The Taxi Website

[ChrisGilcher]

Hola Taxonians,

I was searching for this topic, but didn't find anything, so I start a new one. I had huge problems submitting my music to the Taxi website (that is a total mess) today. Or maybe I am the only one with this experience. Here is what happened:

1. https://www.taximusic.com/listings.php: Not possible to submit music here, just fav'ing. the submit button is missing.
2. Going to "My Music", the system told me that I can't upload any more songs although I just had three online. So I had to delete all of them to upload >> O N E << track.
3. To circumvent the "new" listings page, I pressed on "Industry listings" which led me to another listings page: https://www.taxi.com/industry.php
4. As I am all of a sudden logged out (!!!), I press on "Members submit to this opportunity" on the listing I want to submit to...
5. Now I have to login again, which leads me to the home: https://www.taximusic.com/ ... well, let's start again!

I work part-time as a designer for a web agency so I have some experience with usability. And this website is really going south! Good thing: the support was really quick answering my mail. Thank you for that! But in between I found the problem myself. Seems like the submit button is missing on Chrome (Mac) and Firefox (PC). On Chrome for PC everything worked, although the usability is still embarrassing! I am wondering when they finally invest money, to build a better web site experience. Maybe when Michael gets a proper webcam or a smartphone with HD functionality... Wait, 4K anyone? (haha sorry, had to write it...)

EDIT: Sorry for that last sentence Michael. This was not appropriate and unprofessional. I was really upset about the website deleting my tracks and not being able to submit them though the deadline came closer and closer. Nevertheless this is no excuse. I hope you accept my apologies, I shouldn't have posted this.
tBest,
Chris

[admin]

Hi Chris,

As you’ve probably noticed, most of our site is new, but some of the old pages still exist (for now), and for good reason. The TAXIMusic member pages and the associated database are MUCH more complex than most people could imagine. Even web developers that often ask us why we don’t just use Wordpress for our site are blown away when they see the complexity of our back end.

Anecdotally, one of our music library owner friends referred us to a “world class online database guy,” some months ago. After seeing how complex our back end was said, “This is above my pay grade. The music library sites I’ve built don’t need memberships, membership levels, membership types, join process, renew process, submission fee processing, music submission process, hold process, forward process, return process, lyric hosting and display, music hosting and playback, multiple bio options, multiple photo options, TAXI screener access, relational joining of that information/data depending on the type of listing, TAXI staff backend access, outside industry access, auto-generated emails, auto-generated forward certificates, multiple types of and listing dependent feedback forms, screener access, feedback hosting and automated processing, and specific types of permissions and all this other stuff you guys need. This is an enterprise level system you have. Something you’d normally find at a major corporation. I mean a BIG corporation, like a cable company or major media company.”

We are currently right in the middle of building out an entirely new backend system which will consolidate everything to one domain, eliminate the issues we currently have, and make it MUCH easier to submit using two clicks, even from mobile devices.

It doesn’t make sense to spend time or thousands of dollars to put Band Aids on the current site, when the new site is currently being built. Not a day goes by when we don’t wish we had things sorted out already, but the vast majority of our members don’t report any significant problems.

And frankly, those who do have issues don’t make wiseass remarks like, “the Taxi website (that is a total mess),” or “Maybe when Michael gets a proper webcam or a smartphone with HD functionality... Wait, 4K anyone? (haha sorry, had to write it...)”

Actually, you didn’t HAVE to write that. I hope it made you feel good. I also hope that the industry people who visit these forums don’t see what you wrote, because they won’t be inclined to want to work with you, for fear you will “have to” write snide remarks about them as well.

The site as it currently is might be less than elegant, but thousands of members are still able to do what they need to do.

As to TAXI TV not being 4K video: We’re an A&R company with a staff of ten people. We’re not a video production company. We have always concentrated our efforts and expenditures on getting the best opportunities and giving the best feedback to our members.

TAXI TV was launched seven years ago because Ustream provided a free, easy way for us to offer FREE education to our members and the public as well. There are so many technical issues in providing HD video, you wouldn’t believe it.

Just ONE example: An HD quality DSLR camera will only shoot for 30 minutes, then it stops. Why? The law won’t allow a DSLR camera to shoot more than 30 minutes and still call the camera a DSLR! I know… ridiculous, isn’t it?

And if we want to use something other than a webcam, we need to buy a conversion “Box” to translate the signal into a streaming signal. There are several other issues (Ustream’s interface, inbound and outbound bandwidth) regarding video AND audio, but frankly, with the upcoming Road Rally just weeks away, I need to spending my time on getting 100 different speakers, teachers, and panelists lined up, and worry about 4K video later.

If you’re not happy with our service and the quality of the free video we give you, please request a refund, and we’ll be happy to give it to you.

Best,
Michael

[cassmcentee]

Thanks for the In Depth explanation ML!
I've occasionally wondered what was up with the website as well...
Godspead with the updates!!!

[billhewett]

As Cass said, thanks for the explanation Michael!

Like Chris I am also a web developer, and having worked with a lot of small companies I have always assumed that your entire back end system was probably homegrown over many years, by different developers, to address whatever current issue or need arose. My guess is that your *needs* probably aren't so complex as the developer suggested, but rather that untangling the current system in order to implement a new one built from the ground up will be a HUGE job... either above his pay grade, or maybe just beyond his available time and/or interest level :)

Either way, I have been glad to see the improvements as they have rolled out, and I hope that moving to the updated back end goes as smoothly as possible!

Now stop typing long forum responses and get back to getting the Road Rally in order... if it isn't as AMAZING as the last three then I'm going to end my membership! (Totally kidding, or course. I have no doubt that this Rally will be the best one yet!)

-Bill

[ochaim]

Interesting, Michael's explanation turns out to be an allegory about the music licensing business.

In other words, things are much more complex than you expect behind the scenes. If you knew, you'd understand why things appear as they do.

owen.

[admin]

Lol Owen! So true. So, so true. On both fronts!

best,
Michael

[cosmicdolphin]

Well it's clunky but functional.. " Clunctional " ..you can have that one for RR !

[LOCK88]

Hey Chris, I would recommend using a desktop or iMac when submitting and uploading music. Not sure if you were attempting to do these things from a tablet, or phone, but I have found the system to be quite seemless while using an iMac. IHTH.

[Strangesound]

I never experienced any problems with the Taxi page, old or new. I'm diggine the new look A LOT and I'm looking foward to the next overhaul!

[fuzzbox]

I have been experiencing an error that doesn't make sense. I have had some help but none of it works for me! So far at least.
Its my photo or Avatar URL for Forum posts. Another Forum member can post my image from my URL and I can paste the URL into IE and can see it!!! BUT... in my User Control Panel, on the tab where you add an Avatar gives me a An Invalid URL type error!
Well it can't be if another member can swap it out for his and it will display... and it can be seen in IE.

Anyone experiencing similar issues? Is it the recent work on the website? It could be...

BTW - I have posted this error in General Hangout but any additional ideas are welcome