JPF Home Page Forums Southeast US Chapter Message Boards Atlanta Chapter Message Board Michael Laskow, TAXI - Atlanta workshop NOTES

For those of you that weren't able to attend Michael Laskow's TAXI workshop in July, I thought I'd post information from the workshop that you might find helpful.

First off, there was an excellent turnout - there must have been over 100 people that came out.

Workshop Notes:

* Majority of TAXI deals are film and television placements - these deals are much easier to get than album cut deals with a major recording artist

* Never tell an A*R person that you're VERSATILE - this is the kiss of death. A&R reps want you to be just one thing - FOCUSED on a specific genre of music. Ask yourself, what is your singular identity?

* When you submit songs to TAXI, for most listings, you will receive a written critique from a TAXI A&R person. Your music will not be listened to until the listing deadline has passed. TAXI takes 2-3 weeks to get back to you with a critique. The A&R reps hired by TAXI are people that have worked in the industry and have numerous contacts with the publishers, labels, production houses etc that have placed the listings. They listen to the music you submit in 4-hour shifts. The A&R reps hired are out-of-work A&R execs (many have been recently laid off due to record label cutbacks)

* To become a better songwriter, Laskow suggested studying hit songs and their techniques...go home everyday, turn off the TV, lock the door, and study songs, read songwriting books and practice songwriting. There IS a formula to most hit songs played on commercial radio. Spend time learning the formula.

* Ralph Murphy, VP, ASCAP was interviewed by TAXI. He analyzed the formula for a decade's worth of hit songs. In 1999, the 18 #1 singles used only 3 of 6 song structures:

- 2nd form: verse-(verse optional)-chorus-verse-chorus-instrumental-chorus-etc

- 3rd form: verse-(verse optional)-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-instrumental-chorus-outro

- 4th form: verse-lift-chorus-verse-lift-chorus-instrumental-(lift optional)-chorus

* 5 of 6 uptemos and 50% of all #1 singles in the ASCAP study used the 3rd form.

* All forms were equally represented in the top mid-tempo songs

* Top ballads: 4 of 9 ballads were in 3rd form; 3 of 9 ballads were in 2nd form; 2 of 9 ballads were in 4th form

* The 3 books Laskow specifically suggested reading:

1. The Craft & Business of Songwriting by John Braheny

2. The Songwriters Idea Book by Sheila Davis (anything by Sheila Davis)

3. Writing Better Lyrics - Pat Pattison (said read and re-read this book; excellent)

* On the back of the TAXI critique form, TAXI recommends the following books for songwriters (in addition to the 3 above):

1. Six Steps to Songwriting Success - Jason Blume

2. Writing Music for Hit Songs - Jai Josefs

3. Your First Cut - A step by step guide to getting there - Jerry Vandiver & Gracie Hollombe

4. 88 Songwriting Wrongs & How to Right Them - Pat & Pete Luboff

5. Creating Melodies - Dick Weissman

6. ********* - Jimmy Webb

7. Songwriters on Songwriting - Paul Zollo

8. Metaphorically Speaking - N.E. Renton

* Don't get discouraged...Diane Warren plugged her songs for 12 years before getting an album cut. Diane Warren is obsessed with songwriting as a craft - and the money keeps rolling in for her.

* It's all about passion - you'll want to be "obsessively passionate" to be successful in music.

* TAXI's Road Rally is a convention held in Los Angeles, every year, the 1st weekend in November. It's free for members, and attended by producers, A&R execs, music supervisors, etc. About 2500 attend. Laskow suggested you bring your CDs and a guitar. He guaranteed that it's the best time you'll ever have...jam sessions in the hotel lobby, A&R panels that critique music from TAXI members (pick out of a box and rate music on the spot; TAXI members also get to vote on each song reviewed). Laskow HIGHLY RECOMMENDED attending the TAXI road rally. Said more TV/Film placements are done at the Road Rally than any other deal.

* Regarding copyrights, Laskow suggested copyrighting your material before sending it in...but do a poor man's copyright (mail CD/lyric sheet to yourself and don't open the returned package) and submit to the copyright office. The copyright office takes about 6 months to process your copyright application, so don't wait around for them.

* TAXI now takes song submissions electronically

* Ask yourself, WHAT kind of music do you write? You need to know this so you can effectively pitch it. Many songs are not placed because the submission wasn't matched to the genre of the TAXI listing.

* Don't spend a tremendous amount of time on recording/production for songs that are mediocre - Instead, focus your attention on improving the song itself.

* You don't need to be a "musical genius" or record on 24/48-track gear to get your material placed. All you need is a 4-track. Said 4 or 8-track recordings often beat out 24-track recordings in terms of production quality and arrangement...it's all about the song.

* TAXI doesn't have a quote for song forwards. If there are 100 great songs appropriate for a listing, all 100 will be forwarded. TAXI will not forward mediocre material. They don't want to jeopardize their relationships with the companies that list with them.

* Said treat this like a job, not a hobby, and you can make real money. Talked about the guy that wrote the music for the TV show, "Who wants to be a millionaire"...3 notes, and the writer has made hundreds of thousands of dollars...the music gets played over and over on TV.

* For a song requested by a top-level artist, ie: Whitney Houston, TAXI will receive 600-800 submissions.

* Said keep your submissions to TAXI organized...always know WHO you're sending to, what listing you're submitting for, keep track of details!

* TAXI typically has 100 listings per month

* Download "Studio Buddy" from the TAXI website for free...has a FAQ with answers to the top 100 music production questions; advice from top audio engineers. Laskow used to be an audio engineer (worked at Criteria Studios in Miami).

http://www.studiobuddy.com/

* TAXI does get European listings...benefit of Europe: Each country licenses music separately; this works favorably for the songwriter.

* When songs are placed, here's what top placements can yield in terms of financial reward:

-TV show - several thousand dollars
-Album cut - $100,000
-Single - $500,000

* Suggested going for the low-hanging fruit...TV/Film placements; production music libraries, etc.

* Taxi Dispatch - the service for material that is needed very quickly; not included with the standard TAXI membership.

* How do you record high-quality demos for less money without having access to excellent studio gear?

- Call your local college...most schools have an audio engineering program, and the students need musicians to come in to learn how to engineer.

http://www.aes.org/education/geodir.cfm


I hope some of you will find this information useful.

Best,

Garrin
garrin@mindspring.com

The book by Jimmy Webb is called Tune-smith

-Garrin

[This message has been edited by barbarino (edited 08-02-2003).]

[This message has been edited by barbarino (edited 08-02-2003).]

[This message has been edited by barbarino (edited 08-02-2003).]