How Good Do Your Demos Really Have to Be?

[spcforty55]

It's fucking annoying at all these rappers bitch about not getting signed, no wonder its a no talent genre. Full of no talent lazy assholes who expect people wanting them to hear the same shit said over and over again.

[mortemdrummer]

lol 2:40

so going into my pimp vocab.

[cmonutube]

@mortemdrummer ROFL mine too

[thereneegardner]

Support the movement: HipHopSoul

[gymparasite]

this video is a damm hook from the beginning telling story. I kept thinking the second cd was going to be dismissed because bad packaging

[LuvLiWords]

Fantastic!

[amphappy]

amphappy on youtube 3202377105

[amphappy]

amphappy on youtube 3202377105

[amphappy]

amphappy on youtube 3202377105

[oleold]

If you are a hip hop producer or rnb producer don't go through taxi I went through them got no placements. Like they know rap? please I went to the ATL went through the producer swapmeet there and got placements like that taxi won't get that for you because they have people there who don't understand black music good for pop music not rap or hip hop.

[dandman1ify]

...all the sour grapes and bitterness of artists who didn't have the chops to make it to the top. God gawd!

[xxdjvip]

This fat ass went to college for no reason, saw a marketing gimic, and statred ripping people off. The music business will always be a gamble. Save your money and time. This fat bitch probably plays the clairinet. BLAH BLAH BLAH. Thats all i hear when an untalented person wnats to exploit an artist for the talent that they have.

[xxdjvip]

i HAVE BEEN A PERFORMING ARTIST SINCE I WAS 15 YERAS OLD. First off who the fuck are you to try and put all that preasure on the artist. You are an untalented greedy fat ass with the lip service of a whore. Artist are entitled to all of the same royalties as the" A&R" If you wanna put that much work on the artist to market their own shit then give up your job as the "A&R" haha. Im VIPER to those who dont know. Get at me for if you want a real artist who will work circles around you 325 261 2191.

[ALISONBABYism]

David Foster said the complete opposite. When songwriter Diane Warren brought him new songs with her voice and a piano he would complain and try and encourage her to do really well crafted and detailed demos, so that he wasn't only working with a blank page. That completely contradics this advice.

[MindstormRecs]

DO NOT USE TAXI!!! $300 start up fee and $5 a submission?! Not $100 not $150 but $300 for a shot in the dark and no follow ups to your submissions is total bullshit. Compile email addresses and phone numbers and make the moves yourself instead of relying on a get rich quick shady cheap looking website like Taxi. Fuck Taxi! Further info on their lack of success can be found here thomasmoens. com/taxi.htm

[pander22]

@MindstormRecs They've gotten a lot of my money with absolutely NOTHING to show for it.

[MCDEVVOMAN]

i trust this guy

[regenerati]

....this has signs of going VERY wrong and sounds like a clique "...whether Tony's in the room or not....".....listen, young (or older and not-so-streetwise) musicians, NOTHING keeps you from creating your OWN Vehicle for reaching the Marketplace - - after all, just because you're in a "Taxi" doesn't mean there's not, better, more interesting, faster and more sustainable "routes" to the music marketplace.....Taxi has the problem of seeming parasitic and perpetuates the old Worn-Out music model

[Rt22100]

@Tonye17 Mariah Carey,Eminem...to name a couple

[Melindajazzrus]

Glad I found you Taxi....Your Videos are very informative and helps us learn more about the Music biz! We are still writing our Songs-We will not give up.....God bless you all @TAXI A&R,Melinda Singer/Songwriter of "Can you Love a Woman,like Me"

[AfterClapR]

Got Talent?

Can you sing?

Can you rap?

Can you make beats?

Wanna Get Signed?

We can get YOU some good money doing what you love, send a sample of your work to:

AfterClapR@yahoo.com

[benbrenyefski]

the song might be great but what if the band can't promote themselves or draw a crowd, will they still get signed????

[TONYE17]

has any body ever been signed from a demo ???

[avafreak252]

wow thanks for posting this great information

[PapiRayOneal]

Your video is very interesting with good vibes & info….totally enjoyed it. Hey, check out my video…I know you will like it because it’s real…..Youtube.com/user/PapiRa­yOneal…..Im subbing you, so please sub me back.

[dissyfit]

what a load of fucking crap.. i can't stand these pricks making themselves judge and jury on music.. fuck em.. dont need em

[XSTRAIGHTEDGE4EVERX]

If you are in a band and want to get signed

go to myspace and type:

Sign My band

into a people search. They will help you get a record deal

[joshuamunch100]

youtubes new layout sucks!

[mikekorz]

I'm not ready or willing to make any claim, since i don't have a lawyer...

[007frogprincess]

it's true, great songwriting wins out over production every time. these ppl are trained to hear quality structure, production potential, and commercial appeal. this came at the perfect time for me because mixing my demos was causing me some grief!

fyi... taxi is a very reputable company endorsed by the bbb and the music industry. if your stuff is marketable, they can serve you. thanks for posting this!!

[tank9142]

just use tunecore

[underdogmorgan]

IT'S A COLD COLD WORLD MUSIC VIDEO the millions and millions of people that struggle day to day will relate and the ones that don't have to go through this BE BLESSED

[miraclemanagement]

Yet another company that makes money not getting people deals. Check out my video................

[mikekorz]

i sent a crummy cassette to a record company and they stole all the songs.....

[TheiPodTouchFreak]

@mikekorz yeah sure

[mikekorz]

@TheiPodTouchFreak

Truth is stranger than fiction....

(I would take a lie detector test to attest to the truth, I've taken them before)...

[cojobo34]

@mikekorz what record company and what songs?

[KristinKellyrose]

What if you are the singer/songwriter/guitarist and the only one in your band lol?? And not pitching just the song.. are you considered the band and should you get a full band backing your song on your demo?? That's just what I was wondering.. lol

KK <3

[brilliantou]

good question

[AirmetalDrummer]

So if you want another artist to do your music, don't go to a studio.

If you are a band, go to a studio.

[CreationArtist]

How do you become a screener at TAXI?

[BLaZe071775]

fuck A and R people.. wait i'm not signed yet..

ah fuck. :P

[Whiteboard7]

lol

[VivaToddVegas]

Question effectively dodged.

[Nicoyutub]

"as good as you can, but focus mainly on songwriting"... i think that's what he meant.

[strawdog1234567]

Listen to this guy; he talks the business from the inside and he knows how it works. Spot on !

[V1RU5ex3]

Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana comes to mind when I hear of the perfect song.

[12thDecember]

I hire a musician/songwriter to create my demos. His voice is as good as anyone on the radio, and he's able to put in all the little melodic nuances and he phrases everything just right. He's also the best musician in town, with a first rate studio. I want whoever is screening the song to know what it's meant to sound like, because if I sing it, they'll get a totally different impression, lol.

[LynchTownVirginia]

how do u become a music a@r

[UltimateSongwriting]

Awesome! Great advice!

[oosliw]

you never mentioned a hook but it was very descriptive! wow! this helped me write my music A LOT thanks for making these videos!

[ziggyNY123]

There's a great new way to get your music heard - go to the meermusic or famegamesradio site and sign up for ABC's Fame Games. It's now nationwide and worldwide and it's the first time EVER that indies get to be extensively featured on network radio. The implications of this to your career can be enormous - if your music has what it takes! Not all demos submitted are topnotch, but they all must have that "something."

[BadmouthProductions]

That is some real good info, and correct. Taxi has helped out alot in my production.

[chrisdotwynn]

i think being real is what makes you a hit. im a hip hop artist(no, not like rick ross) mor like lupe fiasco, im more marketable and all my music is real, soon i will make it, maybe not today or tomorrow but i will make it...

rate my HIP HOP ability!! click my name and watch" I let the pen bleed"...if you like it then, you can download the mp3!

[fmbighair]

melody and a hook, thats all ya need....

all that other stuff can be bought, talent can't.

[donfreetman]

@fmbighair Sooooo Sooooo daaaaaamnnnn right!!!!!

[eclipse5eddy]

@fmbighair Heard of Groove Metal?

[madmotty]

good topic ;)

[diamondave103]

check me out the rest is up to you i have not signed anything yet diamondave103 lead singer with out a band you have one i am ready that's the bottom line it cost over 40,000 dollars for a mini tour you need to tell all your artist that yes i have my cash & im ready

[KD4PEACE]

If you have an experienced A&R rep. he should know to be aware to look at all aspects that make up a good song, but the most important he knows is, it's the lyrics that get the final say. I believe that no matter what you put behind the lyrics it has to excite/grab the ear of the listener, because you want to keep him/her interested so that you can lead them to the most important part of the song, the lyrics.

Much Luck,

Kimi Dean

[itequates]

so true. this is what made john lennon so great. no one could come close to his lyrics, with the possible exception of george harrison.

[truefaith00]

What about Morrissey?

[davehawkinsband]

Sorry! If there are 2 packages sitting on an A/R guy's desk and both have good-quality songs but one is studio produced and the other is recorded git/vox on an iPod the studio recording has it. Faith Hill, etc go to "demo libraries" ...OOPS I MEAN Faith Hill's PEOPLE go to demo libraries to find their songs ---

the FIRST thing that will get your songs heard is KNOWING somebody! THAT will get you in the door--- THEN you need to having something worth listening to!!!

Consider your bubble burst!

[wilbutton]

davehawkins is correct , however it is not that expensive to record and produce a decent CD demo the rest is KNOWING SOMEBODY , if in Nashville you need to know somwebody , and they will say " send me a GOOD DEMO .

[Lensei]

I dunno. My personal experience seems to argue the opposite - because the demos of the songs of mine that have been picked up were steaming piles of crap from a production viewpoint.

But then, I work with Japanese artists. It might be different in America.

[davehawkinsband]

My experience comes from doing some IN N'ville work and the producer from my last 2 albums is a multi-Grammy award winning producer/engineer. My personal experiences with Taxi have not been good ones... but that's my own personal experience... davehawkinsdotccom

[caryjudd]

people really don't already know this?

[kckz11]

Great Topic....... It's all about the Songs!!!

[KeezPleez]

I am a taxi member, I am working hard to stay up on everything. Listen up for me..lol...Thanks for the opportunity.KL

[Anabrese]

I really appreciate all the tips you send out Michael and this video stuff is even better. Keep it coming.

[mamacordella]

TAXI, you rock solid! Proud to be a passenger.

Take me to the moon.

[musician364]

I love watching this video and all Mike's videos with the sound off! It's fun! Try it!:)

[graffjamie]

Great stuff! I just subscribed. I have 100+ ORIGINAL songs. (If you want and have the time, please feel free to do me a huge favor and click on my screen name and watch, rate and/or comment on some of my a

35+ ALL ORIGINAL (with titles in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS), self-produced, live and MTV style MUSIC videos and "Playlists"

and maybe even click on "Save to Favorites", "Subscribe", "Share Channel", or "Share Video" as an even bigger favor to me and my cause-THANKS A MILLION!)

[Claythoveen]

This seminar was great! Thanks Diskmakers!

[cjlimusic]

Cool~ Thanks for the info! Taxi rocks~ :)

[TheMuseTeam]

I'm glad to see Michael & Taxi on youtube! Taxi's down-to-earth, tell-it-like-it-is, helpful (and often humorous) style makes it a pleasure to be affiliated with them. Taxi serves the music industry and we independent artists equally well, with respect, integrity and humor. I like 'em!

- Suz, Taxi member since 2006

P.S. Michael, I've heard that wearing a beehive wig makes one look thinner in videos!

[MiriamMonroe]

Well spoken Michael and you do not look fat!! lol

[nvm2005]

Very true and very well said Michael. Thanks a lot for posting it.