The REAL DEAL!!!

[gerrel]

Okay folks. No more beating around the bush! Lets get real here. While its good that people get publishing deals and commercial deals and jingle deals and all kinds of short credit song snippet deals I want to push pass all that and hear about someone who got the MAJOR DEAL...Dont be scared! I mean the One were you sent to taxi and you got it forwarded and then a label is in the works with working with you and soon we will see you on VH1 or MTV or BET or some other major music station. While all this other stuff is cool I'm not knocking them. I have yet to see such a deal happen AT ALL with taxi! If it did happen please let me know. Because I believe that is why a lot of people joined taxi to get the MAJOR deal. And Its not cool if we are diminished to think "Hey...dont even think about major deals it wont happen" That is the most crazy thing I have ever heard. Just so you know I am not a disillusioned person I will sign up for taxi every year because my music has grown because of taxi! Taxi KEEP IT REAL! And yes it hurt like hell! But the only way to heaven is through hell!!! Because of taxi I climbed "OUT THE BOX" I didn't even noticed I was stuck in! And I'm getting really personal here. I didn't realize I was IN THE BOX till I started doing what taxi suggested and I'm now producing and doing songs I would have never dreamed of!!! Even if I never got a deal in the past three years since being with taxi my craft has grown beyond my wildest dreams. I make songs I would have NEVER thought of if I was still in the box. And the scary thing is this. MY peers are still in the box. They are just like I was. Rebellious about how the music sound today! One valuable lesson I have learned(I'm a spiritual guy as well) is that music will never stay the same. It is like the wind. The landscape always changes! I use to hate the new music today. Till taxi broke me out the shell....Dont get me wrong...I still love my 90's R&B music and my 80's classic pop music but I learned that if music DON'T change it gets boring!!! Now that I learned how to produce fresh crop songs. I started liking they way music sounds today because I understood musically why the biz turned in the direction it did! One is because of some formulas they discovered that worked throughout all music history. All your biggest favorite songs have a certain formula to them. And they discovered it and and mastered it! We just have to jump on board! Think about it. How would you feel if your favorite artist did the same type of music every album? No new spark or anything? Just the same type of stuff? Eventually they wont be your favorite. But fortunately your favorite artist know the formula...."DO YOUR HOMEWORK..LISTEN TO THE RADIO'S TOP TEN AND SEE WHAT PEOPLE ARE LIKING THESE DAYS...THEN MAKE YOUR SONGS HIT THAT MOLD!!!" I found that my favorite artist has been doing that since forever!! And it makes them stay FRESH!!! Now I hope I can prove my theory by executing what I just typed and getting that DREAM DEAL!!! Wish me LUCK!!!Cheers! Ger-relMountainofheaven@aol.com

[gerrel]

Another thing! One big problem with being in the BOX is your living in your HEAD while the world is changing around you! Doing your HOMEWORK keeps you OUT OF YOUR HEAD and keeps you fresh and up to date! To do it YOUR WAY and sticking to it? Your in for some painful reality! While your in your fantasy land doing music YOUR WAY and not trying to be unselfish and do music the way THEY LIKE IT you will sit there and grow old and other people who catch on will make music there way yet in the same motion do it to were IT FIT THE MOLD FOR EVERYONE TO LIKE IT! Now thats a duzzie! And it aint easy!!! But we have to work. I watch all the top ten video stations and try to mold my songs to whats in those clusters. Because thats how you know what people are feeling! To do it one way! YOUR WAY and YOUR WAY only you just hurt yourself. Imagine if you ate the same dish of food everyday for ten years with no variety! Soon you wont be able to stomach the food! Thats how your music will turn up if you dont DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Just a theory! I could be wrong! Thats what all the good songs books preach about! so....Maybe there is something to it? What do you think! Holla! Check out my songs too on the site. Kryptonite, LoversNight,BedroomEyes,and Serious and email me your views at:mountainofheaven@aol.comBy the way...I am still working on my craft like everyone else. I dont wont to appear as some great song guru! I just notice what seem to be working! Hopefully I can get a deal to back me me up!Your brother,Ger-rel

[vicky]

Hey there....Taxi is great for so many reasons...I'm with you on the whole improvement thing...and the trying new styles and genres, and writing more...etc....to be successful here and to get a "Major Deal" is really apples and oranges.....or more like apples and a fruit basket..There is always room to express and create in all compositions....Film and TV music is painting and artists' music is sculpting...the music is the art part Listening to all styles can only make you better, but if it's on the radio (college radio exception) now....it's too late to emulate, but cool to borrow from for an artist....If you want that "Major Deal" and recognition....you need to have a 'sound' and a 'voice' that is unique in some way....don't be afraid to get risky with some of your songs.....take chances....in the end...aside from the obligatory pop stars being ushered in and out....it's the artists that seem to have the funnest careers... I've always thought Prince (starting at the "formerly known" part) and Tom Waits have the perfect careers....they have adoring fans....play the best venues(a couple thousand peeps, no stadiums), record what ever they want.......don't need hits on the radio.....put out creative albums with varying themes...film movies....compose for movies... the list goes on.......I don't think Taxi is the right or wrong place for an artist that wants a "MAJOR DEAL"...there are just way too many factors.....I'm assuming I know what you think is a "Major Deal".......right now I'm in a deal (from Taxi) that has a stipulation that I will get picked up by **** if I sell a certain amount in a certain amount of time(I probably won't be able to pull this off, but if I could I would be a person with a major deal (you were looking) )..... a huge company won't hear 3 Taxi submissions, and then put everything on the line....IMHO...you have to be touring, and proving you can sell CDs and lots of other stuff, too....I do however have a side note....I know a very famous band that wasn't even a band....they did an ingenious press buzz....so everyone was talking about them and they hadn't even played a show yet.....this was so genius , then they got some labels into a bidding war....cool ...What I'd like is to see an artist listing where the forwards go to publicists and booking agents that will take us on...(HEY ROBIN THIS NEEDS TO BE )The 6 deals I've gotten here at Taxi, I consider 3 of them to be Major (for me) Rock on,vtbp

[linziellen]

Great read Ger-rel & Vicky, thank you for posting. That's my inspiration topped up for the day! Lately I keep coming across the idea that in order to express yourself (and leave a mark), you may have to bare a little of your soul & become vulnerable When I first started posting lyrics here they were a mixture of emotion, passion and nonsense. Thanks to the people I have met (friends I have made) here, I quickly learned to disconnect from my words and read them from another angle (the readers). I'm still using the same ingredients, just mixing them up different! I seriously believe in exposure to music, wherever and whenever possible. Without realising it the brain IS making connections ALL the time, and I feel my music is slowly taking on a life of it's own, without me having to try too hard. There's still an incredible amount of work to do but the pieces are falling into place.What I do have to work on is the confidence to stand alone, and combine that with what's working for todays market (which I happen to love). I've got a long way to go but while ever music is driving I'm in for the ride. Loved the above posts, I think I will print them off and stick 'em up thank you.Best of luck on your travels,Linzi

[davewalton]

Aug 13, 2008, 10:38pm, gerrel wrote:Okay folks. No more beating around the bush! Lets get real here. While its good that people get publishing deals and commercial deals and jingle deals and all kinds of short credit song snippet deals I want to push pass all that and hear about someone who got the MAJOR DEAL...Dont be scared! I mean the One were you sent to taxi and you got it forwarded and then a label is in the works with working with you and soon we will see you on VH1 or MTV or BET or some other major music station. While all this other stuff is cool I'm not knocking them. I have yet to see such a deal happen AT ALL with taxi! If it did happen please let me know. Because I believe that is why a lot of people joined taxi to get the MAJOR deal. And Its not cool if we are diminished to think "Hey...dont even think about major deals it wont happen" That is the most crazy thing I have ever heard. I wonder if the members of "Monster.com" (job finder) post things like... "So how many Monster.com members have jobs paying in excess of $1 million per year as a direct result of Monster.com? I haven't seen any lately... only a few from a year or two ago!!! And don't show me any of those $75k - $100k jobs... I'm not interested in hearing about those either". So for anyone who doesn't know me, I like to clown and kid around when sharing my experience or thoughts... this is all with a smile on my face. "Major Deals" aren't a dime a dozen and so like $1 million/per year jobs through Monster.com, there just won't be one showing up every week, month or even year. I'm a film/tv guy... not pursuing the "major deal". However, if I were, I'd definitely do that with gusto, BUT, I'd make sure to balance that with film/tv submissions as well. Royalties for placement on a show that has a long tv life... those add up. So I'd be going for major deals as well as minor deals. I've seen some film/tv placements put groups and artists on the map. HTH,Dave

[hummingbird]

I have a moment, in an internet cafe, and so I will make a comment here.Let's talk about what it takes to GET a MAJOR DEAL.- excellent performance skills- excellent songwriting- great look/image- impressive track record of sales of units- successful touring, selling out concerts-ability to deal with press/publicity, etc- the ability to impress an A&R rep at one of the 3 major labels left in the world who is willing to put his job, and thousands upon thousands of dollars at risk to market you, and will take a good chunk of whatever you earn in return for marketing & distribution...and likely want creative control too.In reality, today, I believe, most artists either have their own labels or go with independent labels. The chances of any of us being signed to a MAJOR LABEL are about as good as being able to ride your bike to the moon.However, I do know someone who makes over 50 or 60k a year with film & tv placements. That's pretty major to me. And something I aspire to emulate.H

[vicky]

great thoughts from everyone.....I'm always marveling over the many great careers one can have and strive to have within the world of music....you just don't need to be that famous...there are nooks and cranies everywhere to develop a fan bass.....and so, so , so many niche markets for sales.....listeners that look for certain styles in their music tend to hang together....and communities are out there... ...'putting all the eggs in one basket' (there i go again with the analogies) is really alot like the lotto....I've seen most people going this route eventually quit their musical careers....The bad-asses of their instruments and composing tend to be pretty obscure...vtbpp.s. Taxi appears to be pretty mainstream, but I'm finding out it's really not...I think that is one of the myths 'round here....

[rcase]

Aug 14, 2008, 2:07am, linziellen wrote:Without realising it the brain IS making connections ALL the time.. I believe in this idea. I like to link that everything we hear is taken in and processed for possible use in our own stuff at some point in the future.

[vicky]

Quote:I believe in this idea. I like to link that everything we hear is taken in and processed for possible use in our own stuff at some point in the future.without a doubt

[gerrel]

Thats the very thing that I was talking about. Do you know in the three years I have been with taxi I have seen ads in every style were HAVING FANS or a GOOD LOOK or a FAN BASE was not a requirement. Because of that it blows your theory out. I say that with great respect but you just enforced my point. You gave a good list of things you need to get picked up and in the past three years I have seen ads that did not ask for those very things. TO make things even more bazaar is there are people you have had on FEATURED ARTIST that fit the mold you speak of years ago and STILL Have not been signed? So the point I am making is this: When ever you see a ad on taxi that say a "MAJOR LABEL" is looking for artist and they explain how HARD they will be when they evaluate songs a giant RED FLAG should go up in your mind! DO not send for that add because its a waste of money. NOT ONE TIME have any who have sent music for these ads have been signed to those "MAJOR LABELS" and are currently in heavy rotation on MTV,VH1,BET or any other major video show. I'M not trying to be the bad guy here but the truth is. IN the three years I have been with taxi I have seen not ONE artist chosen and are now currently in the media as front artist or major artist getting heavy air time. NOT ONE. You be asking why am I doing this? because I want new people to realize what I didn't realize. That Taxi is more geared to helping you land maybe a spot on movie soundtracks or jingles or publishing shelves but they NEVER help in getting you noticed by MAJOR LABELS and not ONE ARTIST from taxi in the past three years I have been with them have been picked up and doing MAJOR THINGS. SO the best thing to do is go after the small stuff. GO after the soundtrack deals and the publishing deals because if you go after the "MAJOR DEALS" its true like they always say: "IT RARELY HAPPENS ANY GET SIGNED" or "MAJOR LABELS SIGN MAYBE ONE OR TWO ACTS A YEAR" I dare to go even lower1 NO ARTIST has gotten signed by major labels to where they are playing in heavy rotation today...NONE....I can only speak for the past three years. And I'm yet to see any major artist who have come from taxi in the past. And here is the real bugger....I look around on MTV,VH1,BET and other stations that play music videos and you will find at least over three dozen new artist coming out at least two times a year. Just turn on ANY of them stations and count how many new artist pop up in a week its crazy! Yet according to taxi this only happens less than once or twice. I'm doing this because you can really get your hopes up high and really hurt your self being with taxi...if you have HIGH HOPES of them helping you make it to stardom. Just take it for what it is. I lot of people felt this way about taxi they told me in emails but were afraid to say it. Again...I want to reiterate and say taxi is a great company for advice and for landing movie soundtrack spots and publishing deals. But thats it. And I challenge anyone to name me at least ONE major artist who are on the high rotation video stations and radio RIGHT NOW that TAXI has helped get there! And I don't believe that "They have helped people but they don't give credit to taxi" stuff. Because there will be proof. There will be evidence from taxi archives of such events because it will help them in business. Again. Taxi is great. But don't ever have your hopes up that they will land you a major deal I don't care HOW GOOD you are or HOW WELL your act is. I have seen acts on here that make even some stars today dim in shine. There are some people in taxi that are better than most of the artist you hear now on these major labels. But did taxi help them? NO...Did they try?....I believe they do try. So the next time you see "MAJOR LABEL" looking for an artist watch out.....save your money. I have done it for three years and I have lost hundreds of dollars doing it. So now I will start going after other stuff lie publishing deals and things because the truth is the "MAJOR DEAL" thing is a money eater on here. If you feel you can make me eat my words with naming some success stories that i can turn on the tv or computer and look up RIGHT NOW that say other wise I will be willing to eat my words! Understand. I'M saying what a lot of people have told me when I asked them if I could email them about somethings about taxi and we talked about it. Its sad when you can voice what you truly feel in fear of what people may think. But I will gladly eat my words if you can prove me wrong I have no problems admitting if I am wrong. I wont respond until some names of artist or major stories have been given AND CAN BE proved. The one thing I hate in life is BLIND FAITH. IF you can get someone in blind faith you can make them believe ANYTHING. SO trust me...your not only doing me a favor proving ME wrong...your doing a lot of people a favor who secretly wont talk about what I just mentioned. God Bless you.Aug 14, 2008, 10:24am, hummingbird wrote:I have a moment, in an Internet cafe, and so I will make a comment here.Let's talk about what it takes to GET a MAJOR DEAL.- excellent performance skills- excellent songwriting- great look/image- impressive track record of sales of units- successful touring, selling out concerts-ability to deal with press/publicity, etc- the ability to impress an A&R rep at one of the 3 major labels left in the world who is willing to put his job, and thousands upon thousands of dollars at risk to market you, and will take a good chunk of whatever you earn in return for marketing & distribution...and likely want creative control too.In reality, today, I believe, most artists either have their own labels or go with independent labels. The chances of any of us being signed to a MAJOR LABEL are about as good as being able to ride your bike to the moon.However, I do know someone who makes over 50 or 60k a year with film & tv placements. That's pretty major to me. And something I aspire to emulate.H