Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

[augustheat]

Hey Guys!Well, first I wasn't going. Then I decided I might go after all. Now I'm back on the fence again. Add to that, the fact my membership has just expired. Fact is, I only use it for the Rally tix. In my two years with TAXI, I have never submitted a song for consideration...Any other fence squatters out there? Beyond the financial consideration, why are you still riding the pine? For me, it's still the whole LAX ambiance. Not that I wouldn't love connecting the "dots" with everyone, but I still feel if I'm going to drop the big $$, I want to be where the action is. I'm sure I'm not the only one who enjoyed the sights and sounds of Hollywood during some of the down time at the Rally...I'm really curious to see if the venue change alters the numbers this year. Maybe I am the only one who has an issue with this? If so, let me know...Blessings all,

[hummingbird]

Hey Craig. I suppose the question to ask yourself is, what is your goal as a songwriter? If you don't know where you want to end up, how will you negotiate your path? And I don't just mean in terms of the Rally, but belonging to Taxi for 2 years and not even submitting one song does say something. What attending the Rally did for me is it helped me see where I was and it also helped me see where I want to go. Not just through panels & classes but meeting other musicians & songwriters & producers & music industry people. Because of that clarity, I figured what I want and what I need to know and how I'm going to learn it. And proof is in the pudding, this year, I got the tools I needed to get the job done and I started getting some forwards (at last) and signed my first deal. That isn't all because of the Rally, but it certainly was a big part of it. And I think the Rally is the kind of event where what you get out of it directly depends on you.Last year, I talked to every single person I stood beside in line or sat beside in class, I collected business cards & names & CDs and at the end of 3 days I practically had no voice left but I'd had some great conversions with any number of people, including you. Remember, I am the shy singer - I am the one who was so shy at school and at work that I stammered and blushed and shied away from social contact. I'm very proud of what I accomplished at the Rally last year. And maybe that has little to do with my getting forwards, but it has a lot to do with feeling connected to other human beings and feeling like I matter.Of course, I liked the other locale too, but you know, I'm determined that I'm going to have fun and chat with all my forum buddies and be like a leech in the classes & panels and mentor appointments and maybe even have the courage to get up at an open mic and sing. It is a financial investment, and this year I can actually afford it, although I'm still paying off the last two Rally's lol. So I guess I'm putting the ball right in your court.... if you know what you want, where you want to be, and how you are going to get there, then making your decision will be easy.hugsHummin'bird

[Casey H]

Hi CraigI've never been to a rally and I know very little about LA geography... But couldn't a few members share a TAXI to the sites during down time? I know LA traffic is a mess, but maybe this would work. CaseyPS And while you are there...Please don't tread on dearest Marilyn 'Cos she's not very toughShe should have been made of iron or steelBut she was only made of flesh and blood

[jensen]

This will be my first rally, but not my first visit to LA, I'll be at the rally with a crowd of twenty others coming from the Uk, and although I'm lucky enough to be staying in LA to do some recording for another week after the rally ends, most of the others I'm travelling out there will only be there for five days, so . . . instead of diddling about when we get there and maybe being unable to organise things as well as we should do, my manager has now taken the intiative got everyones heads together and organised for us to hire a limo for a few hours, do the sights for those who havent seen them, then go on to Dominos for a night out, a great well known Karaoke bar in Hollywood.She's already spread the word to a few of our friends in Hollywood, so whaddya reckon, its fast turning into a massive paaaaarty !!Theres plenty of ways to get around the downside of being in the LAX area, and anyway my manager reckons the vibe is so much better at the Westin anyway, and she's been to the rally for the past 7 years.Jensen