Some thoughts on taxi after a few years

[JonathanE]

So I wanted to make a post discussing taxi in general after having been a member for a few years. My membership expired today and I probably will renew eventually, but not right now, as I would like to bring so many of the tracks that I started in response to previous listings, and also personal projects, to fruition and so to not distract myself too much from that, I'm gonna let the membership go for now at least.

Overall, my time with taxi has been really good. I think the biggest thing that a taxi membership does is "develop your ears". Most of us who enjoy music don't have refined enough ears to hear the slight nuances that make a song great in it's sound and production. It's really like any other trade skill really... you notice things eventually that other people who aren't trained in it tend to NOT notice. The feedback from taxi, if you can swallow your pride, is itself worth the price of admission. I've made a few library contacts and finished off the winter by getting my first full exclusive instro album deal done, which is really cool. I haven't made a red cent on anything yet, but here's hoping.

But on that swallowing your pride bit, I think one of the reasons why "objectivity" in music is so difficult is because music is so often quite profoundly personal. Unlike other trades like building a house or fixing a car or whatever, music is something that is very different in the sense that it can often come from a sort of spiritual/ethereal place, and so it is harder to pin down it's essence, because it can be so subjective, and also be quite vulnerable. Everyone has an ego about everything, but in music in particular, "criticism" can be hard to hear. And there is a lot of "crossover" in the sense that I have made tracks for libraries that weren't necessarily from a deeply emotional place, but some tracks that WERE from that place actually initiated the library contact (they were pre-made before the brief came around).

I guess i just feel like there isn't as much up front acknowledgment about the nature of music itself that creators should be reminded of the personal nature of music and that a criticism can naturally feel like a "bite", but the severity of that feeling is often linked to the spiritual and sensitive nature of music itself, and that's ok. The "ego" in this sense is completely understandable because there are a lot of "vultures" in the world, and so "vulnerability" in putting your music before people is natural to resist, because in the day to day world, its' true that you don't always want to "cast your pearls before swine". But with taxi (and the forums here), I have found that people are very gracious with their feedback and criticisms, and once you learn to grow a thicker skin, it really does serve you as you go on the journey of "developing your ears" and learning to get that "developmental arc" better.

That being said, I feel like Taxi could do a better job at being upfront with people about the general statistical reality of what happens after you get a forward. It seems to me that the 80/20 rule applies here. Let's be honest. If you get a forward, odds are high you're not gonna hear back. It definitely is the long game, and you should expect to hear back from about 20% of your forwards, and probably, in the long run, you'll get about 80% of your income from 20% of your tracks (please do correct me taxi and other veterans if you think I'm off in this regard).

I think it would be wise of taxi to develop some sort of understanding with the libraries that receive their music, that the library would have some sort of mechanism (maybe a message sent through taxi so that the library or person at the library doesn't have to expose who they are), that a while after not hearing back from the library, a message from the library (maybe sent THROUGH taxi?) to the composer saying something to the effect of "thank you very much for your submission in response to our brief that we listed with taxi. Your track(s) are not currently what is needed for our purposes, but we have retained your track and contact info on file in the event that your track is needed in the future. Sincerely, unidentified music library person that you cannot respond to".

To me, this seems like a more reasonable process that acknowledges the hard work you went through and is helpful to the new taxi members who often feel like their music dissapeared into the ether. It seems that taxi could automate such a process with the libraries, and thus the composer could feel at least an acknowlegment that it was reviewed, even though it wasn't utilized. Anyways, just my 10 cents on that, if it was possible.

Also, I think a person really needs to eventually ask themselves, what do you want with taxi? Are you looking for a full time sync income? Are you looking to connect with a label for a band or singer? Or do you just want to refine your song writing craft?

It seems to me, that if you want a full time sync income, you really need to just write for the briefs, and keep your passion projects on the side (which will undoubtedly be helped by what you learn by submitting to the briefs). But if you are not seeking full-time income or fame and fortune through a label or discovery or whatever, taxi can be a great resource to just refine your chops in general and get really great feedback that can help you make better music in the future.

I'll be honest here. I deeply loathe a lot of the "popular" music in the world today. Even if I could make full time sync income from making it (saying "yes" to EVERY request from every library or supervisor request), I wouldn't want to make it, because my mental health would then be destroyed (nails on chalkboard sort of thing). And in combination with the fact that music can also be so intensely personal, for me personally, I think I will continue to enjoy making tunes (whether for briefs or for library requests) in genres that don't grate on me and wear me down. I think, often, a person can be surprised with how much they end up enjoying genres that they didn't think they would enjoy. But yet, at the same time, I think it's really important to stay away from genres you deeply loathe... that is, if you want to be sustainable and have good spirits in the long run. Play to your strengths. It seems like it is here, as everywhere, a trade off indeed.

And in regards to NOT writing "for the briefs", although I generally think that is a good idea if you are seeking a full time income, I wanted to mention that my library contacts have all come with tracks that I Pre-made before the listing existed. The process of submitting them a few times definitely MADE THE TRACKS BETTER, which I'm very grateful for, but the song long existed before taxi ever requested it. And so for myself in that regard, maybe I'm just lucky? But it strikes me that, if a certain genre is ever needed by libraries, and if you love the genre and create music in that ahead of time, that way of "following your passion" can help you get the initial library contact, and then afterwards, you can take "assignments" per se.

I appreciate all the guys who always say yes to every request, and thus make a great income from music. But the world also needs people to forge new paths and to create great music outside of the norm, and although taxi may not get you a full time income if that is your focus, it is still a great resource for refining your chops as you are putting that music together.

So this is a big thanks to taxi and also to the many great people on the forums who have helped me out, I want to pay it forward more and more to come. Thanks,
-Jonathan

[Telefunkin]

Overall, my time with taxi has been really good. I think the biggest thing that a taxi membership does is "develop your ears". Most of us who enjoy music don't have refined enough ears to hear the slight nuances that make a song great in it's sound and production. It's really like any other trade skill really... you notice things eventually that other people who aren't trained in it tend to NOT notice. The feedback from taxi, if you can swallow your pride, is itself worth the price of admission.

Well said!

I've made a few library contacts and finished off the winter by getting my first full exclusive instro album deal done, which is really cool. I haven't made a red cent on anything yet, but here's hoping.

Congratulations, and good luck for the returns to start flowing sometime soon.

That being said, I feel like Taxi could do a better job at being upfront with people about the general statistical reality of what happens after you get a forward.

Doesn't that depend on how good your track is, and the genre, and its 'shelf life', and the library, and their contacts, etc, etc? Therefore, what would that figure mean if its just the average of a wide range of possible values (i.e. large statistical uncertainty)?

I think it would be wise of taxi to develop some sort of understanding with the libraries that receive their music...... that a while after not hearing back from the library, a message from the library (maybe sent THROUGH taxi?) to the composer saying something to the effect of "thank you very much for your submission in response to our brief that we listed with taxi. ....

I get the principle, but even if it happened it would be nothing more than a standard cut/paste response, and as meaningless as the sign on roadworks that says "We apologise for your inconvenience".

Sadly, that part of the Taxi experience reflects the big bad world beyond. If the library want your music they'll respond, but when they don't I'd like to think that they're spending their time on getting placements for the music they have rather than spending it on the music they don't want.

I'll be honest here. I deeply loathe a lot of the "popular" music in the world today.

Then it follows that it will remain difficult to have music accepted for shows that reflect popular culture (and a fair chunk of Taxi listings). It doesn't mean there are no opportunities for other styles of music though, but here's where the question of what you really want from Taxi and also realistic expectations comes in.

[JonathanE]

....

[JonathanE]

Thank you much!

Doesn't that depend on how good your track is, and the genre, and its 'shelf life', and the library, and their contacts, etc, etc? Therefore, what would that figure mean if its just the average of a wide range of possible values (i.e. large statistical uncertainty)?

Thanks, this is just what I've seen people say over and over again. Although of course there are regular exceptions to the rule (people getting tracks signed and placed right away), the 80/20 rule for getting contacted from forwards has certainly been true for me, and just the other day I read another person talking about how they had 15 or 20 forwards before they finally got one contact. I've just seen people mention it regularly and I feel like newbies would sometimes hang out longer if they understood from the get go that A LOT of forwards might often get no response at all. I'm very open though to members telling me that there experience is NOT that.

I get the principle, but even if it happened it would be nothing more than a standard cut/paste response, and as meaningless as the sign on roadworks that says "We apologise for your inconvenience".

Yeah, it's just a thought and it would need to be automated, but just a suspicion that even an automated response would be helpful to newbies. Whether it's ultimately feasible though is beyond me.

Then it follows that it will remain difficult to have music accepted for shows that reflect popular culture (and a fair chunk of Taxi listings). It doesn't mean there are no opportunities for other styles of music though, but here's where the question of what you really want from Taxi and also realistic expectations comes in.

Absolutely! People should be honest with themselves up front (before they do all the hard work of developing relationships with libraries) about what it is exactly that they want when they join taxi. If you really want a sync career, you probably should be open to every genre. Know who you are, what you want, and what you're about, is what I mean. Your mental and spiritual decline is not worth a million bucks, IMHO. But that's just me.

[JonathanE]

Doesn't that depend on how good your track is, and the genre, and its 'shelf life', and the library, and their contacts, etc, etc? Therefore, what would that figure mean if its just the average of a wide range of possible values (i.e. large statistical uncertainty)?

Also too, let me give an example. I had a certain track forwarded a few times in different listings over the years. And up to now (and that might change in the future), I have heard from none of them.

But then an interesting thing happened. I developed a relationship with another library based on a different forward in a totally different genre, and then that library also picked up that other track that had been forwarded a few times! And so now, if someone from the previous submissions contact me eventually, it wont' be available (although I could create more like it indeed).

In that situation, before it got picked up by the library, I could have been tempted to be sad about the situation. But if I started with that general 80/20 rule, mentally I would have been more resilient (and indeed, the wait did pay off).

Do you know what I mean? Tempering expectations and being up front about generalities helps create resilience (and also, pleasant surprise when you get contacted right away).

[Telefunkin]

Doesn't that depend on how good your track is, and the genre, and its 'shelf life', and the library, and their contacts, etc, etc? Therefore, what would that figure mean if its just the average of a wide range of possible values (i.e. large statistical uncertainty)?

Thanks, this is just what I've seen people say over and over again. Although of course there are regular exceptions to the rule (people getting tracks signed and placed right away), the 80/20 rule for getting contacted from forwards has certainly been true for me, and just the other day I read another person talking about how they had 15 or 20 forwards before they finally got one contact. I've just seen people mention it regularly and I feel like newbies would sometimes hang out longer if they understood from the get go that A LOT of forwards might often get no response at all. I'm very open though to members telling me that there experience is NOT that.

It must be a difficult balancing act for Taxi. If the screeners are generous and forward tracks that are not quite perfect the members might be happier (initially) but the libraries might be miffed having to deal with stuff they maybe can't use. On the other hand, if the screeners are strict then the members will grumble they get unjustified returns even if the libraries might be happy to have highly focused tracks.

There can be other issues beyond forwards though. Libraries will get direct submissions from their regular writers (who are less of a risk than unknown writers via Taxi and already have accounts set up). They might find enough tracks that way, or the opportunity could dry up (eg shows get cancelled or fill their needs from other libraries), or another more urgent need might crop up. Also, as I understand it, libraries don't pay to run Taxi listings so there's no loss for them if they don't even bother listening to any of the forwarded tracks (not that I'm saying that happens, but it could). I believe these things go on all the time with all libraries, not just those running listings with Taxi, so the Taxi experience is reflection of the wider sync world, and there's nothing we can do as writers about any of that. What we can do though is maximise our chances of getting under the noses of all the people who count by giving them exactly what they need when they need it. It doesn't matter whether it was made last week or last year, as long as its what they want. I also believe that the better you are at doing that, the more likely you are to get library responses, and the stats will look a lot better than the average. I could be wrong, of course......

[JonathanE]

It must be a difficult balancing act for Taxi. If the screeners are generous and forward tracks that are not quite perfect the members might be happier (initially) but the libraries might be miffed having to deal with stuff they maybe can't use. On the other hand, if the screeners are strict then the members will grumble they get unjustified returns even if the libraries might be happy to have highly focused tracks.

Oh i definitely don't mean to imply screeners should lower their standards. I just mean for people to be realistic about the odds of hearing back from a library about a forward when they actually get one.

There can be other issues beyond forwards though. Libraries will get direct submissions from their regular writers (who are less of a risk than unknown writers via Taxi and already have accounts set up). They might find enough tracks that way, or the opportunity could dry up (eg shows get cancelled or fill their needs from other libraries), or another more urgent need might crop up. Also, as I understand it, libraries don't pay to run Taxi listings so there's no loss for them if they don't even bother listening to any of the forwarded tracks (not that I'm saying that happens, but it could). I believe these things go on all the time with all libraries, not just those running listings with Taxi, so the Taxi experience is reflection of the wider sync world, and there's nothing we can do as writers about any of that. What we can do though is maximise our chances of getting under the noses of all the people who count by giving them exactly what they need when they need it. It doesn't matter whether it was made last week or last year, as long as its what they want. I also believe that the better you are at doing that, the more likely you are to get library responses, and the stats will look a lot better than the average. I could be wrong, of course......

I suppose it would be interesting for a guy like Matt Vander Boegh to do an inventory of his entire submission history, and also of his entire catalogue usage and see if this 80/20 principle is true of him. If it is, I just mean that it is helpful for new members to hear that this rule in the real world seems also to be true generally speaking for a lot of taxi members (but of course, results WILL vary!)

[cosmicdolphin]

So I wanted to make a post discussing taxi in general after having been a member for a few years.

Some really good points there Jonathan and I think you've hit the nail on the head for the most part - Maybe I agree 80/20 with you

The bits I would argue with are probably just down to different personalities, beliefs and tastes. Personally I am happy to write " whatever they ask for " as long as it's possible to do so which is most of the time so I'll 'have a go ' at pretty much anything ( as Telefunkin will probably attest to ) if I think it will advance my numbers. I'd rather try knowing I may well fail than not find out I might be good at something. I think I tend to pull it off more often than not and for me it's part of the thrill of sync. It can be a buzz to make a cue in a style you've never done if it gets accepted and used on TV.

Within reason I do like plenty of current music. Not everything and some of it that's popular I find a bit rubbish but enough that I discover new favourite artists and songs each year. I don't feel like I'm stuck in a partucular decade even if I find one or two of them more preferable.

We all get rejected, even once you've made it into a bunch of libraries and I get why people have bruised ego's over their "Art". I don't tend to think of it as my "Art"...I'm probbaly the least spirtual person you could meet so I don't believe that music comes from some place deep in our soul as I don't believe souls either. it's just synapses firing in our temporal lobe ( which probably explains why so many iconic songs were written by artists on drugs ) and if someone doesn't like it then sure, I will be pissed for a minute but not because they've offended my innermost being but because it was probably time I could have spent writing a different track. They are all just widgets in the end, not an extension of me as a person.

I tend to agree with Graham though , there is no easy way to improve the Taxi system. I know libraries where you send stuff and if they don't want it they don't even reply !

Mark

[mattbee]

The 80/20 thing has so far been the most disheartening part of Taxi for me (among the MANY benefits). I've been a Taxi member on and off for years, in the last year have had maybe 5-6 forwards, but nil contact from libraries. I think the suggestion about an automated email would be great, but I can already hear Michael's voice saying the libraries are simply too busy to get back to everybody/send a response to Taxi for each track. Like you, it does sound like even people who have had many forwards often have a similar ratio, although that said, sometimes all you need is a couple of good library deals to set you on your way.

[JonathanE]

Some really good points there Jonathan and I think you've hit the nail on the head for the most part - Maybe I agree 80/20 with you

Thanks a lot for your thoughts Mark. I would be curious what your actual forward/hear back ratio is after all your time submitting if you ever end up calculating it roughly And yeah, people do bring different beliefs and perspectives to the table for sure on music in general.

But man, you are sure a helpful guy on these forums, I'm sure lots of people have appreciated your help, I definitely have.