Talk me off (or on) the ledge....

[guysfromwork]

I've been a member of Taxi for 11 months now and am feeling a little frustrated. Of the first 96 submissions (across many genres and purposes), I have had 58 forwards (60%). of those 58 forwards, I have only secured 1 library deal for 1 song (1.7% of forwards). While that's nice, I have been able to secure several library deals on my own without the help of Taxi. So far I've invested approximately $800 into Taxi. I understand that some members have had success up to a year after the forward and that does give some hope.Should I have more patience and invest another $200?Comments and suggestions welcome!Thanks and happy New Year!

[mazz]

Congrats on your 60% forward ratio. There are folks that have been here much longer than 11 months that would be very happy to have that ratio.TAXI probably has connections with potential clients that you may not be able to gain access to on your own and vice versa. A multi-pronged approach is probably best anyway if you want to maximize your exposure to the business. Only you can decide if 200 bucks for TAXI is a wise investment in your career. That library deal for just one song could turn in to more if you nurture that relationship. One relationship could be a gold mine over the long haul. I wouldn't toss that off as "only" securing one deal. You're in the game and in the door. If you owned a different type of business, you might not balk at spending 1,000 or more per year for marketing in many different avenues. Is your music a business, and if so, what is your marketing budget? If TAXI figures in that budget, then that 200 is a no brainer, then you have to do it to keep your fingers in as many pies as possible.Happy New Year!Mazz

[guysfromwork]

Mazz,Thanks for the thoughtful input!

[davewalton]

Jan 5, 2009, 1:48pm, guysfromwork wrote:I've been a member of Taxi for 11 months now and am feeling a little frustrated. Of the first 96 submissions (across many genres and purposes), I have had 58 forwards (60%). of those 58 forwards, I have only secured 1 library deal for 1 song (1.7% of forwards). While that's nice, I have been able to secure several library deals on my own without the help of Taxi. So far I've invested approximately $800 into Taxi. I understand that some members have had success up to a year after the forward and that does give some hope.Should I have more patience and invest another $200?Comments and suggestions welcome!Thanks and happy New Year!Hi,I went through that. I called it "submitting to everything under the sun". That's my definition for what I was doing. If you're submitting "across many genres and purposes" then you may not be far behind my vast submissions my first year at Taxi. Burning out quickly the first year is a pretty common thing. If you can pull back a little and tighten your focus, you'll find yourself submitting to fewer listings yet increasing your forward ratio. That will make you a long-term Taxi member... good for you, good for Taxi, good for the rest of us too since you'll (hopefully) be here, sharing your journey on the forum.In my case, "Jazz" listings were the first to go. As much as I thought I could do well (and I did have some forwards), when I listen to "Jazz Stan" and others like him... well, what was I thinking? Mine weren't bad but they certainly weren't my strength. So instead of spreading myself out in a wide variety of genres, I started focusing on orchestral, electronica and ethnic. No jazz, no hip hop, no R&B... etc.Now I am expanding myself somewhat but it's after about four years of focus where I feel like I can expand a little. Think long-term... five year plan, inside or outside of Taxi. HTH,DavePS - Build that relationship with that one track in the music library. My first library deal was for two tracks. I asked them if they'd like to hear more, they did and I ended up signing roughly 20 tracks. Some of those were placed into TV, a few placed into a CD compilation thing, etc. Without that "relationship building" process, I'd still be sitting with two tracks and probably nothing more.

[crs7string]

I agree with everyone that your forward ration is very strong and one you should be very proud of.I think the "getting the deal" after many forwards is a matter of "critical mass"This is a numbers game and as such, there has to be enough "mass" to convert forwards to deals. The next step is enough "critical mass" of deals to create placements.Your "critical mass" is well under way and will only grow if you stay on course.Also, as Dave has pointed out, once in a library you have a relationship. The more relationships the better.Like you, I took a shotgun approach when I first started the submission game.I have evolved to a "rifle approach" of targeting better in terms of the listing AND the listing party. For instance, there is a library that lists regularly in the UK. I have had three or four tracks forwarded to them but have not heard from them. I continue to "shoot bullets" at their listings and will continue to until I do hear from them.HTH ChuckBTWIf a sample library is on sale for $200 I don't hesitate to buy it if it fits my needs. $200 invested in your business is a great use of resources.

[guysfromwork]

Chuck and Dave....Thank you for taking the time to give such thoughtful responses. I don't feel as though I have "over-submitted". I am a staff composer for a children's "edu-tainment" company and I regularly compose in a variety of styles and genres for some rather prominent licenses. So I am comfortable working in many genres.Most of the listings that I submitted to have been chosen because it matches existing material or a genre that I'm looking to add to my portfolio. I certainly leave genres alone that I have no business submitting to (Jazz, Country, Bulgarian folk music, etc...). I've had great success (forwards only of course) with Orchestral (Soundtrack), electronica, hip-hop, Pop/Dance, Comedy, Latin, Rock, etc...Either way, It sounds like patience and persistence is the way to go.I'm leaning in the direction of giving it one more year.Thanks again!PSI think I'll try to keep in touch with the library a little more.