JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Mentor Questions Forum A pitching thread?

Greetings "Folks"

Since my introduction to JPF I have been amazed at how effective and helpful this community is.

I was wondering about the chances of seeing a new thread developed that is devoted to helping members place their work with publishers, producers, artists, and consumers of every ilk. Whether they be songwriters, photographers, writers, or any of the other creative "Folks" who gather here.

What I have in mind is some type of "tip" sheet to let members know who might be willing to consider their work for commercial placement.

This would of course be in conjunction with requirements that must be met in order to have their submissions considered by the end user.

Wayne

The trouble I see with a thread like that is it would be available to everyone on the internet, whether they were JPF members or not. I'm not sure if those listed in the thread would appreciate their information being given out to hundreds of people... those are the cons that come up in my mind when I think about this.

Vikki,

I had the same concern but it seems that we could develop a way to filter or screen submissions in much the same way that TAXI does. In other words we could post generic "tips" such as: Nashville producer is seeking mid to up tempo songs yadda yadda for new female artist, and then have submissions posted on this thread as mp3 uploads.

Of course those prospective buyers would have to have enough confidence in our sellection process to be willing to check in and listen. Or be willing to have their contact information passed along by those who are approved for forwarding.

I also realize that this might be seen as a form of competition with TAXI and I certainly would not want to offend a sponsor of JPF. But some members may not be in a financial position to take part in that service at this point in time.

Wayne

most of the tip sheets are worthless, then there's rowfax, nsai,taxi, songU and some others...these are all subscription info. to repost it here would be an infringement of their rights to publish it. To pm someone with a tip is one thing, to publish that type of info on a public forum, if it's from a tip sheet it's illegal, and if it ain't from a tip sheet it's from a personal contact someone has networked their way into , and ya wanna know a fast way to work yourself out of a network, let 'em start getting a bunch of inappropriate submittals that aren't right for the pitch and that door 'll be closed quick. ...the individual people posting a tip they heard here and there i dunno how much weight i'd put in it...i know that i have spun my wheels enough to know that i personally want to know where the tip came from before i give it my undivivded attention to pitch something appropriate to it. i get where you're coming from Wayne, and i'm all for helping each other get our stuff out there, but i can't figure out how this could work well yet, i think to run it well would be time consuming for a moderator, and costly for the site, and that's probably why there are businesses who specialize in it...just thinking out loud, no offense meant...i'll watch this and see what pops up, cos i could be missin' a way to do this...

Moker,

To clarify my thoughts. What I had in mind was an open door for SOME (who might be willing to participate) of the Producers, Publishers, Artists, Graphic Design Companies, Advertising Agencies, etc. who drop by JPF from time to time, to advise our moderators of opportunities they are willing to open up to JPF members who would be pre-screened by JPF before being allowed to know who the buyer is and how to forward the appropriate material to that buyer.

This thread would only function if such buyers made contact via PM or in some other fashion directly, and privately, with the JPF administration.

Members of JPF would NOT be allowed to post these second hand tips from their sources. Only the interested end user would qualify to have a "blind" tip posted that would not divulge who that end user is to an OPEN forum.

Hope this helps you understand what it is I had in mind.

Wayne

The reason TAXI exists is because of the sheer volume of submissions an artist or publisher would get if they had an open submission policy. The sad reality is that 99.9% of the thousands of songs they would receive each week would be poorly produced crap. Yes, there are many very talented songwriters out there, but for every one of those, there are 100 William Hungs who have convinced themselves that they are the next paul McCartney. I don't know why people have such a difficult time self-evaluating their own talent, but you have seen the American Idol open auditions. Some of the people auditioning aren't just bad singers, they sound like dying animals and yet they are convinced they will be the next Carrie Underwood. TAXI saves the people looking for hit singles a lot of time that would be otherwise wasted.

Wayne,

The problem is the filter or screener. Who would do that? Why should a producer or publisher listen to or trust them? What would be their credentials? And, how would they be rewarded for their time?

Peer review simply does not work. I know a lot of folks will take exception to that statement, but it's true. For just one example, unless the songs were submitted anonymously the stronger personalities on the boards would have a "leg up." Further, the stronger personalities among the critiquers would influence the critiques. I can think of other reasons, but this alone is sufficient.

There is a reason why Taxi is the only successful entity of their model. It's hard, it requires professionals (paid professionals), it requires long hours of dedication to develop reputation and trust.

It's a nice idea, but I believe it is impractical. I could be wrong, and I'd be the first to rejoice if you prove me wrong, so go for it.

All the Best,
Mike

rb, and Mike,

Thanks for the insights. I suppose this is a dead horse. With the music world awash in wanna be hits and such limited opportunity to access the powers that be, I guess I was hoping to find one more door ajar.

Alas, some things just aren't meant to be.


Wayne

This is another reason why TAXI is a bargain, if you ask me.

I haven't joined yet, but the $300 and the $5 per submission is not what holds me back...I think that is an absolute bargain. It's not a cost, it's an investment. The same way you purchased your guitar or your microphone or your computer...it was simply what you needed to invest to be able to do what needs doing.

No, the reason I haven't joined yet is because, even without their critiques, I am still making headway learning about production, constantly thinking about what does and doesn't work with my songs, thinking about the elements of modern music. When I feel I can put something out at broadcast quality, then I will join and begin the "college level" hard lessons that TAXI can teach.

Time and again I have seen that those screeners are the acid test for what will or will not fly.

It doesn't take long to save up $300, and those $5 per submission fees are like buying beers.

I sound like I work for them, but I'm merely convinced. They ARE the back door into the industry.