Song a male could sing, but demo is by female: submit?

[LoCaRi987]

Hello travelers I have a country pop song that could be sung by either a male or female (the lyrics in the song are general, NOT a boy-meets-girl or girl-meets-boy theme), but the listing Y180515CH is requesting "male vocals". Is it a waste of time to submit it, given that as soon as they hear the female vocalist they will automatically reject it "R"? I would like to submit it, but don't want to waste my $5 in case it's a lost cause due to the singer. LET ME KNOW, AND THANKS A BUNCH!!!

POSTING READS:

CONTEMPORARY COUNTRY HITS with Male Vocals are needed by a great Music Row Publisher for a charting Country Star who’s working on his next big album. They’re looking for competitive, hit-worthy, Mid-to-Up-Tempo Songs that could be found on the same playlist as:

“What Ifs” by Kane Brown ft. Lauren Alaina

“All On Me” by Devin Dawson

“My Girl” by Dylan Scott

Please submit well-crafted songs with attention-grabbing melodies, Nashville quality lyrics, and a big, powerful Country chorus that’s full of mainstream appeal. Songs can have a bit of a POP sound, but should maintain a Contemporary Country style and feel.

This is a big deal Publisher with all the right connections for getting stuff cut on the Row, and they’re looking for relevant, current-sounding Country songs. Please leave the dated, traditional stuff on the shelf, and bust out the songs that sound like tomorrow’s hit!

The specific deal points will be negotiated on a song-by-song basis directly with the Publisher. Please submit as many songs as you’d like, online or per CD, include lyrics. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by a Nashville-based TAXI screener that’s been handpicked by the Publisher. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59PM (PDT), on Tuesday, May 15th, 2018. TAXI #Y180515CH

[funsongs]

Seems a risky thing, given that it's clearly spelled out in the very first sentence. But - it might be worth a call into the office, and see if they'll answer that question directly. Anxious to read what others will advise.

It's long been my thought not to leave it to the imagination of the listener to interpret your idea - give 'em what they've asked for right up front.
Also - the key of the song you are presenting might be an issue if sung by a female, and not in a typical Country "baritone" range - though that's not necessarily the default mode.

Hope that helps.

[LoCaRi987]

Thanks Peter.

[LoCaRi987]

I went ahead and submitted it. It's a great song with a modern lyric feel, and I'm sure a good Taxi screener will readily hear that anyone can sing it. If not, it's only $5 and I'm worth the gamble

[funsongs]

I went ahead and submitted it. It's a great song with a modern lyric feel, and I'm sure a good Taxi screener will readily hear that anyone can sing it. If not, it's only $5 and I'm worth the gamble

Well - who knows? Good luck.
Meanwhile - back at the ranch - I'm going through the 'hassle' of re-cutting a track, replace my scratch/lead vocal for a female rendering - because that's what the listing is asking for: a female Country song. I wouldn't think of sending it in with me singing it - LOL.
Hoping the new mix gets done and sounds decent before the deadline.

So - I'm very interested to hear/read the response you get to yours... hope you'll post up the news - YAY or NAY.
Thanks.

[Kolstad]

Don't do it. You'll get a bad rep spamming listings with music that doesn't meet the specs. The brief is there for a reason.
You won't imagine how many writers think that they have the next big thing, and that a&r will just "get it" when they hear it.
If you think it'll fit, get a male vocal for the song.

[funsongs]

Don't do it. You'll get a bad rep spamming listings with music that doesn't meet the specs. The brief is there for a reason.
You won't imagine how many writers think that they have the next big thing, and that a&r will just "get it" when they hear it.
If you think it'll fit, get a male vocal for the song.

Like Lori wrote - she's already paid her $5 'risk fee' to see if the Screener will forward a female singer-rendering of a song meant for a male artist.

Even for only $5 - like you state - I'm no longer willing to 'ignore' the listing text, and leave it up to the Screener's imagination to give it a pass.
I'm heading for the studio this morning to 'fix my mix', with the requested right-gender voice.
That stated - it still may not make the song 'the right song'.

Anyway - Lori - I still wish you good success.
Meanwhile - if you are convinced your song has the right stuff, you may want to get a male singer to cut another, back-up version of it.

Just keeping it real.
Hope that helps.

[Casey H]

If a listing calls for male vocal, you should not submit one with a female vocal. It's important to get in the habit of only submitting tracks that meet the specs for a listing. If this was for a publisher, it could definitely irritate them. That being said, Taxi is a "safe" place to submit as far as not hurting your reputation with actual publishers (unless the listing says the screening will be done by the client themselves).

But as I said, it's best to use professionalism when it comes to pitching your music which definitely includes not sending something that clearly doesn't meet the spec.

Best,
Casey

[LoCaRi987]

Thank you, everyone. I am new to Taxi, so lesson learned. In the future I will not submit anything that doesn't match the listing as close as possible. Reputation is important, and I certainly don't want to piss anyone off!!! With that said, I will post the feedback here after it is screened just so we all know what happened. Again, thanks so much for your feedback, and I'm learning A LOT from this organization. I really like Taxi TV - so much songwriting chops & knowledge is contained in each episode, it is really incredible.