Any era vs contemporary

[WSAO]

Hi folks, I hope you can help me with an issue I'm having.

I submitted a song for this listing:
https://www.taxi.com/industry#listing-S250327AY

Song:
https://www.taxi.com/members/WJQg0yIBTr ... in-the-305

The song was returned, and the feedback I received was:
https://www.taxi.com/members/WJQg0yIBTr ... 6wHtf_PzEw

I'm not questioning whether the screener liked the melody or the instrumental—that’s always subjective, and I understand that kind of feedback is common.

My concern is with the comment that the song wasn’t contemporary. That makes sense, since I produced the instrumentation around 2010. However, the listing clearly stated that songs from any era would be accepted.

So when the critique says, “Song needed more contemporary appeal in the topline...” and “Not contemporary as requested,” it leaves me confused. If vintage or older-style songs are truly welcome, should they still be expected to sound contemporary?

Thanks for your time and help!

[Casey H]

This was the listing. Your own link to a listing doesn't work publicly once it expires.

Loads of MIAMI-Style POP/DANCE SONGS with Male or Female Vocals are needed by a great Publisher with a long track record of really big placements in a lot of big TV Commercials!

IMPORTANT: This Company is on the hunt for Pop/Dance Songs with sounds and styles that are iconic for Miami! They can be from ANY ERA, so long as they generally fall into the Pop/Dance genre! Subgenres such as Pop, Latin Pop, Disco/Soul, Funk, Pop/Rock, etc, could all potentially work!

This awesome publisher is looking for Songs from ANY ERA that are in the general stylistic ballpark as the following references:

"Conga" by Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine

"Havana" by Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug

"She Bangs" by Ricky Martin

"That's the Way (I Like It)" by KC & The Sunshine Band

"MOVE TO MIAMI" by Enrique Iglesias

"Corazon Espinado" by Santana ft. Mana

NOTE: You can submit Songs in English, Spanish, or a combination of the two!

Please submit original Pop/Dance Songs that capture the spirit and sound of Miami! This Company is looking for tracks with styles and motifs that instantly connect the listener to the culture, lifestyle, and music scene of the 305. Your submissions should have great energy, engaging grooves, super catchy melodies, ear-worm choruses, solid arrangements, and well-written lyrics. Instrumentation and production may vary, as long as it stays competitive with other top Songs in your given genre, style, or era. Captivating and mainstream vocal performances (Male or Female) are key for this listing!

Lyrics that avoid references to specific names, dates, times, brands, and profanity could make your tracks easier to place. Do NOT copy the referenced artists or songs in any way, shape, or form. Use them only as a general guide for tempo, texture, tone, and overall vibe. Do NOT submit any material with unauthorized samples of any other artists’ music, sounds, or any other form of media. Broadcast Quality should be era-appropriate. You can submit old masters — or even well-recorded/produced demos — for this request.

Do you have a whole album of vintage material in this style that screams Miami? This Company wants to hear it!

AI ALERT: This company does not accept or sign music that has been lyrically or melodically composed using generative AI, nor does it accept backing tracks, full instrumental tracks, or vocal performances created with AI.

The Company pays you upfront for the Master Rights and the Publisher’s share of the copyright, and you keep the Writer’s Share and earn income from performance royalties paid by your Performing Rights Organization. Win-win! Deal sizes and buyout amounts vary depending on the quantity and quality of the Songs signed by the Publisher. Your Songs need to be original compositions (no covers). You must own or control your Master and Copyright to submit for this opportunity, and you need to be affiliated with a Performing Rights Organization for this company to include your music in their catalog. Please submit as many Songs as you’d like, online or per CD. Please include lyrics. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59 PM (PDT) on Thursday, March 27th, 2025. TAXI # S250327AY

I agree the screener's comments there contradict the listing. While, it wouldn't be a forward anyway, you could email the head screener and ask for them to look at it.

Casey

[WSAO]

Thanks, Casey.
Yes, I did email the head screener, but he didn’t address the issue regarding "Any Era" vs "Contemporary" and suggested I post here instead.

Now, I’m unsure what type of song to submit when they ask for something vintage or from any era.

Cheers!

[macomposer]

IMHO, I think this is one of those where the screener is hearing that it's not a forward, but they can't really articulate why it's not, so they are kinda guessing. That's happened to me a few times over the years - they'll point to something as an issue, which is really not an issue - they just know what they are hearing should not be forwarded. I chalk it up to the fact that they are listening to probably a few hundred of these submissions over days or so for each listing, and I imagine it all sorta runs together after a while.

I hope that makes sense.

Mark

[WSAO]

Thanks, Mark. Yeah, I get what you're saying. Spending the whole day listening to and reviewing music isn't an easy job—sooner or later, it wears you out.

Listening to the blog forwards for this listing, I noticed that all the songs (which were good, by the way) were contemporary. So I think a lot of people, like me, ended up submitting old-school tracks, and no forwards.

If the screener had just said the melody wasn’t strong, that would’ve been enough. But pointing out twice that both the song and melody weren’t contemporary gave the impression that he either didn’t read the listing or didn’t listen to the references—especially since most of those are nearly 20 years old.

He definitely dropped the ball there, and the fact that the head screener backed him up without addressing the actual issue just made it worse.

Cheers.