Taxi Tv

TAXI’s free conference, the Road Rally starts on November 7th, so I’d like to dedicate an episode of TAXI TV to let you know what you’ll miss if you stay home and miss what people say is the best conference of its kind. I’ll also go through what we have in store for you in the way of panels, classes, mentoring, and chances to play live at the Rally! Not to brag, but I can tell you that this year’s Rally has the best panels, classes, and mentors we’ve ever had! Got Rally Questions? I’ll also answer your questions about the Rally… anything and everything you might be wondering about! We want you to come prepared to make the best of this powerful weekend. If you haven’t already registered, you can do it by clicking this link! https://www.taxi.com/taxi-road-rally/ If You’ve Already Registered, but Haven’t Reserved Your Seat at the Eat & Greet Luncheon, click this link! https://www.taxi.com/hosting_user_sessions/new Win a FREE Book of Your Choice! One lucky viewer will get to pick one of these awesome books!

Our viewers love it when we do the “A&R Hot Seat” episodes, and here’s why… “Michael, I’ve learned so much from the A&R Hot Seat episodes on TAXI TV! Can you please do them more often? My music has improved quite a bit because it’s much easier to be objective when deciding what works and what doesn’t about somebody else’s music rather than my own." —Timothy Reardon We’ve been hearing the same thing from other viewers for years! With that in mind, on this week’s TAXI TV, we’ll be making A&R decisions to test your A&R skills and see if TAXI's A&R team is as good as I think they are ;-) Here's what we'll be judging together. TAXI # S240922AC - INDIE POP and INDIE FOLK SONGS for (up to) $20,000 placements.

So, how does a song written twenty-one years ago end up in the #1 position on the iTunes Dance chart in multiple countries, and #18 in the U.S.? Well, it was written by a songwriter with cuts on albums that have sold 50 million copies. He’s also had singles on Billboard’s Pop, Country, and R&B charts, and his songs have been recorded by artists including Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, the Oak Ridge Boys, K-Pop & J-Pop artists, and many more. He’s also composed the background score and songs for an Emmy-winning TV show and another that was Emmy-nominated. From reading the above, you might think he was born talented (maybe he was), and as soon as his gift for writing hit songs was heard by a music industry executive, the floodgates opened. Wrong! That was not the case at all, and of course, I’m speaking about hit songwriter, Jason Blume! Jason found his success by being incredibly persistent! When he first moved to Los Angeles decades ago, he lived in a very dumpy, unsafe apartment, and literally a

We all know that it's WHO you know, not just what you know, right? But can you honestly say that you've done everything you can to fill your little "Black Book" with music industry contacts that are key to a sustained, successful career in the music business? How many music supervisors do you personally know? How many production music library owners do you personally know? How many A&R people or music publishers can you honestly say would take your call or answer your email? And how many successful TAXI members are in your network? More importantly, how many of them include you in their network? That's where the rubber really meets the road — when you get introduced to industry executives through your fellow members who already have those all-important relationships! Collaborations can be your "magic carpet" into catalogs that TV shows and films use every day. Why work harder, when you can simply work smarter? Meet the Very Best Networkers I've Ever Met! Tracey and Vance Marino are well-known in virt

Do you have questions about anything in the recording, mixing, or production realm? Great! We’ve got the perfect guy to answer them for you, live on this week’s TAXI TV! Ronan Chris Murphy is an acclaimed music producer, engineer, and mixer, known for his versatile work across various genres. With a career spanning decades, he has collaborated with notable artists like King Crimson, Tony Levin, Steve Morse, and Terry Bozzio. Murphy is also recognized for his work in progressive rock, experimental, and world music, along with his expertise in recording techniques. Beyond his production work, he is a founder of the Recording Boot Camp, where he teaches advanced music production and recording techniques to aspiring producers. But, to many TAXI members, Ronan is best known for his excellent mentorship and classes at our annual (free for members) conference, The TAXI Road Rally (November 7th – 10th, 2024).

If you’re reading this, you’d undoubtedly like to be thought of as a “Go-To” musician in the eyes of the “kingpins” of sync world, right? Well, I was speaking with a TAXI member named Robina-Ritchie Barker the other day, and I was blown away by the way she looks at the sync industry. More specifically, her views on what it takes to become successful in the sync industry. The funny thing is; the day before my conversation with Robina, we (the TAXI staff) were dealing with a situation in which one of our members had a golden opportunity but lost it in the end because he is sort of the opposite of Robina. Now, I’m not making fun of him. I’m not calling him stupid. I’m not going to pillory him on TAXI TV. He’s very new to the sync side of the industry and just didn’t know better. I plan to tell you the heartbreaking story (without identifying him) during this week’s episode and contrast his story with Robina’s story. Take from it what you will. I really, really hope every single TAXI member gets to watch th

It's been a while since we've done an "Ask Michael Anything" on TAXI TV, so that's exactly what we're going to do on today's show! Ask me anything about TAXI, engineering & production (from the mics and wires aspect), or the music licensing business, and I'll do my best to give straightforward and helpful answers. Want to know what production music libraries are looking for? I can tell you! Want to know why Hollywood studios won't use you to score their blockbuster films? I know the answer! Want to know why your mixes don't sound like hit records? I'll let you in on a little secret ;-) Want to know where the "sweet spot" is to place a mic on an acoustic guitar? You're going to find out! Want to know how to mic an electric guitar amp for the best sound? I'll fill you in! Want to know a sure-fire way to avoid popping "P's" when recording vocals? I'm going to show you. Want to know how to make publishers reach out to you time and time again? It's common sense, but many people don't do it! Want to know h

If your goal is to earn your living creating music instead of having a day job that you don’t love, then you really don’t want to miss this week’s episode of TAXI TV. Would you like to have written this statement? “Today, I have lost track, but hundreds of TV shows and almost 100 networks have used my music all over the world. I went from wondering how to get a piece of music in a library almost 10 years ago, to today, where I can’t keep up with all the requests I get for my music from music libraries. And I am now working with filmmakers and writing music for ads.” I’m going to introduce you to somebody who will inspire you to the point of making it all seem possible, if not probable! How many times in your life has anybody offered to show you how to live your dream—for FREE? That’s exactly what we’re going to do on this week’s TAXI TV. And all you have to do is show up and listen to what my surprise guest will share with you! ⏱️⏱️VIDEO CHAPTERS⏱️⏱️ 0:11 - TAXI CEO Michael Laskow welcomes the audience

Casey Hurowitz has been to more TAXI Road Rallies than any other member, with the probable exception of the legendary Bill Gordon. Casey has long been the go-to guy for Rally first-timers and even some conference veterans. Go-to for what, you might ask… Everything from where to grab the free hotel shuttle, to bringing a hoodie because it can get chilly in the ballroom, to the best way to present your music, to the best places and times to meet industry pros, to figuring out the best way to approach those industry pros—because you really can meet them! Casey has great advice on just about everything as it relates to the TAXI Road Rally, and I’m certain he can help you decide if you should come; and if you do, how to get the most bang for your buck! If you haven’t checked out the Rally yet, see last year’s schedule (we’re working on this year) here: https://taxi.com/rally Have your questions ready! We’re saving the second half of this episode for Casey to answer your questions, so jot them down in adva

Not only will Robin be sharing her 5 best tips for writing better songs more quickly than you do now, she will also be giving feedback on THREE randomly chosen songs from our loyal viewers. If you’re reading this email, follow the steps below to have your song in the running for one of Robin’s famous feedback sessions. Win a FREE Copy of Robin’s Best-Selling Book! Actually, this week’s winner can choose between a hard copy of the original book or the updated digital version—including Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3! How to Get Your Song Reviewed by Robin... To have a shot at getting your Song reviewed, all you need to do is email the TITLE of your song so our team can download it from your TAXI profile and paste your LYRICS into the body copy of the email, to taxitv@taxi.com no later than MONDAY, August 19th at NOON Pacific Time.

TAXI member, Greg Carrozza will be my guest on this week’s show and he’s going to share everything he knows about collaborating with your fellow TAXI members. If you’d like to accelerate your journey to a successful career in sync licensing, this will be some of the best advice you can get! Greg is a very practical, pragmatic guy, and he explains things in plain English. He’s the exact opposite of college professors who often take a very academic approach when teaching. My point? You’ll come away from this episode with actionable advice you can use starting the very next day! Want to know how a collaborative relationship works? We’ve got you covered! Want to know how and where to find collaborators? Greg will tell you! Want to know who gets what percentage of the booty? You’ll find out! Want to know the technical aspects (easier than you think)? Done! Want to know how to end a collab that’s not working out? Easier than you might think! Win One of THREE FREE Books on Sync! I’ll be giving away THREE

Get your questions ready for TAXI’s Head Screener, Craig Pilo, because he’s going to join us on this week’s TAXI TV! He’s always a popular guest, and has a great deal of knowledge to share about the sync industry in general, as well as insight relating to TAXI’s screeners, the screening process, common mistakes, and great tips for getting more of your music forwarded to the industry people who are searching for it! Questions submitted in advance of the show will get answered first! Please email them to Liz@taxi.com no later than Monday, August 5th at 1pm Pacific time. Cast Your Votes Craig will join me for the first half of Monday’s episode, and we’ll spend the second half watching the Road Rally testimonial videos submitted by our members. You’ll be able to vote on a dedicated form after the episode ends. The winner will get a $200 prize to help them buy their plane ticket to the Rally which is coming up in little more than 3 months (November 7th – 10th)! TAXI’s Free Music Conference… We’re always amazed

Our viewers love when we do the “A&R Hot Seat” episodes, and here’s why… “Michael, I’ve learned so much from the A&R Hot Seat episodes on TAXI TV! Can you please do them more often? My music has improved quite a bit because it’s much easier to be objective when deciding what works and what doesn’t about somebody else’s music rather than my own." —Timothy Reardon We’ve been hearing the same thing from other viewers for years! With that in mind, on this week’s TAXI TV we’ll be making A&R decisions on two different types of music. Let's test your A&R skills and see if TAXI's A&R team is as good as I think they are ;-) Here's what we'll be judging together. TAXI # S240612UP - EMOTIONALLY UPLIFTING PIANO and STRING INSTRUMENTALS and/or CUES TAXI # S240716SS - ACOUSTIC-Driven INDIE SINGER/SONGWRITER SONGS about LOVE

If you’re exhausted by all the worry and hand-wringing caused by the threat of Artificial Intelligence obsoleting musicians, I think you’re going to like this episode of TAXI TV. I think you’ll be somewhat less stressed after watching it! TAXI member/composer/producer, Paul Croteau has done the work the rest of us don’t have the bandwidth to do—he’s been obsessively following the AI discussions, lawsuits, and technological advances the rest of us don’t. At least not to the same extent. Oh, we know some of the stuff, but most of the opinions we all hear (in my opinion) are based on far less information than what I think Paul has consumed. I’ve watched most of his videos and had several discussions with him on this hot-button topic, and feel like he can inject some common sense that might make us feel like the sky isn’t falling as fast or hard as some might have us think. You just might find yourself saying, “Oh wow, I hadn’t thought of that aspect of it!”

I’m not going to mention my guest’s name in this description. If I do, people will bombard him with emails asking to have their music heard. You’ll have to watch the show to see who it is ;-) This music library CEO is a successful TV and film composer who used TAXI to build his career over many years. He became successful enough that he was getting more requests for music than he could personally produce, so he started a music library. Harder than it sounds, and I’ll ask him to tell us why on this week’s TAXI TV. But the REAL reason I asked him to be on TAXI TV is because of our relentless efforts to help you learn how to not blow a deal when you’re offered one. I’m also going to ask him to give you tips on avoiding mistakes that could make a library grow cold on you and your music. Who better than somebody who’s been on both sides of the sync licensing fence — Composer/Library CEO? Win a FREE Book During This Week’s Live Broadcast! I’m not sure exactly which book (or books) we’ll be giving away yet. I’

Two of the most articulate executives from the music library industry asked me if they could join me for an episode of TAXI TV. They’ve got insider info they want to share, and they think our TAXI TV audience is the best place to start spreading the love. I’m not giving out their names in this email because they would get bombarded with, “Listen to my music” emails if I did —sorry! Trust me when I tell you that both of these folks are highly experienced, highly regarded, and well-informed execs from a very successful company. Whatever they share, you can take to the bank! Miss this episode at your own peril, as they say. Who ARE “they,” anyway? Get Your Questions Ready! We’re going to do some live Q&A during this episode, so please get your questions ready in advance. And PLEASE keep them short and pithy! I’ll be choosing questions from the Live Chat Room, so you’ll need to watch the live episode on Monday to have a shot at getting your questions answered.

I saw a great interview with a music supervisor talking about why vinyl is so desirable and making a strong comeback. I thought he was so articulate and informative, that I’m meeting him for lunch in exactly 2 hours (rushing to get this written, lol). I’m going to ask him to speak at this year’s Road Rally, November 7th – 11th in Los Angeles. I’m also going to ask him to play a bunch of TV commercials and explain why the music was used and how the ad agency picked it. You see, this music supe mostly does big TV commercials! After watching the interview, I called Tony VanVeen at Disc Makers (their CEO) to ask him if vinyl was indeed making a strong comeback, and to my surprise, he said it was booming! And that’s why I’ve asked Tony to be my guest on this week’s TAXI TV! I want to know why vinyl has become a “thing” again, and if it’s something all musicians should consider. Win a Vinyl Package from Disc Makers? Tony has kindly offered to give a FREE vinyl pressing to one of our viewers during this week’s

I was lucky enough to start my career wrapping cables at a world-class recording studio, surrounded by the best engineers, mixers, and producers in the business. I learned so much just by being “under the roof” and working with those incredibly talented people. Sadly, most of you reading this will never get to ask questions and learn engineering and production from the best in the business because your studio is in your home. Convenient? Yes! You can work whenever you want, and for as long as you want! Isolating? Also, yes! Working by yourself pretty much limits you to learning from YouTube videos. But, that’s not nearly as good as having TWO real-deal, hit-making, multi-Grammy-winning, multi-platinum engineers/mixers answer your specific questions in real-time. That’s EXACTLY what you’re going to do when you join Rob Chiarelli, Michael Havens, and me on this very special episode of TAXI TV, live! Michael engineers Gospel superstar Kirk Franklin’s records, and Rob mixes them. They’ve also (collectivel

Our annual conference, the TAXI Road Rally, is fast approaching (November 7th – 10th), and the planning has already begun! To make sure the Rally has the panels and classes you really want, I need to hear from you! Will you please join me on this week’s TAXI TV to give your input and opinions? Which Sponsors Would You Like Discounts From? I also need your help in suggesting sponsors that you’d like to see at the Rally. Why? Because they often give Rally-specific discounts, on-site during the weekend! We’ll be opening registration for the Rally in the next few days, so if you’ve never attended, ask yourself this simple question, “How much value is there in doing something that could dramatically speed up my path to music industry success?” Here’s an example of what I’m talking about, and you can click the link below to see several Rally success stories that will give you a really good idea of what you’ll be missing if you don’t take advantage of this FREE perk that you’re entitled to!

You’d be hard-pressed to find a successful TAXI member who hasn’t read at least one of Dean Krippaehne’s books on creating music for media. "Demystifying the Cue" and "Demystifying the Genre" have become industry standards, and I suspect the same will be true for Dean’s newest book, "Cue Tips – 50 songwriting, composing, and Music Production Hacks to speed up your sync journey." Dean’s a great teacher because he speaks and writes in very conversational terms. It feels like your best friend is giving you the advice he learned after making his own mistakes along the way.