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For homemade songwriting demos with sparce instrumentation, should these be posted on streaming places like Spotify - or is it best to post on Soundcloud only and make songs private so you can share links with specific people? I'm new to the biz and want to get my songs out there so publishers and such can hear them, but I'm not interested in being an "artist" - I'm a behind the scenes - craft the songs kinda person with an average voice. I'd welcome feedback on songs so I can improve them, but that means they have to be in a place where they can be heard. I can't afford to get a lot of professional demos made of songs. I've researched this topic on the web and get mixed messages. I realize Taxi is a great start - a place to network and submit material, get feedback, etc - that's why I'm here, but beyond Taxi - what's the next step? Creating a website with sound files?

paula wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 22, 2020 12:19 pm

For homemade songwriting demos with sparce instrumentation, should these be posted on streaming places like Spotify - or is it best to post on Soundcloud only and make songs private so you can share links with specific people? I'm new to the biz and want to get my songs out there so publishers and such can hear them, but I'm not interested in being an "artist" - I'm a behind the scenes - craft the songs kinda person with an average voice. I'd welcome feedback on songs so I can improve them, but that means they have to be in a place where they can be heard. I can't afford to get a lot of professional demos made of songs. I've researched this topic on the web and get mixed messages. I realize Taxi is a great start - a place to network and submit material, get feedback, etc - that's why I'm here, but beyond Taxi - what's the next step? Creating a website with sound files?

Hi Paula!
Nice to meet you and welcome to the Taxi Forum. As a Taxi member you can upload tracks to your Taxi account/page and submit them for individual listings within the Taxi platform so there is no need to have them on Soundcloud for that purpose. Many Taxi members also use Soundcloud in addition to their Taxi account but I would not recommend using Spotify for just showcasing demos (this is my short answer - it would take more time to elaborate on that).
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Matt

Thank you for your feedback! Nice to meet you as well! I have so much to learn - it's wonderful to have a place with kind people willing to share their insights. Thank you so much!

paula wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 22, 2020 12:19 pm

For homemade songwriting demos with sparce instrumentation, should these be posted on streaming places like Spotify - or is it best to post on Soundcloud only and make songs private so you can share links with specific people? I'm new to the biz and want to get my songs out there so publishers and such can hear them, but I'm not interested in being an "artist" - I'm a behind the scenes - craft the songs kinda person with an average voice. I'd welcome feedback on songs so I can improve them, but that means they have to be in a place where they can be heard. I can't afford to get a lot of professional demos made of songs. I've researched this topic on the web and get mixed messages. I realize Taxi is a great start - a place to network and submit material, get feedback, etc - that's why I'm here, but beyond Taxi - what's the next step? Creating a website with sound files?

Hello, Paula (I'm assuming that's your name as well as your 'handle') - I'm sorta in the same boat, so I try to utilize as many 'FREE' platforms to share song projects;
and that includes ones in-development, or looking for co-write or collaboration partners. Some of the free options are (as mentioned):
the limited (not Pro) Soundcloud account, which you can edit and manage on your own - public or private. You might even find collaborators there - I have done a few.

Bandcamp is free, and works like a website, in that you can sell finished songs and get quick, direct-pay via PayPal - giving up a percentage to the server.
(say you offer an mp3 download for $1.00; you'd receive about 75 cents of that.)

Utilize these TAXI Forums for peer-to-peer review and help with works-in-progress; and the Collaboration Corner for seeking out co-writers/producers etc.

If you are new to the Forums, you might also introduce yourself on the General Hangout board - let folks know who you are, what you do, and what your goals and needs are.

Hope that helps.

Thank you! Nice to meet you! Yes, my real name is Paula. I'll be sure to check out Bandcamp and start using the Taxi forums more, starting with introductions...always a good place to start.