# Is Taxi a scam?



## BillBk (Feb 14, 2022)

Right up front I will admit that I'm just starting out (an older RR guy, rediscovering my classical upbringing of my youth), and despite musician friends saying I should be able to get my music placed, I know enough to know my current limitations and how far I need to learn/improve, especially after listening to some of the work from other, more advanced forum members.

That said, a musician friend of mine (unlike me, he's in the pop genre. He has a long history of putting out/producing excellent recordings, has had music used on shows like Stranger Things, among others), has decided to join Taxi during this pandemic downtime.
He has submitted music to them, and has suggested that I join, saying there is a great demand for more of the instrumental/cinematic/blah/blah music that I'm dabbling in.
I have been totally unimpressed with the feedback he gets back. One statement will be in total contradiction with the next.
And yeah, while I'm just starting, it seems REALLY suspect to me how they fish for music submittals to go with some video/commercial/movie/placement (that of course you have to pay them in order to submit) based on some nebulous description (that sure seems to repeat itself, now that I'm on their mailing list). Am I being totally unfair to think it's BS that they ask for music to go with visuals that you can't see?.........at best, it seems like a total crap shoot, where I'd have better odds playing the lottery..........but for them, it's the system that keeps on giving.
Is he wasting his money, and is there any reason I should invest in this, if not now, even later as I improve.

Damn, it sure seems that the more things change the more things stay the same. Nothing has changed for musicians, just new ways to use them. Am I wrong, and am I just being a total cynic?


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## Kery Michael (Feb 14, 2022)

I’m not a fan of pay to submit, so I’ve never tried to make use of Taxi. On the one hand, I understand that it cuts down on getting thousands of submissions for every brief. But on the other hand, it feels like it’s taking advantage of musicians desperate to get noticed.

But maybe it works for some, I’m curious to hear about anyones experience.


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## bvaughn0402 (Feb 14, 2022)

I would say based on my experience ... it is not a scam, but it is a waste of money.

If you are new to pitching songs, it is probably a good thing to get feedback on your songs and writing to actual briefs.

The problem with Taxi is you have to get past THEIR reviewers, and if you happen to do that ... you still have to get past the CLIENT ... with NO way to contact the Client even if your track is forwarded.

While $5 a submission isn't the worst, it adds up. 

I would say spend $100-200 and write ... pitch ... read feedback and try to improve. But after that, cut your losses and then pitch directly to music libraries.

Personally, out of 100's of submissions ... I had about 20 get forwarded. Of those I heard from ONE library, and that library still hasn't done anything with me.


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## BillBk (Feb 14, 2022)

Not convinced.
One word: Spotify (.003 cents for the use of musician's music)


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## rgames (Feb 14, 2022)

Ultimately, who cares what someone thinks about whether someone else will pay you for your music? Just ask the person who's going to pay you. Theirs is the only opinion that matters.

Think about it this way: ever heard music that you think is crap but is making money? I have. But there they are - making money on music that I think is crap. (In fact, I even think some of my own money-making music is crap. Shhhh don't tell anyone.).

Who cares what I think if I'm not paying for it? The only opinion that matters is the person with the checkbook.

rgames


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## gsilbers (Feb 14, 2022)

ive seen a few of those services popping up. 

theres just an over abundance of music supply and a great demand to get placements or the "in". 

At this point music seems more like video games than a money making/normal career.
I know a very few video gamers making a lot of money... via youtube/twitch videos... 
so starting to look closer and closer music vs video games :/


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## Arbee (Feb 15, 2022)

As someone who considered and observed Taxi for quite a while then took the plunge 12 months ago, this is my personal take on it:

Taxi has been around for a long time and their structure, workflow and processes seem well established and professional. I don't see any evidence of a scam at all, but the question around how many of their listings are legitimately requested from the industry vs Taxi creating their own listings to pitch an unsolicited bunch of tracks, I really don't know.

With or without Taxi, success requires a high production quality, commitment to meet deadlines, and the ability to write to a brief, so Taxi's listings, reference tracks and feedback can help hone your skills from hobbyist to pro levels if you really jump in. While the annual fees are significant and there is a $5 submission fee per track, I'd pay much more for a formal education, and the small submission fee does make me review whether I really met the brief.

While some subjectivity inevitably creeps into the feedback at times, for the most part I've found it to be clear, somewhat insightful, and professional. The consistent structure of the feedback has obviously evolved over many years.

This is a big one for me. If you tend to cover a lot of genres and are not sure where you might fit best in the jungle, Taxi's feedback and forward percentage can give you some strong clues. All too often, our strengths and weaknesses don't match how others perceive them.

So, for me, using Taxi to help get me to a level where I can be competitive is very worthwhile. Then I'll start to approach libraries directly. My current forward rate with them is about 40% but I'm yet to be approached by anyone about licencing. For context, I'm not a complete newb, but a re-born bedroom musician. I spent 15 years in the 1980s/90s as a pro jingle writer/composer, orchestrator, studio and TV musician. Taxi is my "refresher sweat shop" to re-hone my skills and bring my craft up to date.

There are many scams around and plenty of folk wanting to take your money and sell you dreams (I get several of these "opportunities" every week), but I don't perceive Taxi to be in that camp. YMMV.


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## GtrString (Feb 15, 2022)

My take as a former member; Taxi is more for beginning composers starting out, who does not have much of a network or have done a lot of research (yet), and want to dip their toes in the sync world and see if it is for them. Taxi offers a lot of communication about learning (their version of) the ropes of the business, offer paid feedback and stuff like that. Their listings are of varied quality, and you can make really bad deals there but also find decent new outlets - if you are mindful about what you are doing. Tbh, and this is my opinion only, if you are signing away rights in contracts with music libraries, there aren't really any great deals to be made. You lose, they win.

On the other side of things - it is free to run a listing with them, so if you have a label or a library, you can get some volume fast by using them. But that can also be a liability for composers as many libraries are just signing tracks to get a decent volume, so they can sell a full catalogue after a while, regardless of quality. And they are very american in nature, criticism isn’t really taken seriously, they will not act as a buffer between you and those who run the listings, and they are pretty apologetic of the race to the bottom where composers are giving away their rights to libraries, street hustlers and their moms.

Is it worth it? I’d say it’s a “maybe” if you are a robust beginning composer, producer/songwriter, and need to diversify your portfolio, and have some tracks to experiment with. You may find it convenient to get started, maybe find people to write with, you may find libraries to sign up with, and you may find useful information about the sync world. Just be aware that it is not the only game in town, don’t be naive, but that goes for all music “business” where even regular companies would qualify as scammers in other branches of business.


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## BillBk (Feb 15, 2022)

Arbee said:


> As someone who considered and observed Taxi for quite a while then took the plunge 12 months ago, this is my personal take on it:
> 
> Taxi has been around for a long time and their structure, workflow and processes seem well established and professional. I don't see any evidence of a scam at all, but the question around how many of their listings are legitimately requested from the industry vs Taxi creating their own listings to pitch an unsolicited bunch of tracks, I really don't know.
> 
> ...


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## BillBk (Feb 15, 2022)

Good to know. Thanks for the perspective.


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## BillBk (Feb 15, 2022)

GtrString said:


> My take as a former member; Taxi is more for beginning composers starting out, who does not have much of a network or have done a lot of research (yet), and want to dip their toes in the sync world and see if it is for them. Taxi offers a lot of communication about learning (their version of) the ropes of the business, offer paid feedback and stuff like that. Their listings are of varied quality, and you can make really bad deals there but also find decent new outlets - if you are mindful about what you are doing.
> 
> On the other side of things - it is free to run a listing with them, so if you have a label or a library, you can get some volume fast by using them. But that is also a liability for composers as many libraries are just signing tracks to get a decent volume, so they can sell a full catalogue after a while, regardless of quality. So they are very american in nature, criticism isn’t really taken seriously, they will not act as a buffer between you and those who run the listings, and they are pretty apologetic of the race to the bottom where composers are giving away their rights to libraries, street hustlers and their moms.
> 
> Is it worth it? I’d say it’s a “maybe” if you are a robust beginning composer, producer/songwriter, and need to diversify your portfolio, and have some tracks to experiment with. You may find it convenient to get started, maybe find people to write with, you may find libraries to sign up with, and you may find useful information about the sync world. Just be aware that it is not the only game in town, don’t be naive, but that goes for all music “business” where even regular companies would qualify as scammers in other branches of business.


Thanks. Newbie question for all you veteran composers. Is this model of requesting tracks based on a couple sentences common industrywide. I would have thought that music would be written to the visuals. I'm a retired architect, and it would have been like designing a building without an extensive, in depth program (a ridiculous waste of time, and something that would never happen). Maybe in music, there is more flexibility?.........just seemed odd to me. Lot to learn.


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## GtrString (Feb 15, 2022)

TV and advertising uses a lot of cues, not composed specifically to visuals. Also film, unless you get a high profile gig scoring it. It's very common. Just google music libraries, visit their websites and see what they offer. Nothing odd there.

After a while, you will know what shapes, sizes and stuff will have the best chances of getting used, but sure it's a crap shoot. In the good scenarios, once you get to work with a couple libraries, they may request you to do music they have clients for. Experience will help you hit the mark.

Just don't quit your day job yet. There is a lot to know, and once you get to sign contracts, you are still 1-2 years away from getting any returns. You have to really want it, and considering todays oversaturated market, it may not be a good thing to want or invest time and effort heavily in to.

Good luck with your music, though. Remember to enjoy whatever you do.


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## SupremeFist (Feb 15, 2022)

Arbee said:


> Taxi is my "refresher sweat shop" to re-hone my skills and bring my craft up to date.


I joined up with the Xmas discount with the intention of treating it exactly like this, kind of like a version of Orchestration Recipes for common genres of production music. Just wrote two cues on spec to submit to a listing I thought was probably in my wheelhouse, and already learned a _lot_. (This is before feedback.) I'm looking forward to doing more over the year simply to hone my chops, regardless of any subsequent "success" with forwarding or placement.


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## BillBk (Feb 15, 2022)

GtrString said:


> TV and advertising uses a lot of cues, not composed specifically to visuals. Also film, unless you get a high profile gig scoring it. It's very common. Just google music libraries, visit their websites and see what they offer. Nothing odd there.
> 
> After a while, you will know what shapes, sizes and stuff will have the best chances of getting used, but sure it's a crap shoot. In the good scenarios, once you get to work with a couple libraries, they may request you to do music they have clients for. Experience will help you hit the mark.
> 
> ...


Interesting. In architecture (my previous profession), years ago, there was a bit of a rebellion against competitions. The feeling being that the "client" staging the competitions was getting an enormous amount of free/slave labor (contrary to TV sitcoms, most architects operate on a shoestring, and the pay is quite low - my job when I first moved to NYC paid $13,000). It eventually changed to "invite" competitions, where everyone got paid at least something. The analogy that I thought applied, was to see what would happen if you went into a dozen lawyers offices and said "all of you need to write me up a brief on how you would handle my case. I'll choose the best". You would be thrown out the first lawyers 50th story window. Same analogy could be applied to any trade (do some plumbing/electrical work for me. If I like it, maybe I'll give you more work). There seems to be this feeling that if your work has any "creative" aspect to it, then it must be "fun" and is therefore not to be as valued.


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## BillBk (Feb 15, 2022)

SupremeFist said:


> I joined up with the Xmas discount with the intention of treating it exactly like this, kind of like a version of Orchestration Recipes for common genres of production music. Just wrote two cues on spec to submit to a listing I thought was probably in my wheelhouse, and already learned a _lot_. (This is before feedback.) I'm looking forward to doing more over the year simply to hone my chops, regardless of any subsequent "success" with forwarding or placement.


Understandable, but it still never ceases to amaze me that music is the only field where we are willing to produce work for free (work that I assume is of some value, or we are hoping someone will reward us by saying it's of value, or give us criticism). Hell, isn't there that shtick going on where rock bands have to PAY the clubs in order to play? What other field operates that way? None that I can think of.
Often we are our worst enemy and eat our own, by not valuing what we do enough to expect compensation, which of course hurts the entire field. Just because you are learning something (hope that never ends) doesn't mean what you are creating is of no value to society (....hmm, maybe it actually isn't?). Maybe we've all just gotten used to it, and don't expect anything more for what we do? Even apprentices in the building trades do ok.
Side story: When I moved to NYC in 1980 searching for work as an architect (the economy was horrendous, and no one was hiring anywhere, except in New York), I interviewed with one of the more famous architects at the time, I.M.Pei. I interviewed with his son, C.C. Pei. The interview went very well, he was impressed with my portfolio, and asked when I could start. I decided to broach the subject of pay. He just looked at me funny, and said "there is no pay, you would be working for the glory of toiling and learning under the master"........later heard from amongst us grunts that they were also known as I.No.Pay. (unfortunately, the slumlord of my shitty walkup was not willing to accept the "glory of renting to an architect" as rent payment. Same with the grocery store).
Things in that profession HAVE improved, but it seems the music profession is getting worse.............just an observation.


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## SupremeFist (Feb 15, 2022)

BillBk said:


> it still never ceases to amaze me that music is the only field where we are willing to produce work for free


But I'm not offering any work for free?


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## tmhuud (Feb 15, 2022)

It’s not a scam. It’s constructive criticism at its least. Good luck!


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## muk (Feb 15, 2022)

As @bvaughn0402 said, I too think the offer is legitimate, and a severe misallocation of your time and money if you want to start working in tv/media music. Everything they offer is available in more transparent form, for free.

If it is the feedback you are looking for - I found that on this forum I get honest, friendly advice from seasoned pros who are very generous with their time and knowledge. I try to offer the same where I can help. It's often much more in-depth and helpful than anything I can imagine Taxi could possibly provide.

If you are looking for opportunities, again there are better options, completely free. Put in the work and do the research, and approach suitable libraries in a friendly and professional manner. No need to pay a middle-man who may or may not have any great opportunities to pitch to a library. If you are serious about what you are doing, you should be doing that yourself. You see, writing for production music libraries is much about building working relationships with the people there. If you approach them through a middle man, you will never get to know anybody, and can't form a lasting relationship and cooperation. So even if you win a pitch through Taxi. Will that lead to another commission from the library? Probably not. Because they don't know you, and haven't worked with you on a track. Instead, they simply have been sent a lot of material and chose one track that fit their brief.

If it's motivation you need to actually finish a project instead of starting two dozen new ones. Well, that's only natural if you don't have any specific purpose for the music you write. Taxi might be a help there.
Of course you could give yourself goals to work towards without Taxi too. You could try to create a track in two weeks time that you want to share on this forum to get honest feedback. Then revise the track until you think it has the quality necessary to be pitched to libaries. Do that with two more tracks. Once that's done, start researching good libraries to pitch your tracks to. If you follow this route, I am certain you will be better off than paying Taxi to try the same.

Just my opinion though, based on my experience. I never tried Taxi, nor any other service that is pay to submit. Instead, I approached the libraries myself. At least for me, that worked.


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## Stephen Limbaugh (Feb 15, 2022)

Taxi is total bullshit. I know a number of people who have been panelists over the years and it’s a joke to them.

It’s like a casino slot machine… someone wins every once in a while to make it appear to be fun or a good deal… but savvy folks know the truth.


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## BillBk (Feb 15, 2022)

tmhuud said:


> It’s not a scam. It’s constructive criticism at its least. Good luck!


Thank God all the people I've done work for in my life, didn't think "constructive criticism" was something I could support myself with.


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## BillBk (Feb 15, 2022)

SupremeFist said:


> But I'm not offering any work for free?


Yes, it's a choice, but if you didn't get paid for your hard work, you in effect are doing it for free (ok, except for those rare times when you won the lottery - and even if you win occasionally, so what? What the hell kind of system is that?)
My point is that I can't think of any other "profession" that operates on this "model".


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## SupremeFist (Feb 15, 2022)

BillBk said:


> Yes, it's a choice, but if you didn't get paid for your hard work, you in effect are doing it for free (ok, except for those rare times when you won the lottery - and even if you win occasionally, so what? What the hell kind of system is that?)
> My point is that I can't think of any other "profession" that operates on this "model".


Try writing a book proposal some time.


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## BillBk (Feb 15, 2022)

SupremeFist said:


> Try writing a book proposal some time.


Point taken............but I like to eat.


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## BillBk (Feb 15, 2022)

Stephen Limbaugh said:


> Taxi is total bullshit. I know a number of people who have been panelists over the years and it’s a joke to them.
> 
> It’s like a casino slot machine… someone wins every once in a while to make it appear to be fun or a good deal… but savvy folks know the truth.


Another poster here said that he'd trust the feedback that he gets from the composers on this site a lot more. As I'm the original poster of this thread, my intent was to get opinions/experiences of people who have joined Taxi, to see if it would be worthwhile (not convinced).

My friend, that I also wrote about, who IS a member (he's more into pop), told me this week that he's been finding the "feedback" "questionable".
Here's what he wrote me:
"I'm finding their critiques a little questionable so far: Listing says the song can be a "demo", screener sends it back saying it lacks studio polish. Another listing asked for songs from the 80s and 90s. The screener sent it back saying the song, that I recorded in 1989, "Recorded sound was too clean and not vintage enough for the listing" then went on to check a box that says "Not high enough demo quality as requested". How can it be both too clean and not high quality!?"

I'm extremely happy for the people here that have had some positive experiences (or are satisfied with getting feedback), but I still have to say the entire "model" of how musicians are treated/valued/compensated bothers me..............but then, that's an age old story.


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## musicalweather (Feb 15, 2022)

I wouldn't go so far as to call it a scam, but I would be wary of recommending Taxi. I write mostly orchestral tracks and was a member for about three years. I found it hard to produce complex, quality orchestral tracks in time for the deadlines. The feedback wasn't particularly helpful. I did have a couple of tracks licensed by libraries, but, as others have said, no direct contact with the libraries. And my tracks were never used in any productions, as far as I know. The Taxi conference is kinda cool to go to - once. For me, the whole thing added up to a significant outlay of money and nothing fruitful.


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## BillBk (Feb 15, 2022)

Stephen Limbaugh said:


> Taxi is total bullshit. I know a number of people who have been panelists over the years and it’s a joke to them.
> 
> It’s like a casino slot machine… someone wins every once in a while to make it appear to be fun or a good deal… but savvy folks know the truth.


That brings up a pertinent point. Do you know who is critiquing your work? I'm all for intense criticism (my architectural school followed the Bauhaus method - basically, put up your stuff, then stand back to be torn to shreds for a half hour. Good training for the real world we were told). That method can be enlightening if you know your critics background, their work, their prejudges, where they are coming from (something I knew after 5 years of studying under them). I'm guessing that all that is a mystery on Taxi? I can and have sent some of my stuff to musicians I trust and who I know where they're coming from. Criticism is cheap. Insightful and in-depth criticism is harder to come by.


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## Stephen Limbaugh (Feb 15, 2022)

BillBk said:


> Do you know who is critiquing your work?


Yes. Dickheads who had one hit 20-30 years ago who financially subsist by scamming suburban moms into 5 song production deals for their daughters in hopes that they could be the next Zendaya (they aren’t). Doing a handful of Taxi reviews/rallies pays for dinner with their mistress at The Ivy (as if that’s still the “it” place).


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## BillBk (Feb 15, 2022)

Ouch.


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## jblongz (Feb 15, 2022)

I'm going for the grand answer here:

Taxi is a long, expensive ride that you can hike yourself (maybe faster). They will always offer to take you on a ride since you're paying...even if your music is not what their clients/collegues/affiliates are looking for. At least they can coach you while you're paying (their perspective).

On the flipside, if your music is on point (subjective), you can shop directly to the publishing companies. You are better off spending your money on incorporating, copyrights, trademarks, website, and use these tools to market to your target music supervisors. The time and money taxi will burn can be spent investing in YOU directly. If you want someone shopping for you, hire an agent who can get you into meetings (virtual or in-person) with music supervisors or other potential clients.

But if you want a long ride-share with lots of waiting and hoping (and still no copywritten web portfolio)....Taxi.

Bonus: If you're not with some publishing rights organization like Sesac, Ascap, or BMI, then you're not ready to shop music in a secure way. Business sharks smell that as blood in water and they'll LOVE to see how much you don't know.

Some people charge $$$ to say this with more words!


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## bvaughn0402 (Feb 15, 2022)

On a side note, once I got so frustrated with the feedback that I literally copied the reference track exactly ... like total copywrite infringement ...

And they rejected it saying it didn't match the references. :D


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## BillBk (Feb 15, 2022)

bvaughn0402 said:


> On a side note, once I got so frustrated with the feedback that I literally copied the reference track exactly ... like total copywrite infringement ...
> 
> And they rejected it saying it didn't match the references. :D


OMG, that's rich. Seriously?


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## Akarin (Feb 15, 2022)

I've been using Taxi for less than a year. I've had many forwards. Out of these, some got me placements. Most importantly, they got me in touch with the end customer. Two of which are now libraries I'm writing albums for and bring me a decent and steady income. One of these two, I applied three times on my own in the past and they never listened to my tracks.

In hindsight, I just wish I had started using Taxi sooner rather than trying to get the attention of libraries through submission packages that are rarely answered (if listened to at all.)

There seems to be a lot of badmouthing when it comes to Taxi and their review process but some composers whose music I admire only have nice things to say about Taxi and how it helped them. On the other hand, I've also heard the music from some very vocal disgruntled users and let's say that said music was laughable at best.



BillBk said:


> Am I being totally unfair to think it's BS that they ask for music to go with visuals that you can't see?



You may want to learn what production music (also known as library music) is. Here's a good starting point: https://librarymusicbook.com/ This one is written by Dan Graham, the founder and owner of Gothic Storm, one of the very successful production music publishers out there.


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## BillBk (Feb 15, 2022)

Cool. Very happy for your success........the reason I posted, asking for user experiences


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## bbunker (Feb 15, 2022)

The problem with looking at user experiences is that on the Taxi side of the game, the numbers are wonky. There are plenty of returns that you can disagree with, many that end up being put on albums when they find a library, and many that end up getting placements. There are plenty of forwards that go off to wherever they end up, and the library ends up (presumably) going 'meh' about them, and just never gets in touch. There are plenty of composers who can write but haven't figured out the specifics of making it licensable yet, and will get a lot of returns with feedback that isn't terribly helpful. Ultimately - there are lots of ways for it to go wrong, but when it goes right, it's terrific value for money.

I've had two initial connections to libraries thanks to Taxi, one of which I didn't know existed (it isn't even on MLR), and one of which I'd messaged without them ever having listened to what I sent. How much is that relationship worth? Tough to say without knowing how many albums they'll each end up with, what the placement rate will be over 20 years, etc, but - for me it's exponentially more than the cost of the service.

Would I recommend it for you? Probably not. If you're at the beginning of that journey, then there are a lot of steps along the way that would result in a lot of returns and frustration if you did that journey with Taxi. If it's something you really want to get into, I'd say to polish your game until you really feel like you have a few albums of licensable material, and see if anybody'll listen - and if not, maybe try it out. If you've been grinding away for a while and are finding limits on markets you can work in, absolutely try it.

Ultimately, one thing that will often get people to listen to your submission is - unfortunately for those just getting started - whether you've worked with anyone that they know. If you're submitting to a BMG sub-licensor, you're exponentially more likely to see traction if you've worked for others that sub-license on BMG. I'd assume that much of the value you put on having a way like Taxi to get around the 'who are your references' angle will depend on how much you've banged your head against a wall trying to make headway by direct submission. 

Have you watched their Taxi TV YouTube channel? A lot of it is not great viewing, but there are episodes of 'do you agree with the screener' that can be enlightening on the process, the people involved, and the results. Some of the interviews strewn around are fantastic stuff, if you can wade through the chaff to get to the wheat.

Final note: with all that said, I'm not going to be renewing this year, for what that's worth. I'm not in a position to get value from them for a while, so I might be back when I would be.


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## chlady (Feb 15, 2022)

I don't think I would call it a scam but It is a bit hit or miss sometimes. It is about following their briefs for exactly for what they are looking for and the feedback can be helpful. I have have been a long time member and have had some success over the years which has more than paid for my memberships . This included some 3k netflix cues direct to a supervisor which I probably wouldn't have gotten otherwise. I am still getting royalties on some of those every year . Also the forwards have provided introductions to some libraries I now write for . If you have a lot of time to do all your own research then go for that, I really don't have the time right now for a lot of cold calls. It is not the only option but it is an option to get your foot in some doors.


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## Akarin (Feb 15, 2022)

chlady said:


> It is about following their briefs for exactly for what they are looking for



I think that this is the most important aspect of being successful with Taxi. You could write something unbelievably good, say the Star Wars theme, and it would be rejected because somewhere in the brief they say "no longer than 1 minute" or "please don't use clarinets." Then people go on to say Taxi is bad because that same track was picked up by a library and got placed. Yes sure, but not for that show as it was not what the customer was expecting. 

Most briefs also include the line "broadcast quality required" in bold letters. A lot of submitters seem to not know what that means. If it's for a TV underscore brief for example, tame the mids. If it's for a major film trailer, make sure the mix is sonically on par with the other ones that you can hear in a cinema and not just decent in $100 headphones.


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## bvaughn0402 (Feb 15, 2022)

Akarin said:


> I think that this is the most important aspect of being successful with Taxi. You could write something unbelievably good, say the Star Wars theme, and it would be rejected because somewhere in the brief they say "no longer than 1 minute" or "please don't use clarinets." Then people go on to say Taxi is bad because that same track was picked up by a library and got placed. Yes sure, but not for that show as it was not what the customer was expecting.
> 
> Most briefs also include the line "broadcast quality required" in bold letters. A lot of submitters seem to not know what that means. If it's for a TV underscore brief for example, tame the mids. If it's for a major film trailer, make sure the mix is sonically on par with the other ones that you can hear in a cinema and not just decent in $100 headphones.


All of this is good info and true.

My issue is more that 1) I have to pay an annual fee PLUS a submission fee (why do we have to do both?!), and 2) I insert a middle man in the process.

Your points are VERY good ... in that it can connect you to people you would have never had a chance before.

But why can't we know who we got pitched to IF we got forwarded? 

And if we are close, why can't we re-pitch based on the feedback given?

But still you are points are really good and have made me rethink a few things about them.

Also the other issue I have is not really knowing how many people I compete against. If I'm pitching to something that has 100 submissions, I might defer to something else that only has 15 instead.

And it would be nice to hear the other submissions on a brief.


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## Akarin (Feb 15, 2022)

bvaughn0402 said:


> why do we have to do both?!



Imagine if submission and feedback was free... people would pitch their trap beats on sad piano & strings briefs thinking that "maybe I still have a chance." That's the way people are. I bet that some would simply submit their whole catalogue for each brief 🤣



bvaughn0402 said:


> I insert a middle man in the process.



For the same reasons that some companies use recruiting agencies when they have job openings. Time and money. Someone does the filtering for them and they don't spend hundreds of hours listening to unrelated tracks. 



bvaughn0402 said:


> why can't we know who we got pitched to IF we got forwarded?



Again because "people." You know that some would harass the client to know if they like their track, how soon they could expect a placement, how much would it pay, etc.



bvaughn0402 said:


> why can't we re-pitch based on the feedback given?



Because they don't listen to pitches until after the submission deadline. In random order to avoid the "first in, first served" they're accused of all the time. 



bvaughn0402 said:


> Also the other issue I have is not really knowing how many people I compete against.



Same analogy as before: if you apply for an office job, do you know how many candidates send their resume? Or if your publisher asks you for a custom track for a pitch, do you know how many publishers did the client contact?



bvaughn0402 said:


> it would be nice to hear the other submissions on a brief.



People can opt-in to share their submissions using the forum and/or by making their tracks public on their profile. I never do and I like it this way 😊


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## bvaughn0402 (Feb 15, 2022)

Akarin said:


> Imagine if submission and feedback was free... people would pitch their trap beats on sad piano & strings briefs thinking that "maybe I still have a chance." That's the way people are. I bet that some would simply submit their whole catalogue for each brief 🤣


All good points ...

But on the first, I'm not suggesting it be free. I'm asking why we have to pay twice. 

There should be a yearly fee with no submission fees ... or submission fees wihtout a yearly fee.

This to me is like paying a yearly gym membership, and you also have to pay a fee for each visit. Something about that seems wrong.

Or imagine paying for the new Spitfire library, and then you have to pay everytime you use it.

Or you buy a car, and then have to pay a fee everytime you drive it.

To your point, it would be better to pay per submission to keep people from submitting whole catalogues to a brief. But then there shouldn't be a yearly fee then.


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## SupremeFist (Feb 15, 2022)

Stephen Limbaugh said:


> Yes. Dickheads who had one hit 20-30 years ago who financially subsist by scamming suburban moms into 5 song production deals for their daughters in hopes that they could be the next Zendaya (they aren’t). Doing a handful of Taxi reviews/rallies pays for dinner with their mistress at The Ivy (as if that’s still the “it” place).


Steady on, I'm rather fond of the Ivy.


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## Hywel (Feb 16, 2022)

bvaughn0402 said:


> All good points ...
> 
> But on the first, I'm not suggesting it be free. I'm asking why we have to pay twice.
> 
> ...


I spent a year with Taxi which ended last November, I submitted about 20 tracks to mainly instrumental listings and had 4 forwards but have heard nothing since. It was my songwriting partner at the time that suggested that I join because she thought I had a reasonable chance of kindling something with my instrumental works, so I joined at the discounted rate. My feedback was mostly positive, quite brief and probably mildly helpful. There was one track (a vocal song) that we BOTH submitted that got different feedback and the feedback to my submission of the track suggested quite clearly to me that the listener hadn't listened all the way through the track to the end.
I think the fee for each submission thing, acts as a gatekeeper, otherwise they would be flooded with submissions for each listing, each of which requiring some degree of feedback.
I lurked around their forums a bit but didn't get much from that that I don't get around here. They do publish lists of the "made public" submissions to all of their listings but that hides a lot of the ones like @Akarin above that aren't made public and that are likely to be the more professional ones in my opinion anyway.
Most of the Taxi YouTube stuff is already available on YouTube anyway, but I'm afraid I became increasingly irritated, by the presenting style of the Taxi CEO, Michael Laskow who fronted most if not all of the videos and I just gave up with them.
I'm not aggressively pursuing library, or for that matter any type of outlet for my music, I'm here for the enjoyment aspect but I wasn't going to turn down an offer if it happened!


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## Hywel (Feb 16, 2022)

SupremeFist said:


> Steady on, I'm rather fond of the Ivy.


I haven't been to THE Ivy, but I have been to The Ivy in Oxford, recently - excellent food, great service and atmosphere... oh sorry, I thought this website was Tripadvisor.


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## Arbee (Feb 16, 2022)

So, the response to "Is Taxi a Scam?" goes from this at one extreme....



Stephen Limbaugh said:


> Taxi is total bullshit. I know a number of people who have been panelists over the years and it’s a joke to them.
> 
> It’s like a casino slot machine… someone wins every once in a while to make it appear to be fun or a good deal… but savvy folks know the truth.





BillBk said:


> Do you know who is critiquing your work?





Stephen Limbaugh said:


> Yes. Dickheads who had one hit 20-30 years ago who financially subsist by scamming suburban moms into 5 song production deals for their daughters in hopes that they could be the next Zendaya (they aren’t). Doing a handful of Taxi reviews/rallies pays for dinner with their mistress at The Ivy (as if that’s still the “it” place).


To this at the other (plus several "It's OK, but do it yourself" suggestions in between)....



Akarin said:


> I've been using Taxi for less than a year. I've had many forwards. Out of these, some got me placements. Most importantly, they got me in touch with the end customer. Two of which are now libraries I'm writing albums for and bring me a decent and steady income. One of these two, I applied three times on my own in the past and they never listened to my tracks.
> 
> In hindsight, I just wish I had started using Taxi sooner rather than trying to get the attention of libraries through submission packages that are rarely answered (if listened to at all.)
> 
> There seems to be a lot of badmouthing when it comes to Taxi and their review process but some composers whose music I admire only have nice things to say about Taxi and how it helped them. On the other hand, I've also heard the music from some very vocal disgruntled users and let's say that said music was laughable at best.


And here I was hoping this thread would make my renewal decision clearer!


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## GtrString (Feb 16, 2022)

It’s pretty transparent what Taxi is. You can see who the screeners are, you can see what music is needed in the briefs, you can get their opinions ect. https://www.taxi.com/aandr/ You can even see what music has been forwarded for the listings, to see how you measure up https://blog.taxi.com/forward/

In the end, Taxi depend on who uses them, both at the request side and at the submission side. They get a lot of subpar submissions, and they also have subpar requesters. As the name says, they are just the Taxi.

You could also say some music libraries and musicians are scammers, because they overpromise and underdeliver. Music business is overpopulated with hustlers and bums in general, and some of them also use Taxi.

I don’t think any one company can be responsible for cleaning up the music business. You just have to be realistic and do your thing. It’s not for the faint of heart.

+1 also for @jblongz post earlier in the thread.


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## Roger Newton (Feb 16, 2022)

BillBk said:


> Thanks. Newbie question for all you veteran composers. Is this model of requesting tracks based on a couple sentences common industrywide. I would have thought that music would be written to the visuals. I'm a retired architect, and it would have been like designing a building without an extensive, in depth program (a ridiculous waste of time, and something that would never happen). Maybe in music, there is more flexibility?.........just seemed odd to me. Lot to learn.


I've been reading this whole thread because apart from anything else it's extremely entertaining. 

I don'y know the first thing about Taxi either. But I think you struck gold when you say music would (or could) be written to visuals. You could also use voice overs too. Either or both ways are effective. It's the only way I can write anything for music production and have used this technique for years. The visuals are always based on whatever the publisher brief is. The bottom line with production music really, is for it to be able to sit under dialogue and at the same time work with the visuals. It's that simple as a starting point.
I also like your attitude to writing music to make money. That's a premium thought. There's a lot of music hobbyists (I'm one) who write for music production publishers that realise that the people they are working for (publishers and ultimately TV program makers) are NOT hobbyists. So it's good to remember that when you're writing music to their requirements.

Get a portfolio of tracks together. Maybe ask for some feedback right here and hope for the best while planning for the worst. Try and get into a publishing house by submitting tracks. Check out ASCAP and BMI and all that admin stuff.


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## Akarin (Feb 16, 2022)

I started to get several questions regarding Taxi through DMs so I will give a few answers here. I don't know what works and what doesn't but I can highlight a few basic tips that worked _for me_. Taxi has been around for 30 years and employs about 20 people. I want to believe that they know what they are doing. If it was just a fad, they wouldn't have lasted this long and premium networks and publishers wouldn't be using them.

Let me wear my Captain Obvious hat and let's see:

*1. Stick to the brief*

This is the most important component. It may sound silly but it really is. If the brief says "between 1:30 and 2:45," don't submit a 2:52 track.

When the brief says for example "sad piano & strings," don't submit piano, strings & woodwinds because you have one track lying around. Totally unrelated to the quality of your track, this is not what the music supervisor is looking for. Say that they need to slap some underscore on a scene with the family dog dying, you want it to be sad. Your upbeat happy piano & strings cue will not work and again, this has nothing to do with its quality. No need to complain either that it was rejected by Taxi and accepted by another publisher for a totally different project.

If you are a vegetarian (why?!?) and they serve you some expensive Kobe beef, this is not what you want despite the quality of the meat. There's not a single scenario where you'll go "you know what? I'll take the beef anyway, maybe I'll have some use for it later."

Taxi gives you in average 3 reference tracks. Listen to them, study them... ...but don't copy them. Most of the time, they will tell you that they need something in a similar ballpark but that the structure needs to be a TV structure, or a 3-act trailer structure. I've read in this thread that someone _copied_ a reference and that it was rejected. It makes plenty of sense if the structure was not the expected one, the length didn't match or the production quality was shit.

*2. Learn about structure*

Briefs will always mention the expected track structure. If you are not familiar with what a 3-act or 4-act trailer structure is, or an ABA TV cue, or what a button ending means, or..., or... . Learn these things. It's not concert music. Ultimately, you are here to provide a service for a video editor and make their job easier, not to impose your style. This is where a lot of references fail: they will give you a sonic ballpark but more often than not, they are built on a completely different structure.

*3. Broadcast quality*

This is a tough one because you have to judge your own production quality. MIDI programming, mixing, mastering. To your ears, it may sound just fine and your friends will love it. To a seasoned video editor or music supervisor, it may just sound like a stinking pile of crap.

Here is how I worked around this: I found a few trusted people whom I really like the music and who are successful in what they do to give me straight honest feedback. Don't post on VIC or Facebook groups asking for feedback. You'll get a ton of it for sure but you don't really know the experience of the person giving you said feedback. You don't even know if they already had their music placed on TV. It's kinda like when people comment here on sample libraries with authority and uncompromising wording but never share their music.

As a general rule, if the quality is not _exactly_ on par with the reference tracks, you will be rejected. Plain and simple. I know some people with insane skills who make 6 figures a year on production music and are using Taxi too. They are your competitors and Taxi will not forward your music if they have a pool of (much) better tracks. Why would they?

*4. Name & Tag*

A lot of tracks are named things like "orch track mix v4." That screams "newbiiiiie." Taxi is not retitling your tracks. That's not their job. Even if it gets forwarded, how do you expect that the client will find your track in a catalogue of hundreds of tracks? If they are looking for a sad cue, naming your track "The Death of My Best Friend" or "Grieving" will yield much better results with a client.

Use metatags A LOT! Tag the shit out of your file using ID3 tags. Give the BPM, the key, the style, add keywords for the instrumentation, the mood, the genre. Don't forget to include who controls the rights, add your phone number, website and email _within the file_! That's why I submit MP3s rather than WAV files. They support more tags.

*5. Keep it to yourself*

That's an obvious one but don't go posting your tracks on YouTube, Spotify and the likes. Publishers hate that. I don't even share my tracks in the private Taxi forums.

*6. My submission process*

This is absolutely personal but that's the way I use Taxi. I work with various publishers who give me briefs. I also do scoring to picture and assist other composers. It takes quite some time already. Yet, I try to carve some time during the month to dedicate to Taxi briefs.

I will try to submit an average of 5-10 tracks per month to Taxi briefs I'm comfortable with... ...but also to briefs that are completely outside of my comfort zone. That's how I learn about genres unfamiliar to me. I don't expect a forward but so far, feedback has been really useful to me (except for this one time the reviewer said that the legato transitions were not realistic and that I should use something like CSS instead... ...when CSS was the only lib used in the track. Reviewers are humans and sometimes biased. But that was _once_ on a freaking lot of submissions.)

In no particular order, here are some copy-pasted feedback that I got on my submissions (forwarded _and_ rejected tracks):



> _Your big slam hits seem to be reusing the same sample over and over again. As such, it's resulting in a machine-gun effect. Try replacing those samples with more round-robin samples.
> Also, I highly recommend holding out the V chord (C or Csus4) starting at 2:02 till the end of that act. That way you end on the climactic suspense and finally resolve it on the final two hits._





> _The track is checking all the right boxes, so I think the client will be happy to hear it._





> _The only thing that feels a tad disconnected from the rest is the ending which seems a bit abrupt. Consider replacing it with an arpeggiated chord instead._





> _The composition is so good, but the samples need to be updated to work in an extremely high bar listing like this._





> _All good sounds and ideas, but the breaks between sections are too long and they need to sound more natural. You also need more variation and build throughout._





> _The issue is the application we're writing for, reality TV. with the heavy dialogue we know we'll encounter we need to stay away from huge crescendos, and also away from very intrusive sounds.
> 
> Keeping these submissions more low key is vital to success in this genre. Huge builds are great for trailers but need to be avoided here._





> _Track engages the listener immediately, and has a compelling arc throughout.
> 
> The low end audibly has an unexpected element- - either contained in the Vc sample- - or is it an added pedal tone? Check whether a foreign (non-string) voice is intentionally or unintentionally appearing in the mix._





> _The high violins line that comes in at 0:57 starts a bit early. Consider pushing it back a hair and giving it more of a crescendo.
> Also, consider pulling back on the harshness of the staccato strings that come in at 1:34._



As you can see, it doesn't come close to what I read about the awful feedback some got. Maybe I was just lucky. 100+ times lucky 

Forwarded or not, I also send my tracks to one of my publishers. Sometimes after reworking them based on feedback. If the client comes back to me and my publisher has already accepted the track, I will reply that unfortunately this track is not available anymore but that I'd be happy to write a new one in the same style. It works most of the time.

The briefs are also a source for album ideas. Very often, a publisher will tell me "we don't have a particular style in need right now so write an album that you'd really want to make." In this case, I will take a Taxi brief and write an album based on it. I just finished one "CSI-style investigation instrumental underscore."

If you have any questions in particular, I'd be happy to help as much as I can so just let me know!


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## BillBk (Feb 16, 2022)

Roger Newton said:


> I've been reading this whole thread because apart from anything else it's extremely entertaining.
> 
> I don'y know the first thing about Taxi either. But I think you struck gold when you say music would (or could) be written to visuals. You could also use voice overs too. Either or both ways are effective. It's the only way I can write anything for music production and have used this technique for years. The visuals are always based on whatever the publisher brief is. The bottom line with production music really, is for it to be able to sit under dialogue and at the same time work with the visuals. It's that simple as a starting point.
> I also like your attitude to writing music to make money. That's a premium thought. There's a lot of music hobbyists (I'm one) who write for music production publishers that realise that the people they are working for (publishers and ultimately TV program makers) are NOT hobbyists. So it's good to remember that when you're writing music to their requirements.
> ...


Yikes. Quite a hornet's nest I opened, but yeah, it is also entertaining.
I too am a hobbiest. I'm retired and luckily don't need to get any income out of this. I'm doing it for fun and to keep my brain from atrophying as I age. My comments about making money, and the model used for how musicians are compensated/valued is not about Taxi per se. It's the whole industry. I've never liked how we're treated (much differently than any other profession in my view)........but then, I'm an old hippy and don't like to see good people taken advantage of. I know other people here disagree and have no problem with that structure, but that's just my opinion (welcome to capitalism).


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## Roger Newton (Feb 16, 2022)

Yes I've been retired for quite few years now. And like you it's a kind of fun thing to want to do to keep the old brain box active. That said, I'm somehow a principle voting member of the PRS. Must some corporate thing or something. 

Bear in mind though, the people you're trying to get to publish your future masterpieces are not old hippies like us and are in to make money. Absolute good luck with it all and I hope it pans out in a positive way.


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## carlc (Feb 16, 2022)

I didn’t see the amounts specifically mentioned, but in addition to the $5 fee per song/work submitted, there is an annual membership fee. From what I can find that is $299 for the first year and $199 each year after that, although there may be periodic discounts available. It seems there are also fees for file uploads (album artwork, etc.) in the $2-5 range per file.

Having their business model built on up-front fees is a bit of a red flag for me. It assumes that the majority of their artists/composers will not have success so the profit is front-loaded. 

Disclaimer - I have never used Taxi, and only went partway through the signup process to confirm the annual fees. It is great to hear that some people are having success with it.

EDIT: On second thought, if there were no fees at all, they would probably have many hobbyists (like me) zinging low-effort tracks at them just to see if anything sticks. So the fees are necessary at this level, but I agree with the prior comments on not having both annual membership and per-track fees.


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## BillBk (Feb 16, 2022)

Roger Newton said:


> Yes I've been retired for quite few years now. And like you it's a kind of fun thing to want to do to keep the old brain box active. That said, I'm somehow a principle voting member of the PRS. Must some corporate thing or something.
> 
> Bear in mind though, the people you're trying to get to publish your future masterpieces are not old hippies like us and are in to make money. Absolute good luck with it all and I hope it pans out in a positive way.


Oh, I'm not a perfect hippy. I sold my soul and worked for as big corporation architect for many years. Wanted some benefits, like health, time off, retirement (not available in much of the profession). Yup, the people we're marketing to "are in it to make money"...........I just feel that more (or even some?) of that money should go to the musicians. These "competitions" to get our stuff heard is my problem. The architectural profession wised up 20 years ago, and came out against the competition model where firms spent enormous resources for the privilege to offer up to a "client" (the benevolent king maker) the luxury of picking through hundreds of submissions that he didn't have to pay for). It's bullshit. As I said in the beginning, imagine going to 10 law firms and saying "I want you all to research, do interviews and then write up an entire brief for my case (for free). Then I will decide which one I like the best and pay that firm".......Let me know how that would work for you, as you are falling out the 50th story window of the first lawyer's office that you were thrown out of.


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## BillBk (Feb 16, 2022)

BillBk said:


> Oh, I'm not a perfect hippy. I sold my soul and worked for as big corporation architect for many years. Wanted some benefits, like health, time off, retirement (not available in much of the profession). Yup, the people we're marketing to "are in it to make money"...........I just feel that more (or even some?) of that money should go to the musicians. These "competitions" to get our stuff heard is my problem. The architectural profession wised up 20 years ago, and came out against the competition model where firms spent enormous resources for the privilege to offer up to a "client" (the benevolent king maker) the luxury of picking through hundreds of submissions that he didn't have to pay for). It's bullshit. As I said in the beginning, imagine going to 10 law firms and saying "I want you all to research, do interviews and then write up an entire brief for my case (for free). Then I will decide which one I like the best and pay that firm".......Let me know how that would work for you, as you are falling out the 50th story window of the first lawyer's office that you were thrown out of.


....or more germane, let's say you are composing the music/cue for a commercial (keep in mind that you are submitting a finished "broadcast ready" product, not samples of your work). 
Now, out of all the people participating in this project, do you think this is likely to happen?: 
The producers approach 100 set builders and say, "we want you all to build this specific set, with these specification (or similar to these pictures from another commercial). At the end, we'll tour all your warehouses where you've built the set, and pick our favorite one. Only that one will get any compensation............but hey, we WILL give the rest of you constructive criticism!

Ummm, not likely..........but then, I guess the set builders time is valued and worth compensation.
You could create the same scenario for the caterer, etc, etc.


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## Midihead (Feb 16, 2022)

Having interacted with the TAXI members and the management personally, I have concluded that it is a great community. I am always skeptical about these types of business models but TAXI is the real deal as long as you are not expecting a record deal or licensing deal from it. That will always be determined by how good your work is. I did a video presentation for their community recently and can tell you that I have nothing but good things to say as a result.


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## Akarin (Feb 16, 2022)

carlc said:


> It seems there are also fees for file uploads (album artwork, etc.) in the $2-5 range per file.



No. 

The yearly fee give you access to briefs. 
The $5 submission fee gives you access to feedback.


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## jneebz (Feb 16, 2022)

tmhuud said:


> It’s not a scam. It’s constructive criticism at its least. Good luck!


Not my experience at all…more like constructive criticism at its best and totally unhelpful BS at its worst.


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## Akarin (Feb 16, 2022)

jneebz said:


> Not my experience at all…more like constructive criticism at its best and totally unhelpful BS at its worst.



Check the copy-pasted feedback in my answer above. It is definitely not my experience. Do you have some that you can share?


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## aeliron (Feb 16, 2022)

BillBk said:


> Oh, I'm not a perfect hippy. I sold my soul and worked for as big corporation architect for many years. Wanted some benefits, like health, time off, retirement (not available in much of the profession). Yup, the people we're marketing to "are in it to make money"...........I just feel that more (or even some?) of that money should go to the musicians. These "competitions" to get our stuff heard is my problem. The architectural profession wised up 20 years ago, and came out against the competition model where firms spent enormous resources for the privilege to offer up to a "client" (the benevolent king maker) the luxury of picking through hundreds of submissions that he didn't have to pay for). It's bullshit. As I said in the beginning, imagine going to 10 law firms and saying "I want you all to research, do interviews and then write up an entire brief for my case (for free). Then I will decide which one I like the best and pay that firm".......Let me know how that would work for you, as you are falling out the 50th story window of the first lawyer's office that you were thrown out of.


Problem is the sheer paucity of opportunities versus the multitudes who are applying for them. Same with architecture or legal or whatever jobs where they’re spoiled for choice except that in this field, there’s no bar exam to guarantee quality. And today the cost of entry is incredibly low compared to a decade ago, so everyone and their hamster (present company excluded, of course) giving it a shot. So you have a spectrum of quality from zero to genius, and it needs to be filtered by fallible humans. Unless Landr etc. comes up with an AI to do it … but the AI would then start writing the music, too!

Is this the fault of capitalism? Seems it’d be the same anywhere, except in most alternatives, 1. We couldn’t even afford to play, and 2. All the music would be written by the cousin of some flunky in the state broadcasting agency.


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## jneebz (Feb 16, 2022)

Akarin said:


> Check the copy-pasted feedback in my answer above. It is definitely not my experience. Do you have some that you can share?


I was with them 5+ years ago. Maybe they’ve changed. But I talk to a lot of ex-Taxi people who share the same sentiment toward their business model.

The feedback I received was usually just “feedback” for the sake of “feedback.” It wasn’t constructive at all. Like “there’s a low hum in your track (when there was absolutely no problem) or “that pad is too thin” (when it was in no way thin), etc etc.

Both of those tracks, and actually EVERY track I submitted to Taxi that didn’t get past the gatekeepers (not many cuz I was so put off by the process) was successful for me with other publishers. I just didn’t realize at the time I could do my own (FREE) ground work to get my stuff signed….once I figured that out I said goodbye to pay-to-play forever.

I agree Taxi may be right for some people…that’s fine. Glad it works for you.

[EDIT new thought…]

The goal for any production music composer should be to get their music into the hands of decision-making music editors/producers/directors with the shortest journey for their tracks to get from submission to placement. 

My current publishers do that for me and that’s why I stick with them. It took a lot of work and networking to find them, but it was well worth the effort. 

The distance from submitting my track to the music editors ears is short. Taxi just adds additional, unnecessary distance to that journey, in my opinion.


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## BillBk (Feb 16, 2022)

aeliron said:


> Problem is the sheer paucity of opportunities versus the multitudes who are applying for them. Same with architecture or legal or whatever jobs where they’re spoiled for choice except that in this field, there’s no bar exam to guarantee quality. And today the cost of entry is incredibly low compared to a decade ago, so everyone and their hamster (present company excluded, of course) giving it a shot. So you have a spectrum of quality from zero to genius, and it needs to be filtered by fallible humans. Unless Landr etc. comes up with an AI to do it … but the AI would then start writing the music, too!
> 
> Is this the fault of capitalism? Seems it’d be the same anywhere, except in most alternatives, 1. We couldn’t even afford to play, and 2. All the music would be written by the cousin of some flunky in the state broadcasting agency.


I think you missed my point. Sure, there are a LOT of (for example) architects going for a limited number of projects, and yes, we do have to pass a "bar" (one that puts the lawyer's exam to shame by the way - 5 days long, last day is 12 hours long), but trust me, that doesn't guarantee quality (obvious to anyone who looks around any city).......and should the model be based on the lowest common denominator, the least talented? What you produce does have value, and your time IS worth something. My point was that while we all compete for work, an architecture firm would never produce a finished product up front for free, especially if 100 other firms were doing the exact same, for the same project, just in the hope that they would be deemed worthy of being chosen and paid (that recent video of school teachers scrambling for money thrown on the floor by some rich person, pops into my head). In most fields you submit a proposal/bid, probably show examples of your work, and hope to land a project....but never do the work up front (you couldn't afford to do it).
Maybe it's totally unfair and tacky that I waltz in here as an outsider to the music business, and criticize the system, but boy, to an "outsider" I find it appalling how you're treated and are expected to operate. As I had previously said, I'm only a hobbyist in this for fun, but I do have a lot of friends and family members that are trying to make a living in the business....................I better be quiet now.


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## aeliron (Feb 16, 2022)

BillBk said:


> I think you missed my point. Sure, there are a LOT of (for example) architects going for a limited number of projects, and yes, we do have to pass a "bar" (one that puts the lawyer's exam to shame by the way - 5 days long, last day is 12 hours long), but trust me, that doesn't guarantee quality (obvious to anyone who looks around any city).......and should the model be based on the lowest common denominator, the least talented? What you produce does have value, and your time IS worth something. My point was that while we all compete for work, an architecture firm would never produce a finished product up front for free, especially if 100 other firms were doing the exact same, for the same project, just in the hope that they would be deemed worthy of being chosen and paid (that recent video of school teachers scrambling for money thrown on the floor by some rich person, pops into my head). In most fields you submit a proposal/bid, probably show examples of your work, and hope to land a project....but never do the work up front (you couldn't afford to do it).
> Maybe it's totally unfair and tacky that I waltz in here as an outsider to the music business, and criticize the system, but boy, to an "outsider" I find it appalling how you're treated and are expected to operate. As I had previously said, I'm only a hobbyist in this for fun, but I do have a lot of friends and family members that are trying to make a living in the business....................I better be quiet now.


Ah, I did miss it. Sorry. True, usually a finished product is not requested, in those fields. I'd guess the difference is the time factor - those are long-term projects, versus our field where everything was due yesterday


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## BillBk (Feb 16, 2022)

aeliron said:


> Ah, I did miss it. Sorry. True, usually a finished product is not requested, in those fields. I'd guess the difference is the time factor - those are long-term projects, versus our field where everything was due yesterday


The time frame does not preclude the value of what you do (a prostitute will probably only need to work for 15 minutes.........she still gets paid😁).


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## Mike Greene (Feb 16, 2022)

I've never been a member, although I've conducted a few "Evaluate Your Tracks" panels at their Road Rallies. The thing I noticed is that the level of songwriters/composers is all over the map, from total amateur to really good. (I also noticed that the Road Rallies seemed pretty fun, in what is an otherwise very lonely business. If I were starting out, that would be an additional factor.)

It's definitely legit, in terms of being an honest effort to get tracks placed. However, like any music situation, the vast majority of people will not have success, whether because of low talent, or even with high talent, this business is still a heavily stacked numbers game. So successes will be rare no matter what. Also ... song feedback will be a lot better here than there.

To me, deciding to join would be all about whether you can blow $299 without it hurting. If you don't already have connections, this is a low-odds business, so if I can afford (comfortably) to raise those odds, even a little, I'd be tempted to do that.


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## Arbee (Feb 16, 2022)

Akarin said:


> I started to get several questions regarding Taxi through DMs so I will give a few answers here. I don't know what works and what doesn't but I can highlight a few basic tips that worked _for me_. Taxi has been around for 30 years and employs about 20 people. I want to believe that they know what they are doing. If it was just a fad, they wouldn't have lasted this long and premium networks and publishers wouldn't be using them.
> 
> Let me wear my Captain Obvious hat and let's see:
> 
> ...


Thanks for this comprehensive response. I can confirm the quality of feedback I get is similarly very helpful most of the time.


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## BillBk (Feb 16, 2022)

Arbee said:


> Thanks for this comprehensive response. I can confirm the quality of feedback I get is similarly very helpful most of the time.


Agreed. In fact I copied this and sent it to my friend that has not been having much luck with his submittals.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Feb 16, 2022)

Akarin said:


> The $5 submission fee gives you access to feedback.


Based on the feedback I read in your post, it just looks like opinions on what that particular person thinks about your track and how they would modify it. Not that it's a bad thing, just seems like a waste for money to me.....especially for seasoned composer like yourself.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Feb 16, 2022)

BillBk said:


> My comments about making money, and the model used for how musicians are compensated/valued is not about Taxi per se. It's the whole industry.


Good point. If I were paid an hourly rate for actual hours spent on my projects over the years, I'd be a millionaire.


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## aeliron (Feb 16, 2022)

BillBk said:


> The time frame does not preclude the value of what you do (a prostitute will probably only need to work for 15 minutes.........she still gets paid😁).


Heh, there's an expected time frame for that as well ...

But think about it this way. How would you manage things if you were in the shoes of the clients who need the music, with their deadlines? Is there a better process? (If so, ... it may become an app! )


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## wst3 (Feb 16, 2022)

I know two composers that have done well through Taxi. I suspect they'd have done equally well on their own, but it would have taken longer since they had no contacts within the industry. One of them is getting ready to spread his wings.

I know a bunch of folks who used it well, even if they never got a sale. They learned from writing to briefs, they learned from the feedback (although apparently it is not as all encompassing as it is made out to be), and they made a few contacts. A couple of these folks have since struck out on their own and they are doing ok.

And I know one or two folks that believed that by signing up they would sell tons of music. I feel sorry for them because they bought the dream, and that seldom works out well.

If I decide to sign up, and I might yet, it would be for the practice, the feedback, and the chance to meet some fellow composers, and maybe even a buyer or two? As someone mentioned earlier, I'd set limits on time and money, and exit when one or the other runs out.

One last thought - both of my friends who have done well there can't praise the get-together events loudly enough. One friend who has only been with them for about six months also says that events are fantastic. Trick is, you have to live somewhere that hosts them.


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## jonnybutter (Feb 16, 2022)

Mike Greene said:


> I've never been a member, although I've conducted a few "Evaluate Your Tracks" panels at their Road Rallies. The thing I noticed is that the level of songwriters/composers is all over the map, from total amateur to really good. (I also noticed that the Road Rallies seemed pretty fun, in what is an otherwise very lonely business. If I were starting out, that would be an additional factor.)
> 
> It's definitely legit, in terms of being an honest effort to get tracks placed. However, like any music situation, the vast majority of people will not have success, whether because of low talent, or even with high talent, this business is still a heavily stacked numbers game. So successes will be rare no matter what. Also ... song feedback will be a lot better here than there.
> 
> To me, deciding to join would be all about whether you can blow $299 without it hurting. If you don't already have connections, this is a low-odds business, so if I can afford (comfortably) to raise those odds, even a little, I'd be tempted to do that.


Agree with Mike. It’s not a scam. It’s the music business itself which is questionable! A lot has changed since Taxi started. I would rather be starting out there (or anywhere) 25 or 30 years ago compared to now. But that’s not Taxi’s fault.

I was often disappointed w the feedback. And in the beginning I did sign some music to companies I wish I hadn’t - libraries that never did anything w/my tracks. But I also made a connection to a really good company that made me vastly more money than I ever paid to Taxi. I had to do the work and follow through to make that money, but I doubt I’d have gotten into that particular door w/out Taxi. And Taxi didn’t get a cut other than their fees, so that’s fair.

It’s not a scam but it can be a bit of a confidence game - you believe it’s going to work for you because you *want* to believe it. They don’t lie to you, but you can easily lie to yourself. I think it becomes kind of a hobby for a lot of people. Not the worst hobby in the world! But the odds are just brutal.


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## BillBk (Feb 16, 2022)

jonnybutter said:


> Agree with Mike. It’s not a scam. It’s the music business itself which is questionable! A lot has changed since Taxi started. I would rather be starting out there (or anywhere) 25 or 30 years ago compared to now. But that’s not Taxi’s fault.
> 
> I was often disappointed w the feedback (very minimal and some of it really stupid). And in the beginning I did sign some music to companies I wish I hadn’t - libraries that never did anything w/my tracks. But I also made a connection to a really good company that made me vastly more money than I ever paid to Taxi. I had to do the work and follow through to make that money, but I doubt I’d have gotten into that particular door w/out Taxi. And Taxi didn’t get a cut other than their fees, so that’s fair.
> 
> It’s not a scam but it can be a bit of a confidence game - you believe it’s going to work for you because you *want* to believe it. They don’t lie to you, but you can easily lie to yourself. I think it becomes kind of a hobby for a lot of people. Not the worst hobby in the world! But the odds are just brutal.


 "It’s not a scam. It’s the music business itself which is questionable!"
That's my main beef (I know it's not the fault of Taxi). Hell, it was "questionable" when I started playing in bands in the early 70s. I just have so many very good friends and family that I think have been abused by the music business for so long, that now it's just expected and accepted. It just infuriates me. So much talent and effort not appreciated and given their due, and so many people willing to screw them over...............but everyone here knows this more than I, I'm sure.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Feb 16, 2022)

Michael Laskow, who runs it, used to contribute a section to Recording magazine when I was there. I haven't seen him for years, but I can vouch that he doesn't show up with big guys in suits who have middle names like "the chin" and "nose hairs."

He started it in the early '90s. It would have to be some scam to have lasted 30 years.


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