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Hi everyone I am new to TAXI. I am a songwriter, not a performing artist with enough musical skills and vocal skills to put together a good demo. My question is how to get to submissions that are looking for demos of the type I can produce for other artists to perform as opposed to submissions that require finished or broadcast quality recordings. Thank you.

Hi Staten. Welcome!

It sounds like you want to submit to artist pitches. It will typically say at the very top that the client is an A&R Exec or Producer or artist. At the very end it will say that your song needs to be good enough to represent your song. See bolded sections below. Note that, while it says demos are OK, some genres probably would require the demo to be pretty close to a full production. Best way to learn is to start submitting

Here's an example:


CONTEMPORARY POP SONGS with Female Vocals are needed by a Major Label A&R Executivefor a newly signed, up-and-coming International Artist.

NOTE: If your song is accepted, this label gives 100% of the buyout fee to the song’s songwriter/producer, which normally ranges from $800 - $1000.

They’re looking for Mid-to-Up-Tempo Songs in the general stylistic ballpark of artists like (but not limited to) Hailee Steinfeld, Madison Beer, Zara Larsson, etc., etc., etc. Please listen to the following references to get a feel for the style they need:

“Most Girls” by Hailee Steinfeld

“Hurts Like Hell” by Madison Beer Ft. Offset

“Don't Worry Bout Me” by Zara Larsson

Quoting the Record Label: “Her style is a Hailee Steinfeld type. She will sing in a local language (not English), so we need great topline and stunning, contemporary POP production, and we will re-write lyrics in the local language.”

Give them chart-worthy songs that have a radio-friendly structure and original concepts and lyrics. Your production should have a fresh, contemporary approach, with a BIG catchy chorus that will appeal to a broad audience.

TAXI Tip: This artist's tone is absolutely amazing; however, her vocal range is limited, so you’d be wise to submit songs that wouldn’t give her a hard time vocally. Keep it catchy, but keep it simple and not very range-y.

Your recording quality needs to be clean, clear, and well-balanced so that it represents your song well. The specific deal points will be negotiated on a song-by-song basis directly with the Record Label. Please submit as many songs as you’d like, online or per CD, and include lyrics. All submissions will be screened on a Yes/No basis – Short critiques only. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59PM (PDT) on Thursday, May 16th, 2019. TAXI #Y190516PS

Thank you. I appreciate the feedback!

Hi staten - the vast majority of Taxi listings I have seen call for "Broadcast Quality" music.

You might consider partnering up with a producer, vocalist, instrumentalist - basically look for people who do what you can't, and team up!

Best of luck.

Jay

TY Jay. I think you're right. I'll have to do some research on collaboration
.

Hi Statin.

Would be interested to hear your material, with a possible view to collaborating. I'm a songwriter/producer/singer. If you're interested in a co-work, we might be suited to each other.
Could you ref me to your material?

Thanks,
Brian

I am interested. I need good vocals for sure. I need maybe some tweaking with lyrics. But I do not write super contemporary stuff. Traditional rock, simple instrumentation. Guitar, piano, bass, basic drums.