TAXI.com

Hi
I've been a member for a couple of months now.. Quick background ...I signed up for TAXI as a vehicle to sell my songs as opposed to selling myself as a performing artist. I record the songs myself in a home studio and would classify them as acceptable quality (link below for feedback) in a situation where you are selling a song idea rather than selling your singing or guitar playing talents etc. I've noticed, so far anyway, that the vast majority of listings for songs (not artists) specifically state that they want "top notch" vocals, “broadcast quality recordings” etc. While I can understand these requirements, I'm starting to think that maybe this service is not geared for someone like me who doesn't have the resources to hire professional singers / musician’s additional equipment and the like. I've submitted to about 20 listings w/ multiple songs per entry. So far I've had no forwards but the thoughtful critiques will praise the songs but seem to focus heavily on the quality of the recording or vocal performance as reasons for not being forwarded on. Neither so bad (in my humble opinion anyway that it should nullify consideration of the song idea. So I'm perplexed by this as I would think that these aspects of the song shouldn't matter so much if it is to be taken and re arranged / re recorded by a professional. Originally I thought that if I submit a good recording that gets the idea across the talented AR person can hear the possibilities and act accordingly if they think it's a good match fundamentally. I want to be clear that I’m not complaining about the TAXI service but rather looking for some guidance from more experienced users.
Thank you!
Craig

Link to music:
http://www.taxi.com/brandofino

Hi Craig....You and I are of like mind in this regard.....I've posted your concern in almost the exact same line of thinking....What I've come to know and understand now about Taxi is they can't forward a song if the production isn't Top Notch Broadcast Quality....Period...end of discussion!.....and the reason why is because the listings are mostly for placing "AS IS" into the project....and if it's for an artist to consider recording , then they are used to hearing unbelieveably high standard demos from professionals by professional standards...Guys like you and I who can write really good stuff (maybe) will never be taken seriously in the industry without professionally crisp perfect sounding flawless demos...that's how it is and it aint gonna change...until i can upgrade to that higher standard I'll be shot down every time and so will you...but for now...I'm sticking with it for 2 reasons....the writng challanges of the listings (writing for them anyway to build my cataloge)...and the critiqutes...for the amusement and sometimes great suggestions....i should be killer in a few more years...ha ha...search the old boards for more on this topic and good luck...

Thanks Tom..I appreciate the feedback..I'll keep on plugging away because I love it but I'll also look for other avenues to get some exposure...
Good luck to you!

Craig...you might benifit, as I have, by going to some of the successful member's hosting pages and listen to their productions....compare their productions to yours and strive for that level of clearity, because I went to your page and listened to your tracks and really did have a hard time hearing it...for one thing the volume levels are really low and I couldn't make out what you were saying....sometimes it sounded as if they were live recordings from mics placed in odd places and too far away...but what I could hear, groove wise, I liked...It must really piss off screeners to know they're listening to something that could sound great and want to forward it and can't....we both owe it to ourselves to strive for better productions someday so we can get in the game...it'll be a lot more fun...and profitable....Good writng Craig

Hi Craig,

Like you, I'm also new to Taxi. I have a couple of suggestions for your recordings. Sometimes getting a little education on the subject can go a long way. Check out the community colleges in your area. Sometimes they have classes on recording/production. I did that, and it improved my recordings ten times over. Also, see if there's a local producer or audio engineer that will let you sit in on his/her sessions. You may make some great connections, and you'll probably find that quality recordings are not far out of your reach. Also, youtube is a great resource for improving your tracks. Just a quick search on "how to record acoustic guitar" will bring a wealth of information.

Start adding pieces of gear to your own studio slowly. It doesn't take a whole lot of resources to produce a quality track if you know your equipment cold (or if you use your creativity).

In the audio engineering class that I took, we used a book called Modern Recording Techniques by David Miles Huber. We used the sixth edition, but I believe there's a seventh one out now. This book was extremely valuable, and I still reference it from time to time. I highly recommend picking it up. Also, Recording Magazine has some great tips and tricks. I learned how to do quite a few things on the cheap from that book.

The important thing is to keep learning and improving!

I hope that helps, and good luck!

-Andrew

Thanks to everyone for the feedback ! I'll pursue improving the recording quality as much as I can...