JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum TAXI

hi all,

Just trying to get some views on TAXI.
Is it worth joining?

Cheers

There is a wild and wooly post about it on Mentors Forum may help you get an insight to it Cobber.
REgards.
Graham

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http://artists3.iuma.com/IUMA/Bands/Graham_Henderson/

Cheers mate,
I'll check it out

Like anything you pay for,,,,it's a lottery bet. But if involved, learn from it all, any way it goes.

John
dhsongs



[This message has been edited by dhsongs (edited 04-25-2002).]

My two cents (or $300) worth. I joined TAXI about a month and a half ago. I guess I should have done my homework a bit better. They trumpet the virtue of getting critiques from industry professionals as part of their service. What I didn't do was carefully peruse the online listings. If I had I would have noticed a rather large number of listings with the imprimatur "NO CRITIQUES YES/NO ONLY". These listings still cost you the usual $5, but you don't get the critique. After spending my $300 and realizing this little item I sent TAXI an email complaining that it seemed a bit like bait/switch since they don't have any testimonials posted where some guy is thanking them the for helpful YES/NO responses. I got a polite brush-off email in return informing me that the NO CRITIQUES policy is for industry clients who are in a real hurry and, anyway, the $5 is not for the critique it's to make ME think before sending them anything other than my best stuff. Well, they've certainly accomplished their mission in making me think. Here's what I think:
Beginning with the tone of their membership booklet which makes it sound as if you'd better package your submission just right OR ELSE and continuing through their terse reply to my complaint it's obvious that TAXI thinks I'm damned lucky they're having anything to do with me. Strangely, as the source of the aforementioned $300, I feel differently. In fact, I almost feel like I'm sort of a customer, or should be.
If I see a listing that really looks good this year, I'll probably sumit something. Next year I'll spend my renewal money on a nice dinner for my family.

Frank

I belonged to Taxi for about five years (that's $1500 worth, not including the $5 processing fee for dozens of songs I sent in). Did I ever get a cut? no!. I did get one referral to a listing and signed a song, which never got placed by that company, but I placed by myself later on, and got a cut with it. Guess it was a good song. But, truthfully, I think there are better ways and places to shop your material for that kind of money. For example: Tonos,though some folks don't like them either. songcatalog.com seems to come up with requests for material as well, both of these cost, but not as much as Taxi. I belonged to pitchsheet.com, but they went belly up. I think they had legitimate leads. Also check paradeofstars.com the Nashville tip sheet. Good luck. /Glen

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"Music is the speech of angels" T. Carlyle 1795-1881
Glen King
http://www.angelspeech.com

Hey all,
Thanks for your replies, much appreciated.
I guess everythings a shot in the dark when it comes to music.

Good luck to you!
Andrew

Here's an update to my earlier post. I've recieved and very lengthy email from Mike Laskow, CEO of TAXI in response to my post here. It's not surprising when one sends an email with a complaint directly to TAXI that one receives, as mentioned above, a polite brush-off and when one posts in an open forum gets significantly more visibility. It's regrettable, but not surprising. Mr Laskow makes the point repeatedly that if I had read all the listings carefully before joining I would have known that only SOME listings involve critiques. I readily admit the point, in fact I made that point above. Nevertheless, the simple indisputable facts are that I, a customer with above average reading/comprehension skills, after checking out the TAXI site, came away with the distinct impression that ALL my sumissions would receive critiques. Why did I get that impression? What would it have taken for TAXI to give me an alternative, and more realistic, impression? Simply including a disclaimer somewhere on the main page perhaps? Not requiring me to drill down into the listings to get the real scoop perhaps? Let me be clear here, I am in no way accusing TAXI of fraud or anything approaching illegality. Mr Laskow has offered to refund my $300 dollars and I have taken him up on it. I am sure he'll follow through. But, as a consumer, I am sick and tired of having to drill down and read the fine print to figure out what I'm really buying! Just once I'd like to get what I THINK I'm getting and not have to play detective to cover my butt.
Lastly, explaining to me repeatedly that it's my own fault for not digging enough makes me feel like more of a rube than I already felt. How is that a good thing for TAXI? Ok, I admit it. I just went on all the testimonials and marketing copy. You know, the stuff designed to give a potential customer a certain general impression. Stupid me.

More than enough time was given to my negativity. On a friend's words of wisdom, I took out the orignal reply.

John

[This message has been edited by dhsongs (edited 04-25-2002).]

John,
The burrito thing is a sore point with me. The instructions in their members manual regarding this point are so strident in tone as to make the customer (me) feel like a major nuisance to the guys I'm paying my money to. I was completely buffaloed by this section since I was sending a CD and it looked to me like it was going to fall out of the package. I was scared stiff that they were going to get pissed at my packaging and toss it out so I called and was reassured that the worst that would happen if I did it wrong was that they'd call me about it. Whew! THAT was a relief!
In my humble opinion as a consumer, I don't want to hear about how difficult it is or isn't for them to screen submissions. That's what they DO. That's what I PAY for. If the process is so difficult that a large number of customers do it WRONG then it is a BAD PROCESS. The job of a consumer in the marketplace is to show up with a desire for a service and a wad of cash. The job of the producer is to show up with a service that will fulfill that desire and acquire the cash in a manner that will make the consumer want to repeat the process. The more hoops you make the consumer jump through, the less likely they are to want to repeat the process. I don't have enough experience with TAXI to comment on whether the actual screening and forwarding service they provide is worth the money or not. I just think they have a couple of glitches in their business model. My favorite examples of a business that has the customer relations thing down is Nordstrom and Hewlett-Packard. The customer can do no wrong at Nordstrom. Just show up with the dough and they do the rest no matter what it is. As far as HP, I bought an HP printer recently that malfunctioned. I was really upset because I didn't know what kind of hassle I'd have to go through to get it fixed. Gues what? None at all. "Mr Williamson, we'll FedEx you a NEW printer and you just take it out of the box, drop the old one in and give it back to the FedEx man". SLICK! PAINLESS! Guess where my next printer is coming from?

Ok, I'm off this topic. TAXI and I are going our seperate ways and I wish them well (as long as they don't hassle me anymore about my posts here).

Frank

I was a taxi member who also got little out of it. Besides the $5 submission fee per song you have to pay the huge yearly fee. Look into Tonos.com I haven't been a member for long but it seems much more available to the members. Their customer service is awesome!!! Also they ket you upload songs directly instead of Taxi's snail mail!!!

Hope this helps,
Nick

Took out the negative reply here too. If you didn't get to read it,,,,,,,tough! Enough time was given to it. Want to be more focused on what can be done,,,,rather than what we think isn't being done, or being done wrongly. It's all perspective.

Get on with what you can do, I'm trying! Either join and make the best of it, or move on to something else.

John
dhsongs

[This message has been edited by dhsongs (edited 04-25-2002).]

John,

Points well taken. But I do have to say that at least you get something for your money. You get quite a bit of web space to put your songs up, which in itself is very valuable to the non-web savvy artists.

But I do agree with the rest of your suggestions. Everything is a long shot. I have had songs that I plugged nearly get cut and I do have to say that THE ONLY WAY is by working hard yourself.

Thanks for the reply,
Nick

PS- speaking of taking advantage- read my post about MP3.com!!!

I have realized that there are postive aspects to just about all companies, if we look hard enough. To those who don't hold any in any person's view, I now think it's just best to not take part, and move on to something that one feels good about. Taxi, Tonos, Mp3.com have positives. A good friend allowed that part of my thinking to come back.

Things usually aren't as good as we think, but not as bad either.

John

TAXI...........

Opinion........THE FIRST LESSON YOU NEED TO LEARN IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS IS NEVER PAY ANYONE ANYTHING TO LISTEN TO YOUR MUSIC AND CRITIQUE IT..........

So in my opinion..........TAXI IS JUST THAT....a ride with no particular destination.....You get in the car and tell the driver where you need to go, but he does not quote you a price up front, does he, the meter runs and you pay him what he tells you to, and on top of that, you tip him...........

So If you want to pay $300 for a ride and then 5 bucks for each song as a tip then go for it, but I WOULD NEVER DO THAT, but I do wish I had thought of it, Id be a lot richer. But my morals would not let me do it.

Ask taxi for their track record, they have 1 mojor cut and hit in how many years, if a publisher had that track record they would be out of business.

JUST MY TAKE

Stevin Hudis (of Lyn Ashley),

You can't use a catch all statement like that. It would be like saying never give a publisher all your publishing share. Or never use a publisher because self publishing makes much more sense and is the direction the industry is moving. Or saying (somewhat accurately) if you are going to work with a publisher, you should only work with a major label level one with access to those artist rosters OR if you can't get that level of publisher to be interested, rather than use a small publisher who is unlikely going to make anything happen on a major scale, you should do it yourself. How would you like it if someone made that statement and trashed your profession?

TAXI offers a critique as an added value to what they do. Their real service is to help get appropriate and filtered music from their member base to those needing it. The critique is something they do in addition as a service. You don't pay the 5 dollars for the critique. You pay it for the submission. It's a very big distinction and it's a fact that some submissions don't offer critiques, because the service is filtering for placement opportunities.

NSAI basically offers critiques for a fee, though it is built into their membership fee. And some people have found great value in working with writers/consultants they respect to get feedback on their music, especially if it is detailed and constructive. There are good and bad consultants in all fields and all walks of life. There are also good and bad opportunities in all walks of life. Making blanket statements is absurd. You can't possibly know first hand that every single person charging for critiques of music is not worth the money or a scam artists of some type.

Brian

Hi,

I have been a TAXI member for about a year now. Although I haven't gotten anywhere with my songs yet, I feel the investment is well worth it. I am a beginning songwriter and I have to say that the critiques I have received have been VERY helpful. The staff spends a lot of time giving their input, and they really are trying to help, IMO. I don't think it's a big deal to weed out the entries that don't provide critiques-- the words "NO CRITIQUES" are plain to see, and there are plenty of entries that do provide critiques. Also, I attended their TAXI Road Rally last November, -- 2 days of free songwriting workshops, advice from experts, demo critiques, and interesting panel discussions. I would value those two days at $300 alone. After a couple of years, I may decide TAXI is no longer worth it, but at this point I feel I'm getting a lot of valuable instruction.

Marci Shumaker



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www.mp3.com/Marci_Shumaker

Hi Marci,
Just noticed your post here, so welcome to JPF! There are plenty of Christians hanging around here, so I though I would encourage you. I got your e-mail earlier this evening and checked out your music page at MP3.com
You might try posting some of your lyrics and/or songs here at JPF with links to your music page(s)! Great way to meet folks with common interests, share and have some fun! Keep letting your light shine!

Come back soon and God bless!
Michael & Lorie Borges
<><

I agree with Lyn Ashley music on this one. I was also a member of TAXI. I felt I wasn't at the level I needed to be to submit in my songwriting, realized I could get hundreds of free opinions from people around me first, so I pulled out. Why pay for an opinion, especially one in particular that was very rude, not constructive. I received a personal phone call asking why and was treated very nicely and got my money back. TAXI just isn't for me. You want songwriting help? Get with something local or take a class if you're going to spend money on it. Personal attention is better. If you're going to spend money on these types of places, you might as well just advertise like mad in local newspapers and magazines. That's exposure! They don't like it, they won't call. As far as I'm concerned, it's the same risk, only no one in the middle keeping you from moving forward based on their opinion.

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Bridget

Frank,

I'm sure they didn't mean to make you feel like a nuisance. When you get as many demos as they do though, they really need to be in a good format to get through them all.

I talked to Michael Laskow a couple of years ago during the 2000 Road Rally and I think he said they Taxi got about 1500 demos per week. That's a lot of stuff to go through, even with the burrito packaging.

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$100,000/year in the Music Business (Without a Record Label)

Only $19 from www.musicbizbooks.com and Kathode Ray Music!

I think that this is worth repeating. I don't think you need to look hard though, you just have to look at things differently.

So what if you didn't get a cut through Taxi? They don't guarantee that. You probably were able to become a better writer though, right? In my opinion, $300 (or whatever Taxi costs now) is a small price to pay for that.

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$100,000/year in the Music Business (Without a Record Label)

Only $19 from www.musicbizbooks.com and Kathode Ray Music!

Not true. You'd pay for an attorney's advice, wouldn't you? How about your doctor's advice?

What is the difference?

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$100,000/year in the Music Business (Without a Record Label)

Only $19 from www.musicbizbooks.com and Kathode Ray Music!

It's a matter of how the service providers earn their money. You're right about doctors and lawyers, who are professionals. I suggest that music publishers earn their money by working and placing your song, for a percentage. I suggest that unknown people who offer critiques for money may not be qualified to do, how do you know who is listening or reading your material. Could be some bozo who just ran an ad to rip off naive songwriters..Ever hear of song sharks? Now, I'm not saying Taxi is of that ilk, but how do you know who's evaluating your material when you're not face to face with them,as you would be with a doctor or lawyer..There's a big difference, and I hope you'll exercise some caution with your money. /Glen

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"The process of learning is often more important than what is being learned"
-----The Kat----
Glen King
Music Domains For Sale.
http://www.musicdomains.us

Glen,

Actually TAXI lists the A&R reps who screen for them on their site and in info to their members. Ironically, when you send something to a major lable or publisher IF anyone at all listens, it is generally the lowest level nobody working there. (Though most go directly in the trash.)

The key is this.. does the person screening have the power/ability to move your song forward. It doesn't matter who is listening if nothing happens even if they like it. In the case of TAXI, they have nothing to lose and everything to gain by finding and forwarding great music. There is zero positive benefit to them for EVER holding back a song with any potential for success. There are very few situations in the industry where this is true. Often at a label or publisher, there is favoritism, politics, issues relating to promotional and budgetary considerations (did you read our Payola document?) and so on that color and taint anything they listen to. In the case of TAXI, none of that applies.

Also remember that a publisher is looking to permanently get a portion of your songs earnings. A big chunk no less. TAXI asks for nothing.

I think it is interesting to note that all the folks who have posted here who were not satisfied with TAXI got their money back. That means they lost nothing whatsoever. If you are disatisfied with your publisher for example, try getting your money back and your rights back without a major legal battle at the very least. (And even that is unlikely to get you back to square one.)

Also, be sure to ask other companies who take money for feedback if their services come with a money back guarentee that they actually follow through on.

Brian

Not entirely true. I didn't get the money back I had to submit with my demo. $5 a song. I must of submitted over a hundred dollars worth of burritos! For what? a couple of sentences written in chicken scratch as though someone was in a hurry to move on to the next critique? I could't even read clearly some of the reviews.

Also, David, how can you compare a lawyer's advice with an artistic opinion? Law is written, artistic genius is a matter of opinion, no matter how long someone has been in the business. Remember your quote, Brian, about the greatest novel written has already been rejected? Well, that novelist paid postage and packaging and the price of the manuscript to be rejected, but did not pay $300 plus five dollars per chapter. I struggle day to day on deciding what to spend on next concerning my music. I just want any Indie to understand that reads this that you shouldn't pay for just a few opinions. Pay to get your music out in front of hundreds instead. No matter what the Industry pros say about your music, it's the consumers and music lovers that will tell you for sure. Songwriters! Get your music to local bands and have them play your songs. If they don't want to, ask them why! Have them critique it! Then you'll know! DON'T PAY FOR AN OPINION!

*note: when you go to a lawyer for an opinion on your case, you don't pay for the initial visit. Some lawyers don't even make money until you do.

B St. John,

You're kidding right? You got your membership refunded, you also got consideration for the songs you sent in and some feedback (which is not what the 5 dollars is charged for by the way) and even though TAXI lost money on you (it costs about 7-8 bucks on average per song screened) plus the free subscription you got to Recording Magazine plus whatever materials you got and the ability (if you had chosen) to attend the TAXI Road Rally for free, that STILL isn't enough? Really?

If your music didn't get forwarded, do you suspect there is ANY chance at all that it wasn't appropriate for the listing? Is that even a credible possibility in your mind?

Think of it this way. There are 2 possibilities.

1. Your music is totally appropriate, hit quality and would absolutely deserve to be forwarded and would have become a major success for you if it had been.

If that is true, and for some reason TAXI intentionally did not forward your music, they lose out big time on the success story and also from the company looking for the material who wants appropriate material. So what possible reason would that scenario ever happen? Everyone would lose on that, including TAXI.

2. The music wasn't appropriate for the listing, wasn't good enough to be forwarded or wasn't as good as the other submissions that were forwarded.

If that is the case (which logic suggest is far more likely) then TAXI performed the service exactly as you asked them to, and yet after refunding your member fee, they STILL lost money on you. And according to your statement, that isn't enough for you.

So, I ask, how exactly would you do it better? If a company provides this screening/filtering service and makes an honest judgement call that a particular song isn't suited, (which is exactly what they are paid to do), should they they be forced to lose money every time they make the correct decision?

Remember, you are free to send your music to anyone directly any time. But we all know that 99.999999% of the time, unsolicited music goes directly in the trash no matter how good it is. So TAXI provides a filter system that labels use to conserve their time. These labels WANT hits and great songs. They WANT TAXI to send them only the things that meet their exact criteria and when they do, they actually WANT to hear them. TAXI wants to please both their members and the labels they are providing the service for. The only way to do that is to only forward material that meets the criteria. If you wrote a song that was fantastic and deserving and perfectly suited for a specific listing, would you want 5000 other songs which were terrible, unsuited and inappropriate to be forwarded along with your deserving song to the label? Do you think the label would listen to all of them?

So how would you do it better? If this is a case where you were in disagreement with their assessment of your music, then fine. You got your money back, they lost money and everyone moves on. Perhaps you'll find someone who feels more positively about your music. Or perhaps you'll learn that your music isn't as good as you hoped it was. But either way, you've come out ahead and TAXI hasn't. If you are suggesting that TAXI isn't doing it right, please tell us a better system to do it? I bet not only TAXI but TONOS, Universal (Inside Sessions) and many others would love to know a better way to provide this type of service.

I receive about 50 CD's a week from members of all levels. At Awards submission time, that goes up to sometimes 500 in a day. I listen to 100% of these CD's. I also look at the press info sent along. I can't tell you how many times I find long lists of claims of how amazing the music but when I play it is in the bottom 10% of all the music we get. I also get submissions from people who are the opposite. Who have no idea how good their stuff is. The point is that artists are usually the WORST judges of the quality of their own material, or how appropriate it is for use somewhere. Often the most rude and demanding artists we come across, who inflate the value/quality of their music the most turn out to be the ones with the very least amount of talent.

I got a pro press kit, professionally produced CD cover/art, a long artist bio and letterhead from a supposed record label touting a particular artist and their level of professionalism. Everyone seemed to top notch in every regard. There were some quotes from people I had never heard of, but all of them raved about the music.

I placed the music in the CD player, and what I got was something recorded with the automated background tracks of a very cheap, child level casio keyboard, with someone playing single notes above the pre-programmed back ground music, out of time and out of key of the chords and rhythm playing in the background, and who then moaned Contemporary Christian type lyrics badly over the mess of music. To date, it is the very worst thing I have ever heard, and that is saying a lot.

This same individual sent follow up letters asking why we (a free organization) hadn't helped get them their deserved record deal and that as a professional, they had spent a lot of valuable time putting together this package and expected more immediate major label results after sending it to us. Lest you think this person was simply pulling our leg, let me assure you he wasn't.

The bottom line is that this person not only didn't have the talent to produce something of artistic and commercial value to the mainstream, but they were very well spoken and professional in all the superficial ways that made them seem credible until you listened to the music. And this same person had already complained to us how they had been unfairly treated by several industry people who were holding their music back and taking advantage of them when their stuff deserved major success.

The sad thing is that this person, though the extreme example, is not alone. There are many degrees of this same thing that goes on out there.

Very few songs written and recorded even by extremely successful and talented writers and artists ever strike that magic that takes it to mainstream or even niche success. The best anyone can do is work at their craft, develop their style and do the best they can. In that process, if your music leans towards commercially appealing, you can use some of the many tools out there to try and supplement your odds of success. TAXI is one very specific tool people can use gain targeted access to a opportunity. They can't help a weak song find success. No one can. They can't help a great song that is not appropriate find success with someone looking for something different. No one can. But, if a song is suited and of sufficient quality, they can get that song to the person making the decision who WANTS to hear the song. That's a very usable tool for many writers and artists. For less than the cost of a plane ticket 1 time to a major music center, you can use this tool to gain targeted access to labels and publishers and professionals that dozens or even hundreds of trips to music cities would never allow you to do. But whether you have met with the label in person, or you use TAXI to gain your access point, the song still has to cut it for that exact listing and need. If you have a better system to do this, please share it with everyone. We'd love to find new and better ways and new and better tools to achieve success for deserving songs and work by our members. But if this is just a case where you don't like the answer when you ask someone a question about your music (i.e. is this suitable for the listing which you are screening for) then no one can help you there.

One last analogy.. if you bought a car and they offered a money back guarentee to you if you didn't like the car and you drove it for a few months and found you didn't like it, and they gave you the cost you paid for the car back, would you also expect that they would give you back the money for the gas you used while driving it? Would that be reasonable?

Nothing can be ideal for everyone. There is no service, no company, no product that everyone will love and useful. It is impossible. But when a company goes as far as TAXI does to give money back, even if they have performed their job 100% correctly, I can't see where someone can find fault with them. How would you do it better?

Brian

You know what? I already told you in my last message. I was offering my opinion on how Indies, like myself, can spend their money wisely. I felt TAXI was not a wise investment. The guy asked, so I told him. We could go on about our differences on TAXI and who lost what, but you will still see it one way and I the other. You know though, since you went in to this long, frustrated message in defense of TAXI and asked the question, I'll tell you. I wouldn't have a business like TAXI. That's how I would do it better.

Not true. Our legal system is very much based on opinion. If it were that cut and dry, we wouldn't have appeals, judges who disagree with each other, etc.

And while one man's art is another man's junk, we're not really in the art business. We're in the business of selling records.

If you just want to know if it's art, don't pay anybody. It's art just because you have something to say. If you want to know how to make it sell though, I don't see any problem with paying somebody for their opinion.


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$100,000/year in the Music Business (Without a Record Label)

Only $19 from www.musicbizbooks.com and Kathode Ray Music!

Taxi has absolutely no motivation to move a song forward if they derive no benefit from it when it sells.Any publisher or record company that never sold a song would make zero profit,and be out of business in no time.Taxi could stay in business for a very long time without ever selling a song off,and there would likely never be a shortage of talentless suckers willing to pay a couple hundred bucks for a shot at getting a track signed.

I know that's not exactly the way it works,Taxi has been a vehicle for one major track and numerous smaller ones.Indeed if they never sold off anything word would get out and eventually most people would stop submiting,ten million dollars of legitimate profit down the road.But that is not the point.

The point is that if you are a writer or performer and you want any decent chance of getting signed you will need somebody with connections who has a financial stake in your success to go to bat for you.That means they will get a cut of the profit.Taxi has no financial stake in the sucess of artists,only in proccessing as many songs as possible and maximizing their profit.They reject you and they get paid,if you get signed they get paid the same.This doesn't mean they don't submit the handful of tracks they recieve that are really great and obviously suited for their customer,but I expect they are REALLY PICKY,and regularly turn down much material that is marginal but sellable because there is simply no profit in it for them.There is lot's of music that is sold into a commercial market that is likely not better than much of what Taxi rejects,it just gets sold off as a function of trading off favors among insiders.

If you want to make it in the music business the best way is to do it is the old fashioned way,showcase in local clubs,make the move to a major media center if neccesary and get gigs in the big industry showcases.If you aren't good enough to get gigs in places like that you are wasting your money on Taxi,you will have little trouble running into real A&R people and real publishers in those kinds of places.

i've been a Taxi member for 2 going on 3 years. I joined for the critiques, and I've been satisfied with the advice and suggestions I've got.

this morning I called Taxi because I was not satisfied with the last two critiques I recieved. One suggested that I 'forget about pitching this song' because it was 'topical' and 'topical songs never get cut'. This was a 'custom' critique and I specifically asked how and what genre to pitch this particular song. The other submission was for an R&B listing, the same song, and the only thing the critique suggested was that it was 'not current sounding'- i thought I deserved more feedback. I talked with Alex for about 40 minutes and he said that he had other complaints about this particular screener and he would have a talk with him, he also said to send in the song again and he would have someone else listen and critique it.

I also dropped by unannounced to the Taxi offices last summer, and talked with Michael Laskow for 40 minutes- he gave me a tour of their new digs, introduced me to Doug M. and other people of the staff. He didn't have to- he was personable and encouraging, and inquired about my feelings about how Taxi was working for me.

I probably won't join next year. Not because of what Taxi didn't do for me- but because I realize now lots of things about 'the industry' of music and how it works- that's the education that Taxi gave me, and that knowledge was worth the money I spent.

Mike Siegel

That is an interesting perspective Mike,it seems clear to me that Taxi is a proffesional and reputable business that takes it customers seriously.If you learned something new and meaningful about the industry, perhaps you did get your money's worth.Forty minutes of direct,personel,and honest advice from a fellow like Michael Laskow is probably worth a couple hundred bucks by itself.

I'll stand by my original post though.Taxi is making all of it's money by rejecting material that has no chance of ever being sold, and no profit motive pushing marginal that isn't a slam dunk.In the old days,and to a lesser degere still, low level people would get paid by publishers and record companies to listen to thousands of hours of almost universally terrrible music in the hopes of finding a single hidden diamond.Now Taxi gets paid to listen to the same stuff and the record companies save a bundle.It really is a brilliant idea.I tip my hat to Mr Laskow.

Hello there:

I joined Taxi last summer, so Ive been on for about a year now. Its a chunk of change, yep, and five binks to listen to a song seems steep. Im wondering if I'd do it for less, though.

I have some forwards through them, and the critiques have sometimes been helpful. I dont care so much about the critiques, but at times the listener gave good points. Some of the submissions are Yes/No, and thats fine with me, long as they get a fair shot.

There were times that I was blocked from a forward over some silly, subjective reason, and even with a score of 8 from 10 my ditty didnt pass muster. Sure, I was steamed, cause my stuff sounds good to me. But, I think Taxi is a good idea overall. They have to be picky, otherwise their connections would dry up, and they'd have to flip hamburgers or something.

I think about the time I waste drumming up nowhere leads and finding one tip off at a time, and Im fine with paying Taxi for that big fat tip sheet 2 times a month, the cool magazine, and the reviews. I believe they are throwing the due diligence promised at what they offer. I'll give them a 7.5 overall.



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Guy Bergeron

http://guybergeron.indiegroup.com

Where I come from 7.5 out of 10 would be a solid C,passing but not spectacular.

It's what you make out of that 7.5 that counts.

John

Hello Everyone,

I am not a member of TAXI, although I have read their promotional material and several articles that have been written about them. I have just a couple of opinions on the matter, having been a professional musician for over 40 years and a songwriter for about 15 years. A few of you will agree with me, a few of you won't. That's OK. An opinion is whatever each person chooses to make of it. And, I have no axe to grind either way on this subject.

First, even though we hate to do it, if we don't read the "fine print", we have no one but ourselves to blame. If we all had a dollar (pound, ruble, franc, whatever) for each time we have been told that, we could probably retire comfortably on that alone. It's surely a PIA (Pain In The A$$). As an intelligent consumer, it is our responsibility to read everything and ask when we aren't sure about something. It is the merchant's responsibility to reply with accurate and understandable feedback. If we don't do our part as consumers very well, we should expect no more in return from the merchant.

Second, there is rarely a guarantee from any venue (publisher, critiquing service, A & R, etc) that any submission will be forwarded to the "Industry Pros". If the merchant makes a clear promise to critique EVERY submission with a personal reply, he has the obligation to do so. If he does not make that specific promise, there is no obligation. I do not see where TAXI has made that specific promise in their promotional material. They do say that every song will be listened to. However they do not promise a personal critique of every entry. Likewise, they are explicitly clear that only the very, very best will ever be forwarded to an "Industry Pro" for further review.

Next, I do not agree that it is ALWAYS a wise idea to NEVER pay for a critique. The instances in any arena of life where "ALWAYS" and "NEVER" are appropriate terms is indeed minimal. As songwriters, our only goal is to get a song heard, published and recorded. Any avenue that might offer any possibility of that is worth a certain amount of money. We should not expect anyone to simply hand us a free ticket. It is up to each of us to determine what is a "FAIR" price for the services obtained.

Last, I do think it would most appropriate for TAXI to be more specific in their promotional material that "ALL" songs do not get a detailed personal critique. That, in my opinion, is a valid concern as mentioned.

I think TAXI made the correct decision to refund the $300.00 but not the $5.00 submission fee. The fee was for the benefits of membership, which the customer, in this case, felt were far short of his expectations. The refund covered that issue. However, the $5.00 fee for each submission is charged for the process of initial evaluation to determine if the song had adequate merit. That determination was made. So, the fee is appropriate to be retained by TAXI.

I would love to find a reputable organization that would gaurantee a FREE critique, in writing, for everything I submitted if I agreed to pay the membership fee.

I wish everyone concerned in this matter tremendous success. All of us should remeber the old phrase "Leave No Stone Unturned", especially in this business. As we expect to be paid for the services we render (songs written by us and recorded), so do the people in between. Good luck to all.

Alan

------------------
When you talk, you say something you already know...
If you listen, you might learn something new.

[This message has been edited by sideman66 (edited 06-06-2002).]

Dhsongs

That's certainly true.What you do with what you have available to you is the most important thing of all.Nothing really wrong with a solid C.

The only point I'm making is that a serious attempt to launch oneself into the music business must consist of a great many things like thouroughly honing your writing and performing skills,gaining production experince,becoming a part of a creative community, and getting real feedback from fellow musicians.Without knowing more about the state of a particular artists development I couldn't say more.

Make that a 7.5, with a forward. Clear enough? Okay, okay, a "C" if you wish. A passing grade.

Mornin' all,

I have been a member of TAXI for about a year now. I submitted heavily at first, slowed down, then stopped.

Taxi delivered everything they promised. Michael Laskow runs an organization that is completely up front. The recording magazine is a nice "add on benefit".

However, one solid hit after all those years and submissions is a sad track record. (pun unintentional). No publisher could survive on that, and I suppose that is my point. Taxi is neither a publisher nor a song plugger. They do not claim to be. Yet those are the services many people seem to expect of them.

Taxi's case is made over and over. You see the repeated disclaimer, "How much plainer can we make this"...

My comment is simple: If a lyric were misunderstood by so many people, would it get a passing grade from Taxi...or would they send it back telling the songwriter to make his point more clearly.

dawg

Dawg,
Something to remember... the people who seem to misunderstand the guidelines represent about 0.01% or less of the people who are or have been TAXI members. Find me any lyric that isn't misunderstood or disliked by more than 1/100th of 1 percent of the listeners?

In a world where people never learned how to program their VCR's in 20 years or who thought smoking was just fine for them because Tobacco companies said it was safe or who let OJ Simpson off, it's pointless to think ANY information, no matter how plainly stated will sink in to everyone. People usually read into and perceive what they WANT to hear long before they read in and perceive what was actually said.

I get emails on questions and info I answer directly from members on every single issue of our newsletter. For example, if I say "The music awards entry deadline is February 28th, 2002" I will get a response from 50 people saying "when is the deadline for entry into the music awards?" and a dozen of them will quote the text containing the actual answer in their reply. When I respond with both the answer and the question.. did you read the info you replied to? most admit they hadn't bothered to read it, some say they missed it and some are just embarassed that the answer was in their own reply but they just weren't paying any attention. It's something most of us do in different matters in our lives (including me) but what I DON'T do is blame the person who gave me the correct info which I chose to ignore or didn't bother to pay much attention to. I think most people would agree with that common sense approach. I have to wonder about those who don't and want to blame everyone on the planet for anything that happens to them except themselves.

Brian

My real point in contributing to this thread,and I'll say it for the last time I promise,is that Taxi makes money by rejecting material,not forwarding it.They can reject forever and get paid,the more they reject the more they get paid,they can
submit the hit of the century and not make a dime extra.

They are in the unique position of needing to promote themselves so as to attract submissions from the worst musicians in the world.Not the best.The best make them no money.Which is the exact opposite of what a publisher or record company would want.

Taxi makes it's money by listening to crap all day,the more crap they get the more money they make.No need to care about the diamond in the pile of rubbish that will make them all gazillionares.No need to struggle to find the feel good hit of the millenium,or a beautiful song to make us all weep in joy, or sorrow.That is only going to buy somebody else a house in Bel-Aire.Nobody at Taxi.

It's really a brilliant idea.There's massive amounts of crap out there and very,very few certifiable hits.A never ending supply of crappy music is something you can rely on forever.

Johnny,

Before you make statements that are patently wrong, why not either learn the truth, or wait until you KNOW the facts before posting false information?

Taxi does not make a profit on the songs it screens. They spend MORE than 5 dollars per song for the screeners. Screeners make 30-60 dollars an hour FROM Taxi, and usually screen about 5 songs an hour. Do the math.
Sure, on occassion they may get through a few more than 5. But the average still adds up to a cost of 7 dollars on average per song submitted. That isn't counting the additional labor involved in receiving the submissions, the cost of mailing critiques on those which receive them, or the costs associated with forwarding songs. So, your statement that the more "crappy" music submitted, the more money they make is patently false.

In addition, finding great songs keeps the labels and publishers and movie music supervisors and television producers coming back to TAXI for submissions. Thus, TAXI has listings to make available to attract new members and keep current members happy.

Now, your point about there being a lot of bad music out there is clearly true. It's because of that bad music that the industry usually turns it's back on unsolicted material. Thus, the need for companies like TAXI, or the various additional companies performing similar services.

In addition, you act like them not taking a percentage is a bad thing. That's ridiculous. TAXI does not represent themselves as being a publisher. A publisher continues to work the song, monitor and collect the income and act as the go between for the PRO's on behalf of the song for eternity. They don't provide those services and thus are not interested in taking a publishing cut for the work they do. They are a service company providing a specific service. It's just like the recording engineer on your project. He isn't taking a future percentage of the project, he is providing a service for a fee. Same with the studio itself. Same with the CD Duplicator. Same with the session players who play for scale but not a piece of the future earnings. Same with the majority of producers. Same with the majority of publicists, and promoters and lawyers and educators and organizations who work with entry level or independent artists and writers. Few of these folks have any vested interest in the long term success of song, but all help the writers or artists along the way. TAXI isn't any different.

If you can't see or accept that, fine. But stop misleading others because you choose not to see reality, or to view things through your own personal bias in spite of the facts.

Brian

Brian

I accept your contention that on a song by song basis Taxi screens at a small net loss,but I have given this significant thought.As a business Taxi makes money by enlisting people to submit music for a 300 dollar a year fee,the more people who join Taxi, the more money they make.That is what I was refering to.It stands to reason that those people who join will submit for review,and most of the music they submit for review will be unusable.Therefore,the more
unusable music Taxi reviews,the more money they make.I think my logic is sound.

I suppose in the context you describe it the 5 dollars could be almost a disincentive to submit anything but the best material,as Taxi would make the most money of all if you paid the 300 fee and never submitted anything.

As far as the willingness of publishers and record companies to continue to listen to music submitted by Taxi goes,you are clearly correct.But that is what the screening process is for,as long as Taxi ultimately submits only the quality material it's customers require, then I expect those customers will continue to listen.

As you correctly point out,it is my contention that not taking a cut is undesirable from an artists stanpoint.A person with with a vested interest in an artist,like a publisher,record company,or even lawyers and managers is making a personal commitment to your sucess.Not just passing a CD along to somebody that's agreed to listen to it, and walking away without further contact.I understand that these are functions Taxi does not perform,nor do they claim to.I'm just pointing it out,that is my opinion.

I think these are valid critisisms of the Taxi business model from an artists perspective.I'm not slamming them or saying they are disreputable.As I have repeatedly said,I think Taxi is a great idea and Michale Laskow is probably one very smart fellow.He's found a way to get paid to listen to all of the music that the industry doesn't want to hear while simultaneously giving an potential avenue into the industry for the occasional appropriate artist.

And that is the topic of the thread,yes? Taxi pro and con,is it worth it,yes or no.Not it's the greatest thing since sliced bread on the one hand,or IT SUCKS on the other.

Hi Everyone,

Just when you think the discussion has run it's course, something new comes up to surprise me. I forwarded the link to this discussion to the people at TAXI because they always want to know if folks are unsatisfied with their efforts and they are always looking to improve if there is a way to do so. But I didn't expect the reply I got, which is quite unprecedented as far as I am aware. But then, I've always felt the staff of TAXI were a group of really wonderful and amazing people... so I shouldn't really be too surprised I suppose.

Johnny Rock (I am not sure who Johnny really is.. he is anonymous, but I do have his email address which isn't available to anyone else posting here) and Frank Williamson have been the most vocal against TAXI. So here is Michael Laskows reply to them which he asked me to email to them (since he couldn't view Johnny's email address) and post here for everyone to see.

I look forward to the two taking the time, at TAXI's expense mind you, to learn the facts first hand and give their first hand opinions after the fact.

Here's the offer directly from Michael Laskow, President of TAXI:

Dear Johnny,

I was sent a copy of your post about TAXI on JPF's massage board. I can understand how it might be easy for you to feel the way you do about TAXI. You've never seen our office, met our staff, our A&R people, looked at my tax returns, or looked at any of our corporate records. I think you'd be the pefect person to do all of the above, and I'd like to buy you a plane ticket to LA, and cover all your expenses for the trip so you can.

My reason... you're obviously a person who has an opinion, and who likes to express it in public forums. I'd like you to be well educated, so the opinions you post are based in fact. I am very serious about this, and will absolutely show you my tax returns for 1992 to 2000 (haven't filed 2001 yet!). I want you to see how much of a "gazillionaire" I'm not. I'd also like you to spend a four hour shift screening alongside our A&R staff just so you can see what it's like. I'd like you to listen in to the conversations (both sides) of any random calls from members, so you can see the level of customer service that we have around here. I'd like to have you meet some of the A&R people who use TAXI to find artists, bands, and songwritiers, so you can get their perspective on TAXI. in other words, I'll take you to a few meetings at major lables, etc. so you can see the world from the other side of the fence.

I will open any door, and file cabinet, let you listen in to any phone conversation...the bottom line, any and all little nooks and crannies will be wide open to you. I want you to see if you can find ANYTHING at all that is not completely in favor of our members. And if you find ANYTHING that doesn't show TAXI to be the most honest and above board, hard-working, musican advocating company you've ever come accross, then go ahead and post it on JPF's boards.

On the other hand, if you find out that TAXI is completely above board, and delivers much more than it promises, then I'd like you to elaborate on that as well in the JPF baords. In other words, this is your chance to give an unbiased perspective to all the people who read these boards. You get to be their representative!

If this proposition sounds like a reasonable offer, than please contact me personally at 1-800-458-2111. This offer stands for Frank Williamson as well. I'd love to have you both come to LA for the complete tour. Thsi offer will NOT be made to any other people trying to get a free trip to LA form us, so don't even try it ;-)

I look forward to meeting both Johnny and Frank in the near future.

Warm regards,
Michael Laskow
President, TAXI

Hi All,
After much thought I now wish I'd never heard of TAXI. I don't think it's worth $300 or even $30 dollars and thats my opinion based on my experience. If someone has a different opinion based on a different experience, fine. I have no more desire to visit TAXI and see how hard they work than they have to visit me and see how hard I work. I'm sure they're hard workers. So what's that got to do with not putting a disclaimer on their site saying that NOT ALL SUBMISSIONS WILL BE CRITIQUED? As it turns out, the critiques in question are of little value since they're just preformatted checkboxes and one or two fill-in sentences. I'm glad I got my money back.
Somebody above posted that we're all responsible for reading the fine print. That's right. I screwed up and didn't read the fine print. Shame on me. And so what? I don't do business with people who bury stuff in the fine print if I can help it. I know I have to read the contract carefully when I buy a car. And I HAVE to buy a car from time to time. I don't have to belong to TAXI. It's optional. I opt out.

Frank


[This message has been edited by FrankWilliamson (edited 06-10-2002).]

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[This message has been edited by FrankWilliamson (edited 06-10-2002).]

To Michael Laskow

Michael

Thank you for your generous offer.I would love to take you up on it but I am a Jersey boy with a job, and a band,and it will be difficult to find the time right now.I have no doubt that Taxi is an organization of dedicated hardworking people of high caliber and integrity.And I will be more than happy to suggest that for those people willing to pay for review,Taxi is probably their best option.

Here's a link to my IUMA site for those who would like to critique me.

http://artists2.iuma.com/IUMA/Bands/johnnyrock

I would love to say more but I am really pressed for time.

Thanks a bunch
Johnny

This is interesting; You boys were strutting around like you had something big between your legs....turns out it's a tail!
P.S. I'm not a Taxi member; but I hope to be when I can raise the cash. Hey Michael, the money you save on that plane trip could be put to good use here. Why not put up a membership as a prize or something?

I thought this was an appeal for opinions, not an invitation to a melee. Other than a few outright false statements, (misunderstandings I'm sure), most of what I've read has been opinion. Too much of this opinion, however, has been directed to the writers rather than the subject. Let's be civil.

That would be NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International)



[This message has been edited by TrumanCoyote (edited 06-11-2002).]

Truman,

Doesn't NSAI have limitations to how many songs per year you can send in? (I think it used to be 1 song per month, but it may have changed.) Can you clarify?

Thanks,

Brian