TAXI TV

I’ve got most of the main panels sorted out for this year’s conference, the TAXI Road Rally. But I need your opinion before I start calling to invite and confirm the panelists. Do you like the topics? Do you have other ideas? Is there consensus? As always, I want to get your opinions before I lock things down. Win a FREE Copy of Dean Krippaehne’s latest book, Cue Tips! — 50 songwriting, composing,...

“So, Michael? Exactly what are the complaints you get from music library executives, if they’re not about the music?” I was going to do a TAXI TV episode and enumerate the complaints myself until I spent 47 minutes on the phone this past Sunday with a very wise music library CEO. He was frustrated… actually, you might even say, exasperated. He told me about his “pain points,” and they sounded near...

I’m excited to have Rob Chiarelli join us for this week’s episode! He’s a huge fan-favorite on TAXI TV, and at our FREE (for TAXI members) annual conference, TAXI’s Road Rally (November 6th-9th, this year). Rob’s down-to-earth advice covers a wide range of topics, including production, engineering, mixing, music licensing, and general career advice, which is always relatable because he comes from...

I was doing some research yesterday, and I stumbled on something that’s been staring me in the face for decades. It’s a “formula” that TAXI’s most successful members use. Especially, the members who want to earn income with sync placements. Conversely, when I researched TAXI’s least successful members, I discovered that virtually none of them used the same formula. Why wouldn’t they, when it obvio...

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 t...

For many songwriters, birthing a great lyric can be agonizingly slow and painful. Yep, sort of like childbirth! Well, any mom would tell you that it’s not even close, but you get my point; It can be daunting, slow, and yes, even painful to write a great lyric. But it doesn’t have to be! If you’ve ever had writer’s block or find that it takes so long to craft a great lyric, you miss opportunities f...

True Swans are a duo who are becoming quite successful using TAXI to launch their career. Michelle Lindley and Todd Dunnigan live more than 600 miles from each other, yet their collaboration has been nothing short of remarkable! If you’d like to know how and why long-distance collaborations can work and what the 4 keys to success Todd and Michelle have uncovered, then don’t miss this fascinating i...

I thought you needed tens of thousands (or more) followers to pull off a successful crowdfunding campaign to raise money for your music. I was wrong, you don’t! Frankly, I knew very little about crowdfunding to raise money for music (or any other type of project). When Kevin McNoldy was doing his excellent TAXI TV episode about music mastering a few weeks ago, he mentioned that he knew quite a bit...

If you think that making great music is the key to making more money in sync licensing, you’re half wrong! If you don’t have great (and appropriate) titles for your music, nobody will know how great it is because they won’t find it, hear it, or license it. Shocked? Don’t be! There’s not a single music supervisor or TV editor side who wouldn’t back me up on that. I couldn’t find great information a...

TAXI member, Jim Thacker, is experiencing what many—if not most—other musicians hope to accomplish. His music is being heard all over the world, and he’s landing some really nice sync placements on an ever-increasing basis. Some of them are in brand-name TV commercials! But things weren’t always going the way Jim wanted them to! Is the same true for you? Are you frustrated, disappointed, or just p...

A year ago, Spotify decided they weren’t going to pay royalties on tracks that streamed less than 1,000 times. Instead, those royalties would go to other artists proportionately to their streaming totals. Our friend Tony van Veen, CEO of Disc Makers, recently calculated that in 2024 alone, this resulted in $47 million in independent artist royalties being diverted to (mostly) the majors! He went p...

Very few music creators really understand what audio mastering is, what it does, and when you need it… or not! There are plenty of people who think that mastering is some sort of “magical fairy dust” that, when sprinkled on a song or track, makes it much, much better. As if mastering can make a mediocre song become a hit. It can’t, and it won’t. It can only make it a better-sounding mediocre song!...

More and more music libraries and music supervisors are asking for stems and alt mixes because it makes your music much more “usable.” If you’re somewhat new to the music licensing world, you might need a little help in understanding how to deliver what the industry pros need, so we’re going to show you on this week’s episode! TAXI Member, Greg Carrozza, is going to join us this week, and if the t...

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 thin...

Highly successful TAXI member Matt Vander Boegh interviewed me a month or so ago, and the TAXI TV audience was blown away by the quality of the questions asked. Here’s the dirty little secret: Many of those questions came from Matt’s group of musicians he mentors at monthly meetings at his house. Matt’s a Pay-It-Forward kind of guy! I was so impressed with the questions from Matt’s Mentees that I’...

If you’ve ever wondered what an Edit Point, Buttoned Ending, Stinger Ending, or a Developmental Arc are, you’re going to love this week’s episode of TAXI TV! We’re going to play examples from a Production Music Library and show you waveforms that should make things crystal clear. You’ll also get the chance to hear some tracks from a successful Music Library. If you’re new to creating music for TV...

Successful TAXI member, Jim Thacker stopped by the office when he was in Los Angeles, recently. He asked if I thought the TAXI TV audience would be interested in knowing what he didn’t know at the start of his career in music for sync. He sent me his list of 10 Things he wishes he’d known in the beginning of his journey into sync, and I immediately invited him to be my guest on this week’s episode...

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...

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. H...

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...

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 mo...

“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! Y...

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 hi...

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! W...

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...