If TAXI is a waste of time.....How do I get my music heard

[ianzxcvb]

Originally Posted by ProFool

The people i know that tried out taxi are still not talking very positive of it...
but what has been proven very successful to them was the Sonicbids EPK (electronic press kit), Garageband (to get opinions about there music) and CD BABY, one of them tried almost every online thing out and wasted a lot of $ on it and those few really worked out well. cheers

For just starting out - as well as myspace and making friends with independant press and film, of the things you pay for - we found last fm campaigns and live365 submissions are great ways to get heard. MusicSubmit.com is also worthwhile - some people think they're a scam because they just spam a 1000 contacts with a web link to your music - but crucially they give you an auditing space with full links to those contacts that you can then chase up yourself aswell - they don't sit on their rolla decks with an ongoing mechanism to milk money from you.

[Pfraser]

If you want to be successful in this business, you have to network... you have to go to shows, events, festivals, etc and buy people beer. (period)

5$ per song on taxi that may never get seen, or 5$ for some beer with someone who will probably take you seriously.

[RCM - Ronan]

Originally Posted by CISUM

Ok so here is the thing, TAXI is a bunch of B'S. Honestly...

To charge $300 to join, then charge an addition $5. per submission. GIVE ME A BREAK!!!

I have said this same thing on some other threads about Taxi. The thing I like about Taxi is that they are a business that does exactly what they say they are going to do, at exactly the price they say they are going to do it for. There is no shadey dealings or upsell. Also for your membership fee you and a guest get to go to the Taxi Road Rally which is a very cool music conference and well worth $150/person. I am not a member of Taxi but I have been invited to speak and their conference several times. I speak at conferences all over the world and the Taxi one is probably my favorite. So even if you never do a submission, its still a pretty good deal.

I also know a few people quite well that work at Taxi, and I also know major A&R people and publishers that use Taxi as a resource to try and find music and talent. One of the things I hear a lot from the screeners (the people that listen to the music) is that the major problem is that people submit stuff that is way off from the listing, such as people submitting 80s metal for a blues listing.

I am not going to say Taxi is right for everyone or a better route than having a good personal relationship with publishers, music supervisors and A&R people, but the idea that Taxi is some sort of BS scam operation is pretty far off the mark.

[ianzxcvb]

Originally Posted by rcm

I have said this same thing on some other threads about Taxi. The thing I like about Taxi is that they are a business that does exactly what they say they are going to do, at exactly the price they say they are going to do it for. There is no shadey dealings or upsell. Also for your membership fee you and a guest get to go to the Taxi Road Rally which is a very cool music conference and well worth $150/person. I am not a member of Taxi but I have been invited to speak and their conference several times. I speak at conferences all over the world and the Taxi one is probably my favorite. So even if you never do a submission, its still a pretty good deal.

I also know a few people quite well that work at Taxi, and I also know major A&R people and publishers that use Taxi as a resource to try and find music and talent. One of the things I hear a lot from the screeners (the people that listen to the music) is that the major problem is that people submit stuff that is way off from the listing, such as people submitting 80s metal for a blues listing.

I am not going to say Taxi is right for everyone or a better route than having a good personal relationship with publishers, music supervisors and A&R people, but the idea that Taxi is some sort of BS scam operation is pretty far off the mark.

The problem with taxi is you're not paying to have your music submitted to people who might want to hear it - you're paying to enter a series of their song contests happening in the confines of their office.

If taxi put all submissions passing a plausibility threshold in the post and stuck a gold star on those they thought ideal then a least you'd be paying for something tangible.

To be fair to them that's what it says on their tin - but never the less...

[tarnationsauce]

I've been hearing about OurStage.com. It seems pretty cool just browsing and judging the bands on there.
If you really have a good band I bet the cream rises to the top there.

[thenoiseflower]

ourstage is pretty cool.

Songs I recorded are at #1 and #7 on that site.

and the band has received placement assistance from those rankings. But they also are dealing with other non-exclusive publishers. So, like everyone said, multiples pots in the fire..

[dan p]

Since i posted last i have signed a 9 song deal thru a company that uses taxi and another 6 forwarded that are pending deals.My guess is i wont make any money till well into next year but then thats ok with me!



Dan P

[evangelista]

Having seen more than a few (talented, professional) friends and colleagues try TAXI, I can with almost 100% certainty say that it is complete bullshit.

[MikeTSH]

I would like to join TAXI - but for the price and the way there are more "horror" experiences than good experiences with the company meakes me move further and further away from the checkout for membership.

[lucey]

Originally Posted by dan p

Since i posted last i have signed a 9 song deal thru a company that uses taxi and another 6 forwarded that are pending deals.My guess is i wont make any money till well into next year but then thats ok with me!
Dan P

Originally Posted by evangelista

Having seen more than a few (talented, professional) friends and colleagues try TAXI, I can with almost 100% certainty say that it is complete bullshit.

Well there you have it!

Time to close this thread?

[CISUM]

You know all in all TAXI = Business... Thats IT!!!

They charge for everything, make there money, and shop your songs. You make it in, you make it in, if you dont, then your shi* out of luck!

And in the end, TAXI goes on and makes money because GAURENTEE next submission rolls around, people will again dish out $5, and well its just a cycle. THATS WHY THEY ARE STILL AROUND.

Like them, hate them, "heard it works", "heard it doesnt work", guess what they make there money, not us... For us we gotta do it the ol'school way of networking...

[Melchiord]

Originally Posted by jimiheath

The Best Way To Get Signed
If you're trying to land a record deal, nothing works better than hitting the road, playing hundreds of gigs, and selling thousands of CDs from the trunk of your car.

Hi Jim.

But how do you get those hundreds of gigs, if booking agents only sign artists with record deals?

There seems to be a certain amount of catch 22 going on.

[ha33y]

Taxi??? well as a member over the past year I can say that it is a very clever business for Michael. He has found an excellent way to milk us for all we have and then some. I take my hat off to his brilliant business plan and his success, however as for helping us songwriters out, well a complete waste of time.
I also agree that people hear songs differently and to say that you have the most expert staff who know exactly what the record company are after and how they hear things and what they want, is complete and utter rubbish! I mean, even their own guys don't see eye to eye. For example, I sent in the same song for a few different listings (5 bucks a time) I got back, "song is exactly what they asked for in sound, production and style, but could be stronger" so, does that give them the right to not forward it? How can they be so sure that the record company or whoever is looking for material won't disagree and love it? mind-reading perhaps?
Besides the same song and (what looked to be the same listing) a couple of months later, a Taxi critique who liked the song , forwarded it, so who was right and who was wrong? when they found out that it was forwarded, they expressed amazement in the guy who forwarded it !

So you pay your membership of 300 or so plus 5 per song and now if you wanna send in to brand new listings, you gotta sign up to another service called Taxi Dispatch and get this " Below is a brand new TAXI Dispatch listing. If you'd like to upgrade your membership to TAXI Dispatch, to be able to submit to this and all Dispatch listings" So i am a fully paid up member, I pay my dues and 5 bucks per song, but now it's not enough I gotta pay more so I can send my songs to new listings, if I can't afford that, I gotta wait for the next crappy listings that come up every now and then....no thanks! no more, been there, done that!

Well done Mike, you got a good thing going mate and stand to make a lot of money from us idiots who want to sit and hand you our hard earned cash (that we don't have) so a few of your guys can sit in a room and play judge and jury on our tracks. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind constructive criticism, infact I like it, but when even your own guys can't agree and hold back my material cause they "Know what the company will want exactly" than it's time for me to move on. Besides, if that was the case, than every single song you guys submit should be an instant winner no?

I for one am not renewing my membership and regret ever having been convinced by the same 4 people I see in Taxi's adverts in glossy mags. Funny, it's always the same few, surely out of thousands of subscribers, Taxi must have had a few more placements with hits?? especially since all their staff are genius's in the business and know what the companies are looking for?

Anyhow, that's my 2 cents worth, but since joining other companies that don't take any membership fees or per song submissions instead take half of any up font deal they get for you, I consider that to be a better deal cause if they get you nothing, than they get nothing either...suits me fine!

The only Taxi I will be using from here on will be to get me to "where I wanna Go!!!!!"

[RCM - Ronan]

Originally Posted by ha33y

I mean, even their own guys don't see eye to eye.

Its worth noting that almost every record company in the UK passed on the Beatles.

[ha33y]

Originally Posted by rcm

Its worth noting that almost every record company in the UK passed on the Beatles.

Yes very true and agreed, however they weren't taking their money at the same time.

I ain't saying that my stuff is the best and I don't have a problem with them saying, nah mate, it ain't good or strong enough or whatever, but i get so angry when they say "Track is SPOT ON! music, style and sound is exactly what is being asked for, but the song could be stronger" WTF? I mean if it is that close, why the hell not send it and let the ppl who request it, make the decision? who the hell are you to say that it ain't strong enough, especially since it is "Spot on" tutttutttutt

[narcoman]

it's also worth noting you can't buy your way to success.

Luck.

Taxi is not luck.

[ha33y]

Originally Posted by narcoman

it's also worth noting you can't buy your way to success.

Luck.

Taxi is not luck.

Well that may be true in some parts of the world, although I could prove you wrong in MOST countries, especially where I am from. As they say, money makes money. So depending on who you know, how much they got, you could be an overnight success. Corruption runs rampant in the music industry as much (if not more) than any other. For example, you ever heard the phrase "manufactured bands"? e.g Spice Girls? you really think they were an overnight success on the strength of their amazing good looks, sheer talent and brilliant songs...yeah right! all it takes is, money, clever marketing, the right contacts and ...hey presto!...Ok this is going away from the initial Taxi convo, but just wanted to comment on the above statement.

Anywayyyys, for those of you who are thinking of joining Taxi...GOOD LUCK!

...oh, and you are right, "Taxi is not luck" it is a very clever money making business, just wish I'd thought of it first lol!


respect and peace to you all.

[equallyscrewed]

Originally Posted by ha33y

you ever heard the phrase "manufactured bands"? e.g Spice Girls? you really think they were an overnight success on the strength of their amazing good looks, sheer talent and brilliant songs...yeah right! all it takes is, money, clever marketing, the right contacts and ...hey presto

Not quite....

Have you any ideas how many manufactured bands fall flat on their faces? You just dont hear about them because that would be bad press for those who created them (fuller, cowell, etc). Failure is more likely than success.

It is about luck and ALOT of timing.

[ha33y]

Originally Posted by equallyscrewed

Not quite....

Have you any ideas how many manufactured bands fall flat on their faces? You just dont hear about them because that would be bad press for those who created them (fuller, cowell, etc). Failure is more likely than success.

It is about luck and ALOT of timing.

Failure is not an option for Cowell, Fuller etc....the ones that fall by the wayside are simply tax deductibles, nothing more. They need some that don't make it so they can show heavy losses for the tax man. Trust me, luck has nothing to do with it. I could go on about this for a long time, but this thread is starting to head into a different direction and so I end my comments by saying "LUCK" to those with Taxi, you will need it unless of course your material is "Spot on" perfecto, without any blemish, exactly what the company has requested without any signs of weakness in the track at all! Then, and only then, will they send your material on...which doesn't matter to them because they already have your subscription fees, individual track submission fee, and possibly the extra "Dispatch fee" hahaha, wow man, what a neat tidy biz...Go Taxi Go!! There are still a lot of gullible ppl out there who actually will hand over their money, so milk it while you can boys....yeeeeha!

[narcoman]

Originally Posted by ha33y

Well that may be true in some parts of the world, although I could prove you wrong in MOST countries, especially where I am from. As they say, money makes money. So depending on who you know, how much they got, you could be an overnight success. Corruption runs rampant in the music industry as much (if not more) than any other. For example, you ever heard the phrase "manufactured bands"? e.g Spice Girls? you really think they were an overnight success on the strength of their amazing good looks, sheer talent and brilliant songs...yeah right! all it takes is, money, clever marketing, the right contacts and ...hey presto!...Ok this is going away from the initial Taxi convo, but just wanted to comment on the above statement.

Anywayyyys, for those of you who are thinking of joining Taxi...GOOD LUCK!

...oh, and you are right, "Taxi is not luck" it is a very clever money making business, just wish I'd thought of it first lol!


respect and peace to you all.

Spice girls was a three year slog by Simon Fuller. He also launched another 8 or so girl bands at the same time. They ALL failed. LUCK. Pussycat dolls - even longer. If you could guarentee success by spending money - every label would be very happy indeed. Truth is that for all the million dollar launches - most fail. My agent is one of the most successful agents in the business.... doesn't mean to say he still doesn't need luck to core me gigs!!

There is luck needed at all levels. Money helps for marketing - and indeed you can cut out some of the extreme luck you need. But you really really need luck. Taxi? Absolutel waste of time. I wouldn't take a SINLGE thing from something like Taxi. If the bands approached my company directly - different story. But I wouldn't broker a licensing deal with ANY of these sort of companies.... they WON'T be appearing on my proportion of the UK media licensing any time soon!!

[equallyscrewed]

Originally Posted by ha33y

Failure is not an option for Cowell, Fuller etc....the ones that fall by the wayside are simply tax deductibles, nothing more. They need some that don't make it so they can show heavy losses for the tax man. Trust me, luck has nothing to do with it. I could go on about this for a long time, but this thread is starting to head into a different direction and so I end my comments by saying "LUCK" to those with Taxi, you will need it unless of course your material is "Spot on" perfecto, without any blemish, exactly what the company has requested without any signs of weakness in the track at all! Then, and only then, will they send your material on...which doesn't matter to them because they already have your subscription fees, individual track submission fee, and possibly the extra "Dispatch fee" hahaha, wow man, what a neat tidy biz...Go Taxi Go!! There are still a lot of gullible ppl out there who actually will hand over their money, so milk it while you can boys....yeeeeha!

I direct you to nacroman's post above...he knows EXACTLY what he's on about

[ha33y]

Originally Posted by narcoman

Spice girls was a three year slog by Simon Fuller. He also launched another 8 or so girl bands at the same time. They ALL failed. LUCK. Pussycat dolls - even longer. If you could guarentee success by spending money - every label would be very happy indeed. Truth is that for all the million dollar launches - most fail. My agent is one of the most successful agents in the business.... doesn't mean to say he still doesn't need luck to core me gigs!!

There is luck needed at all levels. Money helps for marketing - and indeed you can cut out some of the extreme luck you need. But you really really need luck. Taxi? Absolutel waste of time. I wouldn't take a SINLGE thing from something like Taxi. If the bands approached my company directly - different story. But I wouldn't broker a licensing deal with ANY of these sort of companies.... they WON'T be appearing on my proportion of the UK media licensing any time soon!!

Well call it what you like. I have just produced 3 albums in the country where I live, all three of the artists are, well, kinda less than mediocre, between the sugar daddies and record companies, they have spent over 200,000 euros on each artist for marketing, (paying DJs and radio stations- something I guess does NOT happen in other countries right? ) paying TV networks for coverage of the album, paying blah, blah, blah etc etc etc..needless to say all 3 artists are doing well and showing signs of being stars...LUCK???? my foot!

It's always been like that in this industry, as far back as I can remember. For example in UK back in the early 70's record companies would invest in a band, get the records in the shops and then send out teams of ppl to buy up all the records, pay the DJs and viola, the record is in the charts and a hit! So maybe strategies have changed but the corruption still very much exists don't be mislead!

I don't believe in luck, you have to make your own. As for your agent, again it ain't luck man...If you are good and worth booking, than your agent has to get out and spread you around, you go, perform and get more bookings. If you are no good, than yeah I guess you will need a lot of luck to get work.

As for Taxi, I'm with you buddy, they are the biggest rip off I have had the pleasure of losing my money to.

Never again.

[narcoman]

no way man !! you didn't go with them didya? !!!! Jeez.... sorry 'bout that one!! Certainly a waste of time. Doesn't it just reek of capitalising off some peoples desperation ?!!

I hear what you're saying about "spending maketh the hit"... but it still only works a small fraction of the time. For every act you see charting, and we're not talking about the 70's any more, there are dozens from that same week - all on big labels with six figure/ seven figure spends - who don't chart and get dropped....

I've worked with some AMAZING talents who were nobodies. I've worked with some HUGE stars who were mediocre talents. Either side suffered or was enhanced by a certain amount of luck.

Classic example - Iggy and the Stooges.... awesome band who did nothing in their own time. Alice Cooper takes THEIR vibe and sound and becomes a sensation. It took the rest of the world 20 years to catch up!!

Yes - to a degree you DO engineer your own luck.... you create opportunities. But the industry is SO fashio driven - you have to find that spark that treats your vibe as king of the world. I've been lucky. I've made a lot of money out of exploiting the lucky opps that came my way.... so yeah. I believe in luck. And I know how to exploit it !!

My whole career came out of a lucky even in 1987 !!

oh - what country are ya in?

Cowell couldn't show a loss if he tried. Fuller couldn't turn a profit or score a hit any more !!

[narcoman]

Sigue Sigue Sputnik were an ACE band. I loved them !! Yup they got a £4million advance - although they never got the full amount.... from EMI actually. But Tony James & Martin Degville were/are very very clever men and they made their label a LOT of money. T shirts see!! I became familiar with EMIs investments in 1995.... they used to be a very good label for splashing the cash!! How times change....

Love Missile F1-11 has made a LOT of money in licenses alone over the last 20 somthing years...... Fab record.


Tony James had his connections from Generation X - legends themselves having sparked up Billy Idols career..... Great band, great story but very much from a bygone era. The industry works VERY differently now !

Stock, Aitken & Waterman. HA..... They made a lot of money from crap !! I know Matt Aitken well and I think he'd be the first to admit this !! Pete Waterman, of course, A&R'd some big records in the '70s....

[doncaparker]

You know, it is interesting to hear, on the one hand, people complaining that the old music industry was/is crooked and unfair, and on the other hand, people mourning its imminent death at the hands of illegal downloading.

This is a disconnect that I see all over the place on this forum.

I know that GS is heavy with folks who face big personal struggles because of the changes in the industry, and I really do feel badly for them. Change always sucks for somebody. However, if the industry of the past was as corrupt as it is reputed to have been, it is no wonder that some folks (mainly industry outsiders) kinda like the changes that are happening now. Not everybody (obviously), but some folks. Probably those who were getting royally screwed by the old system, I would guess.

Will things be better for those folks in the future? I doubt that anybody knows for sure. I just can understand why they are willing to be optimistic about any change to such an industry, just to see if the shakeup might favor them for a change.

Flame ******ant suit has been donned, so fire away.

[rack gear]

I still don't know who was getting screwed?!? one look at this thread and you can see the millions spent on acts that fail! if that's getting screwed, sign me up!

a good friend of mine was signed to two major labels in two different bands over the course of six years, spending about two and a half years in each band. first on warners, then interscope.

first band's album tanked at radio the first week of release while they were on tour opening for cheap trick (late 90s). they were dropped the day after they got done with the tour.

the second band got signed in a bidding war between atlantic and interscope and they signed with interscope. two years later the label and the band couldn't agree on the single or album cuts - it was cheaper for the label to buy them out on a release than to trigger more millions on marketing & promotion of an album they didn't beleive in

all total, he lived like a rock star for six years - the whole deal, A List Studios, A List Producers, tours, endorsements, and NO DAY JOB other than being a professional musician.

he doesn't regret a day of it...

Originally Posted by doncaparker

You know, it is interesting to hear, on the one hand, people complaining that the old music industry was/is crooked and unfair, and on the other hand, people mourning its imminent death at the hands of illegal downloading.

This is a disconnect that I see all over the place on this forum.

I know that GS is heavy with folks who face big personal struggles because of the changes in the industry, and I really do feel badly for them. Change always sucks for somebody. However, if the industry of the past was as corrupt as it is reputed to have been, it is no wonder that some folks (mainly industry outsiders) kinda like the changes that are happening now. Not everybody (obviously), but some folks. Probably those who were getting royally screwed by the old system, I would guess.

Will things be better for those folks in the future? I doubt that anybody knows for sure. I just can understand why they are willing to be optimistic about any change to such an industry, just to see if the shakeup might favor them for a change.

Flame ******ant suit has been donned, so fire away.

[JJAM]

Originally Posted by narcoman

Sigue Sigue Sputnik were an ACE band. I loved them !! Yup they got a £4million advance - although they never got the full amount.... from EMI actually. But Tony James & Martin Degville were/are very very clever men and they made their label a LOT of money. T shirts see!! I became familiar with EMIs investments in 1995.... they used to be a very good label for splashing the cash!! How times change....

Love Missile F1-11 has made a LOT of money in licenses alone over the last 20 somthing years...... Fab record.


Tony James had his connections from Generation X - legends themselves having sparked up Billy Idols career..... Great band, great story but very much from a bygone era. The industry works VERY differently now !

Stock, Aitken & Waterman. HA..... They made a lot of money from crap !! I know Matt Aitken well and I think he'd be the first to admit this !! Pete Waterman, of course, A&R'd some big records in the '70s....

Pete was involved in some huge ones too in the 80s before SAW...Musical Youth and Nik Kershaw amongst others...and Sigue Sigue Sputnik also passed through the doors of PWL. For what it's worth, I love Sigue Sigue Sputnik's first album too!

[doncaparker]

Why would he, if all he wanted was to live a few years of the hedonistic lifestyle that the business people used to throw at the "talent" to keep them placated and distracted while the business people made the real money?

I'm glad your friend remembers his time fondly, but there are plenty of people who got screwed by the old music industry, financially speaking. And that's just looking at the folks who got big label deals. Most artists never even made it that far.

So, whether we are talking about the folks who never got a shot, or the folks who did get a shot but then were exploited, I think there are plenty of people who refuse to shed a tear at the loss of the old music industry.

Again, I don't mean to minimize the negative impact the changes are having on the more stable elements of the industry: recording engineers, session talent, etc. It is a real shame that these people are getting caught in the gears.

[rack gear]

Atari Baby, forever!

Originally Posted by JJAM

Pete was involved in some huge ones too in the 80s before SAW...Musical Youth and Nik Kershaw amongst others...and Sigue Sigue Sputnik also passed through the doors of PWL. For what it's worth, I love Sigue Sigue Sputnik's first album too!

[RCM - Ronan]

Originally Posted by ha33y

Failure is not an option for Cowell, Fuller etc....the ones that fall by the wayside are simply tax deductibles, nothing more. They need some that don't make it so they can show heavy losses for the tax man. Trust me,

I have a sneaking suspicion that you do not have many friends that work at major labels in the US or manage acts signed to them. If you did you would probably have a very different opinion of how the industry works.