I was wondering where someone might be able to drop a song or maybe just the lyrics for a possible sale??.I already checked out the taxi site,you pretty much have to classify your music and send it to the right ad at the right time, dont get me wrong I will use that site to the fullest in the future,but right now have some music I cant quite classify.I also am aware that money isn't everything and dont want to just sell my music,I want to be heard as well.
How to make Money
- Thread starter mndog75
- Start date
Aaron Cheney
Favorite Chord: C 6/9
If you can't classify your song, it will never sell. Artists that perform hard-to-classify songs almost always (As is 99.9999999999999 % of the time ) write their own songs.
The market for songs is almost entirely country and pop music, and your song needs to follow the generally accepted formats, be easy to classify, be absolutely brilliant, and then you have to be persistant (for years perhaps!) until you get lucky. That's how you sell your songs and get them heard.
If it were as easy as "dropping off a song for possible sale", we'd all be doing it.
As for me, I'm still in the "be persistant for years" stage....
A
www.aaroncheney.com
The market for songs is almost entirely country and pop music, and your song needs to follow the generally accepted formats, be easy to classify, be absolutely brilliant, and then you have to be persistant (for years perhaps!) until you get lucky. That's how you sell your songs and get them heard.
If it were as easy as "dropping off a song for possible sale", we'd all be doing it.
As for me, I'm still in the "be persistant for years" stage....
A
www.aaroncheney.com
philboyd studge
New member
Believe in yourself
Get lots of people to believe in you
Write good songs....lots of them
Find a co-writer with past success
Get on the inside
Almost everything comes from the inside
Once you are there you'll find almost everything you do will be rejected. It's still fun though.
Get lots of people to believe in you
Write good songs....lots of them
Find a co-writer with past success
Get on the inside
Almost everything comes from the inside
Once you are there you'll find almost everything you do will be rejected. It's still fun though.
All good comments - with good humor from joro
I very much agree with Aaron - if you plan to write for commercial success, you must follow established and accepted formats. If your material does not fall under specific country. pop, etc formats - you won't find a publisher or artist representative who will want it.
I've have some success through Taxi (and some success outside of Taxi) but I only submit material that meets the rather limited commerical guidelines I know and expect.
Cetainly I also write material that does not meet set guidelines - but that's for my personal enjoyment - not for commercial success.
As philboyd said - write alot, continue to hone your craft and expect much rejection - but if you write from your heart, you'll material will always please you, even if it does not sell.
I very much agree with Aaron - if you plan to write for commercial success, you must follow established and accepted formats. If your material does not fall under specific country. pop, etc formats - you won't find a publisher or artist representative who will want it.
I've have some success through Taxi (and some success outside of Taxi) but I only submit material that meets the rather limited commerical guidelines I know and expect.
Cetainly I also write material that does not meet set guidelines - but that's for my personal enjoyment - not for commercial success.
As philboyd said - write alot, continue to hone your craft and expect much rejection - but if you write from your heart, you'll material will always please you, even if it does not sell.
Aaron Cheney
Favorite Chord: C 6/9
So mikeh, tell me about your TAXI experience. I've been toying with that idea. Would you recommend it?
A
www.aaroncheney.com
A
www.aaroncheney.com
Aaron,
I think Taxi can be worth the cost - for the right person. As you likely know, there is an annual fee, plus a submission fee for each "song".
Often, the song is reviewed with suggestions, etc. and if you are serious about a song, you may re-submit it several times (each time for a fee and subject to review). If you send it in enough - and re-write it enough - and if the time is right (3rd Tuesday with a full moon) you may find a reviewer who will pass the song through to a publisher (I don't know if songs ever get direct to an artist rep - the stuff I've had luck with went to a publisher).
As you know, once at the publisher, it can sit in a catalog forever and not get recorded - or it may get recorded but there aren't enough sales to generate payments, etc. etc.
In my case, I gained access to a publisher who has worked with me (a foot in the door). I'm sure I would not have gained access to this publisher with unsolicitated mailings (maybe not even by camping out in the office
So for me, this contact was worth the investment. I've had a song placed in a film (direct to video - didn't pay much) and a couple of songs placed on artist recordings (no cash rolling in yet) - but I have an active and valid publisher.
As you know - Taxi looks for very formula driven material and you must be willing to write to that formula. In many cases (in particular placement for film) they look for well recorded material that can be placed as is (no recording costs).
I look at my Taxi fees the same way I do a gear purchase "will it pay for itself in x amount of time and will it improve my chance of making my demo studio profitable"
So far, I'm at a break even point with Taxi.
I think Taxi can be worth the cost - for the right person. As you likely know, there is an annual fee, plus a submission fee for each "song".
Often, the song is reviewed with suggestions, etc. and if you are serious about a song, you may re-submit it several times (each time for a fee and subject to review). If you send it in enough - and re-write it enough - and if the time is right (3rd Tuesday with a full moon) you may find a reviewer who will pass the song through to a publisher (I don't know if songs ever get direct to an artist rep - the stuff I've had luck with went to a publisher).
As you know, once at the publisher, it can sit in a catalog forever and not get recorded - or it may get recorded but there aren't enough sales to generate payments, etc. etc.
In my case, I gained access to a publisher who has worked with me (a foot in the door). I'm sure I would not have gained access to this publisher with unsolicitated mailings (maybe not even by camping out in the office
So for me, this contact was worth the investment. I've had a song placed in a film (direct to video - didn't pay much) and a couple of songs placed on artist recordings (no cash rolling in yet) - but I have an active and valid publisher.As you know - Taxi looks for very formula driven material and you must be willing to write to that formula. In many cases (in particular placement for film) they look for well recorded material that can be placed as is (no recording costs).
I look at my Taxi fees the same way I do a gear purchase "will it pay for itself in x amount of time and will it improve my chance of making my demo studio profitable"
So far, I'm at a break even point with Taxi.
Rolf G Riley
New member
You could try setting up a store at www.lulu.com
it's a quiet site so you have to drive your own traffick there from other sites, but its free, you get a cool home page with two display options including pics etc. They allow you to sell your music at any price you choose (they take 20%) via download. its also got a collaboration section which may help you.
you wont get much exposure unless you promote it yourself. I use it and drive traffic from other music sites.
it's a quiet site so you have to drive your own traffick there from other sites, but its free, you get a cool home page with two display options including pics etc. They allow you to sell your music at any price you choose (they take 20%) via download. its also got a collaboration section which may help you.
you wont get much exposure unless you promote it yourself. I use it and drive traffic from other music sites.