Our viewers love it when we do the āA&R Hot Seatā episodes, and hereās whyā¦ āMichael, Iāve 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 itās much easier to be objective when deciding what works and what doesnāt about somebody elseās music rather than my own." āTimothy Reardon Weāve been hearing the same thing from other viewers for years! With that in mind, on this weekās TAXI TV, weāll be making A...
Oct 22, 2024ā¢1 hr 40 min
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. Heās also had singles on Billboardās 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. Heās also composed the background score ...
Oct 15, 2024ā¢1 hr 35 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 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 suc...
Oct 08, 2024ā¢1 hr 41 min
Do you have questions about anything in the recording, mixing, or production realm? Great! Weāve got the perfect guy to answer them for you, live on this weekās 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, experimenta...
Oct 01, 2024ā¢1 hr 32 min
If youāre reading this, youād undoubtedly like to be thought of as a āGo-Toā musician in the eyes of the ākingpinsā 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...
Sep 24, 2024ā¢1 hr 34 min
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! ...
Sep 17, 2024ā¢1 hr 44 min
If your goal is to earn your living creating music instead of having a day job that you donāt love, then you really donāt want to miss this weekās episode of TAXI TV. Would you like to have written this statement? āToday, 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 canāt keep up with all the requests I get for my music from music lib...
Sep 11, 2024ā¢1 hr 44 min
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 askā¦ 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 appro...
Aug 27, 2024ā¢1 hr 34 min
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 youāre reading this email, follow the steps below to have your song in the running for one of Robinās famous feedback sessions. Win a FREE Copy of Robinās Best-Selling Book! Actually, this weekās winner can choose between a hard copy of the original book or the updated digital versionāincluding Level 1, Le...
Aug 20, 2024ā¢1 hr 29 min
TAXI member, Greg Carrozza will be my guest on this weekās show and heās going to share everything he knows about collaborating with your fellow TAXI members. If youād 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. Heās the exact opposite of college professors who often take a very academic approach when teaching. My point? Youāll come awa...
Aug 13, 2024ā¢1 hr 32 min
Get your questions ready for TAXIās Head Screener, Craig Pilo, because heās going to join us on this weekās TAXI TV! Heās 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 TAXIās 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 ...
Aug 06, 2024ā¢1 hr 37 min
Our viewers love when we do the āA&R Hot Seatā episodes, and hereās whyā¦ āMichael, Iāve 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 itās much easier to be objective when deciding what works and what doesnāt about somebody elseās music rather than my own." āTimothy Reardon Weāve been hearing the same thing from other viewers for years! With that in mind, on this weekās TAXI TV weāll be making A&...
Jul 30, 2024ā¢1 hr 47 min
If youāre exhausted by all the worry and hand-wringing caused by the threat of Artificial Intelligence obsoleting musicians, I think youāre going to like this episode of TAXI TV. I think youāll be somewhat less stressed after watching it! TAXI member/composer/producer, Paul Croteau has done the work the rest of us donāt have the bandwidth to doāheās been obsessively following the AI discussions, lawsuits, and technological advances the rest of us donāt. At least not to the same extent. Oh, we kn...
Jul 23, 2024ā¢1 hr 33 min
Iām not going to mention my guestās name in this description. If I do, people will bombard him with emails asking to have their music heard. Youāll 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 Iāll ask him to tell us why on th...
Jul 16, 2024ā¢1 hr 38 min
Two of the most articulate executives from the music library industry asked me if they could join me for an episode of TAXI TV. Theyāve got insider info they want to share, and they think our TAXI TV audience is the best place to start spreading the love. Iām not giving out their names in this email because they would get bombarded with, āListen to my musicā emails if I did āsorry! Trust me when I tell you that both of these folks are highly experienced, highly regarded, and well-informed execs ...
Jul 09, 2024ā¢1 hr 42 min
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 Iām meeting him for lunch in exactly 2 hours (rushing to get this written, lol). Iām going to ask him to speak at this yearās Road Rally, November 7th ā 11th in Los Angeles. Iām 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 mo...
Jul 02, 2024ā¢1 hr 36 min
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 āunder the roofā 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 yo...
Jun 25, 2024ā¢1 hr 33 min
Our annual conference, the TAXI Road Rally, is fast approaching (November 7th ā 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 weekās TAXI TV to give your input and opinions? Which Sponsors Would You Like Discounts From? I also need your help in suggesting sponsors that youād like to see at the Rally. Why? Because they often give Rally-specific discounts, on-site during the wee...
Jun 11, 2024ā¢1 hr 52 min
Youād be hard-pressed to find a successful TAXI member who hasnāt read at least one of Dean Krippaehneās 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 Deanās newest book, "Cue Tips ā 50 songwriting, composing, and Music Production Hacks to speed up your sync journey." Deanās a great teacher because he speaks and writes in very conversational terms. It feels like your best friend is gi...
Jun 04, 2024ā¢1 hr 35 min
Itās been quite a while since weāve had one of your very favorite guests on TAXI TV, so Iām happy to let you know that 5-time Grammy-winner Rob Chiarelli will be my guest on this weekās TAXI TV! If youāre not already familiar with Robās career, you can learn more about him here: https://www.finalmix.com/ Rob and I have been close friends for several decades, and we love to talk about mixing, mics, production, and even finding success in the sync market. We spent three hours trading studio storie...
May 21, 2024ā¢1 hr 54 min
Frankly, I just canāt seem to wrap my head around what the MLC (Mechanical Licensing Collective) does. I think Iām reasonably intelligent, but thatās just my opinion and Iām biased ;-) But, every time I hear what the MLC does and who might have money coming to them, I understand it at the moment, then canāt remember the complexities an hour later. Michael Eames is VERY involved with the MLC and explains it better than anybody I know. Heās also one of the smartest people Iāve ever met in our indu...
May 14, 2024ā¢1 hr 42 min
AI and its effect on music creation is likely the most talked about topic of the year amongst musicians. And, while I havenāt wanted to jump on the click-bait bandwagon like so many other music-related YouTube channels have, I also donāt want to stick our collective heads in the sand. Itās early in the game but also a party to which you donāt want to be late. My personal feeling is, that histrionics are bad and balance is good. I was catching up with my old friend, Todd Herreman this week, and h...
Apr 30, 2024ā¢1 hr 34 min
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 straight ahead 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 ...
Apr 23, 2024ā¢1 hr 37 min
Our viewers love it when we do the āA&R Hot Seatā episodes, and hereās whyā¦ āMichael, Iāve 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 itās much easier to be objective when deciding what works and what doesnāt about somebody elseās music rather than my own.ā āTimothy Reardon Weāve been hearing the same thing from other viewers for years! With that in mind, on this weekās TAXI TV, weāll be making A...
Apr 16, 2024ā¢1 hr 35 min
Bobby Borg joined me on TAXI TV a couple weeks ago and after the show ended, I realized how much more we could have covered. Specifically, I felt that we could have gone more in-depth on the subject of marketing for musicians. Heās the perfect person to talk about it because heās the author of, Music Marketing for The DIY Musician. But, heās much more than the author of that book!
Apr 09, 2024ā¢1 hr 30 min
Do you believe that youāre either born with talent or youāre not? Do you believe that hit songwriters just pop out of their motherās bellies imbued with the gift of writing great songs? I donāt! All the hit songwriters Iāve met during my career have gone to great lengths to learn the craft of songwriting. And they keep working at their craft to stay current and relevant as styles and the publicās preferences change with the times. Thereās something else that hit songwriters have in common, but f...
Mar 26, 2024ā¢1 hr 33 min
You can be an extremely talented musician with songs that sound like theyāre destined to fly to the top of the charts or TV instrumentals that could earn a bunch of mailbox money, but thereās another āfactorā that could stop key music industry executives from wanting to work with you ālacking business skills. More specifically, MUSIC business skills! Which musician would you sign? Given the choice of working with an artist, composer, songwriter, or producer who has a decent, working knowledge of...
Mar 19, 2024ā¢1 hr 42 min
Who among us hasn't had self-doubt at one time or another? It might be so bad that it keeps you stuck in the same placeācareer-wiseāfor your entire life! Maybe in other ways, as well! If you're anything like me, meeting people who prove that you can be anything you want to be can change the outcome of your life in an instant. Kim Tibbs is one of those incredibly rare, super-inspiring musicians. She's an unstoppable force of nature with a list of impressive accomplishments that didn't come easily...
Mar 12, 2024ā¢1 hr 19 min
Stephanie Reid is a super-smart music licensing executive who has a really interesting take on the Artificial Intelligence kerfuffle, as it relates to the music industry. Are you trepidatious? Have you lost sleep because youāve spent years building your sync career, and now it looks like Robbie the Robot is going to force you into busking on street corners in the not-too-distant future? Now that youāve listened to all the other prognosticators shouting, āThe sky is falling!ā you should hear what...
Mar 05, 2024ā¢1 hr 32 min
If youāre new-ish to the world of sync music licensing, youāre going to love hearing what Jim Thacker has to say. What heās going to share with you could literally save you from making years of career-killing mistakes!
Feb 27, 2024ā¢1 hr 31 min
