Record labels, music publishers, production music libraries and music supervisors haven’t traditionally accepted music submissions directly from songwriters, artists and composers. Unsolicited music was unfiltered, often a waste of their time, and rarely targeted to fit their needs.
TAXI changed all that starting in 1992. It was the first company of its kind – a true game-changer for independent musicians – TAXI has been the industry leader ever since.
I just got off the phone with a Film and TV composer from Dallas, Texas who inspired me to write this. He said, “I’ve been to your website and the websites of three other companies that look like they do the same thing and I don’t see any huge differences.” Maybe I’m not doing a great job of communicating exactly how TAXI is different and better than our competitors.
Immediately after finishing the phone call with the composer, I went to TAXI.com and confirmed that he was absolutely right! Our Website doesn’t do a great job of telling you why TAXI is better and different. Blogging about those differences seems like the quickest way to get the word out. Here goes!
- TAXI offers a Money-Back Guarantee.
None of the other companies have a guarantee at ALL!
- TAXI gives you TWO FREE tickets to a Best-In-Class convention for songwriters, artists and Film & TV composers.
None of the other companies do.
- TAXI guarantees that every song you submit will be heard by a TRUE industry professional specializing in the genre of music you submit.
None of the other companies do.
- TAXI gives you detailed feedback on your music from heavy-duty music industry professionals.
Other companies do not.
- TAXI only presents you with opportunities to submit your music to top shelf, pre-qualified companies.
Other companies do not. In fact, some of the other companies split your submission fees with the company or individual running the “listing.” That could encourage them to run a “listing” just to make money from their cut of the submission fees, whether or not they actually need the music.
- TAXI has multi-decade long relationships with executives from nearly every Major Record Label, Top Music Publishers, and hundreds of Film and TV Music Supervisors and publishers who specialize in Film and TV music.
None of the other companies can say that.
- TAXI has successfully helped thousands of songwriters, artists and composers get record deals, publishing deals and Film and TV music placements since 1992.
None of the other companies can say that.
- TAXI fosters transparency by providing its members and the general public with a public forum where they can post unedited comments. We’re not afraid of the truth!
None of our competitors have a public forum. Some had them, but took them down.
- TAXI is a member in good standing with the Better Business Bureau and we’ve enjoyed an Excellent rating during our entire tenure.
None of the other companies can say that.
But let’s talk about you and your situation. If you’ve got the time and the know-how, you can often submit music to the music industry yourself.
Ten Steps to Submit Your Music to Record Companies,
Publishers and Music Supervisors.
Step One:
- Identify the type of artist or songwriter you are; Rock, Pop, Country, Singer-Songwriter, Urban, etc.
Step Two:
- Research which companies typically sign artists or use songs in the genre you fall under.
Step Three:
- Identify the person (s) at the company who signs the type of artist you are or uses the genre of songs you write. Don’t waste your time pitching your material to people or companies who are not in your genre. They have no use for your music, and even if they love it, they’re not the right people for you if they don’t work with your genre.
Step Four:
- Find the phone number or email addresses for the people you’d like to pitch your music to. Organize a database or spreadsheet with all the contact info for the record labels, publishers and music supervisors by category. Systematically cold call or email them and request permission to submit music to them.
Step Five:
- When submitting your music to them, make sure to be brief and concise. They’ll be more likely to listen if you’re direct, to the point and give an accurate description of your style when you submit your music.
Step Six:
- Don’t just make one submission of your music and wait to hear back before you make more. Keep identifying new targets and systematically submit music every day of the week. The faster you submit your music, the more likely it is that you’ll make that one submission that gets somebody in the music industry excited.
Step Seven:
- If Country is your genre, don’t submit your music to New York or LA record labels or publishers. If you are a Film composer, chances are you’ll do best by submitting your tracks in LA and maybe New York. In other words, use common sense when making your music submissions. It will save you lots of money and get a better result.
Step Eight:
- Be very patient and accept reality! Most people will not give you permission to submit music to them. Most music industry executives are not sitting at their desk anxiously awaiting your submission. What is crucially important to you is just another person submitting music to them.
Step Nine:
- Don’t pester them once you’ve submitted your music. You’ll only make them hate you. If they love your music, they’ll contact you. If they don’t love the music you submitted, you will probably never hear from them. They’ve got better things to do than tell you why they didn’t love your music and what you can do to make it better. If you do get a chance to ask them why they didn’t like it and what you can do to improve, they’re likely to refer you to TAXI.
Step Ten:
- Write more songs and record more music. Getting a record, publishing or Film/TV placement isn’t typically a one shot effort. Most industry pros would tell you that it took them YEARS of doing exactly what I’ve spelled out in steps one through nine. Don’t give up to quickly. It’s almost always the person who hangs in the longest that gets the reward!