TAXI.com

So, I just joined Dispatch to get a crack at some of the listings that came through for the Music Producer who does the daytime talk show but is soliciting for different library that he's started. These listings seem fairly wide genre-wise and don't list any a la's.

I'm looking for opinions on whether some of my particular pieces are a fit for these genres. Naturally, I'm particularly interested in hearing opinions from those among you who have worked with this Music Supervisor!

All songs are on my Taxi page: http://www.taxi.com/jonathandavis

CONTEMPORARY ROCK, POP/ROCK
would this include Indie, Alternative, and AC? I'm considering submitting the following:
CC's Got a Crush (a la Colbie Caillat)
Boys In Eyeliner On Mars (a la 30 Seconds to Mars)
Metallic Sky (a la Silversun Pickups)


DANCE, DANCE/POP, ELECTRONICA
would contemporary Ambient/Chillout be too much of a stretch here? I'm considering submitting:
Dance-Pop Queen of Diamonds (a la Lady Gaga)
Criminality Incorporated (a la Thievery Corporation)
The Chill Night Air (a la Air)

Again, I'm mainly asking about suitability re: genre for these submissions. At this point, I wouldn't have time to do much tweaking to the tracks themselves.

can't say i'm much more informed on the topic but fwiw:

the contemporary rock / pop-rock one had me confused too; my best guess was "variety of current rock-based radio music" which you're hitting with your three picks.

the specific use of the term "dance/pop" in the other listing leads me to believe the supe is looking more for gaga/ke$ha, etc. than chillout. but then, i don't even really know what to make of the term "electronica" as a genre designation anymore. your gaga track is really good!

to be honest this is some of the best stuff i've heard through taxi.. your tunes are tight and slick production... sound right on

nice work dude.

Thanks, Jon. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool indie rock guy but I have to admit that Lady Gaga is a guilty pleasure, and I had a blast doing that track.

To me, absent other qualifiers, "electronica" still conjures Prodigy and Chemical Brothers kind of stuff. I don't have anything like that right now, but I'll be writing one for another listing.

Thanks for the compliment, benwebb! I hope the screeners agree!

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm considering upgrading to dispatch to submit to the "electronica" listing. I don't know much about the contemporary pop/rock listing, but I think you have a sure forward with the lady gaga 'ish type track. I too am scratching my head getting a grasp of what type of "electronica" to submit.


Good luck

i'm inclined to agree with jonathan's assessment of the whole "electronica" thing. if nothing else i would guess that a well-composed track in that big-beat, maximal style would perk up a listener's ears more than a well-composed chillout track.

Hi Jonathan. I could sing a lot of "Bad Romance" for the Gaga Tune. Way on target there! On CCs Got A Crush, the rhythm guitar sounds automated (virtual guitar?) - maybe you should play that in on an acoustic guitar? Nice 12-string melody vibe. Eyeliner On Mars sounds great - sounds like the backtrack for a rock hit! Cool contrast between the verse and chorus. Great guitars. Criminality Incorporated - I like that sitar-ish lead (how do you do that?) and the wah-wah. Nice textures. Chill Night Air has a relaxed vibe. The bass was quite loud on my system - especially on those long notes. Metallic Sky sounds great. Cool guitars again. I think you're on target with these pieces. Good arranging and good sounds.Good luck. Doug

Thanks for your input, everyone. I ended up altering my submission plan as follows:

• not submitting "Metallic Sky" at all because it needs some work. I have good feedback from a screener's return on this track that I feel I should act on before submitting it to something else
• submitting "Criminality Incorporated" under the same listing party's World music listing. Perhaps a bit of a wild pitch, but with the sitar lead, it might fit in a "world music with beats" kind of way

Doug,

the sitar is done with my Line 6 Variax -- not the cleanest sound, but it's meant to model the old Coral Electric Sitar, not a real one, and I think it succeeds fairly well on that front. And those acoustic guitar parts are all real! Maybe the fact that it's all played with downstrokes made it sound mechanical, or maybe I over-compressed? At any rate, the last time I posted in Peer to Peer, I was told that my tune would be better if I replaced the Midi/sampled bass with a real bass guitar -- which it already was! Maybe I'm a character in a science fiction movie who doesn't realize he's not human, but actually a robot?

Thanks again, everyone, and good luck to those of you who are submitting for these listings!

Jonathan,

For this particular listing, I think I'd consider changing the title on the World track to something with more of a global feel (or country specific) than the current title.

I've learned that, as mundane as it may seem, that titles are very important. Much like an item on a restaurant's menu, you "taste" it first with your eyes.

And, I have had screeners comment on a title.

FWIW

Chuck

I listened to the pop rock tunes and thought they were all very well done. I wish i could get my stuff to sound as clean and slick. I'm not terribly familiar with the a la's, they all had a nice indie feel to them that i personally really dig. if these don't get forwarded than the bar has definitely risen it seems to me. Great work! eo.