There's one guy who gives reviews that I wish would quit

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cosmicdolphin
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Re: There's one guy who gives reviews that I wish would quit

Post by cosmicdolphin » Wed Aug 24, 2022 3:46 pm

fbd wrote:
Wed Aug 24, 2022 10:34 am
I did try peer to peer and as a new member was surprised to be trolled , he was gratuitous and belligerent , I got a private message from someone who said he is a troll and best stay away from him , I dont mind constructive criticism . I will try peer to peer from time to time as I am having unexpected probs with genre . Thanks for the advice . Frank .
Nobody is trolling you Frank, but Casey has had more songs licensed than most here and he seems to be about your age. I would recommend watching him being interviewed on Taxi TV to get an idea of how he's found success with Taxi. Hopefully it will help you.

Mark

https://youtu.be/ShrS7Qzb7R8

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Re: There's one guy who gives reviews that I wish would quit

Post by Casey H » Wed Aug 24, 2022 4:21 pm

fbd wrote:
Wed Aug 24, 2022 10:34 am
I did try peer to peer and as a new member was surprised to be trolled , he was gratuitous and belligerent , I got a private message from someone who said he is a troll and best stay away from him , I dont mind constructive criticism . I will try peer to peer from time to time as I am having unexpected probs with genre. Thanks for the advice . Frank .
Hey Frank
All meant in the spirit of helpfulness. I went back to your P2P posts and Mark's critique (I assume that's who you are referring to) and although Mark can be harsh at times (we've had our moments!), I didn't see that in his feedback. Honestly, it was your reaction to his feedback that was overly defensive and somewhat aggressive. That's what started the back and forth contentiousness.

I think he was trying to point out that what works in one part of the music world (what you've been doing in studio, gigs, playing for people you know, etc.) often doesn't work for today's opportunities with publishers for Film/TV placement or even artist pitches. That's what Taxi is about so we generally assume that the person posting their music has that goal. That can be our incorrect assumption but sometimes the person who posts needs to make it clear that they know it's not pitchable as is but need help with the genre. (If you did that and it's been edited out, just let me know).

So what is your goal? You're here with Taxi so knowing what you want and why is the first step. And if commercial opportunities are what you do want, while we definitely can help give our opinions on a genre, learning that part of the biz is very important. So is making what we generally consider "broadcast quality" recordings.

Anyway, we are all here to help so let us know your goals and also be open to direct, honest, constructive feedback.

Best,
:D Casey

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Re: There's one guy who gives reviews that I wish would quit

Post by fbd » Thu Aug 25, 2022 2:55 am

Casey H wrote:
Wed Aug 24, 2022 4:21 pm
fbd wrote:
Wed Aug 24, 2022 10:34 am
I did try peer to peer and as a new member was surprised to be trolled , he was gratuitous and belligerent , I got a private message from someone who said he is a troll and best stay away from him , I dont mind constructive criticism . I will try peer to peer from time to time as I am having unexpected probs with genre. Thanks for the advice . Frank .
Hey Frank
All meant in the spirit of helpfulness. I went back to your P2P posts and Mark's critique (I assume that's who you are referring to) and although Mark can be harsh at times (we've had our moments!), I didn't see that in his feedback. Honestly, it was your reaction to his feedback that was overly defensive and somewhat aggressive. That's what started the back and forth contentiousness.

I think he was trying to point out that what works in one part of the music world (what you've been doing in studio, gigs, playing for people you know, etc.) often doesn't work for today's opportunities with publishers for Film/TV placement or even artist pitches. That's what Taxi is about so we generally assume that the person posting their music has that goal. That can be our incorrect assumption but sometimes the person who posts needs to make it clear that they know it's not pitchable as is but need help with the genre. (If you did that and it's been edited out, just let me know).

So what is your goal? You're here with Taxi so knowing what you want and why is the first step. And if commercial opportunities are what you do want, while we definitely can help give our opinions on a genre, learning that part of the biz is very important. So is making what we generally consider "broadcast quality" recordings.

Anyway, we are all here to help so let us know your goals and also be open to direct, honest, constructive feedback.

Best,
:D Casey
Hi Casey , I did point out in the previous posts that although Taxi isn't ideal for me ( I was offered a refund ) Im going to stick around because there's stuff on the site I like , I also said previously that at this early point Im not interested in commercials and that there are a few opportunities where demos are acceptable and as they are intended for other artists to sing thats fine . the point about being harsh , well I think it was more rude than harsh and anyway there's absolutely no need to talk to people you dont know like that ( harsh or rude ), I know other people agree with me , If someone you dont know , from the off speaks to you in a" harsh" way its normal to be defensive , for Mark to speak to someone whom hes had no prior contact with in a " harsh " way is not normal . Im fine I've been around a long time and I love music . As for my goal , I think this is where the problem lies , people assume Im on the same page as them ( I can understand that) Taxi on the inside is different than on the outside , at this early stage my goal is to try and write songs for the odd placement that wants demo standard and find someone to write the odd song with , but as I get more time I will hopefully adapt and try other stuff . Thanks . Cheers Frank .

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Re: There's one guy who gives reviews that I wish would quit

Post by Casey H » Thu Aug 25, 2022 4:52 am

fbd wrote:
Thu Aug 25, 2022 2:55 am
Hi Casey , I did point out in the previous posts that although Taxi isn't ideal for me ( I was offered a refund ) Im going to stick around because there's stuff on the site I like , I also said previously that at this early point Im not interested in commercials and that there are a few opportunities where demos are acceptable and as they are intended for other artists to sing . the point about being harsh , well I think it was more rude than harsh and anyway there's absolutely no need to talk to people you dont know like that ( harsh or rude ), I know other people agree with me , If someone you dont know , from the off speaks to you in a harsh way then I think its only natural to be defensive , Im fine I've been around a long time and I love music . As for my goal , I think this is where the problem lies , people assume Im on the same page as them ( I can understand that) Taxi on the inside is different than on the outside , at this early stage my goal is to try and write songs for the odd placement that wants demo standard and find someone to write the odd song with , but as I get more time I will hopefully adapt and try other stuff . Thanks . Cheers Frank .
Thanks for clarifying where you are as far as goals and Taxi. :D A side note: When I said "commercial music" I didn't mean music for commercials (ads), I meant anything you can use to pitch for Film/TV, artists to re-record, etc.

Regarding "the odd placement that wants demo standard", I assume that you mean pitching songs for other artists to record. Nothing wrong with seeking that goal but keep in mind what an incredibly tough nut that is to crack. Songs have to be "walk on water" great in all ways from a writing standpoint and today's "demos" are pretty much broadcast quality as well (There are exceptions). Over the past 2 decades or so, with home recording studio gear being so readily accessible to all, the competition became fierce. It always was fierce actually, it's just now you have to have both the song and the recording to be up there.

Finding collaborators is the best way to raise your output to pitch-worthy material, regardless of the target. The Taxi forum and the rally are wonderful places to connect with co-writers, co-producers, producers, work fire hire musicians/vocalists, etc. You might have a good song idea that needs production help and find someone to do the production side for co-write split, a fee, or a combo of both. You might have melody that needs lyrics or better lyrics or lyrics that need melody, etc. You'd be amazed at how many placements have come from collaborations that started right here. I personally have had a lot of library and TV placements and they all started with relationships made here.

Taxi and the community can be a great way to learn to get better at it all. You are keeping your membership so the best thing for you there is to submit (at least right now!) to listings that are pitch to artists and/or do not require BQ recordings. The feedback you get from the screeners will be very valuable. Watch Taxi TV, attend the rally if you can, and form relationships. Also, I think I mentioned before that Taxi offers custom critiques for $20 which are a terrific value for the money. On the outside, critiques like that cost more like $50. Again, state what your goals are and any questions when you order one.

Don't give up on using peer to peer here. Just make sure you let people know your goal for the song/recording. If you think someone is harsh on their response, best thing to do is just don't respond to them. Even better, is simply thank them for their input. When I pitch a song to a music library and they reject it, sometimes with their reasons that I don't agree with at all, my reply is "Thanks for listening". That's the pro way.

As far as making best use of the forum community, the WORST thing you could do when someone gives you a negative critique, is come back with a song and dance (no pun) about how many years you've been doing this, you're previous career, how others like your music, etc. That's a turnoff and people will stop responding to you. Just take in what they are saying with an open mind, keep what sticks and sweep the rest. Sometimes a strongly disagree with feedback from a peer or a screener and come back to it months or years later and realize their points were right on the money.

Also, this is something I often offer to new members, people with concerns or questions about writing/pitching music, the Taxi world etc. If you would like to chat on the phone, drop me a PM and we can set up a time.

Best,
:D Casey

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Re: There's one guy who gives reviews that I wish would quit

Post by fbd » Thu Aug 25, 2022 6:25 am

Thanks very much Casey , I do so appreciate you going out your way to help . I do intend to widen my horizon on Taxi , but its too much at the mo , I gig loads . I was loathed to mention my past , but was exhausted by the same post repeating itself on my next post and that was after trying the ' thank you for your input ' route that you suggest . Its best I stay way from in your face people as its not my style , so I would thank that person to stay away from my posts . Just off to gig so haven't got time to digest everything you say , I will look forward to tonight reading properly . Cheers thanks Frank .

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Re: There's one guy who gives reviews that I wish would quit

Post by fbd » Fri Aug 26, 2022 11:54 am

Casey H wrote:
Thu Aug 25, 2022 4:52 am
fbd wrote:
Thu Aug 25, 2022 2:55 am
Hi Casey , I did point out in the previous posts that although Taxi isn't ideal for me ( I was offered a refund ) Im going to stick around because there's stuff on the site I like , I also said previously that at this early point Im not interested in commercials and that there are a few opportunities where demos are acceptable and as they are intended for other artists to sing . the point about being harsh , well I think it was more rude than harsh and anyway there's absolutely no need to talk to people you dont know like that ( harsh or rude ), I know other people agree with me , If someone you dont know , from the off speaks to you in a harsh way then I think its only natural to be defensive , Im fine I've been around a long time and I love music . As for my goal , I think this is where the problem lies , people assume Im on the same page as them ( I can understand that) Taxi on the inside is different than on the outside , at this early stage my goal is to try and write songs for the odd placement that wants demo standard and find someone to write the odd song with , but as I get more time I will hopefully adapt and try other stuff . Thanks . Cheers Frank .
Thanks for clarifying where you are as far as goals and Taxi. :D A side note: When I said "commercial music" I didn't mean music for commercials (ads), I meant anything you can use to pitch for Film/TV, artists to re-record, etc.

Regarding "the odd placement that wants demo standard", I assume that you mean pitching songs for other artists to record. Nothing wrong with seeking that goal but keep in mind what an incredibly tough nut that is to crack. Songs have to be "walk on water" great in all ways from a writing standpoint and today's "demos" are pretty much broadcast quality as well (There are exceptions). Over the past 2 decades or so, with home recording studio gear being so readily accessible to all, the competition became fierce. It always was fierce actually, it's just now you have to have both the song and the recording to be up there.

Finding collaborators is the best way to raise your output to pitch-worthy material, regardless of the target. The Taxi forum and the rally are wonderful places to connect with co-writers, co-producers, producers, work fire hire musicians/vocalists, etc. You might have a good song idea that needs production help and find someone to do the production side for co-write split, a fee, or a combo of both. You might have melody that needs lyrics or better lyrics or lyrics that need melody, etc. You'd be amazed at how many placements have come from collaborations that started right here. I personally have had a lot of library and TV placements and they all started with relationships made here.

Taxi and the community can be a great way to learn to get better at it all. You are keeping your membership so the best thing for you there is to submit (at least right now!) to listings that are pitch to artists and/or do not require BQ recordings. The feedback you get from the screeners will be very valuable. Watch Taxi TV, attend the rally if you can, and form relationships. Also, I think I mentioned before that Taxi offers custom critiques for $20 which are a terrific value for the money. On the outside, critiques like that cost more like $50. Again, state what your goals are and any questions when you order one.

Don't give up on using peer to peer here. Just make sure you let people know your goal for the song/recording. If you think someone is harsh on their response, best thing to do is just don't respond to them. Even better, is simply thank them for their input. When I pitch a song to a music library and they reject it, sometimes with their reasons that I don't agree with at all, my reply is "Thanks for listening". That's the pro way.

As far as making best use of the forum community, the WORST thing you could do when someone gives you a negative critique, is come back with a song and dance (no pun) about how many years you've been doing this, you're previous career, how others like your music, etc. That's a turnoff and people will stop responding to you. Just take in what they are saying with an open mind, keep what sticks and sweep the rest. Sometimes a strongly disagree with feedback from a peer or a screener and come back to it months or years later and realize their points were right on the money.

Also, this is something I often offer to new members, people with concerns or questions about writing/pitching music, the Taxi world etc. If you would like to chat on the phone, drop me a PM and we can set up a time.

Best,
:D Casey
Hi Casey , Yes thanks for this Im starting to get some perspective , as I said Taxi on the outside is different . You are so right about the explosion of home recording , it has actually wiped out the traditional AandR man that would sift through mail bags of CDs , everyones a producer now ! except by the sound of things you and I (haha) . I never thought Id say this but I wish we could go back to the days of expensive demos as this had an evening out of people arriving and leaving , they were so expensive that bands would give it a few goes and if it didn't work out they would split the scene , now its omnipresent so maybe I do need to lower my sights , upto now Ive pretty much ignored 8 of 10 opportunities because of what I was saying about expectations , I can see now that these things are a " tough nut to crack . I was wondering how the collaborations between different expertise people work out , so you've answered that for me now . Its good that its not set in stone and things are open ended . Lovely Cheers Frank .

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cosmicdolphin
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Re: There's one guy who gives reviews that I wish would quit

Post by cosmicdolphin » Sun Aug 28, 2022 3:10 pm

Casey H wrote:
Wed Aug 24, 2022 4:21 pm
I think he was trying to point out that what works in one part of the music world (what you've been doing in studio, gigs, playing for people you know, etc.) often doesn't work for today's opportunities with publishers for Film/TV placement or even artist pitches. That's what Taxi is about so we generally assume that the person posting their music has that goal.
Yeah the bar is much higher than many new folks realise even if they're musically active in other areas. I've seen it happen a lot in 12 years of reading the forums. Did you see the Taxi Passenger Profile interview with Anelda & Sean Spence from a few days ago ?

https://youtu.be/8O_Li0sT7Cw

They talk about how hard it was for their ego to accept they were making dated sounding music and how they got over that hurdle. I think that Frank like many others before him may being dealing with a little bit of denial here, hence the reaction to getting some feedback without the usual sugar coating that friends, family and even screeners will add. Definitely worth a watch though especially to any new Taxi Members.

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