Taxi Tv

Andrew Jordan knows all about making career-killing mistakes because he’s either made them himself or has seen friends make them. During a recent phone call, he suggested that we do a panel at the 2025 TAXI music conference, the Road Rally. I added the topic to my list of ideas, and also suggested that we do a TAXI TV ASAP because people need to know what these career-killers are sooner than later! And that’s exactly what we’re going to cover in this week’s episode! Andrew’s a smart, hard-working songwriter, composer, and producer who strikes me as being practical, pragmatic, and realistic in his approach to creating music that the industry needs and licenses. I think there will be a lot to learn from him, so don’t miss this one!

Matt Vander Boegh has gone from Zero-to-Hero in the world of Music Licensing. Here’s a snippet of his bio from his website: “In his 14 years of making music for TV, Vander Boegh has amassed a staggering 30,000+ placements on over 1,000 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 full-length songs signed to oodles of high-end music libraries.” To say that Matt has figured out what sync’s “secret sauce” is would be an understatement. On his popular Youtube channel, he often credits TAXI as the launching pad for his success. Even though he’s an unabashed “TAXI fan boy,” he’s agreed to join us for this week’s TAXI TV, where he will ask our CEO Michael Laskow the tough questions that others may have but have never asked him directly to his face. Get tips, techniques, and answers to questions that most CEOs would run away from!

You’ve dreamed about becoming successful with your music for your entire adult life. You joined TAXI. You’ve watched TAXI TV and attended our conference—The Road Rally— to learn how to create what the industry is asking for. You’ve done everything right, and then… BAM! With one fell swoop, you made this common mistake that killed a golden opportunity, and possibly your career. What IS that mistake? You’re going to have to watch this week’s episode of TAXI TV to find out. And I promise you’ll be shaking your head in disbelief when I tell you what that mistake is. You might be guilty of making it yourself. A lot of musicians do! I’ll reveal this “fatal” and avoidable career-killing error and many more seemingly “small” missteps that can truly snuff out the very dream you’ve been working toward for so long.

We’ve all heard about how “manifestation” can make things happen for you, right? But, how many of us consciously put manifestation to work in our daily lives—especially in our pursuit of finding success in our music careers? My guest on this week’s TAXI TV is the best “manifestor” I’ve ever met in my entire life! Kim Tibbs is a TAXI member, and has accomplished more in her career (so far!) than most people would in multiple lifetimes! Kim Tibb's New Music: https://kimtibbsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/intermission-part-a

“What can I do to make my recordings sound more professional?” I’ve been getting that question since I started TAXI 33 years ago. Being a “retired” engineer/producer, I’ve got opinions and suggestions, but they’re not as good as somebody who’s currently in the trenches, doing what you do. But I know a guy who IS in the trenches, and I watch his Youtube videos quite often. And I really like them! You might be watching them as well. Does the name, Jon Meyer ring any bells? Jon will be my guest on this week’s episode, and we’re going to cover (at least) 10 things that can make your music sound more professional. I’m very excited to have Jon join us for this episode, and I suspect it will be chock-full of great suggestions. Have your notepad ready!

Have you ever asked yourself this question? “What do I need to do to get people to recognize how good my music is, and start paying me now to license it for their TV shows, films, or commercials?” Give me an “Amen, brother!” if you’ve ever asked yourself that question. The Answer Will be Revealed (for real!) on This Week’s TAXI TV! I just got an email from a TAXI member who’s only been pursuing his music licensing career with vigor for the last three years, and now his music is getting played in TV shows 365 days a year! Yep, every single day of the year. Quoting a recent email he sent us, “…I am getting placements every single day, multiple times a day. I'm averaging about 75 placements per month.” I’m going to keep this member’s identity a secret until the big reveal on Monday’s show. But, when you meet him, I’m going to ask him SPECIFICALLY what steps he’s taken to get 800 tracks in about 30 different catalogs and generate placements and income on a daily basis.

Craig Pilo is our Head Screener at TAXI. He knows the sync industry inside and out. He also knows some very common mistakes that TAXI members should avoid making, as well as every other musician trying to make it in the music licensing side of the industry. Want to know how to get more music forwarded by TAXI? Watch this! Want to know what causes about 80% of the “returns” from TAXI? Watch this! Want to know how the TAXI screeners think and how they approach their job? Watch this! We’ll discuss those topics and many more during this information-packed episode, so watch it and see if Craig can help you get more of your music forwarded, signed, placed, and earning income!

I’ve watched Rob Chiarelli go from music industry hopeful (when he was in his twenties) to one of the most in-demand mixers/producers in the music business today. With about 100 gold and platinum records and 5 Grammy Awards under his belt, he’s learned a thing or two along the way. And he’s learned from some of the best mentors anybody could ask for! Our viewers always love it when Rob joins me on TAXI TV. He’s my closest friend, and our conversations are always free-wheeling with lots and lots of great tips on mixing, producing, and how to succeed in the music industry in general. Join Rob and me for this episode, and have a notepad ready to go! Rob drops a whole bunch of great advice you probably didn’t get in music school!

I’ve become close friends with TV Producer, Editor, Director, and Composer Biagio Messina over the last 18 months. Whenever we go out to dinner, Biagio always drops gold nuggets about how he chooses and uses music in his shows, his tricks for making his music much more “usable,” and how TV editors choose and use the music that lands in their shows, as well. In this episode, Biagio will share the tips and tricks he uses to compose his music and tell you how the people who make TV shows pick music for their shows. Can you afford to miss this episode? Nope! This episode will help musicians at every stage of their sync music journey to get there even faster! IMPORTANT: Biagio can only use music from music libraries that the networks he works with have approved. If you’re tempted to Google and try to pitch your music to him, I'm sorry to say that you’ll be wasting your time. Even TAXI can’t supply music for his shows, other than when we run listings for the pre-approved libraries he uses in his productions.

If you’d like to jump into doing music for film, TV, and Commercials, you might be wondering, “How do I start, or where do I start?” Both are great questions, and I’ve got the perfect person to help you figure it out! Matt Vander Boegh is an unlikely TAXI All-Star whose music is played all over the world on a daily basis. But, like many of you reading this, Matt’s foray into earning income with his music didn’t come without some fits and starts. Mostly fits ;-) Be patient as you watch this because we spent a chunk of time, in the beginning, talking about Matt’s childhood and his progression into sync music licensing. After that, we get into the “red meat” section, and trust me when I tell you, there are tons of gems in this episode! TONS!!!

I’ve been asked a gazillion times, “What’s the fastest way to succeed in sync licensing?” Some folks have asked, “What’s the easiest way to launch my music licensing career?” Well, it’s the beginning of a New Year, and I’m sure many of you watching this have decided that 2025 is the year in which you’ll finally hunker down and go for the gold with film and TV music licensing. If you really want to know the fastest and/or easiest way to succeed, don’t miss this episode of TAXI TV! Personally, I think what I’m going to recommend can truly be at least a bit of a shortcut. Ready to blast off in 2025? Then watch this episode, and see if you agree!

I hope your holidays have been warm and wonderful so far, and with 2025 just around the corner we thought it would be a good idea to list off a whole bunch of resolutions that could help you become successful with your music in 2025. It’s a long list, so pick the ones that are most applicable and most likely to move you ahead in leaps and bounds. There are some really good ones in there!

As I sat in the dimly lit grand ballroom listening to Robin Frederick’s presentation at this year’s TAXI Road Rally, I noticed how nearly every person in the audience was leaning forward. Just a tad. Not quite bent over, but definitely leaning in the direction of the stage where a single spotlight illuminated the gravitas of what Robin was saying. Why were 1,000 musicians leaning toward her? Because Robin sucks people into what she’s saying. She was giving one of her famous brain dumps in which you can’t take notes quickly enough. Every word matters! And every concept she freely gives away could be that ONE thing that helps you take your songs from really good to really, REALLY good. So good that one person asks another, “Have you heard that song?” There’s not a songwriter alive who doesn’t pray for that reaction. I’m right, huh? You know exactly what I’m talking about, don’t you? Well, this past November, Robin covered a topic that she’s never covered before; How to Turn Your Authentic Story into Hit Son

TAXI member, Jim Thacker has experienced a bit of a meteoric rise in the world of music licensing. As I’ve gotten to know the straight-ahead, No-B.S. person that he is, Jim has really impressed me with his ability to get so much right that he’s now in what I call, “Sync’s Inner Circle.” Yes, he’s one of the people who music libraries and music supervisors call on when they need to deal with a reliable musician who will get them the right music in a professional manner in a short amount of time. I invited Jim to sit on the, “How to Get into Sync’s Inner Circle” panel at this year’s TAXI conference, the Road Rally, and he hit it out of the park! As a matter of fact, ALL of the panelists were incredibly informative, generous with their tips, and downright inspiring! Jim will be my guest on this week’s TAXI TV, and he will be sharing his tips about what you can do to make music libraries and music supervisors love you, too!

There are so many ways to get paid for your work in the age of digital music, that I admit that I’m confused as to who exactly pays what. One thing I do know is that the people who attended the presentation by the MLC (Mechanical Licensing Collective) at this year’s TAXI Road Rally were SO glad they went! They were so grateful that I’ve invited one the MLC’s top executives (Serona Elton, Head of Educational Partnerships) to join us on this week’s TAXI TV. I’ve met with her on Zoom, and she’s really good at explaining why you really could have money just sitting there waiting for you, and what you can do to collect it! Serona is also the Director of the Music Business Program at the University of Miami, my alma mater, so I like her even more!!!

If you were at this year’s TAXI Road Rally (our annual FREE conference), you were part of what many of the attendees are saying was the best we’ve ever produced in 28 years. We humbly agree! There was something special in the air. Maybe it was the quality of the Ballroom Panels, the One-to-One Mentor sessions, the Eat & Greet Luncheons, the Drivers Ed breakout classes, the Sponsors, or the music industry Networking… or maybe it was all of those things. One thing for sure is that the TAXI members who come made it special. I’ve never seen a happier, more motivated, or more excited group of attendees in all the years we’ve been gathering for the Road Rally. If you couldn’t join us, this might sound like marketing hyperbole. If you were there, you know exactly what I’m talking about! And you know that it’s not an exaggeration! Not even a little bit. Let’s capture that lightning in a bottle… I’m going to share a bunch of Rally photos and member comments during this week’s TAXI TV episode. A lot of them! Maybe

As I was grabbing my notes from a table on the stage during last weekend’s TAXI Road Rally, I overheard a musician talking with a music supervisor who had just finished speaking on a panel. The TAXI member said, “Scan my QR code and it will take you to my linktr.ee that has links to my bio, Soundcloud, Instagram, Facebook, my videos, and a bunch of other stuff.” Without missing a beat, the music supervisor asked, “Why don’t you have a website?” Why wouldn’t you put all of your music, photos, bio, videos, and social media all in one place? Why make it harder than it needs to be for the people who want to know about you to learn everything they can about you? So, I invited Joseph Longo from Bandzoogle to join us for this week’s episode! He was my guest about a year ago, and he was so good at explaining all of this that I called his boss the next day to tell him how what a great job Joseph did! Win a FREE Thirty-Minute Website Consultation with Joseph! I’ve also asked Joseph if he would give away a consult

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