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I enjoy learning from returns and forwards so am posting this to help anyone out there. For the listing below, I had a forward for Mood Swing but Frozen Fear was returned for the following reason: "This is a little too bone chilling for this listing. The piece is too dark and ominous for this project."

Forwarded: https://soundcloud.com/davidhollandsworth/mood-swing

Returned: https://soundcloud.com/davidhollandsworth/frozen-fear

AMBIENT, CREEPY INSTRUMENTAL CUES are needed by a NON-Exclusive Music Library that's placing music in several great shows, including a big cable hit! They're searching hard to find a bunch of spine-tingling, Down-Tempo Cues in the general stylistic wheelhouse of the Title Theme of the popular TV Show American Horror Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqJGHL3lnSMQuoting the source: "We're looking for something in the vein of the American Horror Story opening theme (this has a lot of SFX/sound design, which is great) - but this illustrates ambient and creepy without being psycho/thrasher/horror. It has a very slow, kind of 'tip toe-y' feel to it, ticking, sparse percussion accents." Good description library dues! Give them haunting Cues that combine inventive soundscape and clever production techniques to create a downright disturbing piece of music that could work in all kinds of creepy scenes. Instrumentation can vary, but it should focus on a central melodic motif, while layering different elements to keep your Cues tension-filled, forward moving, and compelling. Please submit Instrumental Cues that are at least 2 minutes in length. Easy edit points and non-faded, buttoned/stinger endings are needed for this pitch. Broadcast Quality is needed (great sounding home recordings are fine). This Library offers a NON-Exclusive 50/50 deal. You'll get 50% of any applicable sync fees and 100% of the Writer's share. The Publisher will get 50% of any sync fees and 100% of the Publisher's share. You must own or control your Master and Composition to submit to this pitch. You maintain full ownership of the original Copyright and Master Recording. Please submit one to three Instrumental Cues online or per CD. All submissions will be screened on a Yes/No basis - No full critiques. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59PM (PST), on Sunday, December 6, 2015. TAXI #Y151206CC

Really appreciate you posting this David!
I too got a return for exactly the same reason on this listing (track called Predatory Creep on my taxi page). I usually agree with the return comments, but I was a bit confused with this one being too dark and ominous, as that's what the listing seemed to require.

But after hearing your tracks (I loved them both ), I'm starting to understand where the screener was coming from, and what they were looking for.

So thanks, your post helped me out! Good luck with everything.

Billy

http://www.taxi.com/billyr

Not the first time screeners had us scratching our heads, and won't be the last!

Ah well, Taxi.....it's a wonderful animal.

Hahaha

If it were easy it'd be boring, right???

David,
I initially struggled with horror-tension vs. CSI-tension, and came to the conclusion it's all about the sounds. Some tensions sounds are just plain associated with the horror genre.
When I started composing for the CSI-tension genre, I would get returns with comments like "really well done but overly dark and dramatic for this project," "definitely a sinister, evil quality, more suited to horror than crime," etc.
Now, when I'm writing a CSI cue, I audition each sound and ask myself "Does this sound like a horror-music sound." Might sound basic, but just doing this has netted me a number of forwards in the CSI genre.

One additional comment — I found the bird-chirping noises in your piece that was forwarded quite distracting, and they went on for most of the piece. But your track was forwarded, so what do I know?

Henry

David,

Thank you! So interesting. See, I would have said that "Frozen Fear" would have fit right into some of the "Law and Order: SVU" episodes that I love to watch. But Law and Order isn't CSI isn't creepy ambient. Congrats on your forward.

Thanks for posting this. I've had some strange forwards and returns both. Still... Gotta love Taxi.