey, I appreciate the offer, but we are all short on time about now!

[funsongs]

Hello Everyone!

Belated "Hello" back atya; sent you a Private Message (PM) a follow-up after the Dec 18th TAXI TV episode.
You should get an alert via email; if you're connected to that option.
Cheers,
Peter