TAXI.com

cosmicdolphin wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 14, 2025 5:14 pm

I think in its current form, Black Swan might not quite hit the mark for the kind of broadcast quality that’s typically required for Taxi listings.

That’s not to say it couldn't work in the future with some tweaks, but right now, I don’t think it’s quite there in terms of what’s expected for placements.

Stylistically, it’s also a bit of a departure from what’s currently being requested for TV and film. It has that retro throwback vibe, which can be great, but it's not really “of the moment.” TV and film placements usually lean towards more contemporary sounds, and that's where the opportunities often lie.The trick with Taxi (and sync in general) is to avoid just writing what you feel and hoping it finds a place. The key is to study the briefs and listings carefully and tailor your tracks to meet the specific needs they’re asking for. That way, you’re writing for the market, not just for yourself.

Mark

VanderBoegh wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 17, 2025 9:30 am

Hey Joe - it's a cool song. It's got an odd throwback sound from an era I can't pinpoint, with a little dusty tumbleweed saloon guitar bendy stuff throw in, which always hits me in the sweet spot, lol.

However, as the fellas above me pointed out, you'll probably be hard-pressed to find success with this track. I won't reiterate what the fellas said about mix (broadcast quality) and writing specifically to the listings rather than just writing & recording whatever comes out at the moment.

So I'll add one more thing for you to consider going forward, which is a question I often ask people who are new to this business when they play me their music..... and that question is: "What genre is this song?"

Your SoundCloud link says "Rock", but I'm hopefully not alone in thinking it's a faaaar cry from "rock". So, what is it? Americana? Nope. Blues Rock? Nope. Swagger Rock? Nope. Classic Rock? Nope. You get the idea, hopefully.

Having an easily-identifiable genre that you can apply to your music is UBER important in this world, not only so you can pitch it appropriately to a music library or Taxi listing, but so - in the event that your music gets signed - the music library will know how to categorize it. Chances are your music will be tagged with a genre keyword on the backend, or even put on a compilation album that is labeled with a specific genre. That way, if a TV show or movie needs "X" genre, they will be able to easily find music that fits the bill.

But without having that easily-identifiable genre, your track won't be able to be categorized appropriately (or at all), and would run the risk of being forever undiscovered by an end-user even if it were to be signed.

So, to humor the thought-experiment.... what genre would YOU put on this track, other than "rock"?

Hopefully this all helps shape your mindset for future songs!!

~~Matt

VanderBoegh wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 17, 2025 10:22 am

(seriously, I've got one "country" song that's a duet with a spaghetti western flavor, a blasting horn section, a root-fifth bassline, and a gothic choir outro.... all completely disjointed as hell, but somehow seems to work). That one in particular is one of my favorite songs I've written, but stands absolutely zero chance of landing a placement.... I mean, how could I ever categorize THAT Frankenstein of a song? But I smile every time I hear it, and say, "that's freakin' cool".

VanderBoegh wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 17, 2025 9:30 am

Hey Joe - it's a cool song. It's got an odd throwback sound from an era I can't pinpoint, with a little dusty tumbleweed saloon guitar bendy stuff throw in, which always hits me in the sweet spot, lol.

However, as the fellas above me pointed out, you'll probably be hard-pressed to find success with this track. I won't reiterate what the fellas said about mix (broadcast quality) and writing specifically to the listings rather than just writing & recording whatever comes out at the moment.

So I'll add one more thing for you to consider going forward, which is a question I often ask people who are new to this business when they play me their music..... and that question is: "What genre is this song?"

Your SoundCloud link says "Rock", but I'm hopefully not alone in thinking it's a faaaar cry from "rock". So, what is it? Americana? Nope. Blues Rock? Nope. Swagger Rock? Nope. Classic Rock? Nope. You get the idea, hopefully.

Having an easily-identifiable genre that you can apply to your music is UBER important in this world, not only so you can pitch it appropriately to a music library or Taxi listing, but so - in the event that your music gets signed - the music library will know how to categorize it. Chances are your music will be tagged with a genre keyword on the backend, or even put on a compilation album that is labeled with a specific genre. That way, if a TV show or movie needs "X" genre, they will be able to easily find music that fits the bill.

But without having that easily-identifiable genre, your track won't be able to be categorized appropriately (or at all), and would run the risk of being forever undiscovered by an end-user even if it were to be signed.

So, to humor the thought-experiment.... what genre would YOU put on this track, other than "rock"?

Hopefully this all helps shape your mindset for future songs!!

~~Matt

VanderBoegh wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 17, 2025 10:22 am

All good, man! You know, I have PLENTY of songs that I think are super cool that have gone on to live a life relegated to my own hard drive and earbuds at the gym. Not many people other than me will ever hear them, because they are just flat-out unsignable for sync stuff. Doesn't mean they aren't cool as hell (seriously, I've got one "country" song that's a duet with a spaghetti western flavor, a blasting horn section, a root-fifth bassline, and a gothic choir outro.... all completely disjointed as hell, but somehow seems to work). That one in particular is one of my favorite songs I've written, but stands absolutely zero chance of landing a placement.... I mean, how could I ever categorize THAT Frankenstein of a song? But I smile every time I hear it, and say, "that's freakin' cool".

So good for you in making the fun stuff. You gotta throw those in every now and then. Just know that this one will probably be for your own enjoyment. Nothing wrong with that.... unless you already put a down payment on a yacht in hopes this song might be the million-dollar homerun!

~~Matt