[Fmpro] How TAXI Works

Tue Jan 23 09:04:31 GMT 2007

The TAXI service is about 400 a year to be a member and get the TAXI
dispatch listings. Then you pay another 50/100/150 per year for a prebuilt
website that you *MUST* use to upload any of your music for submission. They
have added a lot of value to those websites actually, including a do it
yourself merchandise store and ability to sell your mp3 downloads directly
for 99cents, and the artist gets 80cents, services to get radio play time,
among other things

Then the $5 per submission fee you pay is to pay for having your submission
screened, and often critiqued and decided on if it is acceptable to send to
the prospective employer. The value is, especially in a large organization
like TAXI, is that the submissions, when they arrive, are release quality
recordings and music that fits the submission style and quality, and
therefore they are able to get premium jobs and develop a hi level rapport
with top publishers, agencies and whoever

I started with them a few months ago, I have had 8 or 9 things forwarded and
about the same amount rejected. Only a couple pieces were critiqued. Getting
critiqued from an anonymous number is very frustrating, but I think its
probably a learning experience for me

But the $5 fee is not for an upload service, its supposed to be for the
screening service. They list a very impressive crew of potential screeners
as well, tho I have no idea who actually does it (is it the Paramount bigwig
or a college student, there is no real way to tell). And the idea of the
screening is to help us not waste time and discs submitting the wrong thing,
as well as to hopefully make the person receiving it more receptive.

$299/year - Taxi (usually 3 or 4 hundred listings a month)
Example of their listings: http://www.taxi.com/industry.php?Listings-drop2

$150/year extra (I think, something arund that, maybe 200) - Taxi Dispatch
(VIP club concept, you pay more and get the juicy listings)
They email me 5 or 6 a day usually, varying styles. Usually I see 1
orchestral/instrumental listing a week

$50-150/year Broadjam Website (required to submit to taxi over the web,
otherwise u must submit via CD) - 50/year lets u have 50 songs uploaded on
their servers for taxi submission, 150/year gives you 250. Once you are out
of songs u must delete one to submit something new
Example of my broadjam page: http://www.broadjam.com/alpiar

$5.00 per song submitted, charged by broadjam, partnered with taxi)
You dig thru taxi listings posted on broadjam and then click one you wand to
submit to and then click the song(s) you have uploaded and submit them, then
check out and pay your money

Now all of that has yet to yield me something very substantial, but I am in
for the year and will see how it pans out by next winter. If I get even 1 or
2 serious gigs its worth every penny. If not then it's a joke.

My main question Mark, is are you planning to get like a ton more of real
listings for this service you are building? I love all the stuff you do man,
but job listings have always been weak at best, maybe 1 real scoring gig a
year shows up, 99% of the rest is like intern spots and such. If your
listings get real juicy I will fo sure be on board, but if I can expect same
level of stuff I will probably opt for the minimum service
________________________________

Christopher Kennedy Alpiar
Cinematic Composer 
2727 Gaylord Avenue 
Studio C 
Dayton, OH 45419 
310.339.9603 (Los Angeles) 
937-294-0900 (Dayton) 
chris at alpiar.com 

________________________________

-----Original Message-----
From: fmpro-bounces+chris=alpiar.com at nxport.com
[mailto:fmpro-bounces+chris=alpiar.com at nxport.com] On Behalf Of Mark Northam
Sent: Monday, January 22, 2007 6:38 PM
To: fmpro at nxport.com
Subject: Re: [Fmpro] New FM Network submission changes

Hi Joel -

Thanks for sharing your feedback. I'll respond briefly on the list here so
as not to overly burden the list with the details.

First, our new SubmitDIRECT program is optional - we offer it to job posters
to use if they choose to for online submissions. The key benefit of
SubmitDIRECT is the ease at with both submitters can upload their music, and
reviewers can review and make contact with submitters - far easier than FTP
especially for filmmakers and music supervisors, many of whom would never
use an FTP program. Some job posters may use the system, some may not and
will request CDs in the mail - it's completely up to them.

We've also tried to price our electronic submission service far below
others, like TAXI, which has a $5/track submission charge and an additional
membership necessary for electronic submissions, which first have to go
through an anonymous screener before they make it (or not) to the hiring
music supervisor, filmmaker, etc.

Furthermore, you'll get an email automatically when the reviewer listens to
your music - that's something no other online submission system I know of
offers.

We've been building the SubmitDIRECT technology for many months now after
numerous requests from our job posters for an online submission system to
relieve the problems of funky FTP issues, email boxes overfilled with MP3
files, and slow snail-mail delivery. While our system isn't perfect, we're
working to make it as good as it can be. I appreciate your feedback.

Best,

Mark Northam

P.S. You can also reduce your FMN Web Membership to only $139/year by
choosing an annual membership, which also gives you 3 months free - you can
get details at http://www.filmmusic.net. We're also bundling in some new
benefits for annual members you'll be hearing about shortly.

On 1/22/07 3:07 PM, "JJB" <onephatcat at earthlink.net> wrote:

> Hi Mark,
> 
> As a paying subscriber to FMN Jobwire for several years, I appreciate
> the new ability to submit electronically through your system, only
> because it creates at least the illusion of more certainty that
> someone will be on the other end listening.
> 
> However, I have to question the pricing structure. First of all, I
> pay about $168 per year already to be able to submit to FM Jobwire.
> Now I have to pay an additional $2 per piece of music that I submit
> per job I submit to, on top of that $168 I pay per year.  Frankly, I
> think that is wrong. If all the new jobs are going to be using this
> new system, then my subscription to FM Jobwire only gives me a
> discount in submitting, and nothing more.
> 
> What I think would make more sense, if you have to have a system in
> place (After all, most of us have our own websites with our music on
> it already, we don't really need a submission system to pay extra
> for) is that there be a flat fee per year where you can have x number
> of .mp3 files stored, and submit to any job wire jobs for free, or
> something along those lines. It needs to be clear cut and simple.
> I  thought I would try out your system, just to see what happens, but
> frankly, I think it is way overpriced, unless there is some hidden
> benefit you have not told us about. I think I may cancel my FMN
> subscription.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Joel
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
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---------------------------------
Mark Northam - Publisher
Film Music Magazine
The Professional Voice of Music for Film & TV
http://www.filmmusicmag.com
1-800-774-3700 x702 / (310) 645-9000 x702

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