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I went to the RR last year and was hoping to meet fellow members but nothing happened to make me want to return this year. However, I saw a sign for a thing called the Mentor Lunch and it looked like industry pro types were talking to musicians. Does anyone know what that is and how to get involved?

jfiegen wrote:I went to the RR last year and was hoping to meet fellow members but nothing happened to make me want to return this year. However, I saw a sign for a thing called the Mentor Lunch and it looked like industry pro types were talking to musicians. Does anyone know what that is and how to get involved?

I'm assuming you mean fellow forum members... Taxi members are the only people that are there so you can't miss them... you know... at a Taxi Rally.

There's a thing that got started some years back where we all were experiencing the same "Wow... I was there for four days and never saw another forum member" thing. The solution ended up being that forum members agreed to wear a little colored price sticker (or "Dot") on their name badge. See a badge with a dot? It's a forum member! Don't forget to wear your dot too.



So if you're going this year, look for name badges with a dot. One thing that makes it easy is that a huge number of forum members tend to congregate around the lounge area (which has been unofficially designation as "The Dot Lounge"). Now that you know what you're looking for and where to look... maybe we'll see (and meet) you there?

The mentor lunches are always announced... well, gee... now that I'm thinking about it I can't remember where they are announced? I think both on the forum and also via email with a link or other info about where/how to sign up. The mentor lunches are kind of like musical chairs with the various mentors in the room spending about 10 minutes or so at a table before switching to a new table. That way every table gets to talk to several mentors. There's a charge since it is a lunch and I can't remember what it is but it's not outrageous.

yeah Mentor Lunches usually are announced via email.

last year $35 per day. they were friday and saturday,

sunday was make your own sandwhich (no mentor lunch) lol.

Here is a photo from last year...



Tables have about 10 or so Taxi members with one chair for the mentors. Mentors (screeners, A&R folks, coaches, knowledgeable industry folks, etc.) spend about 10-15 minutes at each table answering questions from members. Like Dave said, they play musical chairs so each mentor spends time at each table.

I think it is in the $35-$38 dollar range.

My recommendation is you should attend at least one of these in your taxi rally career. You gotta eat anyway. Besides what you learn from the mentors (which is a lot), the other Taxi members you sit with can easily become your new friends. It's one more way to get to know some of your peers.

Look for emails from Taxi about it as the rally gets closer. If you don't hear anything within a few weeks, give Taxi a call at the 800 number.

HTH
Casey

jfiegen wrote:I went to the RR last year and was hoping to meet fellow members but nothing happened to make me want to return this year. However, I saw a sign for a thing called the Mentor Lunch and it looked like industry pro types were talking to musicians. Does anyone know what that is and how to get involved?

I'm curious, is the "nothing happened to make me want to return this" referring to the RR not meeting your expectations (meeting potential collaborators/library owner/etc)? Or maybe you didn't learn anything you didn't already know?

What were your expectations?

ochaim wrote:

jfiegen wrote:I went to the RR last year and was hoping to meet fellow members but nothing happened to make me want to return this year. However, I saw a sign for a thing called the Mentor Lunch and it looked like industry pro types were talking to musicians. Does anyone know what that is and how to get involved?

I'm curious, is the "nothing happened to make me want to return this" referring to the RR not meeting your expectations (meeting potential collaborators/library owner/etc)? Or maybe you didn't learn anything you didn't already know?

What were your expectations?

That's exactly it, meeting potential collaborators/library owners/music supervisors and mentors. Instead it was two days of cattle call/crowd scenes and powerful industry people onstage with Michael being overwhelmed with members trying to hand them CD's the minute they got off stage. One of the toughest parts of music creation seems to be getting someone's attention who can help further your efforts

Hi Jim,

I was just wondering, based on your last comment (cattle call) - did you take any of the many classes offered? Or did you perhaps feel like there was nothing there left for you to learn? Did you spend your whole time there in the Grand Ballroom, just listening to panels?

I'm pretty sure the Mentor lunches last year were $32.50. I was at one of them. When each mentor sits at your table, you usually have the opportunity to give them your CD. We had a couple mentors who actually ASKED for CD's and who said that TAXI asked them to listen to the CD's and to turn in the best track they found from the Mentor lunches CDs - that TAXI kind of made it a competition to find the best songs/tracks) . He said they were actually encouraged by TAXI to ask for CD's. So some seemed actually motivated by the challenge...

But I am curious if you took in ANY of the many classes offered...

Best,

jfiegen wrote: That's exactly it, meeting potential collaborators/library owners/music supervisors and mentors. Instead it was two days of cattle call/crowd scenes and powerful industry people onstage with Michael being overwhelmed with members trying to hand them CD's the minute they got off stage. One of the toughest parts of music creation seems to be getting someone's attention who can help further your efforts

Hi Jim
I have to ask this... Sometimes people attend the rally with "success" defined (for rally purposes) as getting their music directly into the hands of a key industry person and if they don't get to give CD's to important folks, hear their music played at panels, etc. they don't feel they gained anything. I'm not sure but you sound a bit like this is where you are coming from.

The rally is much more about networking with other members (C'mon, they are EVERYWHERE!) and soaking up the LEARNING. If you go with the goal of being "discovered" and quickly propelled to success, you WILL be disappointed.

The phrase you used "getting someone's attention who can help further your efforts" makes me think you are looking more for a quick "being discovered" as opposed to meeting collaborators and learning what can help you in the long term.

I also noticed that you have made only a handful of forum posts. Many of us got to know each other first on the forum and then followed up with hanging out at the rally. Using the forum more to both give and receive feedback and info helps.

As far as listening panels, hearing how the panelists react to other member's music is key. If YOUR song gets selected and played, that's gravy. If you go to a panel and your only interest is hearing your own song played, you've missed the point.

I've been to 7 Road Rallies and consider them all huge successes. And I haven't yet made one INDUSTRY contact directly at a road rally. But a big part of my music library deals and TV placements are due to what I learned and the other Taxi folks I met.

Best,
Casey

Casey, the coolest thing about your pic is that you can see everyone is attentive at each table!
Thank you for sharing
(dress for succes at the rally!)
Cass