Wagtunes Production Music

[wagtunes]

They said:

we receive a huge volume of applications and we are very selective with taking on board music that is both highly relevant for our customers and that compliments our current roster. With this in mind, our decision to decline an application is often in no way reflective of our thoughts on the artistic merit of the music.

You thought:

I'm not a good enough of a musician to produce tracks good enough for these sites.

That's just them being polite. I am sure it's the same form letter that gets sent to everybody who is rejected.

And it would be easy enough to prove. I send them another application under a different name and email address of nothing but fart noises and stuff like that and I guarantee that I get the exact same letter back.

Obviously, you haven't dealt with this business much.

Of course they send the same letter out. But that doesn't mean that what they wrote isn't true.

Doesn't mean it is true. The point is, it's meaningless because it IS a form letter. I need somebody who will be honest with me and tell me WHY I wasn't accepted. Except nobody does that. Hell, they didn't do it 42 years ago. All I got back from publishers and A&R people were form letters then too. I could wallpaper my room with them.

And the funny thing is, I listen to my old music today and I think to myself "How in God's name could I have EVER thought this crap was good enough to make it on the radio?"

So while it is obvious I have improved somewhat over the past 42 years, having improved enough to make it in the business is a whole other can of worms and one that really won't ever get answered until either...

1. Somebody is just honest with me

or

2. I finally DO make it

Personally, I'm done trying. I don't have the patience for this song and dance anymore.

I've got better things to do with my time.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

They said:

we receive a huge volume of applications and we are very selective with taking on board music that is both highly relevant for our customers and that compliments our current roster. With this in mind, our decision to decline an application is often in no way reflective of our thoughts on the artistic merit of the music.

You thought:

I'm not a good enough of a musician to produce tracks good enough for these sites.

That's just them being polite. I am sure it's the same form letter that gets sent to everybody who is rejected.

And it would be easy enough to prove. I send them another application under a different name and email address of nothing but fart noises and stuff like that and I guarantee that I get the exact same letter back.

Obviously, you haven't dealt with this business much.

Of course they send the same letter out. But that doesn't mean that what they wrote isn't true.

Doesn't mean it is true.

Ok! So now we agree that you don't know either way, why are you insisting that it is definitely one way over the other?

Anyway! Kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy, really. I think that you approached this with a 'Don't care' attitude, so maybe that's on you

[wagtunes]

I approached this with a "do the best work I can do" attitude. I even replaced my original submission with the TV themes that got some excellent reviews here (Go back through the thread). I was almost sure they'd accept them given the crap I heard on their site when researching what to submit. I honestly can't believe I was rejected given the garbage on that site.

But then again, maybe I shouldn't be surprised. Maybe my stuff wasn't stagnant and monotonous enough for them. Who knows?

Point is, NOW, yeah, I don't care. I'm not chasing after people who don't want me. It's THEIR loss, not mine.

[wagtunes]

This is what I submitted to them.

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... ne-sampler

You tell me with a straight face that this stuff is crap. It's some of the best music I've done both structurally and production wise.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

I approached this with a "do the best work I can do" attitude. I even replaced my original submission with the TV themes that got some excellent reviews here (Go back through the thread). I was almost sure they'd accept them given the crap I heard on their site when researching what to submit. I honestly can't believe I was rejected given the garbage on that site.

But then again, maybe I shouldn't be surprised. Maybe my stuff wasn't stagnant and monotonous enough for them. Who knows?

Point is, NOW, yeah, I don't care. I'm not chasing after people who don't want me. It's THEIR loss, not mine.

From self-deprecation and negativity, to arrogant, dismissive prick, within three posts
Maybe, be like the Buddha...or Goldilocks

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

This is what I submitted to them.

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... ne-sampler

You tell me with a straight face that this stuff is crap. It's some of the best music I've done both structurally and production wise.

Some interesting music in there for sure. I'd agree that it's some of the better stuff you've done (I'll probably come back to listen fully, when i have a moment). And if someone asked you to score an 80's Broadway version of 'Columbo', or 'Murder She Wrote', you might be in with a shot. But it's nearly 2020, and this is not going to be what people are after.

When you submit to these sites, you aren't submitting a proof of concept i.e a demonstration that you can produce. You are literally submitting tracks for people to take as is, or with a few minor tweaks, on-request. Be honest! Where do you see these being placed, currently?

[telecode]

Just received this email from Musicvine.

Hi Steven,

Thank you for taking the time to submit your music and for your interest in Music Vine.

Our team have taken a listen to your portfolio and while we enjoyed your music, unfortunately we don't feel it's quite right for Music Vine.

As you can imagine, we receive a huge volume of applications and we are very selective with taking on board music that is both highly relevant for our customers and that compliments our current roster. With this in mind, our decision to decline an application is often in no way reflective of our thoughts on the artistic merit of the music and the effort that has clearly gone into making it.

Please note that due to large quantity of applicants we receive, we are unfortunately unable to answer specific questions relating to your application.

We appreciate it's never nice to be declined, but we hope you understand and wish you all the very best with your music.

- Music Vine

Anyway, I gave it a shot and I'm done. It's time I admitted that I'm not a good enough of a musician to produce tracks good enough for these sites.

Just heard from my band today and they will now be doing 2 of my tracks on their new album instead of just one. I'm content with that.

Putting this in the rear view mirror.

Just make music for yourself. That's what I do with the stuff I make on my own. I refuse to give in to popular trends . Trendy is for suckers.

For the stuff I work with others on, I play what they tell me to play on it.

[wagtunes]

This is what I submitted to them.

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... ne-sampler

You tell me with a straight face that this stuff is crap. It's some of the best music I've done both structurally and production wise.

Some interesting music in there for sure. I'd agree that it's some of the better stuff you've done (I'll probably come back to listen fully, when i have a moment). And if someone asked you to score an 80's Broadway version of 'Columbo', or 'Murder She Wrote', you might be in with a shot. But it's nearly 2020, and this is not going to be what people are after.

When you submit to these sites, you aren't submitting a proof of concept i.e a demonstration that you can produce. You are literally submitting tracks for people to take as is, or with a few minor tweaks, on-request. Be honest! Where do you see these being placed, currently?

So in other words, the material is dated. Okay, well then it doesn't matter anyway. This is who I am. This is what I write. If I try to write for "today" it will come off as contrived and ultimately sound like crap.

Either way, there's really no point in continuing this.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

This is what I submitted to them.

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... ne-sampler

You tell me with a straight face that this stuff is crap. It's some of the best music I've done both structurally and production wise.

Some interesting music in there for sure. I'd agree that it's some of the better stuff you've done (I'll probably come back to listen fully, when i have a moment). And if someone asked you to score an 80's Broadway version of 'Columbo', or 'Murder She Wrote', you might be in with a shot. But it's nearly 2020, and this is not going to be what people are after.

When you submit to these sites, you aren't submitting a proof of concept i.e a demonstration that you can produce. You are literally submitting tracks for people to take as is, or with a few minor tweaks, on-request. Be honest! Where do you see these being placed, currently?

So in other words, the material is dated. Okay, well then it doesn't matter anyway. This is who I am. This is what I write. If I try to write for "today" it will come off as contrived and ultimately sound like crap.

Either way, there's really no point in continuing this.

Ok! But it does bring me back to my first point i.e that what they wrote, despite being standard format, was probably true - It was not what their current clients would be interested in; it's not what they would consider currently suits their catalogue. And it isn't any reflection on the music itself

[wagtunes]

This is what I submitted to them.

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... ne-sampler

You tell me with a straight face that this stuff is crap. It's some of the best music I've done both structurally and production wise.

Some interesting music in there for sure. I'd agree that it's some of the better stuff you've done (I'll probably come back to listen fully, when i have a moment). And if someone asked you to score an 80's Broadway version of 'Columbo', or 'Murder She Wrote', you might be in with a shot. But it's nearly 2020, and this is not going to be what people are after.

When you submit to these sites, you aren't submitting a proof of concept i.e a demonstration that you can produce. You are literally submitting tracks for people to take as is, or with a few minor tweaks, on-request. Be honest! Where do you see these being placed, currently?

So in other words, the material is dated. Okay, well then it doesn't matter anyway. This is who I am. This is what I write. If I try to write for "today" it will come off as contrived and ultimately sound like crap.

Either way, there's really no point in continuing this.

Ok! But it does bring me back to my first point i.e that what they wrote, despite being standard format, was probably true - It was not what their current clients would be interested in; it's not what they would consider currently suits their catalogue. And it isn't any reflection on the music itself

So then what am I supposed to do? I'm obviously Glen Miller trying to make it in a Taylor Swift world.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

This is what I submitted to them.

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... ne-sampler

You tell me with a straight face that this stuff is crap. It's some of the best music I've done both structurally and production wise.

Some interesting music in there for sure. I'd agree that it's some of the better stuff you've done (I'll probably come back to listen fully, when i have a moment). And if someone asked you to score an 80's Broadway version of 'Columbo', or 'Murder She Wrote', you might be in with a shot. But it's nearly 2020, and this is not going to be what people are after.

When you submit to these sites, you aren't submitting a proof of concept i.e a demonstration that you can produce. You are literally submitting tracks for people to take as is, or with a few minor tweaks, on-request. Be honest! Where do you see these being placed, currently?

So in other words, the material is dated. Okay, well then it doesn't matter anyway. This is who I am. This is what I write. If I try to write for "today" it will come off as contrived and ultimately sound like crap.

Either way, there's really no point in continuing this.

Ok! But it does bring me back to my first point i.e that what they wrote, despite being standard format, was probably true - It was not what their current clients would be interested in; it's not what they would consider currently suits their catalogue. And it isn't any reflection on the music itself

So then what am I supposed to do? I'm obviously Glen Miller trying to make it in a Taylor Swift world.

Taylor who? Don't think I've heard a single note out of her mouth, so it certainly ain't her world. Interesting that someone who claims to have such an eclectic appreciation of music would try to simplify things down like this. Even from your own work, you cover many more genres than would be in the toolboxes of the two artists you just listed.

So, the world is your oyster...unless you want to write for a production music company who has a very specific brief

[wagtunes]

The problem is, when I listen to anything of this era (2000 to now) I hear nothing that sounds anything like me regardless of what I'm doing. I seem to have a 70s, 80s sound regardless of genre.

Now maybe it's a production problem more than a writing problem. I don't know. Maybe I should go to Google and look up "How to record music so that it sounds like it was done in 2019."

I'm obviously being facetious but I think you get my point. I don't know how to sound like something that would fit into today's world regardless of genre. Even when I tried to do Trance, I was told it wasn't Trance.

Until I understand WHAT my problem is, I can't fix it.

[Benedict]

You & Me both Wags.

The thing is we change who we are to be them or say "screw your shite" and go back to listening to Boz Scaggs and doing what we do because there is a whole world out there that is not actually dominated by singers who need autotune for their one-note song and those people just want to hear great work that is like Boz Scaggs only more Waggy or Benedicty.

Chasing the wrong tail Wagger me ole mucker



p.s. no one was interested in Gordon Lightfoot's sprawling songs, until they were.

[wagtunes]

You & Me both Wags.

The thing is we change who we are to be them or say "screw your shite" and go back to listening to Boz Scaggs and doing what we do because there is a whole world out there that is not actually dominated by singers who need autotune for their one-note song and those people just want to hear great work that is like Boz Scaggs only more Waggy or Benedicty.

Chasing the wrong tail Wagger me ole mucker



p.s. no one was interested in Gordon Lightfoot's sprawling songs, until they were.

You know, the first time I heard "We're All Alone" it was the Rita Coolidge version. I had no idea that Boz Scaggs wrote it. I have to admit I like her version better.

First time I heard Gordon Lightfoot, it was 1971. There was nothing like it on the radio. He went on to make some very "not so commercial" songs that somehow manage to sell records.

But how many Gordon Lightfoots are there?

Yeah, those were the good old days.

[Benedict]

There are people (scarily like you & I) who are hoping to hear a new Boz or Gordon. Not clones (leave that to Lady Gargle and the like) but new voices telling their own stories.

Why no be in front of them? Esp seeing I predict that this will be a "thing" reasonably soon.