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INTRODUCTION
TAXI Music Group A&R service is part scam and part record label vetting mechanism. I joined TAXI in 2013, submitting several songs immediately. I received a harsh, apathetic TAXI review in response to the first song I introduced, The Only One. The callous TAXI A&R indifferently ranted about old-sounding synths.
However, TAXI removed that overly critical critique and replaced it with a milder one after I presented three other high-quality productions. But the crass critiquer still harped on “old sounding” or “outdated synths,’ even though I’ve used modern synths from 2010 forward. The 2013 TAXI submissions raised suspicions that would later be confirmed.
Another 2013 song I submitted was Lunatic in Motion. I submitted Lunatic in Motion in response to a record label requesting pop songs for a well-known diva. TAXI’s A&R staff pre-critiques the songs before passing them on to the record label.
"The Entertainment Business is all smoke and screen. The game is rigged.. Record Lables use vetting agencies like TAXI to ensure the same lame artists dominate the spotlight."
CASE ONE: Lunatic in Motion
Click the documents to read the TAXI critiques. Then listen to the Lunatic in Motion 2013 and 2023 after the TAXI critiques.
TAXI Music Submissions
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In the 2013 TAXI critique, the A&R reviewer made many positive remarks, including ” listening to your compositions was a pleasure because you have a unique and catchy production style,” which made little sense.
If the song was that good, with a few subjective dislikes, why not pass it on to see what the artist and label thought? It would have been simple to customize Lunatic in Motion to suit the artist if the song was as good as the submission critique claimed.
"Don't believe the hype! Most of your favorite pop divas and dicks vocals are pitched corrected. Whether it's a night of popping mollies or adjusting to hangovers, there's bound to be vocal flaws unless you're Celine Deon!"
RE-TESTING MY SOUND IN REAL-TIME:
After making those 2013 submissions and receiving such positive but contradictory feedback, I decided to perfect my already experienced sound and production, reinstating my TAXI membership in 2019.
But I produced and released projects from 2014 to 2019, while For Your Own Protection Records Inc. test-marketed the songs through mixtape releases. The 2013 TAXI critiques supported the fact that I had a unique commercial sound and style, providing a slight boost of confidence.
But I had been producing music for ten years. I was also signed to an independent record label for a year, long before becoming a TAXI member. Yet, that entire time, no one, including studio engineers, radio and club DJs, or the general public, nitpicked my artistry and overly criticized my work except for TAXI.
By 2018, four years of test marketing revealed the formula for releasing a commercial project. That recipe was BTG’S 2019 PYROHYDRO. BTG contracted the Starlight PR firm to publicize PYROHYDRO. BTG performed five interviews during that publicity campaign, and none of the interviewees made complaints anywhere similar to the excessively finicky critical TAXI Music reviews.
But this is where TAXI enters the scene as a record label vetting mechanism.
TAXI MUSIC A&R: Lunatics in Motion
It’s senseless that the 2023 TAXI Lunatic in Motion critique was a polished rendition of its 2013 counterpart. Yet, TAXI A&R claimed the song sounded dated, again targeting “old synths,” while complaining about a busy mix and adlibs!
Moreover, two other Lunatic in Motion professional critiques performed in April of 2022 raved about the 2023 remix, calling it “fresh, charismatic, and well-produced.” Those professional critiques also agreed that I had “greatly improved the song” and thought the vocals and adlibs were well done, contributing to the commerciality of the track. In June, we will release the other professional critiques when publicizing The Exorcists and Ground Zero projects.
OLD-SOUNDING OUTDATED SYNTHS?
Serum VTS Intruments
Serum, a fully programmable synth, is one of many VST modules used by major produces in Pop! I customized my sounds to match what’s popular. So, I don’t what the TAXI nerd A&R meant by, “old sounding synths!”
Kontakt VST Instruments
Kontakt is one of the industry's leading VST plugins. Kontakt's contemporary soul, R&B, and Hip-Hop expansion modules are high-quality! The TAXI critiques harping on old synths must have been Meth smoking nerds!
Tone 2 GLADIATOR
Tone2 VST’s are trusted by many producers. Saw Synths and Detuned Synths are standard in all keyboards. If you know how to program a synth, and I do, the possibilities are endless. Gladiator is one of my go-to synths for pop music.
Tone 2 Nemesis
Tone 2’s Nemesis is another top-notch synth used by several recognized producers. Again, you can program Nemesis, which ships with an extensive library of high-quality sounds. The TAXI A&R nerd was trying to undermine my confidence!
Tone 2 Rayblaster
Tone 2 VST are economical at around $200 per instrument package. Rayblaster-2 also comes shipped with the highest quality sounds. TAXI exposed itself complaining about old sounding synths in 2013 and ten years later in 2023.
Purposely, I mentioned that I needed those critiques for investors when I submitted the songs to TAXI, another trap. TAXI exposed itself further when it appeared to delay the critiquing processes! So, again, an angel suggested emailing TAXI about the lagging response while revealing that all forty-three The Exorcists and Ground Zero tracks had been professionally critiqued by two other agencies, which was true.
Less than twelve hours after sending TAXI the email, I received four negative submission review email links out of the twelve tracks I submitted. Gabriel advised waiting twenty-four hours before reviewing those critiques to counter the witchcraft contained within them. TAXI and their pimp masters thought they could undermine my confidence with elementary witchcraft (illusions, deceits, and untruths)!
CLICK HERE to read part 2 of The TAXI MUSIC INCIDENT.
