TAXI.com

I feel like submitting stuff to this listing (the Chemical Brothers one) was like buying lottery tickets, but I'm very curious to know if anyone else gave it a shot. A lot of my music is influenced by the Chems so I have my fingers crossed... submitted six tracks.

If anyone I know could kill this, it would be you!! Good luck!!

I didn't have time to write anything. I dig the Chem Bros too.

Fingers crossed for you bro!!!

Wow... how disappointing, all six tracks I submitted didn't make it past the screeners. Including stuff that has been in Xbox/PS3 games, on Heroes, etc. :-/

Everyone here knows how that feels -- you're definitely not alone in your agony.

We all just have to keep plugging away.

Onward and upward!

Well, FWIW, I sent an email asking for clarification. I asked if this was being evaluated by screeners or the end client. I just find it hard to believe that this music, which was good enough for blockbuster games + primetime network TV (and which has been forwarded many times before to high-end listings) was so far off the mark that it wasn't worth a forward. I don't know. It rubs me the wrong way. I've always felt a little at odds with the Taxi screeners on electronic music, since it often doesn't seem like they know what they're talking about (they've given me really bad advice before, and have admitted as much.)

Another Return for me but this one really is very tough to swallow and I'm now completely stumped by the Electronica screeners. I've done tracks for major labels and ad agencies and I know very well how creative directors can be. They often don't know what they like or want until they hear it and a submission may lead them to further "tune" what they want for a spot. It's not usually "perfect" straight away. A wider net should be cast for ad agency listings imho, but, in general, I'm feeling completely at a loss with Taxi at the moment.
Yes, I attended the Taxi video presentation on whether or not Taxi screeners are "too tough" and I felt like Michael way "doth protest too much" and I did agree with the OP'er in that Taxi has really become far too "tough"...either that or something else is going on that I don't understand ?

Here is the track I submitted. I wouldn't mind some "second" opinions :
http://soundcloud.com/eightyeightkeys/t ... red-rocket


btw, Taxi should have a paid "second opinion" option much like the "custom critique" thing but specifically geared toward Taxi members that would like a second opinion from a different screener. I could accept a Return like this one more easily if there was a consensus.

I'm curious to hear your track, but the link didn't work. I'd be happy to give my thoughts as an electronic artist and aficionado myself. Here are a few I submitted that I felt were at least in the ballpark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a7_ky7YTKY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve3KHazMIT0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciIEoyjsVY8

88keys wrote:btw, Taxi should have a paid "second opinion" option much like the "custom critique" thing but specifically geared toward Taxi members that would like a second opinion from a different screener. I could accept a Return like this one more easily if there was a consensus.

Actually, Taxi does already have this because when you request a custom critique, you can specifically state a screener you do NOT want to do the review. So you can get exactly what you described. No, it would have no bearing on the previous forward/return but you get a lot of learning for your $20. Recently, I had some returns for a Beatles-style song that I though was pretty good so I ordered a custom. The results of that are posted somewhere else on the forum.

A second opinion in real time with respect to screening for a specific listing isn't practical when you consider how time crunched they already are to get all the screenings done for a given listing. Even if there was a fee, some screener would have to do the second opinion and that would slow everything else down (The person doing a second opinion won't be doing the next first opinion in the queue)...

I'm not saying the screeners are right 100% of the time and I do not always agree (not just on MY songs!). I was surprised that Zircon went 0 for 6 knowing how great his music is (Though I'm not very qualified to comment well on what fits THIS listing). So I hope he contacts Taxi to discuss it. (I know his stuff... Don't know yours, 88)

Best
Casey

88keys wrote:Another Return for me but this one really is very tough to swallow and I'm now completely stumped by the Electronica screeners. I've done tracks for major labels and ad agencies and I know very well how creative directors can be. They often don't know what they like or want until they hear it and a submission may lead them to further "tune" what they want for a spot. It's not usually "perfect" straight away. A wider net should be cast for ad agency listings imho, but, in general, I'm feeling completely at a loss with Taxi at the moment.
Yes, I attended the Taxi video presentation on whether or not Taxi screeners are "too tough" and I felt like Michael way "doth protest too much" and I did agree with the OP'er in that Taxi has really become far too "tough"...either that or something else is going on that I don't understand ?

Here is the track I submitted. I wouldn't mind some "second" opinions :
http://soundcloud.com/eightyeightkeys/t ... red-rocket


btw, Taxi should have a paid "second opinion" option much like the "custom critique" thing but specifically geared toward Taxi members that would like a second opinion from a different screener. I could accept a Return like this one more easily if there was a consensus.

88
Electronica is not at all my genre but I did have a listen to your track to see what I thought. It’s very well done but look at this part of the listing text:

The drum groove should be fairly consistent, but keep it interesting on a melodic and production level. Don't get stuck on repeating the same melodic motif over and over.

What I’m not hearing is the melodic component and that might be the deciding factor for the return.

Again, not an EL guy but reading the listing while listening did make this jump out at me right away.

Best,
Casey

That track would be perfect for something like Tekken or a racing game. Great stage/character select music.

With regards to the only artist given as a stylistic reference, here are a few examples of popular uptemp Chemical Brothers tracks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaU5qkQJ1e4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu3FTEmN-eg&ob=av2e

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0rVbB3Z_-o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dajDg63 ... re=related

Frankly, I'm not sure how anyone could construe their music as non-repetitive. It is in fact built on repeating melodic phrases and slight changeups over time. Typically uses some kind of breakbeat element as opposed to four-on-the-floor, lots of old-school/vinyl sound. Usually involves guitar and/or bass phrases repeating. Usually some distortion as well as electric piano in some cases. See, the Taxi listing injects a lot of stuff that the client evidently did not explicitly say, and I believe the opinions of Taxi may have been off the mark here... that, or the clients didn't REALLY want uptempo TCB.