Taxi.com - One Year in: A user review

[The Gobi Desert Canoe Club]

Very interesting article Tim. I never did know how to sell songs and now I don't even want to try. I'm quite happy posting to a couple of sites (including this one) and if you guys like it it's enough for me. What would piss me off though is if I heard one of my songs just slightly changed and selling as part of an album or even a single. The chances of that are fairly remote but I have heard stories of where this has happened and the writer has no real recourse other than through the courts which can cost even more than you would potentially make.
Keep writing, keep playing and who knows.............Willie

[Tony W]

I'm still hung on them telling you to be Jason Mraz. I really would choke the fucker in a face to face.

If Jason Mraz was told to sound like somebody else.... it becomes a perpetual circle. We'd all sound like Elvis. I like Jason Mraz, but I damn sure wouldn't want to emulate him. I'd rather be me.

I'm really fortunate that I have no desire to write songs, I just want to play instruments. It's liberating, like being the retarded kid in gym class who can drop his shorts with no remorse, simply because it seemed like a good idea. I have nothing to hope for, no pressure to do more than I'm doing, I just AM.

As it stands, I solely listen to music downloaded off the 2 forums. The only exception is the set list I'm learning to cover right now.

[Greeny]

I'm still hung on them telling you to be Jason Mraz. I really would choke the fucker in a face to face.

If Jason Mraz was told to sound like somebody else.... it becomes a perpetual circle. We'd all sound like Elvis. I like Jason Mraz, but I damn sure wouldn't want to emulate him. I'd rather be me.

I'm really fortunate that I have no desire to write songs, I just want to play instruments. It's liberating, like being the retarded kid in gym class who can drop his shorts with no remorse, simply because it seemed like a good idea. I have nothing to hope for, no pressure to do more than I'm doing, I just AM.

As it stands, I solely listen to music downloaded off the 2 forums. The only exception is the set list I'm learning to cover right now.

I'm pretty happy doing my own thing too (as I have been since the age of 18...). I just thought I'd give this Taxi thing a go, to see if my songs stood up outside of this forum and the favourable reactions I've had at open mics etc. It was kind of interesting as an experiment, albeit a damn expensive one. It's just not the right channel for my particular brand of music. But I can now crawl back into my shell knowing that I gave it a go, lol.

It took me a lot of years to try Taxi. It was first mentioned to me back in 2001 by someone who worked for Sony BMG. They said they actually did use Taxi to source new artists and songs. Shortly after (and by complete coincidence), I was down to the last 2 interviewees to be Sony BMG's European marketing manager. I didn't get the job though. Could have all been very different!

But I'm still haunted by a guy that was going to be the manager of my very first band - when I was 18. He'd been a session musician for UB40 (amongst others) but had been paralysed in a motorcycle accident. He thought our synth band was pretty good, but gave us this advice: "if you haven't made it by the time you're 26, forget it". I can still remember him saying it.

What's the magical age now? 19?!

This is a f*cking brutal business.

[Oldrottenhead]

somewise words from peter hammill about the music industry


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPvBII2FPvM

[The Gobi Desert Canoe Club]

I'm 63 in December, that makes me totally f%cked.................Willie

[Oldrottenhead]

well tony bennett just hit no1 in the us album charts at 85 years of age

[Greeny]

That Peter Hammil song is superb!

[Farrell Jackson]

I'm 63 in December, that makes me totally f%cked.................Willie

I'm not far behind you Willie...........I know a lot of us that fit into this grey haired rock category. We might as well have a f%cking good time of it.....that's one reason I stopped trying the write the right hit lyric. Now I just write down words that I can identify with and try not to think too hard about the process because it just hurts my old f%cking head.

Farrell

[peterp]

Start of a new genre? The "had hair metal/rock"?

I know a lot of us that fit into this grey haired rock category.

http://www.greydefence.com/blog/gray-hair-general-articles/gray-hair-rock-real/
Ugh the youngins are trying to steal everything from the real hip generation!
(never trust anyone under 55!!!)

[launched]

well tony bennett just hit no1 in the us album charts at 85 years of age

That's because he does duets with hot chicks! Is that the secret?? Actually he's pretty cool, always liked him.