Originally Posted by Hummingbird
So far this year I've signed 22 tracks as a direct result of TAXI. Road Rally 2008 turned out to be the turning point, as I met the head of a music library who handles Harpo. This summer, he invited me to send him a demo, and in September I signed with him as a composer.


I joined TAXI for a coupla years, back around the same time that Vikki did, and in fact, interacted with her a few times on the TAXI forum when we were both in way over our heads.

When people ask about success stories, they always seem to focus on that one Kenny Rogers hit, which is a pity. The real success stories are of the everyday workers who sweat and prune and craft their songs until they're up to industry standards.

If you wanna know how to make TAXI work for you, then do yourself a favor and check out Vikki's blogs. Seriously!!

As for me, TAXI saved me thousands of $$$ over the last six or seven years by convincing me that music & songwriting were not in my best interests financially.

Call it a reality check. I'm a heckuva songwriter, ask my mom, but I'm stuck in the storytelling mode with melodies that I enjoy, but are not "current". Performing in cafes, I can make people laugh, cry, or dance, but the songs are never gonna be "current" sounding...That's just the way it is.

As for my own experiences with TAXI, the best part was establishing relationships with a couple of reviewers, who, for what was then a $10 fee, helped with personal critiques of a few songs. They were invaluable. The songs didn't really improve much, but as I said, I became convinced that music was not my cuppa.

The only time a reviewer totally missed the mark on a submission, was when I had submitted a song for a Country Listing, and was told that it sounded too much like something that Jimmy Buffett would do...The irony, is that "It's Five O'clock Somewhere" had just hit #1...I mean, huh?...Took me a few years to get over that:-)

As others will tell you (hello Brian, Marc Alan B. & Da Foot!!), TAXI is only ONE avenue that should be part of a larger plan. The dream of somehow being magically discovered as a one hit wonder is exactly that. A dream..does anyone really think that "Buy me a rose" was the only song those Dudes had written? Or that TAXI was their only outlet?

You pay your money and you take your chance...OR, you become a working class hero like our Hummingbird...OR, you turn to screenwriting and make sure you write something that absolutely requires a song or two of yours in order to make the story work...I've gotten a couple of independent film placements that way:-)

Midnite


Satchel was right. Something is gaining on me.

The Shoebox & Dinner at Eight trailers available at:

http://www.twometer.com/Two_Meter_Studios/HOME.html