When a song gets forward, what happens next?

[Tore]

I just got 2 songs forwarded last week. What happens next? should i prepare for a phonecall? how long does it uasally take to get an answer? and do i get an answer if the song is not used?

I have watch almost every Taxi episode on Youtube, and got a custom critique on almost every song. Now its time to use the forum on Taxi much more.

[Casey H]

You will only hear back if the client is interested in signing your song. This can take days, weeks, months, years, or be never.

Don't sit and wait by the phone or your computer. As normal for our industry, a large percentage of pitches (a forward is a pitch) result in no action. Just write and submit more so as to have strength in the numbers working for you. Or as our own Steve Guiles says, "Write, Submit, Forget, Repeat"...

Best of luck!!
Casey

[kclements]

Hello Tore

Congrats on the forward and welcome to the forums.

As to what happens next, best practice is t forget about the forward and move on to the next. That may sound harsh, but in reality, you may never get a call. Or you may get one today, or next week, or next year.....it all depends on too many things to list here.


We have a saying around here: write, submit, forget, repeat.

Oh, and no, you won't get an answer if they don't use your song.

Duh! Casey beat me to it. Oh well.

Cheers
kc

[Tore]

Thanks guys. I will countinue writing songs and submit. Yes in know, To make it in the music industry is really hard. Is tkaes a lot of work and a lot of passions and maybe some luck to.
Ill keep going and follow the rule write, submit, forget, repeat

[jdstamper]

For lots more on this, check out the board: Taxi Success Stories, look at the topic: How Long Before A Deal

Jim

[TheElement]

Congrats!

[zacnelson]

It's a nice feeling to get a forward isn't it?! I'm always nervous when I see the new email arrive `Taxi listing results available'…..

[TerrellBurt]

It's a nice feeling to get a forward isn't it?! I'm always nervous when I see the new email arrive `Taxi listing results available'…..

I feel like a kid on Christmas when I get those e-mails lol.

[Tore]

I agree with you, its like xmas and birthday at the same time. it took a few days to go back to "normal" after my first forward

[Kolstad]

When you get a forward, the first desicion of 3 is made. A screener listened to your music, loved it and could see a use for it (match for the listing).

The way I see it, you can basically break down the journey of your track/song in a series of choices that different links in the chain need to make before your music is used.

The second desicion is the publisher/ library / music supervisor. Taxi forwarded them a bundle of tracks, so now they will solicit them and sign the ones they believe is right for their clients. If they do, they might ask you if you have more of the same, or if you have something else they need. That's when it can be a good idea to be ready with a portfolio. Taxi works to reduce the choices they need to make, by deselecting the music that doesn't work, but there's often still a round of reductions to be made.

Either way, a forward is a sign that you do this particular type of music well, and/or that this type of tracks are in demand right now. Which means that it can be worthwhile to work out more of the same. Build on a success to get tracktion/ momentum.

The third desicion before you make money (a placement or cut) will be up to the library's clients, when they evaluate what type of music that is right for their project. Some forwards may be direct to a music supervisor, and then a placement is closer, while others may be for libraries or publishers, who are evaluating music with their clients in mind.

Sometimes it may even be so that a library will have to decide on your track, then a music supervisor for a show or a film, but that supervisor may also be part of a team or discuss choices with a director/ producer, which puts in another desicion link in the chain.

With artist pitches it can be equally more or less complicated. Also how many links there are in the chain of desicions depends in each case on the particular listing, so this is not about any particular listing, not the listing you were forwarded for.

But, you can easily see the need for the music to be competitive. Great music makes everyone's desicions easier. A Taxi forward is a very good first sign of this.