Quick advice on A&R rep correspondence!

[davewalton]

Quote:Bravo! That clearly took some guts, and it's all working out in a manner that will allow you to present your best material. Nicely done. Keep us posted how it unfolds in the future-- I'm sniffing the beginning of some potential ongoing connections! One of the best things I've learned around here is that nothing happens quickly and, for the most part, opportunities are never lost by taking the time to do it right. I've gotten used to the idea that even if one opportunity disappears, another one will pop up in its place as long as you continue to submit music and move forward. That makes it a lot easier to say "I can't now but after <insert date here> I'd love to start/talk about it/whatever". Among other things, for almost two years now, I've been sending music randomly (maybe every six months or so) to a music library that I'd really like to be in. Just before the Rally, a track I sent in got their attention and we started a nice dialog. Upon my return from the Taxi Rally I got an email "Give me a call and let's talk". Some of this is to talk about doing some music and I'm (over)booked until Dec 15th. I simply explained that and asked if calling after Dec 15th was OK, and of course it was. He even joked that I must have been doing this for a while if I was comfortable with asking him to wait. Matto was telling me a similar story where a library wanted him to do some music for them. It was going to be several MONTHS before he could get to it. "No problem... call me when you're ready" was their basic reply if I have the story right. Actually, someone that has to have it now or nothing... THAT would be a red flag.

[audiorayne]

Quote:Hi audiorayne,First of all, congratulations on developing this relationship with this A&R person. I just wanted to mention a couple of things that came to mind while reading this thread: 1) This forum is a great resource; 2) TAXI works; and 3) TAXI works for people who not only have talent but also have the proper attitude and conduct themselves professionally. I was just reading another thread on the forwards section about a guy complaining of "nothing happening" and having an attitude about it. And here's the completely opposite. Someone who obviously has the talent but also the right attitude and cared enough about their music to carefully plan and seek advice before moving forward with a good opportunity. I think you have done the right thing in this situation by conducting yourself professionally, seeking the advice of more experienced members when you weren't sure how to proceed and moving forward with all that good advice in mind. Dave W. posted on the "best things about the rally" thread that one thing he has learned was to be yourself, in this instance, audiorayne, you did just that and I think it may pay off in the end. Hats off to you. I think this is a great example of "gently pushing yourself forward" as Travelling Ed said. AntonioWow, thanks for the great comments Antonio, that definitely puts wind in my sails! Cheers,-AR

[audiorayne]

Quote:I simply explained that and asked if calling after Dec 15th was OK, and of course it was. He even joked that I must have been doing this for a while if I was comfortable with asking him to wait. Matto was telling me a similar story where a library wanted him to do some music for them. It was going to be several MONTHS before he could get to it. "No problem... call me when you're ready" was their basic reply if I have the story right. Actually, someone that has to have it now or nothing... THAT would be a red flag. Again, whew!! I really want them to know that I am committed and want nothing more than to provide something exciting that they can use. The thing that worried me the most here was, because there's no way I can do this full time right now, that they might think I'm making excuses, or that I don't really *want* this. Which is entirely not the case at all. My goal is to make them fall over themselves listening to my music, the same way I have while listening to some of yours, and if I could spend 24/7 working towards that I most definitely would. But, as you guys have said, this is the first shot - there are plenty more of these companies out there, and as long as we keep learning and improving, we'll find other outlets. There's so many pieces involved in this passion of ours (songwriting, business, technology/recording, communication, etc etc etc), so many frustrations to accept and bumps in the road (e.g. singing voices that conk out, hardware that doesn't work... ) that success probably isn't going to happen overnight. I'm ok with that. Even if ONE opportunity with ONE music library ends up going nowhere, I know it's not the end, because (aside from my love for the girl I married) this passion has the tightest grip on me I've ever experienced. The only tedious part is paying the bills in the meantime! Best,-AR

[ciskokidd]

Quote:I know it's not the end, because (aside from my love for the girl I married) this passion has the tightest grip on me I've ever experienced. The only tedious part is paying the bills in the meantime! Best,-ARAin't it the truth! You've got your priorities straight and your heart in the right place.Cisco