I canât tell you how many times Iâve been disappointed when I hear about a musician who I want to check out, and they only have social media. Most donât know how to use their socials very well, and even when they do, I donât find everything I need to know about them. How much success have you had with your music that can be directly attributable to your social media? Yep, thatâs what I thought â practically none. However, when I Google a musician, and the first thing I see at the top of the page...
Feb 20, 2024â˘1 hr 32 min
Youâd be hard-pressed to find a music creator who doesnât want to get their music in TV shows, films, or commercials. Yet, the majority of songwriters, artists, producers, and composers who want to jump into the sync side of the music industry really donât know the ârules of the game,â where to start, or the strategies that can get you to a six-figure income. Most arenât aware of some very common mistakes theyâre making that could easily kill a sync career before it ever has a chance to take off...
Feb 13, 2024â˘1 hr 36 min
It's time to hear some great music from TAXI's members â songs and instrumentals, alike! Our Top 10 episodes are viewer favorites, so please join us tomorrow at 4 pm (PST) for the LIVE show and you'll have a shot at winning a copy of Dean Krippaehne's must-have book, Demystifying the Genre! If you want to get your music on TV, this book is indispensable! And you'll have a shot at winning a FREE copy if you're in the chat room for this episode! Join us and you'll hear a range of really cool music...
Feb 06, 2024â˘1 hr 32 min
How many songs or instrumentals do you have that remain unfinished? C'mon... be honest with yourself. How much more successful could you be if you actually DID finish all the songs or instrumentals you started? Join me and my special guest, Robin Frederick, as we uncover some great ways to make sure you DO finish your songs and instrumentals when you start them. I think this is going to be a really powerful episode! Frankly, I'm champing at the bit to share this information with you!! It could b...
Jan 30, 2024â˘1 hr 36 min
TAXI's Head Screener (Craig Pilo) will join Michael to answer any and all questions during this week's LIVE episode of TAXI TV. Got questions on topics like how TAXI's A&R team approaches their job, common submission mistakes, little improvements that can make a big difference, production tips for sounding more contemporary, and more? Craig and Michael will give you straight-up answers! Bonus topic: Craig is a first-call session and live drummer, and he'll be happy to answer your questions a...
Jan 23, 2024â˘1 hr 37 min
TAXI TV has been âon the airâ for at least 13 years, and weâve never done an episode featuring a pair of earphones. The reason is; Iâve never heard any that were impressive enough to tell you about. But now I have, and this week Iâm going to share them with you! While other manufacturers have seemingly tried to improve the listening/hearing experience by building a better âmousetrap,â Flare Audio studied the âmouseâ first. Well, actually, the human ear, and how it degrades sound. Flareâs E-Proto...
Jan 16, 2024â˘1 hr 57 min
TAXI member, Matt Vander Boeghâs music plays somewhere in the world every hour of every day. His accomplishments have inspired his fellow TAXI members to quit making excuses, to get busy, and to become more productive. In 13 years, heâs amassed a staggering 25,000+ placements on over 900 TV programs, including various major sporting events, Hollywood movies, high-profile reality TV shows, soap operas, commercials, and daytime & evening talk shows. He has nearly 5,000 cues and hundreds of ful...
Jan 09, 2024â˘1 hr 36 min
Members have suggested doing an online Holiday Party for this weekâs TAXI TV, so why not?! We imagine this will be sort of like the Quarantini Happy Hours we enjoyed so much during the pandemic, except we wonât be locked down this time ;-) Will we hang out and have some fun? Yep! Will I answer questions, if asked? Sure, why not? Will we pick some of the songs at random to listen to? Yes, we will! Will we do some random drawings for prizes? Absolutely!
Dec 20, 2023â˘1 hr 55 min
Iâve been compiling a list of mistakes that can hurt, or even KILL your chances of having a successful career in the music licensing business. Some of these mistakes are made by people just starting out. Shockingly, others are made by people who I think are seasoned pros at this point in their careers! You might have heard of some of these mistakes before, but Iâll bet there will be plenty that youâve never even thought about, and could be making yourself! This is a Do-Not-Miss episode! Win a TA...
Dec 13, 2023â˘1 hr 29 min
Our viewers have always loved our "A&R Hot Seat" episodes! Here's why: by judging music to see if their opinions line up with TAXI's A&R staff, our members get to fine-tune their "industry ears." They LOVE how it helps them listen to their own music more critically! Members have also told me that these episodes build confidence in TAXI's A&R team when they see that the screeners' decisions are very much on-target!
Dec 06, 2023â˘1 hr 41 min
If youâve ever thought, âI just need a manager,â listen up! The manager youâre probably dreaming ofâyou know⌠you make the music, and they do all the business-y and promotional work to help you become famous⌠that kind of managerâprobably wonât want to work with you yet, and hereâs why⌠The big, high-powered managers work on commission, and they wonât MAKE a commission unless youâre already making money. A well-meaning super fan might offer to manage you in the beginning, and thatâs great⌠at le...
Nov 29, 2023â˘1 hr 28 min
It's time to hear some great music from TAXI's members â songs and instrumentals, alike! Our Top 10 episodes are viewer favorites, so please join us tomorrow at 4 pm (PST) for the LIVE show and you'll have a shot at winning a copy of Steve Barden's must-have book! Join us and you'll hear a range of really cool music that our A&R team has uncovered recently. Win a FREE Book During the Live Broadcast! I'm also going to give away a copy of this awesome book, loved by TAXI members all over the w...
Nov 21, 2023â˘1 hr 27 min
In it for the long haul? The experts at Disc Makers share practical, actionable ways to triumph as an independent artist in this free "29 Tips For a Long and Successful Music Career" guide: https://bit.ly/49qvMOF ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Why am I not surprised that Spotify plans to pay even less to "lesser" artists soon? Talks between the streaming giant and the th...
Nov 14, 2023â˘1 hr 32 min
These are just some of the topics weâll be talking about on this weekâs show with Chuck Henry, a very successful Music Library CEO. Chuck was a TAXI member before he started his company, so he knows exactly what itâs like to be in your shoes! Youâll get perspectives from both sides of the coin on topics like these⌠- The reasons why you havenât been called back from the companies your music has been forwarded to. - Is it better to submit multiple tracks, or just one? - Music Library Etiquette: W...
Oct 24, 2023â˘1 hr 38 min
Iâll never forget the raging enthusiasm I felt bursting forth from Marcus Cohen (aka (CaiNo) when I met him at his first TAXI Road Rally about 6 years ago. In that moment, it was obvious to me that heâd become successful. He was at the Rally with his mom and creative partner â Sherry Marcus Milano â whoâs also a force of nature! Itâs not an exaggeration to say that music libraries and other music licensing professionals are now figuratively banging their doors down, asking for music from Marcus,...
Oct 17, 2023â˘1 hr 35 min
Casey Hurowitz probably wouldnât have these placements if he didnât collaborate: 60 placements on The Young and the Restless (CBS), Chicago Fire (NBC), Salvation (CBS), The Night Shift (NBC), The Originals (CW), and Legacies (CW). Is Casey so bad that he canât create great music on his own? No! He just knows what heâs good at, and what heâs not so good at. Toplining is his strong suit, engineering and production, not so much ;-) I really canât think of any TAXI member who so wonderfully exemplif...
Oct 10, 2023â˘1 hr 31 min
TAXI member Paul Croteau, has no problem saying things like they are! Is he smart, direct, and to the point? Oh yeah! Paulie doesnât mince words. That's the reason I asked him to do a live, unfiltered, unedited interview with me and ask the tough questions that are likely on the minds of other TAXI members, and maybe even the people whoâve thought about joining TAXI, but havenât pulled the trigger yet. Paulâs going to be in Los Angeles this week, so heâs joining me LIVE in the TAXI TV studio for...
Oct 03, 2023â˘1 hr 32 min
Very few CEOs get down in the trenches with the people they serve, but Disc Maker's CEO, Tony Van Veen, isn't one of them. He's BEEN in the trenches, and he learned a lot! He'd be the first to tell you that he's made a lot of mistakes along the way, and he's more than generous in sharing the tips and tricks he's learned from falling down, getting back up, and trial and error. In other words, YOU get to benefit from what Tony has learned over his years of BEING a musician and doing nothing but he...
Sep 19, 2023â˘1 hr 37 min
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 the key to a successful career? - 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 ar...
Sep 12, 2023â˘1 hr 32 min
It's been quite a while since we've done a Top 10 episode on TAXI TV, so please join me and the enthusiastic viewers who always gather to hear some really good music coming from TAXI's members! Join us on Monday at 4 pm (PDT) and you'll hear a range of really cool music that our A&R team has uncovered recently. Win a FREE Book During the Live Broadcast! I'm also going to give away a copy of this awesome book, loved by TAXI members all over the world! Fett's Mixing Roadmap by Fett: https://am...
Aug 29, 2023â˘1 hr 27 min
Rob Chiarelli has repeatedly been one of the most popular guests on TAXI TV, and we're thrilled to have him join us for the first time in several years. Thanks COVID ;-) Rob is a record producer, mix engineer, musician, published author, and 5x Grammy Award winner. Widely recognized as a music producer for Will Smith and Men in Black II, Chiarelli's work appears on numerous Gold and Platinum albums and motion picture soundtracks, including 16 GRAMMY winners. â As a mix engineer and record produc...
Aug 22, 2023â˘1 hr 48 min
Do you know what the difference is between a jingle and a Sonic Logo? I'm not entirely sure I do, so let's find out together when I have Jeanna Isham as my guest on this week's TAXI TV! We're also going to find out what Sound Marketing is, and how that's a different animal from Sonic Branding. Truth be told, I'm not sure I can tell you exactly what Sonic Branding actually is! I know, but I know very little compared to Jeanna. She's an expert! And how can you earn income from Sonic Branding? Who ...
Aug 08, 2023â˘1 hr 39 min
TAXI members, John Pearson and Jim Thacker, are full-time Producers/Songwriters/Composers based in Nashville, TN. How did they transition from the "record" side of the industry to the "sync" side? How did they re-orient what they do, and how they do it? How did they learn the difference between writing songs, and trying to create hits, to creating music that would work well in TV shows, films, and TV commercials? I'm going to ask them ALL of those things, and you get to fast-track your sync care...
Aug 01, 2023â˘1 hr 46 min
Our music conference, the TAXI Road Rally (November 2nd â 5th in Los Angeles, CA), has become legendary over the last quarter of a century. People come from all over the world for the actionable information that invariably takes their music careers to the next level when they use it. And the people who have a huge hand in choosing which panels, classes, interviewees, and mentors we have each year at the Rally. I would really appreciate it if you could join me for the LIVE episode of this weekâs ...
Jul 25, 2023â˘1 hr 34 min
Our viewers have always loved our "A&R Hot Seat" episodes! Here's why: by judging music to see if their opinions line up with TAXI's A&R staff, our members get to fine-tune their "industry ears." They LOVE how it helps them listen to their own music more critically! Members have also told me that these episodes build confidence in TAXI's A&R team when they see that the screeners' decisions are very much on-target! The New & Improved Version of the A&R Hot Seat.. Rather than l...
Jul 19, 2023â˘1 hr 27 min
TAXI member, Greg Carrozza was on a panel about this topic at last year's Road Rally, and he's discussed aspects of it on various episodes of TAXI TV. But, I've yet to give him the floor to do a much deeper dive about it on TAXI TV. That all changes on this week's episode! In Greg's own words, "Iâd talk about what to do after you get a forward, how to manage your expectations and attitude, how to deal with people when they contact you, how to be prepared for that, how to communicate, how to crea...
Jul 11, 2023â˘1 hr 35 min
For the entire 31 years weâve been in business, people have conjectured about how much competition there is when they submit their music to TAXI. Iâm going to pull back the curtain and give you actual submission numbers on this weekâs show! But wait! The submission numbers actually mean NOTHING because there IS no competition! And Iâm going to tell you exactly why that is on this weekâs episode. Letâs Bust Some Other Myths! There are other myths about the music licensing industry that Iâve seen ...
Jul 05, 2023â˘1 hr 32 min
Nailing the creative side of the music industry is a given, right? And the business side of the industry has become more important than ever. But, how often do you think about things like these: - Saving and investing money - Understanding investment apps - Increasing your credit score - Limiting your tax liability - Protecting yourself from identity theft - Getting out of debt - And protecting your assets The older you get, the more you think about these things. But, sometimes that's too late! ...
Jun 27, 2023â˘1 hr 32 min
Iâm very excited to have Ronan Chris Murphy join me on our first live episode in several weeks! Ronan is a huge fan favorite, both on TAXI TV and at our annual music convention, the TAXI Road Rally! Hereâs his bio, if youâre not already familiar! https://ronanchrismurphy.com/bio/ Side note: Ronan is an incredibly smart, well-informed, studio rat who loves teaching what he knows about all things audio/studio/production to anybody who will listen. Those who do listen are well-rewarded! Ronan and I...
Jun 20, 2023â˘1 hr 32 min
Michael is out of the office this week, but he recently recorded this interview with veteran music attorney, Ben McLane, looking at potential legal issues with music created by Artificial Intelligence. Is your music going to train a computer to create new music? Who will get paid? How will they get paid? It's the Wild West out there, and once again, tech could outpace legislation. Don't miss this discussion! Music Business In 10 Easy Lessons: The Deal by Ben McLane: https://amzn.to/3MmQuVX *As a...
May 17, 2023â˘1 hr 9 min
