TAXI

[Elliottmoore2]

Has anyone had any experience with TAXI when submitting songs? Good experiences
or bad? Thanks, Elliott

[David Morgan \(MAMS\)]

"Elliottmoore2" > wrote in message ...
> Has anyone had any experience with TAXI when submitting songs? Good experiences
> or bad? Thanks, Elliott


Elliott,

Not to be a drag or anything, but a Google search of this group should
yield you several discussions regarding Taxi.

If this link (that brought back 205 posts) breaks try the following URL below.

http://groups.google.com/groups?safe=images&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&as_ugroup=rec.audio.pro&as_usubject=Taxi&lr=&num=20&hl=en

Or enter "Taxi" as the subject and search rec.audio.pro here...
(you can leave the rest blank)
http://groups.google.com/advanced_group_search

Considering the amount of money they sponge from anxious writers,
I haven't seen any really steady, uniform, successful track record for
placing songs. Although I *have* seen the various form letters and
critiques asking for more money and re-writes, etc..


--
David Morgan (MAMS)
http://www.m-a-m-s.com
http://www.artisan-recordingstudio.com

[Elliottmoore2]

Thanks for the link David, I guess I am posting things that are not relevent to
this newsgroup. Apologies to all. I read some of the reviews of TAXI and all
were negative. I'm not sure if atleast some of the negativity stems from people
who thought they had a great song and it got rejected. Who knows? Take care,
Elliott

[David Morgan \(MAMS\)]

"Elliottmoore2" > wrote in message ...
> Thanks for the link David, I guess I am posting things that are not relevent to
> this newsgroup. Apologies to all. I read some of the reviews of TAXI and all
> were negative. I'm not sure if atleast some of the negativity stems from people
> who thought they had a great song and it got rejected. Who knows? Take care,
> Elliott


IMHO, it's about establishing a great track record at a fair price. I tend to
believe they play on 'rejection' to vie for more money. No, I'm not a song
writer... I just know a whole lot of them. Money is a factor in most cases,
and desperate people can be uncertain where their money could best be
used.


--
David Morgan (MAMS)
http://www.m-a-m-s.com
http://www.artisan-recordingstudio.com

[DavidMackBlauvelt]

(Elliottmoore2) wrote in
:

> Has anyone had any experience with TAXI when submitting songs? Good
> experiences or bad? Thanks, Elliott

I haven't used TAXI, but I had a friend who did for about 2 yrs. He
never met with any song placements.

That said, I actually attended the owner of Taxi's "free insiders music
seminar" a few weeks back as a chance to network and get out of the
house.

It went something like this: we waited for people to show up and the
owner of Taxi offered to give away a free membership for anyone with the
best "stupid people trick" - it turned out to be a double jointed guy --
no I'm not making this up.

When he got around to speaking, he gave a motivational speech about his
background, his past failures and uncertainties, and his experience in
the music industry, where he finally decided to start out on his own with
TAXI. I do not doubt his passion in this regard, as I think it took some
true grit to start his service. That said, it takes determination to
sell allot of things, even MLM products. Hell, nothing is easy.

He then proceeded to pitch TAXI, and after 10 minutes or so concluded he
was ultimately here to inform the audience and answer their music
business questions, telling the audience he was through "making shameless
plugs for TAXI." He then proceeded to discuss several aspects of being a
songwriter, but all in all the next 3 hours or so were spent shamelessly
plugging TAXI. Not that there is anything wrong with that. This is
America. But he's the one that said he was done plugging his service.
Say what you mean right?

He went through the usual litany of Don Passman "what you really need to
know about the music industry" stuff. You know, bands get screwed unless
they get past recoupment, which is allot more than they realize blah de
blah. (If you really want a humorous account of how Bands get screwed do
a google search on Steve Albini and "what's wrong with the music
industry") Apparently, he started out in this industry as an audio
engineer. I don't think he realized it, but perhaps mentioned pot smoking
too many times -- we get it -- you smoked pot. He was very smoochy-coochy
LA - think Steve Martin ordering his "half-caff-double-expresso-low foam
Late'."

All in all, for people completely ignorant of the music industry (which
is to probably to say -- lot's and lot's of people too lazy to read a
book) some of it was very good info. IMO, this stuff is akin to "inside
secrets to real estate" or "inside newsletters to the secrets of wall
street," or "the 30 day loose all those pounds you want diets." Which
means that certainly some people do have success with these "success
regimes," but IMO, if you are serious about song writing, or anything for
that matter, you will find your path regardless of these formulas. That
said, maybe Taxi could be a good thing for you. But I ask you, how many
more seminars/conferences/services/newsletters do you need to tell you
how to find your path, a path with heart?

I think that TAXI has been a success for the owner, just as Tony Robbins
has had a very successful motivational speaking business - he even quoted
Tony Robbins. I think he made a pretty good case for his service, and if
you are motivated by this methodology - go for it. But speaking only for
myself, I talked with a few regular Taxi members, and it gave me the
Sunday elixir tonic/MLM/semi-cult vibe.

One thing I don't like about his "insider-listings" is that they
apparently repeat the same listings again and again on separate pages of
the newsletter -- kind of like stretching the burger with breadcrumbs.

Allot of these listings are from "independent producers" or A&R reps from
god knows where. I don't see why TAXI can't say, "Warner Chapel Music
seeks new song for new blah de blah". Hell who isn't an independent
producer these days? Taxi perhaps could find a good niche as a go
between for independent publishers and the film/TV industry. As it stands
now he is going for the aspiring songwriters only, trying to connect them
with anonymous publishers or Labels. I'm sure some of these may be very
reputable publishers/labels, but you will never know.

Allot of the listings say "please no clearance required" which means they
are looking for songwriters that are willing to give up their publishing
share. Now that is not necessarily a bad thing if the publisher is a big
reputable publisher that can place your songs and make you money, but
since they don't list the publishers name, you cannot do any background
research on who it is that you are submitting your work too. It could
just as well be Hobo Joe as Warner Chapel Music Publishing.

Particularly humorous to me is the idea that they employ professional
screeners --former professional A&R reps that provide an in-depth review
of your work. What's the average career span of A&R people anyway? 18
mos - 2yrs? I'm not saying that these people can't make valid criticisms
of your work through their experience with the record industry, but it
ultimately comes down to what motivates you.

Basically TAXI is saying read Billboard religiously, learn how to write
songs just the way they are currently making hits and get over "being
creative" -- it's about selling what people want. I think he is probably
right in this regard.

TAXI is saying you should learn the present craft of songwriting and use
their service for possible placement of your music. This is a very
compelling argument for being successful in the music industry. You may
be slightly repulsed at this "other-directed" philosophy --where your
"inner-directed" conscience is subordinated to the mass market to realize
commercial success. But he's probably right. What's that old saying? --
"Nobody ever got poor underestimating the stupidity of the American
public."

It is my hope, in the future, that it will become easier for people that
make quality music to find people that want to buy that music - we can
dream can't we?

Just My 2 cents.

Mack

[R Krizman]

<< "Elliottmoore2" > wrote in message
...

> I read some of the reviews of TAXI and all
> were negative. I'm not sure if atleast some of the negativity stems from
people
> who thought they had a great song and it got rejected. Who knows?

So what if some of the comments stem from people who think their stuff is
great? Put aside that stuff and study the offer TAXI makes. Now look at
their track record. Do the math. Make your decision.

John
>>


If you look at previous discussions you'll find negative comments from me.
I've been making a living as a composer and songwriter for 22 years, and in
fact sent material to TAXI that I had already placed in movies or tv shows.
The patronizing reviews and rejection notices were a hoot, as was the
simplistic advice about "make the chorus stronger" and other such mindless
****. The whole deal is of a very square-peg-in-a-square-hole mentality and
IMO runs counter to the maverick spirit that should part of every composer's
makeup.

I think the most successful way to deal with TAXI is to be the owner.

-R

[Analogeezer]

(Scott Dorsey) wrote in message >...
> In article >,
> Elliottmoore2 > wrote:
> >Has anyone had any experience with TAXI when submitting songs? Good experiences
> >or bad? Thanks, Elliott
>
> The only experience I ever had was that they sent me spam e-mail.
> Take the Boulder Pledge and don't deal with companies that spam.
> --scott

No to mention the five pages of cardboardy paper they have in
Recording every month, along with that "advertisement masquerading as
an article" section.

Not to defend it, but at least with email spam it's a lot easier to
flick it in the trash...you can't tear out the Taxi
article/advertisement very easily without trashing the magazine.

BTW, Taxi is a STUPID name...ridden in a taxi lately? Driven by
smelly, uncommunicative foreign people largely (nothing wrong with
being foreign, but don't act all ****ed off at America when you are
here taking my money), and not driven very well, and usually lacking
rear seat belts.

Yeah just what I want, a guy that learned to drive in Karachi, can't
read the damn road signs and then I don't get a seatbelt....WTF is up
with that?

Analogeezer

p.s. Last 'merican driving a cab that I rode in was in Salt Lake
City....dude looked like a feature guy from "America's Most Wanted".