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"You Can't Lose If You Don't Quit" I remember thinking this when I first joined TAXI. That phrase made it easier to join TAXI at a two-year commitment, and renew every two years without contemplation. It makes it easier to get up at 5a weekdays to work on music for a couple hours before kids, and my day job demand my time and energy. That phrase helps when weeks go by with no placements, forwards, Tunesat detections, or new music being accepted to a library.

A couple years ago I had an idea for a blues rock song I thought would be good for TV shows. I've learned over the years that most of the time if I'm doing a vocal song, I'm better off collaborating. The workload is too demanding. I reached out to a couple of friends I've collaborated with before that I met through TAXI. We put it together pretty quickly and signed it to a library.

Around six months ago, the song hit our ASCAP cue sheet lists for a MLB team's pre-game show. Cool! Then a week later, a few more cue sheets for similar shows. Shortly after that, a bunch more. For MLB, NHL, and NBA pre and post game shows. Since then, the song has been used over a 100 times. It's been super fun to check the ASCAP site to see the number rack up. This morning, 23 more hit.

The main metrics I track are cues written, cues signed, and cue sheets. The chart below shows my cue sheets starting in 2016. It was super inspiring to see this today. Like many of you, I bet it's easy to get lost in doing the work, or doing your day job, or family stuff, or whatever. This was a good reminder to me to keep doing the work, because the data shows it's working.

I can't lose if I don't quit.

So good! Thanks for sharing Ron!

And congrats on the placements!!

Andrew

That's really cool Ron and inspiring!

What part of the songs with vocals chews up your time? Is it tracking and producing your own vox and/or do you use another singer?
Just wondering cause I've been pretty bogged down with my own vox for a while.

Things are looking up!

Fantastic Ron, so encouraging to see what the weight of persistence can deliver!

lesmac wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 21, 2019 6:33 pm

That's really cool Ron and inspiring!

What part of the songs with vocals chews up your time? Is it tracking and producing your own vox and/or do you use another singer?
Just wondering cause I've been pretty bogged down with my own vox for a while.

For me...

Lyrics take a lot of time and energy. I'm okay, but not great. If I do it on my own, I lack perspective and getting perspective takes more time and energy.

Writing melodies is pretty quick for me. Tracking vocals is usually quick, but I blocking out the time to do it when my voice will be warmed up, and the rest of the house isn't sleeping or making noise can take some coordinating,

Producing vocals - processing and especially tuning - can take a lot of time. And if there's a rewrite to a lyric, I'm back to square one.

Months ago, I decided to do an 80s rock EP. I was going to do an album, but I knew that would take forever. I've got 5 songs almost done, but it's taken a long time. Lyrics and vocals have taken the most time, and I'm not even aiming for super great lyrics, since it's supposed to sound like what would be written in the 80s by rock bands that were high on alcohol and cocaine.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. I hope this gives someone just a little more inspirational fuel to keep doing the work.

Love this post-thanks!
My forwards are picking up-only a matter of time. Started collaborating again, yep!

On "Heart of a Champion" is that you singing? It's "Tommy Shaw"! Sounds great.

steveprobst wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 22, 2019 8:19 am

Love this post-thanks!
My forwards are picking up-only a matter of time. Started collaborating again, yep!

On "Heart of a Champion" is that you singing? It's "Tommy Shaw"! Sounds great.

That's awesome, man! Keep doing the work!

Thanks much! Yes sir, this whole 80s rock EP I'm doing is all me. Writing, vocals, guitars, bass, drum programming, and producing. I thought it would be a fun challenge. I was right.

Congrats, Ron - and that's a good word for ANY field of endeavor.
Thanks for the posting & reminder of it.
Cheers!