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How do y'all feel about those certificates you can print out when you get a "forward?" You know, the ones that look like diplomas ... congrats!! ...you've been forwarded to XYZ Major Label !! What am I supposed to do? Print them and frame them and hang them on my wall? Then all my friends can come over and say "hey, are you making any money at this songwriting thing?" And I can say, "nah, nobody ever called me. But the certificates are nice, don't cha think?" I wish TAXI wouldn't patronize us this way. I guess the certificates are their way of saying, "hey, you're pretty good, but don't expect a call from Mr. A&R Man."

I have every music-related "Congrats" certificate I've ever earned or won in frames on my wall...dating back 8 yrs or more...and proud to have 'em. that includes the three TAXI postcards for my first three forwards that are STILL on my refrigerator door.I don't find anything wrong with little pats on the back for moving one step closer... As a matter of fact, I appreciate them a LOT.And yes, I still print them out. Haven't framed one in a while, but I still print out every one of them.

I'm rather weird....I tend to frame my 'rejection' critiques and hang them on the wall. It's a great motivator. (and yes, I still get pissed when I get rejections, hehe)Each to his own. I don't have any problems with the foward certificates....I just don't have that many to hang on my wall yet!

Quote:All I'm saying is, getting a "forward" doesn't mean you've grabbed the brass ring. A lot of things have to happen before you see a royalty check. That's very true, but when you realize that such a small percentage of that get forwarded, your chances of getting that royalty check go up exponentially when forwarded. Not the brass ring, but very much closer to it than wiht some kind of blind submission pot shot.Quote:First, the A&R guys have to like the song enough to play it for the Artist and/or the Producer. Second, against all odds, they have to decide that it's a song they want for the project. Then, they have to put the song "on hold." That's when most of us would probably pee our pants. Then, after being "on hold" for six months to a year or longer, they decide that your song is the 13th cut on a 12 song CD. And if that doesn't happen, you're song gets recorded and put on a CD of an Artist who gets dropped from the label before it even comes out. If you do get lucky and everything falls in to place, the Artist will probably want half of the writing credits because he put the word "and" or "but" in a line of one of your verses and you will gladly allow that to happen because this is your first cut and you have no track record as a songwriter. Let's see... I think you forgot to mention that you could possible be run over by a taxi cab on the way to deposit the royalty check None of what you posted is untrue, but it is better to concentrate on the positives of possibilities than all the million scenarios of why one might not succeed.Quote: I understand that we all work hard to get that "forward." And it is a first step to greater things. But I don't need a "certificate" from Taxi to let me know that I am on the right track. Just getting a "forward" is good enough for me. My validation will come when I open up the mailbox and I see a check from ASCAP.While you are waiting for that first check, concentrating on more forwards increase the odds of the second, third and fourth check And btw-- checks aren't the only validation out there. Personally, I get validation from setting a goal of self improvement and seeing evidence that it is working. I don't "need no stinkin' certificate" either, but I do remember how good it looked the first time it had a record label name on it. Welcome to the forums. Hope you enjoy the ride.Aub

Quote: But I don't need a "certificate" from Taxi to let me know that I am on the right track.If I'm not mistaken you have to click on "certificate" to view the certificate. If you don't want to view it, don't click...problem solved. To some people that certificate might be a meaningful pat on the back that their on the right track. They can click the link and even print out the certificate if they like.It's a free country...

Quote:All I'm saying is, getting a "forward" doesn't mean you've grabbed the brass ring. A lot of things have to happen before you see a royalty check. First, the A&R guys have to like the song enough to play it for the Artist and/or the Producer. Second, against all odds, they have to decide that it's a song they want for the project. Then, they have to put the song "on hold." That's when most of us would probably pee our pants. Then, after being "on hold" for six months to a year or longer, they decide that your song is the 13th cut on a 12 song CD. And if that doesn't happen, you're song gets recorded and put on a CD of an Artist who gets dropped from the label before it even comes out. If you do get lucky and everything falls in to place, the Artist will probably want half of the writing credits because he put the word "and" or "but" in a line of one of your verses and you will gladly allow that to happen because this is your first cut and you have no track record as a songwriter. I understand that we all work hard to get that "forward." And it is a first step to greater things. But I don't need a "certificate" from Taxi to let me know that I am on the right track. Just getting a "forward" is good enough for me. My validation will come when I open up the mailbox and I see a check from ASCAP.That's a very positive outlook you have there. It's nothing more than a fun certificate... not a statement by Taxi that you're not good enough to get a call. Generally speaking, this is a VERY experienced group here on the forum... all have been around the block more than a few times with a good grounding in how the industry works. One piece of information you gave me that I didn't have is the existance of these certificates. I didn't even know they were there. I can see printing out 1000 copies of my forward for "In The Sack" and wallpapering our family room but Marcia isn't really seeing that.

The "forward" certificate didn't bother me but this one I got the other day really frosted my butt...

Quote:The "forward" certificate didn't bother me but this one I got the other day really frosted my butt... Oh Lord, I just choked on my Mountain Dew. LOL!

Quote:The "forward" certificate didn't bother me but this one I got the other day really frosted my butt... Dave, that was too friggin' funny. thank you for that. I needed it.

Quote:The "forward" certificate didn't bother me but this one I got the other day really frosted my butt... !!!