TAXI UNSUCCESSFUL STORIES

[windowman]

Out of the few forwards I’ve had, 2 of them went to the same company, Cxxxxxl Muxxc. I do understand that a forward is only one step of many to achieve any kind of success. However, on Friday Jan. 18th, I received the following email-“Subject: Oops Hi Wade, Sorry to have sent that addressed to the wrong person. We are interested in YOUR song though. Have a good eveningGUY FROM COMPANY.”As you can see this is a little ambiguous, but I did think it was a positive thing & was looking forward to seeing some results. I sent him back an email inquiring about which song he was referring to & didn’t hear back, so I made the decision to call TAXI on January 30th. I talked to David Laidlaw & he contacted GUY FROM COMPANY and suggested I call him or email him. David informed me that GUY FROM COMPANY didn’t receive my first email. Anyway, I called GUY FROM COMPANY, left a voice mail & then left the following email-“Hi GUY FROM COMPANY - I called and left you a voice message regarding the email below. I talked to David Laidlaw at TAXI about the mix up and he suggested I contact you. You didn't mention a song title in your email & I've had 2 forwarded to your company. The first is a surf song entitled 'No Requests Please', the second being a classical rock interpretation, 'Prelude In Em Op. 28 No. 4'. Take care & thanks in advance, Wade”He then replied-“Re: Oops Ah, sorry about that, Wade. If you would, just upload both to our website as I believe I was interested in both, but I will double check with my boss at that time. Thanks and let me know if you have any other questions. GUY FROM COMPANY.”I uploaded the 2 songs & just checked the status today & they were both rejected. Now, I know I caused a very slight ruckus with my first thread here on TAXI, but if you can please leave your biases aside for now, I’d like you to think about how you would feel in this situation. It seems clear to me that they wanted at least one of the songs that were forwarded. (I believe it was the first song that was forwarded back in October.)I would like to see TAXI look into this further. I don’t have a personal relationship with Cxxxxxl Muxxc or GUY FROM COMPANY & I really don’t want to get in the middle of a ‘passing the buck’ situation that I’ve experienced far too often in the past with agents, managers, SOCAN, club owners, etc. Why do musicians always end up being treated like bottom feeders?Here are the listings & the songs.(I believe the first one is the song they were interested in.)NEW LISTING -- 1960s-style SURF ROCK INSTRUMENTALS (no vocals) a la the Ventures, Dick Dale, the Sufaris, etc. are sought by an LA-based Music Library owned by veterans of that industry. Great performances are essential. They offer a non-exclusive, 50/50 split deal -- you keep your original copyrights. Broadcast quality needed. Please submit one to three songs online or per CD. All submissions will be screened on a YES/NO BASIS ONLY -- NO CRITIQUES FROM TAXI. For ground submissions, please enclose a S.A.S.E. if you would like a response. Submissions must be received no later than Sept. 28, 2007.http://www.taximusic.com/song.php?song_ ... am=trueNEW LISTING -- CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTAL PIECES in ROCK-style ARRANGEMENTS are sought by an LA-based Music Library owned by veterans of that industry. Think well-known/Public Domain pieces by Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Brahms, Chopin, etc. etc. but arranged/performed as Rock instrumentals (all styles of Rock are OK). They offer a non-exclusive, 50/50 split deal -- you keep your original copyrights. Broadcast quality needed. Please submit one to three songs online or per CD. All submissions will be screened on a YES/NO BASIS ONLY -- NO CRITIQUES FROM TAXI. For ground submissions, please enclose a S.A.S.E. if you would like a response. Submissions must be received no later than Dec. 4, 2007.http://www.taximusic.com/song.php?song_ ... trueHere’s the thing- I’ve been learning from the TAXI experience, understanding the value of being more diverse & I’m really enjoying the challenges of trying new things I may not have in the past as a writer. When things like this happen it makes me question what’s really going on behind the scenes, & I find I’m submitting to less listings all of the time. Not because I don’t have material that I feel fits certain listings, but because I don’t know even if a song gets forwarded if it’s going to fall into the right hands. “So he balanced the ashtrayAs he picked up the phoneAnd said, Send me a songwriterWho's drifted far from homeAnd make sure that he's hungryMake sure he's aloneSend me a cheeseburgerAnd a new Rolling Stone.”- Neil YoungThanks for reading,Wade

[davewalton]

Quote:I uploaded the 2 songs & just checked the status today & they were both rejected. Now, I know I caused a very slight ruckus with my first thread here on TAXI, but if you can please leave your biases aside for now, I’d like you to think about how you would feel in this situation. It seems clear to me that they wanted at least one of the songs that were forwarded. (I believe it was the first song that was forwarded back in October.)I would like to see TAXI look into this further. Beginning Of Good Natured Tweaking So even though they're not interested, you'd like Taxi to intervene and convince them that they are interested or because they erred in sending the original message of interest that they should take the track anyway even though they're really not interested in it? End Of Good Natured Tweaking I know exactly how you feel. It happens all the time and it's not a "Taxi thing". What a company needs or wants to license changes sometimes from day to day. It works the other way too by the way. Something they didn't want or need last week is all of a sudden their top need.My first experience with this was being verbally hired as a composer for a film, having a nice long conversation with the film maker who gave me plenty of reasons to be confident about the situation. The contract was on its way, etc. I never received the contract and he never returned my calls or email. I wasn't happy but what can you do? As Billy Preston might say (and is the bottom line for EVERYTHING)...Nothing from nothing leaves nothingUnless you have a signed contract in your hands. Possibilities are exciting for sure and believe me, I understand the disappointment but it's always good to mentally keep a low excitement profile until AFTER you've signed and sent the contract.You're getting forwards, you got close, there will be more. Keep the faith,Dave

[mazz]

This must be extremely frustrating for you! I'd probably feel the same way at first.I think one of the hardest things for me to learn as a composer is to emotionally un-couple myself from my creations after I deem them completed. If I can acheive this, it puts me in a similar position as the potential client (in this case a library), which is, we are both purveyors of products, they are the middlemen and we are the supplier of the product.I'm not suggesting you devalue your creations but rather to look at them as valuable assets. Yes they are the fruit of your loins, so to speak, but if you treat them only as that, you'll be much more devestated when they are rejected. The rejection in this case was not personal and probably wasn't even musical, it just came at a time when they may have already received a glut of this type of music or a hundred different reasons that you'll drive yourself crazy trying to speculate about and you'll never really know.This doesn't excuse the rather unprofessional way they handeled themselves but one thing I've learned in my TAXI journey thus far is that the music "business" isn't a big monolithic monster but is, rather, a very diverse, fluid entity that is run by, surprise, people just like you and me. And guess what, people make mistakes!I feel your pain and I think that when you've just finished your 200th piece of music and are cashing that ASCAP check, you'll look back on this as a blip in your career.May you cast your pearls before a better class of swine next time!! Mazz

[Casey H]

Hi WindowmanIt does sound like a mess of confusion so I think you should call taxi again Monday morning and explain just what you said here.There are some possible explanations, although they would not be any less frustrating as far as emotional ups and downs. It could be that one person at the company was interested and then when you uploaded to their site it was reviewed by someone else who then rejected it. Opinions differ all the time and just like variations from taxi screener to screener, it happens all the time with A&R folks. That being said, since taxi has a relationship with this company I would try to have someone from taxi look into it first and see if they can get clarification.I can appreciate how painful this can be. It can be (emotionally) worse to think you have something and then find out not than to have been rejected right off the bat. Hang in there. Let us know how it goes on Monday. Casey

[davewalton]

Quote:This doesn't excuse the rather unprofessional way they handeled themselves...I'm not sure about that. Just from the reading it seems that everyone handled this professionally. For me at least, it's not about whether they make mistakes, it's how they handle the situation afterwards. So they got something wrong in the communication somewhere along the line. Wade left a message, sent a curtious email and got a curtious reply to re-submit the songs. They were listened to but they passed on them at this time.It seems like the door is open both ways, no bridges burned, no emails saying "Please don't contact me again". THIS issue is already resolved (not to Wade's favor unfortunately) but make no mistake, it is resolved. Pursuing this specific issue IS a bridge-burner IMHO. But waiting a little while and then professionally inquiring about submitting additional material or asking about what they might be looking for... that would still be open in my mind if I'm in that situation. They're a music library with a public presence, they get inquiries all the time. If I'm professional to the "T" about future inquiries, I'll look good, Taxi will look good, and the door of opportunity stays open. Future forwards through Taxi then might be treated a little different once they arrive... "Oh yeah, I remember this guy, nice guy and very professional. Nice track too... I'd like to work with him.".Anyway, people like working with nice people and it always pays off even if I'm not treated well. PS - There's a little camara flash glare in your photo... might want to check that out.

[mazz]

Good points Dave, you cool-headed son of a gun!It's always good to step back, take a breath and read that e-mail one more time before hitting the "send" button.I still say "listen to Dave!!"Cheers,Mazz

[hummingbird]

I agree with Dave, no bridges have been burned. Of course it is very frustrating that they seemed interested and then declined. At least they let you know. And I agree with Dave, don't let it faze you. I've heard your music & it's very good. Trust that it will find a home.My feeling, though, is that the title of this thread is incorrect. It is not Taxi's fault if the listing company's rep made a mistake or declined to use your work.

[arkjack]

Quote:Why do musicians always end up being treated like bottom feeders?Don't take the situation as an attack. We're not to be equated with lawyers, politicians (same thing), insurance and used car salesmen....... As a creator and owner of the works, I encourage you to hold yourself in high esteem. Although this was a disappointment for you, there are millions out there who wish they had a talent they could pursue....ArkJack

[matto]

Quote:I'm not sure about that. Just from the reading it seems that everyone handled this professionally. For me at least, it's not about whether they make mistakes, it's how they handle the situation afterwards. So they got something wrong in the communication somewhere along the line. Wade left a message, sent a curtious email and got a curtious reply to re-submit the songs. They were listened to but they passed on them at this time.It seems like the door is open both ways, no bridges burned, no emails saying "Please don't contact me again". THIS issue is already resolved (not to Wade's favor unfortunately) but make no mistake, it is resolved. Pursuing this specific issue IS a bridge-burner IMHO. But waiting a little while and then professionally inquiring about submitting additional material or asking about what they might be looking for... that would still be open in my mind if I'm in that situation. They're a music library with a public presence, they get inquiries all the time. If I'm professional to the "T" about future inquiries, I'll look good, Taxi will look good, and the door of opportunity stays open. Future forwards through Taxi then might be treated a little different once they arrive... "Oh yeah, I remember this guy, nice guy and very professional. Nice track too... I'd like to work with him.".Anyway, people like working with nice people and it always pays off even if I'm not treated well. Excellent points by Dave. A further point is that "Guy from Company" specifically said that he would have to check with his boss after the songs were uploaded, so most likely said boss nixed the deal.So...someone either changed their minds or a boss overruled his/her employee...both of these things happen all the time and they are simple business decisions. Nothing personal. Nobody conspired to deal a malicious blow to a musician's fragile ego...It always sucks when our music is rejected, but it's something we have to get used to. The process of selecting music is inextricably linked to rejection, cause everytime a song is placed, several to many others are rejected for the same placement...matto

[mikegoudreau]

Hello Windowman,I feel for you...It's got to hurt to think you're gonna sign a song and then it falls apart...Even more than getting a rejection right off the bat .Great advice from Dave and Mazz here... But it's easier said than done . Personally I find it very difficult dealing with rejection of the '' fruit of my loins '' as Mazz put it....But if you can do that you will keep your sanity and good humor...I'm working on that myself daily..I don't know if this is of any consolation but I had a song recently NOT forwarded for a '' romantic swing'' listing that I thought was on target so I posted it here and everybody left comments...some good and helpful and others... let's just say not helpful...Anyway that same tune was signed last Friday by a library I solicited myself because I had confidence in that song ( # 31 signed in the past 7 months !! )...So try to move on if you can...You have plenty of music in you and you'll find a taker sooner or later for this tune ( I'm reading this back and I'm gonna try to listen to my advice too ! ) Hang in there !!Mike