Somthing odd? And ranting...Lots of ranting....

[aubreyz]

Quote:......So I think it's safe to conclude that DoorToAnime is a paid, non-musician, chick-spy for SongOfTheYear.com. Who has the closed mind now? === END CONSPIRACY THEORY THINKING ===How did I do? DaveI must sincerely apologize. The previous post that I alluded to is no longer one of the funniest things I've read in a while. This takes the cake. I can't remember the last time I actually laughed out loud while reading a forum. Brilliant!Of course, I'll probably be slammed for having an opinion though not being a Taxi member yet. The fact that I actually make a living now writing music without Taxi is irrelevant. Maybe if someone from a wannabe website like you-are-a-great-writer-and-overall-swell-person.com told me I had some potential then I could quit my day job of making music to be a legend in my own mind

[doortoanima]

I love your conspiracy theory Dave, you really ran with the idea that EVERYTHING is a conspiracy, very exaggerated story when compared to my statements though. I guess you honestly don't believe that people can read the forum posts, get offended, and then take it out on critiques right? Even so though, I didn't say "this is reality", I said it's possible, mainly because it's a thought that crossed my mind, it's what my girlfriend said when she saw my critiques after complaining, its what some friends thought, and I guess when I saw someone else post in my thread the very same idea, I shared my thoughts on it. I'm glad it was entertaining enough for you to make a big story out of though. Oh and remember earlier when I said how people don't always say what they want to on these forums because of being flamed? Well take a look, you made a whole post just trying to make me look silly. With me though, it really doesn't bother me to much, but alot of people would be very offended by that....hence, they don't always say what they want to say. Thanks for proving my point on that BTW.My main problem has been from the beginning and still is, the contrasting and late critiques, and more importantly, my lost critique, and lost bio....but it seems the only thing you want to run on about is my "what-if" scenarios. How about justifying my other points? Infact, forget about how contrasting the critiques are, why are highly scored critiques that are on target returned? How about how my materials were lost on 2 different occasions? Tell me I'm wrong to be upset about that?Oh and for AubreyZ, your crack at making fun of www.songoftheyear.com with you-are-a-great-writer-and-overall-swell-person.comGo read up on the site. Seriously, why is it some of you people think TAXI is the only credible music service? You honestly believe that TAXI is the ONLY place with professionals right? everywhere else is just some bullshit company with nobody's running it....if you think like that, then you also prove my point that your just ignorantly bashing everything and everyone who's not 100% pro-TAXI.Let's take a look at some of the judges from songoftheyear shall we?"Tim Palmer Tim has produced and/or mixed tracks for almost every major label. Some of the artists he has worked with include Faith Hill, INXS, U2, as well as production work on the new Ozzy Osbourne album. "" Lenise Bent Lenise has received four Emmy nominations and has worked on tracks from artists such as Blondie, Fleetwood Mac, and Ringo Starr. She has also played an instrumental role in numerous soundtracks such as Men in Black, Robocop, and is currently supervising a Dreamworks production featuring Brian Adams.""Winston SimoneWinston along with Desmond Child (writer on over 200 million records sold) are the founders of Deston Publishing. Winston has managed hit-makers such as Carly Simon, Joe Jackson, and more.""Aaron WilhelmAaron is a producer manager with Nettwerk. Nettwerk is a record label and management company responsible for the biggest names in the music industry including Sarah McLachlan and Avril Lavigne to name a few. ""Jeff TrottJeff is a world famous songwriter and producer. His hit list includes: Sheryl Crow - 'Soak up the sun' 'Everyday is a winding road' 'If it makes you happy' Stevie Nicks - 'If you ever did believe' Counting Crows - '4 White Stallions' &Tears for Fears - 'Mind Scaping'" "Stephanie Wright - Universal MusicStephanie is the A&R Manager of Universal Music. Universal's roster includes: U2, No Doubt, Black Eyed Peas, Ashlee Simpson, Mariah Carey, Amy Grant, Sting, Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Nickleback, Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, Eminem, Will Smith, 3 Doors Down, Brian McKnight, INXS and more.""Sheila E.Vocalist Sheila E. has had multiple Grammy Award nominations as well as winning MTV's Best Video Award two times. Sheila E is also known for her extensive work with Prince.""Warren Riker Warren has earned three Grammy Awards for his work with Lauren Hill, The Fugees, and Santana. In the studio he has worked with Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Sublime, and Run DMC among others."" Ken AllardyceKen Allardyce is one of LA's top engineers and mixers. Ken has recorded numerous chart-topping artists like Rod Stewart, Goo Goo Dolls, Green Day, Good Charlotte, Stevie Nicks/Lindsey Buckingham and Weezer."If you want to take a look at all the judges:http://www.songoftheyear.com/judging.htmOh but according to you guys, that place is shit and has no credibility compared to TAXI. If you can't acknowledge that the judges from songoftheyear ARE professional and AS valid as TAXI, then you are just plain ignorant and deluded. And Dave, I must of just missed your post before posting last or else I would have mentioned your success with TAXI. You know what? Congratulations, you have infact gotten alot out of TAXI. I'm glad things worked out for you. That being said, it's still true that TAXI wants...Im sorry, it's not TAXI, it's the labels themselves...how about, the listings TAXI get's is STILL for a very specific mainstream sound with cookie cutter quality's. They want verse chorus verse centered around a main hook...most do anyway. So for those of us who don't want to conform to the common way of writing, TAXI is not going to work for us. No that doesn't mean that the music isn't good, it's just that these listings cater to a very specific group of people. If you fit in that group, then all the more power to you, but everybody does not WANT to write like that, some of us like to try something new in hopes of some unique originality. Music is after all, an art form, and art should never have to conform to rules...if it's good, it's good...thats all that should matter.So what now? Let me guess, you are going to jump on another conspiracy theories of mine rather then address the main points I made right? Oh and I mentioned songoftheyear because it's just another place I have to compare some things with TAXI, you know, experience's I've had from elsewhere thats relevant. I guess that makes me a spy for them though....so that must mean like, you and TAXI are engaged to be married huh? Because you defend them like a man would his wife.Anyway, instead of presenting me with a comedic story at my expense, why not address my issues that are NOT conspiracy related?

[aubreyz]

Quote: If you can't acknowledge that the judges from songoftheyear ARE professional and AS valid as TAXI, then you are just plain ignorant and deluded. I'm sorry, but which of these pro judges told you that your song had such fabulous potential? And then what did they do with the song?So was this how the scenario went? "Hello, I'm an industry icon with a track record and fabulous connections. You have a great song here, that has potential for much success, but even though it could make us both a lot of money if I help you get it to the right people, I think that I'll just pat you on the back instead."btw- You still have not proven that you have written anything other than long, ranting, self indulgent posts.

[matto]

See doortoanima, *now* you are being ridiculed... I'm not gonna comment anymore on the "conspiracy theories", if you can't see why they are far fetched and ludicrous it's really quite hopeless, and I think anybody with at least half a mind can tell you have completely lost yours.Quote:With this kind of win/lose ratio, you might as well pitch to the labels themselves, and before anyone says that they don't take unsolicited, alot of them do (yes, even the major labels), and they WILL get back to you if they like what they receive even if it ISN'T a record contract, they will usually tell you that they have you registered in their database for future consideration if they are not taking on new artists at the time, that is of course, if they liked your material a great deal.Yeah it's true you can get your material to SOME major labels, but usually you won't make it past the mail room...as far as them telling you "they have registered you in their database" ...would you wake up and smell the coffee please?!That's really just a polite way of saying they have added you to the so called "circular file", if you catch my drift...cause if a label is even REMOTELY interested in you they will ask you to send more material and stay in touch with you.Quote:What about those returns of songs that have a score high and are on target? On target means "right for the listing", high scores means "good"...I guess my problem is that this isn't the reality of my case and some others, as we meet those requirements and are STILL getting returns.Actually that's a fair question. The reason you may not get forwarded despite being on target and having high marks has to do with how picky the screeners have to be. I say "have to be" because this is actually neither up to the screener nor Taxi, it is the listing party who determines where they want the bar set. For certain listings (such as most major record labels) the bar is usually very high. The reason for that is that A&R people are incredibly busy, get to sign only perhaps one act a year, and get turned on to artists by all kinds of sources, including attorneys, colleagues, their record company's research department (soundscan) etc. Taxi is only one of their sources. It's not uncommon for them to ask Taxi only to send stuff that absolutely BLOWS THEM AWAY...or not to send anything at all. 7's and 8's, even 9's, are not gonna cut it for such a tall order. I'm sorry, but that's the reality of the music business, not Taxi's fault. Quote:I also think there are some problems with submitted items being lost and such, as in my case a critique and my presskit booklet has been lost between 2 separate submissions, I've only submitted 4 times...not a great statistic, especially for such a pricey membership fee.If this really happened, that IS horrible and I can tell you it's not typical. I've submitted hundreds of times and I think once or twice a forward note got lost, and that could've been the post office's fault too.Quote:I'm curious though, what have you gotten out of TAXI? Well thanks pretty much entirely to Taxi, I make a full-time living as a songwriter and composer. I've had songs in major studio movies, including the blockbuster "Mr and Mrs Smith", and you can hear my music on broadcast and cable TV on almost a daily basis now, on shows ranging from "Oprah" to "Access Hollywood" to "America's Next Top Model", to "Las Vegas", to name just a few.Quote:it really isn't the relevant issue though, because other people ARE having a problem, and doubting it because of your own experiences are just plain being ignorant. I'm not doubting that "people are having a problem with Taxi"...I'm just doubting it's Taxi's fault...look as I said I've been a Taxi member for many years and I know how it works and that it works...all I know about you is that you're absolutely paranoid and prone to lengthy ranting...can you really blame me for thinking that, in this case, the problem may be yours?Quote:I'm not saying TAXI is all bad, but I think it only caters to a very specific group of musicians, and I think THAT is the information missing in the brochure.I think you are absolutely right. Taxi caters to musicians who work their butts off everyday, have tenacity, perseverance and are willing to learn and to put it all on the line to succeeed at what they love to do. It won't work well for whiners, quitters, people who think they are god's gift to music and believe it is their birthright to have the red carpet rolled out for them from Hollywood all the way to their front door....that IS missing from the brochure.

[doortoanima]

Quote:Quote: If you can't acknowledge that the judges from songoftheyear ARE professional and AS valid as TAXI, then you are just plain ignorant and deluded. I'm sorry, but which of these pro judges told you that your song had such fabulous potential? And then what did they do with the song?So was this how the scenario went? "Hello, I'm an industry icon with a track record and fabulous connections. You have a great song here, that has potential for much success, but even though it could make us both a lot of money if I help you get it to the right people, I think that I'll just pat you on the back instead."btw- You still have not proven that you have written anything other than long, ranting, self indulgent posts. Well reviewer I.D for my mentioned Olivers Wake and The Exorcism was "R001987K", and yea, they don't mention specific names either, I guess for the same reasons as TAXI. Also, no it didn't go like that^, it went like: I got my critique which was good, and I got an honorable mention on both those separate occasions^. Also, they have a different goal in mind. See their goal is to have a big song contest in which every song competes against each other. After there is a monthly winner from each category for a full year, they have one be-all-end-all winner for the year. So you see, if they gave out record deals to anyone involved with the contest who didn't win the contest, it would probably defeat the whole purpose of what their trying to do...and before you say something like "Well if they really thought they'd make money then they would sign you anyway"...Im pretty sure they probably had to sign a contract that restricts them from personally signing artists that came through the contest.Also, even though proving that I write my own music isn't exactly appealing now, seeing as how the last bunch of posts has been nothing but negative remarks and jokes at my expense and I'm almost positive that there will be bias, at least from those who made those negative remarks, I'll tell you what. Give me a good mp3 converter (An actual good one that will make a great conversion retaining most of the songs original audio quality) that's free, a site to upload my tunes to, and I'll upload them for you

[aubreyz]

Quote: Give me a good mp3 converter (An actual good one that will make a great conversion retaining most of the songs original audio quality) that's free, a site to upload my tunes to, and I'll upload them for you I hope you understand a little tongue in check digging. I can't help myself. Sometimes just have to spin the squeaky wheel.I'll do you one better than the above. You can email me a wave file, I'll convert it using Pro Tools to whatever you want and send it back to you. Anybody can set up a free site at broadjam, soundclick or a dozen other sites.

[aubreyz]

Quote:I think you are absolutely right. Taxi caters to musicians who work their butts off everyday, have tenacity, perseverance and are willing to learn and to put it all on the line to succeeed at what they love to do. It won't work well for whiners, quitters, people who think they are god's gift to music and believe it is their birthright to have the red carpet rolled out for them from Hollywood all the way to their front door....that IS missing from the brochure. Touché. Next Topic?

[doortoanima]

"Actually that's a fair question. The reason you may not get forwarded despite being on target and having high marks has to do with how picky the screeners have to be. I say "have to be" because this is actually neither up to the screener nor Taxi, it is the listing party who determines where they want the bar set. For certain listings (such as most major record labels) the bar is usually very high. The reason for that is that A&R people are incredibly busy, get to sign only perhaps one act a year, and get turned on to artists by all kinds of sources, including attorneys, colleagues, their record company's research department (soundscan) etc. Taxi is only one of their sources. It's not uncommon for them to ask Taxi only to send stuff that absolutely BLOWS THEM AWAY...or not to send anything at all. 7's and 8's, even 9's, are not gonna cut it for such a tall order. I'm sorry, but that's the reality of the music business, not Taxi's fault." So the screeners "Have to be" so picky that you have to get all 10's? Wow....if you googled any movie or CD or even video game that has ratings from professional critiques, almost NONE of them will have perfect 10's, infact, not even from most average consumers. If that's really the case, then maybe THAT should have been mentioned in the TAXI brochure, perfect 10's to get forwarded. Honestly, how many people do you think would have joined knowing that? Last time I checked, 8's and 9's are great, and one 7 in a row of solid 8's for 2 songs for a listing thats "on target" should be forwarded in my opinion. TAXI has to be picky, but come on, they shouldn't be MORE picky then the label themselves. 8's and 9's are good, I doubt most members get those scores often if at all, and I think achieving that kind of score should warrant a forward to a label for a CONSIDERATION don't you?"If this really happened, that IS horrible and I can tell you it's not typical. I've submitted hundreds of times and I think once or twice a forward note got lost, and that could've been the post office's fault too." Well then I hope you can understand some of my troubles, as the second time they lost something of mine (My bio booklet) and it said on my critique that I never submitted one, well that was the kicker for me. I mean, I had to buy an ink cartridge and everything JUST to make that booklet."Well thanks pretty much entirely to Taxi, I make a full-time living as a songwriter and composer. I've had songs in major studio movies, including the blockbuster "Mr and Mrs Smith", and you can hear my music on broadcast and cable TV on almost a daily basis now, on shows ranging from "Oprah" to "Access Hollywood" to "America's Next Top Model", to "Las Vegas", to name just a few." Well congratulations to you too. I guess this whole argument just comes down to perspective though. The ones who have problems complain about TAXI, and the ones who have had success defend TAXI. I guess it's just really different experiences that set us on complete opposite sides of this argument. If I had the same success as you with TAXI, I might be as supportive of TAXI as you are, and if you had the same experience as I have had, you might be somewhat ticked off as I am."I'm not doubting that "people are having a problem with Taxi"...I'm just doubting it's Taxi's fault...look as I said I've been a Taxi member for many years and I know how it works and that it works...all I know about you is that you're absolutely paranoid and prone to lengthy ranting...can you really blame me for thinking that, in this case, the problem may be yours?Quote:I'm not saying TAXI is all bad, but I think it only caters to a very specific group of musicians, and I think THAT is the information missing in the brochure.I think you are absolutely right. Taxi caters to musicians who work their butts off everyday, have tenacity, perseverance and are willing to learn and to put it all on the line to succeed at what they love to do. It won't work well for whiners, quitters, people who think they are god's gift to music and believe it is their birthright to have the red carpet rolled out for them from Hollywood all the way to their front door....that IS missing from the brochure. [/quote]"Just saying TAXI caters to people who work their butts off everyday is not entirely accurate. I spent my whole life since I was 12 working my ass off at what I do. I don't just write a bit of music, I don't just play guitar, I don't just sing. I never had anyone to do anything for me, so I learned to play guitar on my own, I had to sell everything I had as a kid to even buy a guitar. I learned to sing, I learned to play bass, I learned to drum, all on my own. I learned to write and I learned to record, I learned to use programs like Cubase and Soundforge on my own, I learned to mix, I learned to master. I even got my own camera, and then I learned to use photoshop so that I could make my own artwork to go with my music. I had to work and sell everything just so I could afford to do that, and now? Now I'm going to do a Music Industry and Performance course so that I can learn even more, and all of that^ is just the tip of the iceberg. So yes I worked my ass off, I've proven that I CAN write good music, as I HAVE had some good critiques even FROM TAXI as well as other places, I have been on the radio, and I have also won a grant with the MIA. No I don't have a huge list of achievments..yet, because I've spent mostly all of my time refining my ability at all of these things. Even over the last 3 years I've been writing 1 album...yes thats right, 1 album and it's not even finished yet! It's not finished because I'm trying to make every single song on there GREAT, consistent with the main theme of the album, and I've been experimenting like mad because I want it to be totally original. That's how committed I am.I am just telling you from experience, from what the TAXI critiques are telling me, is that they want a very specific style of music. The main stream now. I have gotten praise for being original on 2 of my critiques from TAXI, but they still want the verse chorus verse. They still want that hook that repeats 3-4 times. I write like a story that rises and falls, no lyric repeats and the music often builds to a final climax as well. So even though I've gotten good scores and was on target, I'm never going to get forwarded with my style of writing...and hence, TAXI is not going to cater to me.I'm sorry if my views offend you, but ya know what? This bit of information might be helpful for those who also want to be different, and are having the same problem.

[doortoanima]

Well thank you kind sir, the only problem is that I have a yahoo email account that will only let me upload to a maximum of a 10.0MB file size. The file sizes for my songs range from 40-60 MB. That being said, I appreciate it, maybe theres another way? I can't use msn messenger because for some reason it freezes every time I open it, even though I removed it and re-installed..but maybe yahoo messenger? Haven't been on it in years, but if you have it and are willing, why not leave ur addy and I'll try to get on and add you so that I can send it over that? Thanks.

[Casey H]

Quote:Well thank you kind sir, the only problem is that I have a yahoo email account that will only let me upload to a maximum of a 10.0MB file size. The file sizes for my songs range from 40-60 MB. That being said, I appreciate it, maybe theres another way? I can't use msn messenger because for some reason it freezes every time I open it, even though I removed it and re-installed..but maybe yahoo messenger? Haven't been on it in years, but if you have it and are willing, why not leave ur addy and I'll try to get on and add you so that I can send it over that? Thanks.Convert your wav files to mp3 for uploads and emails. They will be in the 3-6MB range. Everyone else in the universe fins this acceptable for quick reviews.Casey