Recording - January 2016 - 52

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undesirable, it will most likely kill the chances of
the song ever being used in film or TV, because it's
too specific for almost any scene, and has the
potential to pull the viewers' attention away from
the story that the actors and the scenery are telling
on the screen. The same thing applies to production. If the vocal is mixed as far out front on a
recording as it needs to be for a commercial Country artist track, it will be too far out front for a
film/TV placement. Those are just two examples,
but I could talk for a week about this subject. So
yes, TAXI has taught me a ton about different, often
conflicting ways to approach song composition and
production. What an education!
As a songwriter/composer, the one thing that TAXI
has taught me above all else it that, if you want to
make a living (or any money, for that matter) from
your songwriting or composing, you have to have
material that can actually be used in the
marketplace! So, if you've got a bunch of "finished"
recordings, but no one can use them for commercial purposes in the current market, where does
that leave you?

becoming their sole source of income. And interestingly, those people who have "gotten it," and
figured out all the "hidden secrets" of success are
the ones who are the most willing to share their
expertise and help their fellow members along. It is
so NOT the stereotype of the back-stabbing, turfprotecting music industry ethic!
Now, take that vibe and environment, put it on
steroids, multiply it by 2,500, and that's what you
get at the Road Rally every year. I should know; this
year will be my TWELVTH Road Rally in a row!
Seriously Michael, I think it should be the duty of
every TAXI member to do everything in their
power to make the TAXI Road Rally their "music
industry pilgrimage" every year, because entire, successful music careers have been built from the Road
Rally alone. I have witnessed it personally; it's not
just a bunch of marketing hype.

Seth Littlefield:

Here's what I tell people who are thinking about
joining TAXI...

put yourself in the shoes of an editor who's probably under a time constraint and scanning a long list
of tracks, what would get your attention? That's
been the place I try to visit every time I come up
with a title. It's the first impression, so I try to portray the vibe immediately, so they get the idea prior
to having not heard a thing yet. I first considered
the importance of titling during Chuck Schlacter
class at the TAXI Road Rally, and it's been
addressed in numerous TAXI TV episodes.
I see a lot of your fellow members who get something
signed by a publisher through a TAXI relationship,
then they tend to put most if not all of their music in
that one catalog. Maybe they feel like they've found
that one person or company that "loves" them. How
many catalogs do you have your music in?
I currently have music in 14 libraries. That includes
co-writes, so some of which, there are only a few
tracks signed to. Overall, it has been my experience
that certain libraries get more placements with certain genres. So part of the game is figuring out
what does well and where. If you put all of your
music in one catalog, it could potentially be risky
considering even though they "love" your tracks,
they might not have stellar opportunities for those
particular tracks. It's definitely a long-term game,
but if you can figure out the shows that your
libraries are currently pitching to, then you can target your music accordingly and you'll be more likely
to get placements with them.

Matt Harvey:
Oh God, please don't turn this into a commercial. People are going to think I asked you to say this...
No, let me say it! It needs to be said, and you didn't
ask me to say anything!
First, if you don't have an open mind and don't
want to learn and change, don't sign up! Assuming
you get past that first hurdle, then you should sign
up and be prepared to listen-a lot! And for at least
a year, do mostly listening and paying attention to
what others are doing and saying. And nowhere is
there a more valuable place for that than on the
"Best Kept Secret of TAXI": the TAXI online
Forums. There is a community of literally
hundreds-maybe thousands, I don't know... of
other friendly, supportive people with previous
experience and a willingness to help you along in
every imaginable aspect of the process, from creating the material, to performance, to which virtual
instrument library to invest in, to production tricks
- and it's included in the price of your TAXI membership! You can even listen to - and join a
discussion about - which songs did and didn't get
forwarded for a particular listing, and most importantly, why!
I find it very interesting that many of the most
active members on the TAXI Forums are also the
most successful members. They're the ones who've
been TAXI members for five, 10, even 15 years and
have made a lot of money through their association
with TAXI-some of them to the point of it
52

Has TAXI helped you get out of your comfort zone and
"forced" you to explore musical genres you never
thought you might capable of doing?
Oh yes, definitely. Before TAXI, I was mainly writing Indie Rock, Singer/Songwriter stuff and the
occasional Jazz chart. I have always liked to listen to
a variety of styles but never considered writing
them. Now I find myself writing all kinds of genres:
Dramedy, Tension, EDM, Corporate, Pop, and the
list goes on. Personally, I have discovered that there
are so many amazing things about each and every
genre that you are truly missing out if you shut the
door on them. Simply put, try and find something
you love in the music you don't like. It might end up
being your new favorite!
I also noticed that most of your songs and instrumentals have titles that could easily "telegraph" what the
music is going to sound like, or a type of scene it could
potentially work for. I think a lot of talented musicians
miss out on publishing deals and placements because
they don't give their music the right kind of titles. How
did you learn how to do that, and do you think it has
helped you get more deals and placements?
I admit that there have been plenty of times where I
sit there, ready to bounce a track and get held up
for at least 10 minutes struggling with a title. If you

How did you learn to handle the sting of getting feedback from TAXI's A&R team that wasn't what you
wanted to hear?
It's hard, I've moaned about it in the TAXI Forums
at least once! It's really hard to stay objective if
you've worked really hard writing tracks for a listing. But you have to get up and try again. This is
such a long-term business that if you've made a
good track and it's been rejected, it almost doesn't
matter because another listing or publisher may
well have a need for it. Rejection is a lot more common than acceptance in this business. So, if you get
upset by every rejection, then you're going to spend
a lot of time that way!
Do you have any advice for first year TAXI members
who are ready to throw in the towel because they
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