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YOUTHFUL CONTEMPORARY R&B SONGS with Male Vocals are needed by a recently signed artist working on his debut album for a Major Label. Please submit well-crafted, Mid-Tempo songs that are in the same musical vein as artists like Jason DeRulo, Trey Songz, Omarion, etc., etc., etc. Give them songs that are rhythmically engaging, with great melodies, hooks, and lyrics. This artist is fairly young, so please be sure your lyrics aren't too mature in nature. All deals will be done on a case-by-case basis, and we expect that deals will be on a co-write basis, as the artist and possibly others will contribute to the final song. Your demo production should be really competitive for this pitch! Please submit one to three songs online or per CD, include lyrics. All submissions will be screened on a Yes/No basis by a TAXI screener handpicked by the Label by a TAXI screener handpicked by the Label - No full critiques. Submissions must be received no later than Friday, May 15, 2015. TAXI #Y150515RB

AFRICAN INSTRUMENTAL TRACKS of all styles are U-R-G-E-N-T-L-Y needed by a very successful Music Library that supplies all the music for a specific Cable Network. They’re open to any style of African Instrumentals, from any African region, in any Tempo or Mood for this pitch. Please review the following references as a general guide for the music they need: Traditional African Rhythm Band from Botswana: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gu4b0XP30U African Zulu Drum Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLZTOiKBHVA Around the World: Africa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3lYEigrrqI TAXI Tip: Some of the music in the above videos has vocal chants, but this Music Library only needs Instrumental music for this pitch, so just take note of the rhythms and instrumentation, and ignore the vocals/chants. Quoting the source: “We’re looking for African Instrumentals that range from basic, simple, traditional pieces to modern, more fully produced Tracks. The music will be used on a US-based TV network that features primarily African programming. We are the exclusive music provider for the network. The network is broadcast in several foreign territories as well. We need African influenced music of all types - from Traditional to Contemporary.” Please submit well-crafted Instrumentals that you could imagine being used in scenes of the African plains to bustling city life, or even modern hotel lobbies or African club settings. They need it all, and they need a lot of it! Your submissions should be at least 2 minutes in length, with easy edit points and non-faded endings. Broadcast quality is needed (Great sounding home recordings are fine). TAXI Tip 2: Authenticity is the name of the game for this pitch. If you want to stand out, send them Instrumentals that don’t sound like they were created in a MIDI environment. Throw some authentic, organic instruments on top of your tracks to make them sound like the real deal. African musical instruments include a wide range of drums, slit gongs, rattles and double bells, different types of harps, and harp-like instruments such as the Kora as well as fiddles), many kinds of xylophone and lamellophone such as the mbira, and different types of flutes and trumpets. Additionally, stringed instruments such as the lute-like oud are used as musical accompaniment in some areas of Africa. Learn more on Wikipedia. This company offers an EXCLUSIVE deal. Upfront sync fees will be negotiated on a Track-By-Track basis with Music Library. They’ll get 100% of the Publisher’s share, and you’ll keep 100% of the Writer’s share. You must own or control your Master and Copyright to pitch for this opportunity. Since this is an EXCLUSIVE deal, please be sure the material you submit to this pitch is NOT already signed with any other Libraries or Catalogs. Please submit one to three Instrumentals online or per CD. All submissions will be screened on a Yes/No basis - No full critiques. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59 PM (PDT) on Wednesday, May 13th, 2015. TAXI #U150513AI

Needs more development than just these few loops.

Listener ID # 319

hummingbird wrote:I listened to your piece and while I liked the rhythm, there were no changes, making it sound like loops as mentioned above. I listened to the a la's and I can hear that there is a similar quality to them, but I would suggest to you that repeating the same sounds for two minutes is not enough... what you could do is add and/or subtract to draw the listener through the piece with 'ear candy' and to create interest. The listing isn't for a 'song' but instrumentals for film and tv DO have a form, and it's generally, depending on length, something like this:

short intro
A1a section 'meat & potatoes' (like the 'chorus' of a song)
A2a section (possible repeat A1a with addition of something new)
B section (drop out something from A, add something unique)
A1b section (repeat A1a with something unique)
A2b section (repeat everything from all A's adding in the sounds from B)
tag out

I'm a big fan of percussion and I usually compose from percussion, so I like the base that you have, if it was me I'd start weaving the beats and adding new elements as it went along without losing the spirit of what you have as foundation.

Also I would listen closely to the actual resonation of the drums in the first two a la's... there's a warmth and aliveness to them, do some A/B comparison when mixing yours to ensure you have the same kind of life in the sound.

JMHO

PS congrats on the forwarded song!

BWil wrote:All reasonable critiques being made. Perhaps this level of critique from the screeners would go a long way toward alleviating some of the complaints about the screening process.

I see and understand the concerns brought up and I can definitely use them going forward. Thank you guys.

BWil wrote:
This is a great structure, and essentially is what I did with the piece (with the exception of A1b). The only difference is that I streatched A1a out over 24 measures. Not because I wanted to necessarily, but more because I needed to make the piece at least 2 minutes per requirement. My original build was closer to 1:30. When I think about it, the time wasted stretching the piece out at the beginning is what helps make it feel redundant. I'll come up with a different way to extend simple ideas so I don't water them down. I think a different presentation would have made a difference with this pitch.