Here's a cool link:

http://www.taxi.com/industry.php?Listings-index-box

We've talked about TAXI before, the A&R company that screens submissions for a lot of major players in the industry, music libraries, artists, TV/Film, etc. Take a look through their listings here and tell me what you see. The word that keeps coming up is "ala". Ala Amy Winehouse, or ala Fall Out Boy, or what have you. Most of the songs they want are in the style of someone who has already found success...the people with the money are interested in repeating that same success.

More interesting perhaps are the listings for TV/Film...they often want something in an older style, something that can be used as backing music on an A&E special, or the History Channel, or something on Showtime. If you can produce a broadcast quality piece at home, this is one of the few ways to get something sold that is outside of the pre-established styles they are seeking for radio play.

But those who want to make steady money are probably going to do what Jason Blume does...write in the style that is being requested, and network like crazy.

OR...you start your own band and get gigs and get popular...if you can pack the venues, well then, the labels will be interested in you, because you already make money.

Those of us who just want to write songs the way we like them have the steepest hill to climb if we want to make a living doing only this.

http://www.soundclick.com/MarkKaufman