TAXI.com

Hi everyone. I'm new to the boards, and I'm excitied about all the musical energy and apparent opportunities that exist here.I'm sure this has been asked before, but I didn't have much luck finding anything about it with this site's search engine: How pleased are you with Taxi's ability to help you place your music?Here's what I've read so far on the web & usenet about Taxi's pro's and con's; feel free to let me know if any of any of this seems different from your own experience:Pro's:- Taxi is connected with the music industry, and there are real opportunities presented for members who can write exceptional, appropriate songs.- The feedback Taxi provides can help you grow as a songwriter and become more aware of industry expectations.- The Road Rally is a great way to network with other artists and pitch your work, and you get to learn a whole bunch of stuff too.Cons:- Most of the opportunities Taxi provides are "bread-n-butter" gigs; there are few big-time placements, as is evidenced by the lack of their showcasing many big-time placements. [This isn't necessarily a con, since it opens doors for a broader range of writers]- Taxi's screeners can be inconsistent in their feedback and decisions about which submissions to forward or return.- There is a cynical tone about Taxi outside the Taxi boards; most outside these boards believe Taxi is a scam for newbies.My view is that even if only one placement in five years comes from joining, it'll still have been more than worth it from a strictly financial standpoint. However, I'd rather not support a business that's blatantly misrepresenting itself (which I'm not accusing Taxi of by any means; I just want to address some of the street talk). $300 is a tiny invesment for anyone who's serious about developing his or her career, but what are Taxi members really getting for their money?I've also looked into other tip sheet providers such as songlist.com and songscope.com. Any comments on those?I look forward to your comments.Thanks much,Andre

Hi. Welcome to Taxi forums. I've only been a member for a few months but my impression is that Taxi is an honest company that provides a service to both songwriters and the industry. Though I've heard some negative buzz, I think people just like to criticize mavericks like Taxi while they do little or nothing themselves. In my opinion, some of the opportunities are pretty mainstream, network tv, etc. I can't say yet if it will be worthwhile financially, but it's been a valuable experience so far. They have a money back guarantee you can't beat.Nomi

Hi Andre,My interest is in doing music for film/television, not as a performing artist. I use Taxi as one part of my overall strategy. Based on the number of demos I send each month outside of Taxi compared to the number of Taxi listings I submit to, I'd say that Taxi represents about 10% of my overall effort. In addition to belonging to Taxi, I also belong to a number of pay-for-information sites, publications and newsletters that list composer opportunities and/or film company information. I also spend a LOT of time searching out opportunities on the web and sending demos and requests to send demos to film and production companies of all shapes and sizes.My primary interest in Taxi is in the critiques. I live in a small college town in the midwest and so I don't have daily access to the information I need to get and stay current. On the whole, I've found the reviewers to be extremely knowlegeable about the music I've submitted and their critiques have been professional and extremely helpful. As a matter of fact, I started to pick up projects (bread-and-butter) outside of Taxi as a direct result of the changes I've made in my music based on the critiques I've received over a period of time. I can't say enough about the value of these critiques when used as a tool for improvement.My secondary interest is in the placement opportunities. This is exactly opposite of why most people join Taxi. I disagree with the bread-and-butter assessment of the Taxi listings. I use Taxi as an access to high-level, major league opportunities. I've had music forwarded to places like Soundelux (huge Hollywood films post-production house), Bunim-Murray (production company for Real World, Road Rules, Simple Life), EA Electronic Arts (biggest video game company on the planet), just to name a few. I don't have direct access to any of these places outside of Taxi.Where people get screwed up (in my humble opinion) , is that they see Taxi as the end of their destination. Having finally arrived, all they have to do is submit a few songs, get a couple of forwards, and then wait for the cash to roll in. There's the misconception that just because Taxi has top-level clients that somehow we're all special and practically guaranteed an opportunity. It's a very competitive industry and my experience is that the companies that post these listings are accepting music from many different sources, Taxi being just one of them. Nowhere does Taxi say that all of these opportunities are exclusive. If I had a good entertainment attorney or manager, I might have access to these companies outside of Taxi, but since I'm not that important yet, my access to these companies is through Taxi. To sum up, I use the Taxi critiques to improve my music and I pick and choose high-level listings that I don't have access to otherwise. I pick up good bread-and-butter projects outside of Taxi, but even these are as a direct result of the improvements I've made through Taxi and the critiques. I did get a 17-song music library deal directly from a Taxi listing. The original deal from the Taxi listing was for two songs but I did a good job of following up and turned it into a better deal. Most of the "complainers" wouldn't do that and then they'd trash the system for a "measly two-song deal". Taxi is what you make of it. I consider it to be an indespensible part of my overall marketing effort. I wouldn't suggest making Taxi your only avenue to fame and fortune. That, in boxing terms, would be leading with the chin. Good luck, Dave

Hey Andre... there are many threads on this board on the subject of Taxi, and whether it's worth it to join, whether or not it's a scam, yadda yadda. I've belonged to Taxi for two years (just got my 'initiative email' reminding me to renew). I attended my first Road Rally last year.When I first joined Taxi, I was frustrated with the 'gatekeepers' who wouldn't forward my music. Now I am - frankly - embarrassed that I submitted music so below par in those first few months. But the critiques (thank you reviewers, for your patience), along with feedback given on boards like these, helped me to understand that I had good ideas but needed to learn more about craft. I also came to understand that all the money I'd spent at a local studio producing that early music was... well, wasted. I had to go back to the drawing board and work to craft each song. Over time, my music and my knowledge of the craft has improved.If you can produce broadcast quality masters and/or decent sounding demos that fit the specific genres AND the a la's listing, if your lyrics shimmer and your music has the right vibe for that a la, then you might get a forward IF your song is in the top 6% of what is submitted. If not, at least (in most cases) you get a critique that helps you understand why you weren't forwarded. The trick, if your songs & production are great, is to target your music effectively.If you are an artist, like me, who writes a lot of music as personal self-expression -- don't expect Taxi to take it on board. If you write at least some of your music for the commercial market (sort of like a painter can paint from inspiration, but also does commercial art), then Taxi may be a vehicle.Dave has some great points - especially about Taxi only being part of your marketing plan.I recommend (if you haven't already) hanging around on the Forum (for networking) and signing up to get the Taxi listing email for little while to assess whether or not you have music that fits the bill,cheersHummin'bird

Thank you all for responding. As I suspected (and as is often the case in life), it's mostly cynics who aren't willing to address their own shortcomings that are looking to blame others for their inability to succeed. I pride myself on my positive attitude and ability to get back on the horse, and it seems I'm in similar company here. Nomi, I listened to your work. You're very versatile! I really dig the harmonies you put together; they add a lot of character to your songs. Also, your approach to rhythm is very catchy and groovy.Gunter, thanks for your thoughts. I have a very similar attitude to yours, and I will continue seeking as many opportunities to place my music as possible. Do you have a place we could hear your tunes?Dave, your music is excellent as well. I'm surprised to see the number of opportunities that seem to exist through Taxi for more cinematic or dramatic music like yours, though there are still fewer than those related to lyrical music. I appreciate your input.Vikki, your honesty about what it takes to get your stuff through is good to read. I think we all have dreams of hearing our song(s) performed on the radio in the top 10, but with so many writers and so (relatively) few song on the charts, it really does take a gem of a tune...and some luck and persistence...to see that kind of success.I liked your music as well, Vikki. I think your country and blues work is the strongest, and it must be nice to have such a pleasant voice that you don't need to hire a singer to create your demos!I look forward to sharing my work with you all soon.Andre

Hi Andreh,Here's my opinion; If you've got the goods and apply to the appropriate listings, you'll get your foot in the door and have a shot at making some money off your work via TAXI. But TAXI is just one of many tools to use to promote your musical career. If you want to approach the market like a pro, don't put all your hope/effort into TAXI to get you where you want to go. If your music/talent is marginal, TAXI won't tell you you're wasting your time and money. That decision is up to you. So the number one thing you need to understand and be honest about before you ante up 3 hundred dollars plus $5 per submission (which is a lot of dough for most aspiring musicians) is your talent and ability. And how to you get an objective understanding of that? That's the tough part. TAXI is in business to make money, which is an honorable thing in our culture. Some people with too much hope and too little talent could, I imagine, chalk up quite a bill here chasing a dream that's never going to turn into a reality. So know yourself first. If you have received positive feedback about your music from people in the know (academic arena, music critics, musical directors at college (or local) radio stations, people in the music industry) or if you have a LARGE fan base, that's a help. I wouldn't rely on people in your family or close friends for objective feedback on your ability. I don't know you Andreh, so that's my answer. I hope I didn't insult your intelligence if you're already hip to this stuff. Good luck.

Also - here's a blurb from what I believe is a reliable website (http://www.digitallivingtoday.com/slack ... index.html):" Show the Pros If all else fails, you might want to hail TAXI [http://www.taxi.com], a "casting agency for music." Unlike the other sites here, this one will cost you (currently $299 a year), but unlike a lot of similar offers on the Net, this one isn't a scam. TAXI is run by real music industry insiders who'll get your music into the right hands if they think you're on to something. If not, they'll offer you an honest opinion about what (in their opinion) you're doing wrong. "

Thanks for your thoughts, Gregor.I've weighed the apparent pro's and con's of Taxi, and I plan to join as soon as I have some time to devote to a few Taxi listings - I'm happy to say that I'm busy with other music-making jobs right now.Which reminds me of a question I've been meaning to ask...how many of you are relying solely on writing music for your living? I quit my day job 3 years ago, and I'm lucky enough to have made it this far without needing go back to "the grind." How about y'all?Respectfully,Andre

I'm a newly joined member and I've found things a little different.I posted on the forum to introduce myself and get to meet people about 5 days ago but its been ignored.Being made unemployed from a redundancy, I dipped into my life savings to pay for my taxi membership but didn't realize I have to pay to submit ever single song, I can't really afford it.The same for critiques.I cannot yet do anything different from when I wasn't a member, (I live in the UK so I'm waiting for the info pack to arrive) I really hope that this gives me access to other features on the taxi membership.As yet I'm not convinced, but it is early days, so we will see.

Hi Papa Welcome to the forum... We're an OK bunch, just jump in- ask or answer questions, offer to review a song, whatever...and... "You can checkout anytime you like but you can never leave" Casey