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but before we all get excited, I submitted 94 or so!! My fault totally. I was new to Taxi this year and it took me a while to get the learning curve on which song to submit to what.I was actually thinking about quitting Taxi. I had moments where I wondered if the reviewers were just bein' kind in their reviews (I'm a harsh critic of my stuff) because it sure seemed like they'd get forwarded and then......nothing, no word, no deals, zip. I even emailed Taxi about it and received some encouragement about coming here and reading the posts. It made me feel less freaky when I saw how many other folks were going through the same thing.I need to expand my horizons, use Taxi as a springboard and get out there, find more publishing houses that are willing to do one-on-one deals. Although with no credits to my name, I realize it's gonna be a long slog. I also know I'm not quitting so I might as well take my hits and keep on comin'.Thanks a bunch for giving me so many posts to read and to feel encouraged about. Thanks especially to the vets who stick around and offer their support. It means a lot to us rookies.Nita Hopewww.getnitahope.com

hi nita,I think you're on the right track - persistance is a competence that is very usefull in this business.I just listened to one of your songs.do you submit to artist-listings..? I found that your sound may suit well for some tv/film projects, if I was you I would check that out too. also, and I really hope that I'm not impolite by saying this, I think it will be hard to find a slot on a label as an artist if you're not 21;)as far as I can judge that here in front of my desktop pc-speakers I found the quality of your recordings quite well, so I'd give tv/film a shot. of course your co-writers would need to agree all to deal.cheers,martin

Hey Martin:I take absolutely no offense anymore at not being considered good fodder for labels. The way radio runs (and we all know who runs it) and the way the industry parades around infants like they have the knowledge of women who are far older is a hopeless goal for many women my age. I don't mind; I went through hell to get to this age and I'm proud of it. I'm more of a songwriter than a singer anyway and I rarely give live performances.I've got a question for you......what are the artist opportunities you mention?Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate it. Hope

Hey, Nita.I really loved listening to some of your stuff....I'm a big fan of Joni Mitchell, (even though you say you're Bonnie Raitt married to Norah, hehe).... her early stuff and her jazz period, and your voice and songwriting style reminds me of her. You have a very unique style....keep it up. I really like your singing voice.I'm an oldtimer.....Bonnie Raitt, Linda Rondstat and Joni M. were some of my favorite singers. I think I have every Linda Rondstat album (showing my age, hehe) ever produced.

Quote:I've got a question for you......what are the artist opportunities you mention?Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate it. HopeI just meant listings that are asking for artists such as this (...it may not be the exact stlye, it's just to give you an example):FEMALE SINGER-SONGWRITERS in the general vein of Cat Power, Dido, Jem, Beth Orton, PJ Harvey, Jenny Lewis, KT Tunstall, etc., sought by the VP of A&R in the N.Y. division of a Major Label. A fresh, radio-friendly sound, a great look, solid writing skills, and a growing fan base are all essential. Please submit two to three songs online or per CD and include lyrics/photo/bio. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by TAXI and must be received no later than Aug. 9, 2007.cheers,martin

Quote:Hey, Nita.I really loved listening to some of your stuff....I'm a big fan of Joni Mitchell, (even though you say you're Bonnie Raitt married to Norah, hehe).... her early stuff and her jazz period, and your voice and songwriting style reminds me of her. You have a very unique style....keep it up. I really like your singing voice.I'm an oldtimer.....Bonnie Raitt, Linda Rondstat and Joni M. were some of my favorite singers. I think I have every Linda Rondstat album (showing my age, hehe) ever produced.Wasn't she great?? I loved them all, including Carole King, Carol Bayer-Sager, all those great songwriters of old. If it wasn't for them, where would we be?Thanks for the support, I love your stuff too! We should get together sometime, see what we can do. Hope

Quote:Quote:I've got a question for you......what are the artist opportunities you mention?Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate it. HopeI just meant listings that are asking for artists such as this (...it may not be the exact stlye, it's just to give you an example):FEMALE SINGER-SONGWRITERS in the general vein of Cat Power, Dido, Jem, Beth Orton, PJ Harvey, Jenny Lewis, KT Tunstall, etc., sought by the VP of A&R in the N.Y. division of a Major Label. A fresh, radio-friendly sound, a great look, solid writing skills, and a growing fan base are all essential. Please submit two to three songs online or per CD and include lyrics/photo/bio. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by TAXI and must be received no later than Aug. 9, 2007.cheers,martinThanks, Martin. That's the general direction I've been going in since narrowing down the field....it seems to work out well for me, at least in terms of forwards. As for deals.....well, we'll see, right? TV/film seems to like that I'm dang near psychotic from one tune to the next (drives radio nuts) so those're listings I'm attempting as well with success, so far.I always wonder what they mean by "growing fan base".....are they talking about gigging or do online fans count?

Usually this would mean gigging, but in today's new world, on line fan base can also count for much. Especially if it's in the form of online purchases, which would add more credibility then say a myspace friend. But for artist listings, they want to know that you have some performance background, since they will want to put you in the road.Rob

Quote:Quote:Hey, Nita.I really loved listening to some of your stuff....I'm a big fan of Joni Mitchell, (even though you say you're Bonnie Raitt married to Norah, hehe).... her early stuff and her jazz period, and your voice and songwriting style reminds me of her. You have a very unique style....keep it up. I really like your singing voice.I'm an oldtimer.....Bonnie Raitt, Linda Rondstat and Joni M. were some of my favorite singers. I think I have every Linda Rondstat album (showing my age, hehe) ever produced.Wasn't she great?? I loved them all, including Carole King, Carol Bayer-Sager, all those great songwriters of old. If it wasn't for them, where would we be?Thanks for the support, I love your stuff too! We should get together sometime, see what we can do. HopeHey, Nita, oh yeah, Carole King and Carol Bayer-Sager are two more great female songwriters to add to the list. Who knows, one day maybe we can collaborate....right now, I'm so pressed for time, but it's something to think about in the future. You asked if I was from the South on another thread...yes, I'm from Alabama. I'm guessing our mothers and grandmothers cooked some of the same great foods for us when we were growing up.....sweet potato casserole, fried okra, Southern relishes like Chow-Chow, pecan pie, buttermilk cornbread, big biscuits and sawmill gravy, red velvet cake, peach cobbler....oh, don't get me started. I know if you're from Mississippi, you probably have some fond memories of big family gatherings. Oh, I forgot about RC colas and Moonpies too. And cheese grits.

Quote:Quote:Wasn't she great?? I loved them all, including Carole King, Carol Bayer-Sager, all those great songwriters of old. If it wasn't for them, where would we be?Thanks for the support, I love your stuff too! We should get together sometime, see what we can do. HopeHey, Nita, oh yeah, Carole King and Carol Bayer-Sager are two more great female songwriters to add to the list. Who knows, one day maybe we can collaborate....right now, I'm so pressed for time, but it's something to think about in the future. You asked if I was from the South on another thread...yes, I'm from Alabama. I'm guessing our mothers and grandmothers cooked some of the same great foods for us when we were growing up.....sweet potato casserole, fried okra, Southern relishes like Chow-Chow, pecan pie, buttermilk cornbread, big biscuits and sawmill gravy, red velvet cake, peach cobbler....oh, don't get me started. I know if you're from Mississippi, you probably have some fond memories of big family gatherings. Oh, I forgot about RC colas and Moonpies too. And cheese grits. Red beans and rice, jambalaya, etoufee, beignets, boiled shrimp, fried chicken with gravy, collard greens, cornbread!!!Yep, I figured you were from down heah somewhere. Goodta meetya!