Re: Considering TAXI and General Film/TV Opportuni

zircon · Post by **zircon** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 11:14 am

This is the right forum, and it is an appropriate question. I would give you some pointers but we work in very different genres (I work in either pure electronica or sometimes orchestral). No pop or traditional songwriting experience here. Sorry!

gmentum · Post by **gmentum** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 1:56 pm

I have been a Taxi meber for approximatetly 50 weeks and have not yet submitted even one song or group of arrangements. I belive that this is due to the fact that I'm a virgo and never think any of my stuff is perfect or good enough. (virgos are perfectionists) It is very wierd,I do not fear rejection,I have played in several bands and one even had a live remote with wtos(Maine) out of a waterville gig. I am a piano player that can play with my eyes closed but when it comes to(and I love not having all the band BS) creating music on my own It always seems (the music) to enter into the world of movie scores!!!?? I have learned that I can attribute this to the fact that playing live with other musicians envitalizes one on the spot! however there is a balance. If you have ever played a gig where everyone is perfectly on time (in the groove) and makes no mistakes,and the drummer is not racing the tempo which allows you to play key parts with enough time to make those parts effective,that is a magical night! There is a VIBE! Music is like any other art form,, it is emotional expressionalism. If you are good enough to move the audience,,,then you have conveyed your message and you have done your job and at that point there is symbiosis with the audience. But alas it is easier to preach than to live by the preachers words. Sincerely GREG gmentum Bucksport maine

gmentum · Post by **gmentum** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 2:07 pm

Greg here again ,,so you and only you knows if your stuff sucks. But again nothing ventured nothing gained,and I will be submitting some stuff this weekend myself. It never fails to amaze me that when (and this is the only time I watch Idol) the initial freakshow starts, the ones who are the most terrible(without any sense of beat or groove or pitch) are the ones who are astounded that they were told they suck! PT Barnum must be rolling over in his grave! There is no shame in having a one hit wonder,,,look at the tune "so you had a bad day" does that not key into EVERYONE!, is it not ALL APPEALING?. There is no one who cannot associate whith that tune. Do it up!!(geterdone)!

johnnydean1 · Post by **johnnydean1** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 2:28 pm

Quote:I have been a Taxi meber for approximatetly 50 weeks and have not yet submitted even one song or group of arrangements. I belive that this is due to the fact that I'm a virgo and never think any of my stuff is perfect or good enough. (virgos are perfectionists) It is very wierd,I do not fear rejection,I have played in several bands and one even had a live remote with wtos(Maine) out of a waterville gig. I am a piano player that can play with my eyes closed but when it comes to(and I love not having all the band BS) creating music on my own It always seems (the music) to enter into the world of movie scores!!!?? I have learned that I can attribute this to the fact that playing live with other musicians envitalizes one on the spot! however there is a balance. If you have ever played a gig where everyone is perfectly on time (in the groove) and makes no mistakes,and the drummer is not racing the tempo which allows you to play key parts with enough time to make those parts effective,that is a magical night! There is a VIBE! Music is like any other art form,, it is emotional expressionalism. If you are good enough to move the audience,,,then you have conveyed your message and you have done your job and at that point there is symbiosis with the audience. But alas it is easier to preach than to live by the preachers words. Sincerely GREG gmentum Bucksport maine I am very impressed Greg I think it's PhD potential.Seven syllable words,just to avoid confusion,that's one word of seven syllables not seven words of one syllable.Don't worry about being A Taxi Virgin I mean a Virgo,we are all perfectionist's here,it's just that some are more perfect than other's.I have been keeping a secret for a long time.I am bi-celliel.I have two cell phones.Welcome to the house of fun.

sgs4u · Post by **sgs4u** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 3:31 pm

(smite, smite)

53mph · Post by **53mph** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 9:37 pm

Quote: Seven syllable words,just to avoid confusion,that's one word of seven syllables not seven words of one syllable.Don't worry about being A Taxi Virgin I mean a Virgo,we are all perfectionist's here,it's just that some are more perfect than other's.I have been keeping a secret for a long time.I am bi-celliel.I have two cell phones.Welcome to the house of fun. johnnydean, Is that one name made of three syllables or two names made of two and one syllables?I hope you don't keep both your cell phones in your trouser pockets. Double the dose, double the sterility

Casey H · Post by **Casey H** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 3:44 am

Quote:Hello. I'm new to the board and looking at TAXI to complement my songwriting and pitching efforts. This board was recommended to me as a good source of information from songwriters with experience and successful placements in the film/TV business.I have two questions I am hoping you can help me with. My songwriting interests are diverse, but most strongly anchored in acoustic and pop arrangements. I do my own composition, lyrics and mixes, and I would like to focus on film/TV. 1) Would anyone be willing to sample a few of my demo songs on [my soundclick page]. You can skip the first two or three which are experimental instrumentals in new genres for me. I am trying to figure out if my songs meet the audio requirements of film/tv, and if there are genres I should focus on to be most relevant to the demand. This is not self-promotion or I would have posted in the other forum. In fact, I encourage you to be critical regarding my overall sound as that will help me get closer to my objectives.2) I am wondering if I am ready for TAXI, and also whether TAXI is the best vehicle for approaching film/tv for someone like myself. I know there are some major catalog houses so perhaps I am best off continuing to improve my songs and trying personal pitches to the major organizations? I do not expect to make the TAXI road rally, so I have to look at the investment strictly based on the returns of the pitches and critiques.Any input you can provide would be very helpful. PMs or posts are welcomed.Hi songwriterI sampled a few songs. You are writing some good songs. I hear the influence of bands such as Counting Crows, Sister Hazel, Coldplay, and others. At times the songs sounded very familiar, possibly too much so- like I had heard these before on the radio. But you have a talent for writing songs in a fairly modern genre and that's a plus for film/TV whereby they often look for replacement tracks (songs that sound like known acts/songs, but cheaper for them).For film/TV, the production, engineering, and performance have to be top notch. These RECORDINGS do not meet that standard, they are at the demo stage. I'm not sure that your vocals are always on-pitch.Some suggestions before joining TAXI:Send 1-2 of your best to a professional critique service such as John Braheny www.johnbraheny.com ... His fee per song is very reasonable, $25 per song. This way you get good professional feedback on everything- music construction, lyrics, marketability, etc. Once you are confident in the song itself, invest in a professional master quality demo. Make sure you get whoever does that to sign a master/work-for-hire release so you own all rights to the recording. This is expensive with an outside demo service, but often worth it. Other ways are to invest in learning to do it with your own home studio (you have a start at that I think), or by co-writing with folks who can produce tracks.To make it worthwhile to join TAXI, you need a decent size catalog of songs like the above (at least 10 to start), and be able to write more, turning them around in short order. So if you only have a few pitchable tracks, you might want to pitch them on your own by researching publishers and music libraries and submitting to a bunch. See what response you get, remembering that many times no response usually is a rejection. You may get some bites, which besides being good opportunity, will tell you the marketability of what you have. Don't jump into signing anything without consulting an entertainment attorney. Some of the places that take unsolicited submissions may not be kosher.I hope this helped Casey

johnnydean1 · Post by **johnnydean1** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 5:59 am

Quote:Quote: Seven syllable words,just to avoid confusion,that's one word of seven syllables not seven words of one syllable.Don't worry about being A Taxi Virgin I mean a Virgo,we are all perfectionist's here,it's just that some are more perfect than other's.I have been keeping a secret for a long time.I am bi-celliel.I have two cell phones.Welcome to the house of fun. johnnydean, Is that one name made of three syllables or two names made of two and one syllables?I hope you don't keep both your cell phones in your trouser pockets. Double the dose, double the sterility Ya got me on the first one fifty. I have my phones permenantly attached to my ears so it's double the insanity.HTH

Casey H · Post by **Casey H** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 6:12 am

Quote:Casey, thanks for the good advice. I would like to pursue home studio production because I think this will make more business sense for me in the long run, even if it requires some short term pain and a steep learning curve. That is one of the questions in my post - how close am I on the vocals, instruments and general production? Your advice is also good regarding John's review feedback. I have been doing that for a while now and he is actually the one that first suggested I pursue the film/tv angle. Part of the challenge for me is getting a feel for what is pitchable. That will take some trial and error I suppose. I have quite a few songs at the level of what you would have heard. Maybe 100+, and I can also turn around new cuts quickly.I appreciate your input. As a rookie in this area (particularly with TAXI) it is great to tap into some expert advice.Great! If you have a large catalog and John B thinks they are film/TV pitchable, then joining TAXI is a good idea. Has he given you feedback on the production/performance side? That's what the key here would be for film/TV.Good luck!! Casey

johnnydean1 · Post by **johnnydean1** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 1:12 pm

Quote:(smite, smite)SG Why are you so smitefull.This is supposed to be a "cozy"place to hang out and nobody is cozier than I am.