The General Dilemma?

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Casey H
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Re: The General Dilemma?

Post by Casey H » Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:43 pm

Do you still have the full listing wording? Can't get it with your link because the listing expired.

Taxi's forward/return decisions have nothing to do with size of membership, number of submissions, etc. All tracks that meet the "bar" are forwarded. Granted, the bar is very high sometimes which results in a much smaller number of forwards. But it is not some sort of numbers/percentages/quota thing,

I need to read the listing. I sampled your tracks, nice work. What *might* be the issue is the difference between a track sounding like it's native to a region (the usual requirement for "World" music) vs. just being in a foreign language. However, I don't know enough about what German music should sound like. Once track sounded a bit to me like Latin music with German words.

The good news is one forward DOES mean a lot. If that client contacts you, you have the opportunity to ask them if you can submit more tracks to them. And you build that relationship.

Good luck!
:D Casey

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Re: The General Dilemma?

Post by Picardster » Mon Sep 27, 2021 1:40 am

Casey H wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:43 pm
Do you still have the full listing wording? Can't get it with your link because the listing expired.
Sorry Casey, I don't have the full wording.

Casey H wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:43 pm
..... I sampled your tracks, nice work. What *might* be the issue is the difference between a track sounding like it's native to a region (the usual requirement for "World" music) vs. just being in a foreign language. However, I don't know enough about what German music should sound like.
Frankly, what would be traditional and native German music is something like that :D
Apart from that we have various styles here, which have one thing in common - German language.
Casey H wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:43 pm
Once track sounded a bit to me like Latin music with German words.
Which one is that? :)
Casey H wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:43 pm
The good news is one forward DOES mean a lot. If that client contacts you, you have the opportunity to ask them if you can submit more tracks to them. And you build that relationship.

Good luck!
:D Casey
After +20 forwards I don't have a deal through Taxi yet, Luckily there are other avenues that create me music-earnings I can live on :-)

Cheerio/Stefan

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Re: The General Dilemma?

Post by Casey H » Mon Sep 27, 2021 4:51 am

I'm pretty sure if you go to your submission history on your Taxi code, there is a link to the listing itself. Were there reference tracks? The screeners go a lot by those.

To me, one of the main criteria would be if you didn't sing it in German (e.g. English), would it sound otherwise like a TRADITIONAL German song? I re-read your post and caught the word "traditional".

The songs are very good and songs in foreign languages are often in demand. Good luck!

:D Casey

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Re: The General Dilemma?

Post by Picardster » Mon Sep 27, 2021 6:03 am

Oooops, Sorry Casey for my wrong info - and thanks for the hint. Here is a screenshot. There were no reference tracks :-)

I'm somehow not capable of inserting a screenshot here, so here's the link to my Dropbox where I have put it for your reference :-)

Cheerio/Stefan

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Re: The General Dilemma?

Post by Casey H » Mon Sep 27, 2021 7:32 am

Please submit well crafted songs that capture the spirit and essence of the Country/Region/Continent/Culture you chose. Your submissions should have top-notch, authentic sounding melodies, instrumentation, and arrangements.
(And don't forget that word "Traditional")

I'll leave it up to you and others here to comment as to whether these songs meet this criteria. German is a tougher nut to crack than other easily recognizable ones. To my ears, most sound like various genres and styles that happen to be sung in German. Ich ruf sounds singer-songwriter. Der andere Mann has Latin and Mediterranean overtones. Hey Du is jazzy, a bit Squirrel Nut Zippers like. Maybe the screener felt it was closest to German traditional though I'm not so sure. Die Sonne scheint ab Mai more pop/singer songwriter. Jahreszeitenlied is drop dead beautiful but I don't know that it's German traditional. Again, I admit to having no expertise in German music. I just try to hear the tracks, ignoring that you are singing in German.

All these songs will have good homes. And maybe the one forward will result in something for you.

Best,
:D Casey

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Re: The General Dilemma?

Post by Picardster » Mon Sep 27, 2021 10:03 am

Hi Casey,
the word "traditional" is misleading and nondescript at the same time. If that term had a meaning then the listing would have been about "traditional" music which, in this case, would have been like the link I gave you in my last post.....very far away also from my forward.

Even for me as German it is very difficult to define what this listing wanted. It was definitely no "traditional" music. If so, Hey Du wouldn't have met the criteria as well.

How did Gordon Lightfoot sing "If I could read your mind, love...." ;-)

The listing is very vague - and I insinuated already that this one was a tough job for the screener. Still, under all circumstances, I cannot understand the decision I this case. Can you?

Never mind. Things are as they are. The originally posed question is still in my head. But that may be just me :-)

Have a great day :-)
Cheerio/Stefan

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Re: The General Dilemma?

Post by Paulie » Wed Sep 29, 2021 8:22 am

Interesting thread. For starters, whether we like it or not, this industry is highly subjective. We might as well be debating figure skating or painting. :)

I don't think increasing membership numbers has any impact on forwards, other than increasing the workload of Taxi's screeners. Some people leave, other people join, we have no idea what the ratios are. And membership does not equate to talent. There are members here that are new to the industry, new to composing, experienced industry veterans, and some that lack the skill to create quality music. Being able to fire up a DAW does not make someone a musician, nor does it make their music worthy of a forward.

There are some very experienced composers here, folks that make their living at it, and they still get returns. A return doesn't necessarily mean your music is bad, it just means that the screener did not feel that it met the customer's expectations. And sometimes they get it wrong, because again... this is a subjective business. Hence the mantra: WRITE, SUBMIT, FORGET, REPEAT. :)

Personally I do wish there was a way to engage in some dialogue with a screener, or to at least have the ability to provide rebuttal to feedback, just for psychological closure reasons. :) But it just doesn't make sense logistically or from a workload perspective. Screeners are busy already, and they deserve kudos for the perseverance needed to plow through sometimes hundreds of tracks for a single listing.

With regard to your tracks, Casey said it: your tracks will find a new home. Every single return I have had in the past has ended up in a library, and many of them have been placed. Forwards are great, this means you've met the well-respected bar that Taxi has established. Push those other tracks into another folder and shop them around. Then get back to your next listing! :)

Paulie
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"Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy." Beethoven
http://www.yopauliemusic.com | https://www.taxi.com/members/paulcroteau | https://youtube.com/@yopauliemusic

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Re: The General Dilemma?

Post by Picardster » Wed Sep 29, 2021 10:58 am

Paulie wrote:
Wed Sep 29, 2021 8:22 am
Interesting thread. For starters, whether we like it or not, this industry is highly subjective. We might as well be debating figure skating or painting. :)
Word! :-)
Paulie wrote:
Wed Sep 29, 2021 8:22 am
I don't think increasing membership numbers has any impact on forwards, other than increasing the workload of Taxi's screeners.
I don't doubt the increasing workload, but I doubt the not decreasing chances- but nobody knows ;-)

Paulie wrote:
Wed Sep 29, 2021 8:22 am
There are some very experienced composers here, folks that make their living at it, and they still get returns.
I'm one of them, Paulie :-)

Paulie wrote:
Wed Sep 29, 2021 8:22 am
.....Hence the mantra: WRITE, SUBMIT, FORGET, REPEAT. :)
That is part of the business-model

Paulie wrote:
Wed Sep 29, 2021 8:22 am
Personally I do wish there was a way to engage in some dialogue with a screener, or to at least have the ability to provide rebuttal to feedback, just for psychological closure reasons. :) But it just doesn't make sense logistically or from a workload perspective. Screeners are busy already, and they deserve kudos for the perseverance needed to plow through sometimes hundreds of tracks for a single listing.
Agreed in full, as well, Paulie
Paulie wrote:
Wed Sep 29, 2021 8:22 am
With regard to your tracks, Casey said it: your tracks will find a new home. Every single return I have had in the past has ended up in a library, and many of them have been placed. Forwards are great, this means you've met the well-respected bar that Taxi has established. Push those other tracks into another folder and shop them around. Then get back to your next listing! :)

Paulie
First of all, cheers for your comment, Paulie.
And cheers for your positive assessment of my tracks. I'm not trying to create any harming vibes. Nor is my intention to troll in here. Sometimes its really hard to understand what's happening in here.

Today I went through three listings, checked them if there would be anything in it for me. I decided against it. The examples in that listing were so different - the only thing they had in common was that they were current sounding. One was Ed Sheeran with a 6/8 song (Perfect), another one Selina Gomez and a third one. Interesting to listen to. But frankly, when I create anything in that range based on, lets say, the Ed Sheeran tune, chances are high that with a return the reason will be found in a reference to one of the other two tunes....had that a few times :-)
So I abstain and invest my time in other areas - except I feel really safe. Which doesn't mean it won't result in a return.

Luckily my catalogue creates a quite good basic revenue-stream. And I keep my fingers crossed that it stays that way.

Cheerio/Stefan :)

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Re: The General Dilemma?

Post by cosmicdolphin » Wed Sep 29, 2021 2:57 pm

Paulie wrote:
Wed Sep 29, 2021 8:22 am
Personally I do wish there was a way to engage in some dialogue with a screener, or to at least have the ability to provide rebuttal to feedback, just for psychological closure reasons. :)
Haha

That would be hilarious. You may have already seen wounded egos on display in the forum from talentless hacks berating Taxi for not recognizing their individual genius and us for agreeing with the screener. :shock:

They could make it into a reality TV show.

Mark

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Re: The General Dilemma?

Post by Picardster » Wed Sep 29, 2021 3:02 pm

cosmicdolphin wrote:
Wed Sep 29, 2021 2:57 pm


They could make it into a reality TV show.

Mark
😂😂😂

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