For years, I’ve heard people call Apple’s products part of an “ecosystem.” Okay, yeah, I get it. I’ve got iTunes on my phone and computer. My calendar syncs to all my devices… I get it! It’s an ecosystem because it all ties together for the benefit of the end user, yours truly.
But why is TAXI called an ecosystem by so many people? I didn’t really understand it until this year’s TAXI convention – the Road Rally. TAXI isn’t just about submitting music and getting deals and making money.
That’s certainly part of it… it’s probably the final destination for many. But all the things that TAXI has morphed into over 25 years are the ecosystem. And while I’d love to think of myself as a brilliant visionary like Steve Jobs (I can dream can’t I?), much of TAXI’s ecosystem has happened organically.
In other words, much of it wasn’t dreamed up, planned by, or “designed” by me. A lot of it actually came from our members! And that’s what makes TAXI so cool and ultimately so effective! The TAXI ecosystem has its roots in the souls, personalities, and needs of the people who are actually using it.
The TAXI community, which has formed organically by our members, is sort of a giant petri dish. Left to its own devices, the community has largely morphed into what works most effectively in helping our members get what they ultimately joined TAXI for – getting their music into the right hands and earning income doing what they love.
How Our Members Have Grown TAXI
- The TAXI Road Rally was initially suggested by a group of members in 1996. They thought it would be cool to meet other members and learn more about their craft. I agreed because most other conventions for musicians over-promised and under-delivered.
- The TAXI Forum is almost completely run by members. Thousands of people have credited the Forum community with being very instrumental in their success. It’s actually the people on the Forum who are responsible!
- The international web of TAXI Collaborators has resulted in thousands of pieces of music being created by diverse members from all over the world. The collaboration network is the sole result of members meeting each other on the Forum and at the Rally. TAXI provided the physical and virtual space, but it took one member saying “hello” to another to start the giant web that it has become!
- The people in the live chat room during TAXI TV webcasts have become like a family that hangs out after the show goes off air!
I think you get the idea, and now, so do I. An ecosystem is defined as “a system, or a group of interconnected elements, formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their environment.”
Our members are the community of “organisms.” The Road Rally, the Forum, TAXI TV, and the collaborations are how the “organisms” interact. And TAXI itself is the environment. I get it, I get it, I get it!
It’s Not Just One Thing!
It’s not just one thing that makes our members successful. It’s usually many things. That’s what I’ve learned from our members. It’s not just a single submission. It’s not just one song or instrumental. It’s not just one screener’s opinion. It’s not just watching one episode of TAXI TV or reading one article in the TAXI Newsletter.
Success comes most frequently to our members who embrace the entire ecosystem that TAXI has become over the last 25 years. The ecosystem that grew from our very first member into what it is today. It’s become exactly what our members have wanted it to be.
What Do I Want From the TAXI Ecosystem?
I want every one of our members to succeed at whatever level they desire. I want to keep you as a happy customer. I want you to tell your friends about TAXI.
Most of all, I want to go to bed every night being grateful that an idea I had 25 years ago has made dreams become reality for thousands of people all over the world. The TAXI ecosystem makes that happen. Ironically, it took our members to teach me that, even though I started the company! Thank you, TAXI members.