On This Week’s TAXI TV Musicians: Are You Making This HUGE Mistake?
Click the link below to watch LIVE MONDAY at 4 PM Pacific!
https://www.youtube.com/live/9sGrJOHg-fM
7 pm Eastern (EST) / 6 pm Central (CST) / 4 pm Pacific (PST) 12 am London (GMT) / 11 am Sydney (AEDT)
Dear Songwriters, Composers, Producers, and Artists,
You’ve dreamed about becoming successful with your music for your entire adult life. You joined TAXI. You’ve watched TAXI TV and attended our conference—The Road Rally— to learn how to create what the industry is asking for. You’ve done everything right, and then…
BAM! With one fell swoop, you made this common mistake that killed a golden opportunity and possibly your career. What IS that mistake?
You’re going to have to watch this week’s episode of TAXI TV to find out. And I promise you’ll be shaking your head in disbelief when I tell you what that mistake is. You might be guilty of making it yourself. A lot of musicians are!
I’ll reveal this “fatal” and avoidable career-killing error and many more seemingly “small” missteps that can truly snuff out the very dream you’ve been working toward for so long.
Miss this episode at your own peril! Hyperbole? Nope! The truth, and sometimes that can hurt.
Click the link below to watch LIVE MONDAY at 4 PM Pacific!
https://www.youtube.com/live/9sGrJOHg-fM
To Join the Live Chat During the Broadcast…
You’ll need to be signed up to YouTube (FREE) and be logged in to be able to join in on the chat during the show. Go to youtube.com and click the "Sign In" link in the upper right-hand corner of the page and fill out the short form to join. If you have a Gmail account, you’ll be able to associate your YouTube account with it!
7 pm Eastern (EST) / 6 pm Central (CST) / 4 pm Pacific (PST) 12 am London (GMT) / 11 am Sydney (AEDT)
See you on the show,
Michael
MUSICIANS: Are you Making This HUGE Mistake?
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Re: MUSICIANS: Are you Making This HUGE Mistake?
What a great episode this was! I'm glad I didn't miss it.
Merry
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Re: MUSICIANS: Are you Making This HUGE Mistake?
Great episode, Michael! I typed some notes as I was watching for anyone who'd like to review them.
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MUSICIANS: Are You Making This HUGE Mistake?
3/12/2005
1. REPLY to the people looking to use your music! Check your spam folders and don't ghost folks even if you've signed a song for someone else. Answer the phone or reply to messages in a timely manner. Call TAXI if you need to in order to verify the person attempting to contact you is legit, they'll know so you can move forward with any deal with confidence.
2. Do NOT announce the names of any companies you sign with on social media. The company will be swarmed by other musicians looking to be part of the company's library and you will have created a whole bunch of competitors. It's nice to want to be generous about sharing information & contacts but you're going to be limiting your options with that company due to the amount of choices their music supervisors will have if you turn people onto them.
3. Unless a rep asks specifically if you can do more tracks in a similar style to one they're signing for use, try to wait until after you've "inked" the contract for the song they originally contacted you about before telling them you can do more songs in the same style. Ask if there are any moods or lyrical topics that might be good for the company when doing so, it will help cement that relationship.
4. Try not to "fall in love" with the first publisher who signs with you. Say you change genres, the song you signed was swamp rock but now you do dirty hip-hop. You'll have the urge to submit the new song to them since you already have a relationship with them and they'll say, "Sure! We can use it." Maybe they don't want to offend you or maybe they really do need it, but if it's something they don't have a lot of in their catalog because they don't have the clientele who need it? Your song is going to sit around unused. Look for other outlets who make placements in crime shows instead of trying to pitch all of your musical genres to one company.
5. Don't waste a production music library executive's time by asking generic questions like, "I don't understand the difference between an exclusive deal and a non-exclusive deal. Can you tell me what the difference is?" You will come across as a bit of a dolt. Libraries want to work in frictionless relationships with musicians who don't cost them time or energy, or cause frustration. You can Google basic sync information or load up the TAXI forums and review over twenty years of information and/or seek help from other members and TAXI staff.
6. A big no-no is not delivering what a library is asking you for on time. If you're asked to create a track similar to one you've done in the past but don't get it done because you don't subscribe to the VST library you used anymore or any other excuse which kept you from creating what was asked for, you've proven yourself unreliable. The library owner probably promised to a supervisor that you could deliver and because you said YES to the initial call that library owner is relying on it. It won't blow up your entire career in one moment, but it will plant a flag in that owner's trust in your credibility. And now, more "dings" in your performance for them will erode their desire to work with you. Another thing that can happen is that if you do something so egregious that your library owner is sitting at lunch or dinner with 8-9 other owners (and Michael from TAXI), they will absolutely share your worst mistake with others because of how humorous it was or how difficult it made his/her life and now your name is in front of 7-8 potential library owners as a detriment to their needs. Call it an "informal blacklist" but that's essentially what it is.
7. Another big mistake is not delivering EXACTLY what a company asks for. If they want west coast hip-hop and you get to jamming and add a steel guitar which turns it into a country rap (hick-hop) song, you've utterly failed that supervisor.
8. Not reporting your placements and deals with TAXI is a huge mistake. Many library supervisors browse the forums looking for members who have had a lot of placements or deals. They will contact folks who they think they can work with. All it takes is three or four sentences to let TAXI know of your placements. Music supervisors aren't checking social media for musicians to potentially work with, they're checking TAXI on a regular basis. They also review the forums and some library owners will even call Michael at TAXI directly to mock what you've posted as applicable!
9. Another huge mistake is thinking your music is the star of the show (movie/film/etc). It's very rare where music is the star. More often than not it's the characters in a scene, the people dancing in a scene, who are front and center. Sometimes a piece of sync will be pumped up because a line cements a thought or feeling being expressed in a production. The purpose of the music is to serve a scene or story or to bolster a mood or underscore an emotional point. It's not for the people at home to be leaning forward listening to just the music.
10. Creating titles that show you're "new." Titles matter a lot. If an editor is sitting at their workstation trying to make a deadline, they're not listening to every piece of music in a genre from top to bottom. They're looking at the titles first. The title should telegraph what the music sounds like. If it's surf rock, call it "Hang Ten" or "Surfer Boy" so it stands out in a rock category listing.
BAD TITLES:
"Midnight Sun (v2-Sunday mix)"
What kind of music is it? An editor will have no clue.
"Long Tall Tale (remix-more bass)"
"Happy Clappy Instrumental"
"Version Three - Alt Mix Transcendental"
Even the free basic version of ChatGPT will give a pretty good list of titles based on your prompts. Check the episode of TAXI TV which Michael did in the past for examples.
11. It is a huge mistake to have a political stance tied with your musical brand. You can say whatever you want but if you want to be successful don't spend years building a career only to lose half your customers because you repeatedly harp on politics.
12. Long intros are a huge mistake. A two-minute song with a thirty-five second song for sync doesn't "set the mood," it's annoying! Get to the song, don't make the editor or sync publisher wait to hear the melody, vocal, or hook. As one publisher told TAXI, "Gimme something that gets my attention." Five seconds or less is a rule to adhere to.
13. It is a huge mistake to reach out to music supervisors directly if its unsolicited. You may be able to see what their name is on IMDb credits and be able to search for them online but you don't have the skillset or experience that instinctively teaches you how to get the conversation right, vocal or via email. You're trying to sell them on your music but the last thing they need is one more person on the phone trying to tell them how great they are. They'd much rather develop a frictionless relationship with a library that's already curated the kinds of music that they as a music supervisor need. Especially if you're new to the game and don't know what a "work for hire" is or know what kind of problems the legalities of an A.I. generated bass line in one of your tracks can create.
14. Do not use artificial intelligence to come up with your melody, to build your tracks, or write the lyrics. No one cares if you use A.I. to master or mix a track because the creative part is already done. But once you use it to create say the bass line, you have no idea what that A.I. is potentially STEALING from, and that could cause serious copyright issues for you and any sync licensor. Music library owners do not want anything to do with A.I. generated music.
-----
MUSICIANS: Are You Making This HUGE Mistake?
3/12/2005
1. REPLY to the people looking to use your music! Check your spam folders and don't ghost folks even if you've signed a song for someone else. Answer the phone or reply to messages in a timely manner. Call TAXI if you need to in order to verify the person attempting to contact you is legit, they'll know so you can move forward with any deal with confidence.
2. Do NOT announce the names of any companies you sign with on social media. The company will be swarmed by other musicians looking to be part of the company's library and you will have created a whole bunch of competitors. It's nice to want to be generous about sharing information & contacts but you're going to be limiting your options with that company due to the amount of choices their music supervisors will have if you turn people onto them.
3. Unless a rep asks specifically if you can do more tracks in a similar style to one they're signing for use, try to wait until after you've "inked" the contract for the song they originally contacted you about before telling them you can do more songs in the same style. Ask if there are any moods or lyrical topics that might be good for the company when doing so, it will help cement that relationship.
4. Try not to "fall in love" with the first publisher who signs with you. Say you change genres, the song you signed was swamp rock but now you do dirty hip-hop. You'll have the urge to submit the new song to them since you already have a relationship with them and they'll say, "Sure! We can use it." Maybe they don't want to offend you or maybe they really do need it, but if it's something they don't have a lot of in their catalog because they don't have the clientele who need it? Your song is going to sit around unused. Look for other outlets who make placements in crime shows instead of trying to pitch all of your musical genres to one company.
5. Don't waste a production music library executive's time by asking generic questions like, "I don't understand the difference between an exclusive deal and a non-exclusive deal. Can you tell me what the difference is?" You will come across as a bit of a dolt. Libraries want to work in frictionless relationships with musicians who don't cost them time or energy, or cause frustration. You can Google basic sync information or load up the TAXI forums and review over twenty years of information and/or seek help from other members and TAXI staff.
6. A big no-no is not delivering what a library is asking you for on time. If you're asked to create a track similar to one you've done in the past but don't get it done because you don't subscribe to the VST library you used anymore or any other excuse which kept you from creating what was asked for, you've proven yourself unreliable. The library owner probably promised to a supervisor that you could deliver and because you said YES to the initial call that library owner is relying on it. It won't blow up your entire career in one moment, but it will plant a flag in that owner's trust in your credibility. And now, more "dings" in your performance for them will erode their desire to work with you. Another thing that can happen is that if you do something so egregious that your library owner is sitting at lunch or dinner with 8-9 other owners (and Michael from TAXI), they will absolutely share your worst mistake with others because of how humorous it was or how difficult it made his/her life and now your name is in front of 7-8 potential library owners as a detriment to their needs. Call it an "informal blacklist" but that's essentially what it is.
7. Another big mistake is not delivering EXACTLY what a company asks for. If they want west coast hip-hop and you get to jamming and add a steel guitar which turns it into a country rap (hick-hop) song, you've utterly failed that supervisor.
8. Not reporting your placements and deals with TAXI is a huge mistake. Many library supervisors browse the forums looking for members who have had a lot of placements or deals. They will contact folks who they think they can work with. All it takes is three or four sentences to let TAXI know of your placements. Music supervisors aren't checking social media for musicians to potentially work with, they're checking TAXI on a regular basis. They also review the forums and some library owners will even call Michael at TAXI directly to mock what you've posted as applicable!
9. Another huge mistake is thinking your music is the star of the show (movie/film/etc). It's very rare where music is the star. More often than not it's the characters in a scene, the people dancing in a scene, who are front and center. Sometimes a piece of sync will be pumped up because a line cements a thought or feeling being expressed in a production. The purpose of the music is to serve a scene or story or to bolster a mood or underscore an emotional point. It's not for the people at home to be leaning forward listening to just the music.
10. Creating titles that show you're "new." Titles matter a lot. If an editor is sitting at their workstation trying to make a deadline, they're not listening to every piece of music in a genre from top to bottom. They're looking at the titles first. The title should telegraph what the music sounds like. If it's surf rock, call it "Hang Ten" or "Surfer Boy" so it stands out in a rock category listing.
BAD TITLES:
"Midnight Sun (v2-Sunday mix)"
What kind of music is it? An editor will have no clue.
"Long Tall Tale (remix-more bass)"
"Happy Clappy Instrumental"
"Version Three - Alt Mix Transcendental"
Even the free basic version of ChatGPT will give a pretty good list of titles based on your prompts. Check the episode of TAXI TV which Michael did in the past for examples.
11. It is a huge mistake to have a political stance tied with your musical brand. You can say whatever you want but if you want to be successful don't spend years building a career only to lose half your customers because you repeatedly harp on politics.
12. Long intros are a huge mistake. A two-minute song with a thirty-five second song for sync doesn't "set the mood," it's annoying! Get to the song, don't make the editor or sync publisher wait to hear the melody, vocal, or hook. As one publisher told TAXI, "Gimme something that gets my attention." Five seconds or less is a rule to adhere to.
13. It is a huge mistake to reach out to music supervisors directly if its unsolicited. You may be able to see what their name is on IMDb credits and be able to search for them online but you don't have the skillset or experience that instinctively teaches you how to get the conversation right, vocal or via email. You're trying to sell them on your music but the last thing they need is one more person on the phone trying to tell them how great they are. They'd much rather develop a frictionless relationship with a library that's already curated the kinds of music that they as a music supervisor need. Especially if you're new to the game and don't know what a "work for hire" is or know what kind of problems the legalities of an A.I. generated bass line in one of your tracks can create.
14. Do not use artificial intelligence to come up with your melody, to build your tracks, or write the lyrics. No one cares if you use A.I. to master or mix a track because the creative part is already done. But once you use it to create say the bass line, you have no idea what that A.I. is potentially STEALING from, and that could cause serious copyright issues for you and any sync licensor. Music library owners do not want anything to do with A.I. generated music.
Seven of my instrumental albums spanning jazz, rock, orchestral, and electronic musical styles are streaming now - www.douglaswaynericketts.com
Recent sync submissions at www.taxi.com/members/douglaswaynericketts
Recent sync submissions at www.taxi.com/members/douglaswaynericketts
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