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Just as you speak here is the new email from Taxi today....... Maybe this will help some.

When is a Deal Not a Deal?

Dear Passengers,

I got the email below in response to my recent lament about TAXI members not reporting their deals often enough. It was forwarded to me by one of my staffers yesterday. I'm writing this on the weekend, so I haven't asked for permission to reprint this with the member's full name. That said, his point is interesting, and I wondered if other people shared his perspective.
=====================================
Hi Michael,

I thought you would like to see this e-mail, as he makes an excellent point of why some members may not understand what constitutes a "deal."
Warm Regards,
~David
------ Forwarded Message
From: <********@comcast.net>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:48:11 +0000 (UTC)
To: Music News
Subject: Re: 121.9 Reasons TAXI's CEO is Ticked Off at...

Hi Michael,

I wonder if part of the reason (true in my own case) you're not hearing about member deals is confusion about the meaning of the word "deal".

I always took the word "deal" to mean an actual income-producing event arising out of a relationship spawned through Taxi, not simply signing with a company.

In my case, I've signed with four companies as a result of Taxi forwards. Three of those signings are fairly recent, and to date I've had only one significant income-producing event: a section of my music was used in a trailer for the film "Elizabeth: The Golden Age." (The payment more than made up for several years of Taxi dues and submission fees.)

Anyway, I don't know for sure if semantic confusion is to blame for the lack of reporting, or if members are either too busy, too disorganized, or just inconsiderate. But if you want to be kept abreast of company signings in addition to actual income-producing events that resulted from the signings, it might be useful to spell that out.

Thanks, and with appreciation,

Richard ******

Wow! I'm Kind of Amazed!

First, let me say that I'm grateful that Richard sent me this email. Second, I'm happy to hear that he's had several recent signings, including one from which, "The payment more than made up for several years of Taxi dues and submission fees."

But I'm Also a Little Confused...

So, when I get an email like this from one of the publishers who finds songwriters and composers through TAXI, is it not fair and accurate to say that they've signed deals?

The Publisher's email:

Fri., Aug. 7th, 2009 2:24PM

Hi Michael,

To follow up on my previous email to you, here are some Taxi member signings by (company name not disclosed to spare them 160,000 emails).
David Kraut (one song -- just last week)
Brad Callahan (five songs -- just last week)
A.J. Yuill (one song several months ago)
Marc Kuchner (four songs over a one year period. Two artist placements)
Tim Wheeler (three songs three months ago)
Gene Reynolds (several songs over the past year. One artist placement)
Shelley Jacobson (several songs. Placement on The Mentalist)
Forgive me if one or two of the above are not Taxi members. Between listening to a song and signing it, enough time has usually gone by that remembering where it came from can be difficult. And the "memory hole" gets ever wider as even more time goes by.

Thanks,

****

So, When is a Deal Not a Deal?

My definition of "deal" is when somebody puts pen to paper and signs the deal. Some deals might give you an advance upon signing (not very often these days), all deals should pay you when the music is used, and both are "deals."

Thank you to Richard for giving me the heads up that everybody might not define the word "deal" the same way I do.

Thank you to the companies and the members who tell us when they sign deals.

If you're reading this and have signed a deal, but have been confused about the definition of the word and haven't updated us yet, please let us know!

Click here to see a ton of our members who are signing deals and making money with their music!

You can quit watching the money train pass you by with other artists and songwriters on it and join TAXI now. Remember the guy who got a recent placement with a borrowed ukulele and only two chords?

Start simply, learn what the industry is looking for, sign some deals and make some money. You probably won't get rich quick, but Richard did pay for several years of TAXI membership and submission fees with just one placement in a trailer.

It's a lot easier to get a deal if you're a member. Just click that big blue button and get started!

Talk to you soon,
Michael


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