this one didn't cut it ? taxi, you're fired..critique this!

[kenmdeck]

reviewer/listener #53 just lost any chance of renewal for this member...

D100323HA, i had a song professionally sung in a nashville studio to a song that matched the criteria to a tee for this listing....and it was rejected due to vocal quality? of the 8 or 9 songs i've pitched repeatedly to taxi this year, 4 are now signed through other sources and taxi, i seriously wonder what kinda 'listen' you're giving people....i know how finicky this business is, but you guys need to back up a step or two, let somebody else count the money and get back to what you are supposed to be doing......here taxi, critique this...

Taxi
Written by Ken Matthiesen

The taxi stops but you can’t get in
You can’t get in, no you can’t in

I tried to catch a cab the other day
On my way to fortune and fame
Thought I’d hop in, sit back, relax
Thought for sure they would know my name
If they did, I’ve been left to stand
Stand in the rain, the freezing rain

One by one they stop ,then pass me by
Hey, I’m just trying to catch a ride
But I’m off target, don’t have the beat
I’m standing on the wrong side of the street
The wrong side of a one way street

The meter’s runnin, the fare has begun
I know I asked to let the motor run
Where’s a lift when you really need one?
Out there somewhere, I’ve had rides before
Should I walk? You ain’t stoppin’ at my door

(Chorus)
The taxi stops but you can’t get in
You can’t get in, no you can’t get in
Open the door so that I can begin
I want in, won’t you let me in

I got myself a sign on and ID
There were carrots dangled in front of me
Honest Abe flying off the money tree
Wanted to jump in and play the game
That cab sped right on by, just the same

You can’t get in
You can’t get in

Am I on the wrong side of the road?
Standing in the wrong line, ya know?
Batting average a big zero
Oh fer on every single taxi call
If they answer do they hear at all?

My friends said how easy it would be
He’d pull right up and take care of me
Impress the driver with what he sees
You’ll catch a cab and ride like us
I’m thinking now I should catch a bus

Because….

(Chorus)
The taxi stops but you can’t get in
You can’t get in, no you can’t get in
Open the door so that I can begin
I want in, won’t you let me in

You can’t get in
You can’t get in

[KIRBIE]

lol.



then.....leave

you're lucky to have other sources. I don't. I could barely afford this.

So I'd appreciate it if you didn't squash the ounce of hope I have in getting my music out there.

[Casey H]

Can you post the listing description, a link to the song, lyrics, and the entire taxi critique?

BTW, on a Dispatch or other Y/N listing when they check the "Vocal Performance" box it can mean a wide range of things, many of which are relative to the listing. Anything from among vocal pitch, recording quality, emotion, style for the listing, match to 'a la' artists, phrasing, etc, etc... It just means something in the vocal didn't meet the listing criteria. An on-pitch, well recorded vocal can still be wrong for a listing.

I'm a Dispatch member so I had this listing's description in my email:

TROPICAL POP / HAWAIIAN SONGS, INSTRUMENTALS, and ARTISTS in the wide range of "White Sandy Beach" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole and "Summer Dreaming (bacardi feeling)" by Kate Yanai, etc., needed by a Music Label/Licensing company based in Germany who specializes in compilations for branding/corporate licensing opportunities. Traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music is welcome, as well as reggae/summery/tropical type tunes. Vocals can be in any language. Nothing too overtly World Music like please, but try to focus on the tropical island feel. A flat fee for each song/instrumental used will pay approximately $400-$500 USD, additional mechanical fees will also be provided. They will also included credits of artists on their website. They offer a non-exclusive deal, and you must control the master rights to your songs - no samples that require clearance, please. Vocal and instrumental presentation must be top-notch! Songs/instrumentals must be broadcast quality (great sounding home recordings are OK). Please submit one to three songs/instrumentals online or per CD (include lyrics/bio/photo if applicable). All submissions will be screened on a YES/NO BASIS - NO CRITIQUES FROM TAXI - and must be received no later than 9:00am (PST) on Tuesday, March 23, 2010. TAXI #D100323HA

This sounds like it had some pretty specific requirements and wouldn't have been the easiest to nail unless you could do that style well. I'm hoping to hear your song.

Best
Casey

[kenmdeck]

hey kirbie ... cute pic......and casey h, too (sorry, her pic's cuter!)

hey guys, don't get me wrong , taxi is great for a lot of people, and i really wish everybody tons of luck and oodles of forwards.....but taxi was not a good match to me and how i go about trying to use them.....it takes a while to figure out what they do, and they take your money gladly while you learn...i primarily write lyrics and just ruff up initial demos , i can't play or sing well enough to personally record and don't have the resources to record myself....so i out source to the pros to produce and sing my songs.....so when i have complete songs they are very good in quality...but it's hard to match exactly what taxi wants in a pretty vague sometimes post....listen to the few songs i still have on the site at http://www.taxi.com\kenm

it's tough out there and all the cards are on one side of the fence....

the song i submitted to this post is called 'let's find a place', a country/tropical song


always keep trying and always remember that no is not an answer, merely an opinion!!!!

kenm
write on/rock on!

[Casey H]

hey kirbie ... cute pic......and casey h, too (sorry, her pic's cuter!)

hey guys, don't get me wrong , taxi is great for a lot of people, and i really wish everybody tons of luck and oodles of forwards.....but taxi was not a good match to me and how i go about trying to use them.....it takes a while to figure out what they do, and they take your money gladly while you learn...i primarily write lyrics and just ruff up initial demos , i can't play or sing well enough to personally record and don't have the resources to record myself....so i out source to the pros to produce and sing my songs.....so when i have complete songs they are very good in quality...but it's hard to match exactly what taxi wants in a pretty vague sometimes post....listen to the few songs i still have on the site at http://www.taxi.com\kenm

it's tough out there and all the cards are on one side of the fence....

the song i submitted to this post is called 'let's find a place', a country/tropical song


always keep trying and always remember that no is not an answer, merely an opinion!!!!

kenm
write on/rock on!

I'm soooo offended that you find Kirbie cuter than me.

I listened to "Let's Find A Place'. It has a nice Jimmy Buffett sound. I also listened to the referenced 'a la' songs and I don't think your song would "match the criteria to a T". They did say the range was wide, so it was definitely worth a shot submitting.

One thing we have to remember is just because a vocal was done by a demo studio doesn't mean the vocal is great or doesn't have any pitchy spots. I'm not sure (my ear isn't great for this) but I think I do hear some pitchy places. I'll let others with better ears chime in there. I've had stuff professionally recorded and thought what I had was great only to find out later that the vocal was pitchy. Sometimes we are so in love with our own song we can't hear the warts.

As a song, I like the vibe but I think it does get too repetitive.

I really do understand your frustration as a non-performing songwriter who depends on pro demos as I am one of those like you. If you read these boards you'll quickly see that the most successful folks with Taxi (and usually outide of Taxi too) are those who can quickly crank out music in a home studio on demand and tailor their music to very specific listing requirements, especially the "a la"s. I'm talking about film/TV music here and for better or worse, it's a lot about imitation.

You mentioned you write mainly lyrics. Who writes the music? Are you collaborating? I hope you are not using studios that take your lyrics and set them to music. That is absolutely not a viable way to go.

Did you write the music to "Let's Find A Place"? If you did and have the backing track with master rights, it might pitch well as an instrumental. It might need a lead instrument added but you could collaborate with someone here for that. In fact, as an instrumental it might have been forwarded for that listing. Can't be sure but very possibly...

Taxi is not for everyone. Had you simply said it was not for you and not come off more on the attack that would have been a different ballgame that what's here. You said something about them taking your membership money while you learn how they work. Well, duh... The service they offer IS a learning one. That's what they do. They listen to your music and tell you how to make it better for the commercial world. And...

* They offer a 1 year money-back guarantee.

* They provide this free forum with tons of advice on how to improve your music and get forwards.

* They provide a free (included in membership) road rally every year with tons of education offered as to how to make your music better and get forwards.

So, it concerned me when you implied they were somehow taking your money inappropriately.

My suggestion is collaborate. Take stock of what you do well and where your weaknesses are and seek out writing partners whose skills compliment yours.

Also, I think the "Taxi" song posted here was a little obnoxious. You are way too angry at Taxi... With them or without them, you have to adapt to industry needs IF you want any kind of commercial success.

It's your choice. Rail at the rest of the world or look within to see what YOU can do to become more successful.

Good luck.
Casey

[kenmdeck]

okay casey h,

after looking at your picture a second time, i guess you're kinda cute too......

i appreciate you taking some time to take a listen.....def the peer input is very valuable in these forums, i've picked up many a great hint, hopefully given a few....cool you create your songs very similarly to the way i do...i write for some local bands that try things out and will create demo ruffs for me.....

TAXI Review Station
Liked your review? Rave about it! Hated it, let us know!

i don't mid stirring things up, going toe to toe........and maybe my 54 years of the english language is faltering .... but the taxi forum area i complained to seemed like the appropriate place to kick the dog....i disagreed with the reviewer....he may be right, i hope he's wrong...life goes on

i listened to some of your songs...looks like you're quite a talent...very nice job! i don't write my own music, i have a couple of times before but it's something i have trouble with and can't comprehend the levels well enough to do it outside of my own head. i usually develop a chord structure and melody and put it quick on the computer then pass it all on to a producer and move on....

one sure thing about writing songs...they are what they are, love em, hate em, there is something for everybody and somebody has a story embedded in each one and that makes them real...there's been a million written and there will be a million more....even a sixteen year old with nothing in the way of life experiences spilling his or her guts on a piece of paper and calling it a song counts in the grandest scheme of things.......

oh and hey casey, i lied about your picture!
have a great day!

[Casey H]

okay casey h,

after looking at your picture a second time, i guess you're kinda cute too......

i appreciate you taking some time to take a listen.....def the peer input is very valuable in these forums, i've picked up many a great hint, hopefully given a few....cool you create your songs very similarly to the way i do...i write for some local bands that try things out and will create demo ruffs for me.....

TAXI Review Station
Liked your review? Rave about it! Hated it, let us know!

i don't mid stirring things up, going toe to toe........and maybe my 54 years of the english language is faltering .... but the taxi forum area i complained to seemed like the appropriate place to kick the dog....i disagreed with the reviewer....he may be right, i hope he's wrong...life goes on

i listened to some of your songs...looks like you're quite a talent...very nice job! i don't write my own music, i have a couple of times before but it's something i have trouble with and can't comprehend the levels well enough to do it outside of my own head. i usually develop a chord structure and melody and put it quick on the computer then pass it all on to a producer and move on....

one sure thing about writing songs...they are what they are, love em, hate em, there is something for everybody and somebody has a story embedded in each one and that makes them real...there's been a million written and there will be a million more....even a sixteen year old with nothing in the way of life experiences spilling his or her guts on a piece of paper and calling it a song counts in the grandest scheme of things.......

oh and hey casey, i lied about your picture!
have a great day!

Ken
You mean I’m NOT cute?

We have a lot in common. I’m a non-performing songwriter who uses professional studios for my recordings. I appreciate the compliments. A lot of the good things you hear in my songs are because of the people I hired. And I am not the ideal Taxi member because I don’t write “a la” enough and I generally don’t have the ability to crank something out in direct response to a listing. I don’t get tons of forwards, a few here and there.

I am re-thinking my strategy on future songs, trying to “a la” target them better when they get produced. It doesn’t always work--- sometimes my writing style just doesn’t lend itself to (for example) modern rock acts. If you read the posts by Japanese Princess (who really must cheer up ), you’ll get a great sense of what it takes to be successful in film/TV music.

What I was concerned about in your post was the anger at Taxi and comment about them taking your money. You didn’t just bitch at the screener, you implied other things. It’s more productive to get people to listen to your song, read the listing and comment as to how it works or doesn’t for the listing. The song you submitted isn’t bad at all and with some improvements might be place-able someday.

If MY style of writing doesn’t get me tons of forwards or placements, I really can’t blame Taxi. As a matter of fact, the forum, the rally, and the feedback have been a great education… worth every penny.

You didn’t answer one question. Who wrote the music for that song? Was it a collaboration? You said you do mainly lyrics.

Best of luck
Casey

[kenmdeck]

alright casey, i'm back to my usual docile and happy, easy going self....

i chatted with the japanese princess quite a bit a few months back....seems like we worked on some wording for one of her songs, i don't remember the name of it, i guess i could look back in the forum logs, i wonder if she ever finished it ..she seemed like a real fireball....i like spunky in artists...i don't like the cookie cutter types, give me a rebel anyday ....

the music for my song 'let's find a place' was done by paramountsongs..i didn't supply a ruff or anything on that one, just a bunch of hand written notes on a lyric sheet..i use them for 4 songs a year when they have a discount....good way to whip a few pretty good demos out..my first few demos were done by them and i am very loyal to people who help me on this ride.. i use producers in new york, nashville and los angeles who i consider to be geniuses and friends and aquantances around the country, contacts from all the traveling my wife and i do (a ton in he caribbean, that's why i'm high on that song), that help with the music for demos....i got to know a very, very good cuban concert pianist on a cruise ship who now studios out of toronto....i helped him put 3 albums together that will soon to be on sale.....he is sick of mozart and now wants to put together an album of pop love songs...right up my alley...i have dozens i've written and he's going nuts having so much fun with them and is doing amazing things with them....my taxi deal expires 4/20 i think, and i have decided not to renew, i don't think i'll have them ready to post by then.....but i sell under the artist name kenm..album number one is 'front porch music', two is 'second time through' (think baseball lineup seeing a pitcher the second time, starting to get a read on things) and i just this month put them on itunes and amazon and the lot...

....hey , you have to admit the taxi song lyrics weren't too bad... i tried to , like you say, a la that one up for them.....i was serious about your stuff...i like what i hear...i don't really like telling another guy what to do, but if you read some of the negative stuff on these boards, one of the common things you hear is how writers get off their own path trying to conform so their stuff will be marketable...and lose the happiness they find in writing...i make a buck or two along the way doing this, i want to write songs and books full time soon..but i must be happy with what i do, and the way i do it..i have the publishers tell me all my songs are too long, too retro, not current.....sorry, they are what they are, i am who i am, just give me a piece of paper and a pen and my 60 year old gibson acoustic and let me go to my happy place....i never run into any blocks .... my opinion here, if a song is good it's good, get it out there, get it out there again and somebody will notice it... it takes a bucket full of persistance, ability to listen but ignore at the same time (constructive criticism is another thing), and patience.....the beatles could throw a song a day out there in their prime.....but i think i read the other day where it takes an average of 3 years for a song that is going to succeed to succeed....

thanks for the butt kick.....

write on/rock on!
kenm

[Casey H]

Hi Ken
I think we've talked before, specifically about your being a lyricist and using Paramount to set your lyrics to music. I' ve never heard anything positive about going the route of having a demo studio set your lyrics to music. I would strongly advise against it and recommend you find collaborators. I've seen many 'lyrics only' folks connect with music writers and get library deals or more- deantaylor is one here that comes to mind... and Robert George (our couchgrouch). Back in the tonos.com days, a good friend of mine who wrote only lyrics collab'd and scored a country cut with Chris LeDoux.

Personally, I don't think making your music sound more commercially marketable (e.g. sounding like a la's) necessarily takes away the fun and creativity. I'd rather tilt the way I write and have productions done than never hear any of my songs on TV. I've had backing track instrumentals placed but not yet a song with vocals. A big part of the latter is many of the songs don't 'fit' what current TV shows are looking for. So, I'm going to write and re-write. Sometimes I rip apart an old song and start again especially when a combo of different lyrics and different production can make it pitch-worthy. Yes, it's harder and expensive as a non-performer.

It comes down to this... We all can choose whether to just do what we want regardless of market trends and 'see what happens' or write more to where the demand is. There is really no right or wrong. However, if we choose to just do what we want, I don't think it's fair to blame Taxi or the outside world in general. Sure, people in our age group can rail about how crappy the music industry is today compared to some yester-year. But once the bitching and moaning is over, then what do we do? That's what matters.

Good luck! I wish you the best!
Casey