So, this site is called Taxi. You may know or you may not know of it already but either way you can get totally consumed in the amount of information here.
http://www.taxi.com/
Musician links to avoid getting screwed
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Mysterytrain
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 509
- Joined: Monday May 26, 2008
- Location: Altoona
- Contact:
I've been a member of this group since 1998. I get a lot of questions about them, how it works, and if I made any money through them.
The short answer is yes, I've made a respectable amount of money through Taxi placements. But I've also learned how to make better songs and better productions.
I'm a long-time member. I keep signing back on because I firmly believe in what they do. I really hope I don't sound like a commercial, but ...
Here's what they do for me:
Twice a month, they e-mail me listings of what people are looking for. The listings are categorized by genre (Adult Contemporary, Country, Jazz, Film & TV, etc.) Each listing usually has a good description of the type of song they are looking for, and a lot of times, they reference an existing song or artist.
I respond to listings I think I have material for (or if I'm REALLY ambitious, I write to the listing!) and post the mp3 file to their site. Now a lot of the listings (particularly film & television) are yes/no replies. But the really cool thing with Taxi is the listings that you get a critique with. The screeners at Taxi are former A&R people or have some serious connection in the industry. They review your music and will give solid advice on how to make it better (if at all). These guys really listen. I once submitted a jazz track and the reviewer made a note of clashing chords at 2:47 into the song. He was right. I missed it, but then fixed it. I didn't get the gig that time, but after the fix, I submitted the song to another listing and the track became the title track for a home improvement show! (there's some royalties!)
A lot of people are critical of the reviewers. And I think that's because we, as artists, tend to be too closely attached to our works. The cool thing with Taxi is they are actually there to HELP you get ahead. Every reviewer or Taxi representative I ever met, or spoke with over the phone, comes across that way. They don't have any kind of hidden agenda. They really want you to succeed. Taxi may very well be the last actual A&R department in the world!
Aside from getting placements through their listings, I've also developed great relationships through Taxi. Several of my peers are now very dear friends of mine. Many of the professional connections I've made through Taxi (by attending their annual conference, The Road Rally), have led to really cool deals for me. Because of Taxi, either directly or through meeting someone at the conference, I have had my music in network tv shows and a myriad of cable shows. Because of Taxi, my music's been used in places I would have never dreamed of. Example? My "Christmas Piano" cd does extremely well, this time of year, for professional photographer websites. I responded to a Christmas music listing from Taxi, was forwarded, and was signed to a publisher who caters to that niche market. Go figure!
There's a down side, but nowadays, it's industry-wide. Each submission costs $5.00. It's a deterrence fee. It keeps amateurs from submitting their entire heavy metal catalog to a country listing (that's just an example, not a put-down for all you shredders out there). Taxi does it. Broadjam does it. Sonic Bids does it. It's everywhere. It sucks, but that's what it is. Kind of like copyright fees!
I hope this thread doesn't turn into a debate about what we write versus the crap on the radio. That kind of discussion could go on forever! I just wanted to present the facts about Taxi, as a longtime member. If it DIDN'T work, there's no way I would keep signing up year after year. These guys are the real deal. Definitely look over the website. And if you consider joining, do me a favor and tell them Zupe recommended it. This way, I'll get a discount off of NEXT year's membership!
The short answer is yes, I've made a respectable amount of money through Taxi placements. But I've also learned how to make better songs and better productions.
I'm a long-time member. I keep signing back on because I firmly believe in what they do. I really hope I don't sound like a commercial, but ...
Here's what they do for me:
Twice a month, they e-mail me listings of what people are looking for. The listings are categorized by genre (Adult Contemporary, Country, Jazz, Film & TV, etc.) Each listing usually has a good description of the type of song they are looking for, and a lot of times, they reference an existing song or artist.
I respond to listings I think I have material for (or if I'm REALLY ambitious, I write to the listing!) and post the mp3 file to their site. Now a lot of the listings (particularly film & television) are yes/no replies. But the really cool thing with Taxi is the listings that you get a critique with. The screeners at Taxi are former A&R people or have some serious connection in the industry. They review your music and will give solid advice on how to make it better (if at all). These guys really listen. I once submitted a jazz track and the reviewer made a note of clashing chords at 2:47 into the song. He was right. I missed it, but then fixed it. I didn't get the gig that time, but after the fix, I submitted the song to another listing and the track became the title track for a home improvement show! (there's some royalties!)
A lot of people are critical of the reviewers. And I think that's because we, as artists, tend to be too closely attached to our works. The cool thing with Taxi is they are actually there to HELP you get ahead. Every reviewer or Taxi representative I ever met, or spoke with over the phone, comes across that way. They don't have any kind of hidden agenda. They really want you to succeed. Taxi may very well be the last actual A&R department in the world!
Aside from getting placements through their listings, I've also developed great relationships through Taxi. Several of my peers are now very dear friends of mine. Many of the professional connections I've made through Taxi (by attending their annual conference, The Road Rally), have led to really cool deals for me. Because of Taxi, either directly or through meeting someone at the conference, I have had my music in network tv shows and a myriad of cable shows. Because of Taxi, my music's been used in places I would have never dreamed of. Example? My "Christmas Piano" cd does extremely well, this time of year, for professional photographer websites. I responded to a Christmas music listing from Taxi, was forwarded, and was signed to a publisher who caters to that niche market. Go figure!
There's a down side, but nowadays, it's industry-wide. Each submission costs $5.00. It's a deterrence fee. It keeps amateurs from submitting their entire heavy metal catalog to a country listing (that's just an example, not a put-down for all you shredders out there). Taxi does it. Broadjam does it. Sonic Bids does it. It's everywhere. It sucks, but that's what it is. Kind of like copyright fees!
I hope this thread doesn't turn into a debate about what we write versus the crap on the radio. That kind of discussion could go on forever! I just wanted to present the facts about Taxi, as a longtime member. If it DIDN'T work, there's no way I would keep signing up year after year. These guys are the real deal. Definitely look over the website. And if you consider joining, do me a favor and tell them Zupe recommended it. This way, I'll get a discount off of NEXT year's membership!
