TAXI TV

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...

Our music conference, the TAXI Road Rally (November 2nd – 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...

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 ver...

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, "I’d talk about what to do after you get a forward, how to manage your expectations and attitude, how to...

For the entire 31 years we’ve been in business, people have conjectured about how much competition there is when they submit their music to TAXI. I’m going to pull back the curtain and give you actual submission numbers on this week’s show! But wait! The submission numbers actually mean NOTHING because there IS no competition! And I’m going to tell you exactly why that is on this week’s episode. L...

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 yo...

I’m 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! Here’s his bio, if you’re 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 au...

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...

During the 31 years I've been running TAXI, I've noticed something that's critical to becoming and staying successful in the music industry! Is it great music? Yes, that's certainly a big part of the equation, but building, maintaining, and nurturing relationships could very well be equally as important in regard to becoming successful. And I'm sorry to say that I've seen many talented musicians r...

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 this 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...

For years, I've been preaching about "not putting all your eggs in one basket." My personal opinion is that you should hedge your bets by having your music in several, if not many music library catalogs. But not just ANY catalogs! Join me for this week's episode to learn more about the strategic way you might want to approach how many (and which) companies you want to have representing your music!...

How’d you like a consummate Instrumental Cue Composer to show you what the most common Cue structures are for TV placements? Great, I’ve got the perfect guest to lay those structures out in great detail on this week’s TAXI TV! Steve Barden is a successful, longtime TAXI member, and a truly excellent composer. He’s the author of two great books on the subject. Click the covers below to see just how...

When a music supervisor or TV show editor looks at a huge playlist of possibilities, they will inevitably listen to the tracks with titles that "telegraph" what the music will sound like, first! Wouldn't you like to have your music considered first? Or, maybe I should ask, wouldn't you want to give your music an "edge" when end-users are combing through hundreds of titles, looking for the perfect...

You’ve got a decision to make that will directly affect how successful you become in the world of Production Music: Are you going to be easy to work with, or require some hand-holding by the Production Music Libraries your music is forwarded to by TAXI? Assuming you’d prefer to be thought of as a buttoned-up professional, you REALLY don’t want to miss this week’s TAXI TV, and here’s why… I’ve aske...

If you’re reading this, you probably own a home studio and record your own music. You also want it to sound “pro,” like your favorite artists and records, but it doesn’t! You’ve tried the latest plug-ins, outboard gear, and mixing tips from YouTube videos. You bought new monitors. You’ve added acoustic treatments to your room. And your recordings still don’t have that professional sound. Frustrati...

I wish there was just ONE trick to making money with production music, but it's not that easy! However, there are several things you can do to increase the number of songs and instrumentals you get picked up by music libraries and ultimately used in TV shows, films, commercials, and other media. What are they? Don't miss this TAXI TV if you'd like to find out!

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 ver...

I'm very excited to have one of our clients — an awesome Music Library CEO — join us for what promises to be a great episode this week! You can ask him anything, and I'm sure he'll give you some insightful answers. I planned on doing an A&R Hot Seat/Forward-Return episode this week, but when I found out this gentleman was going to be in LA on Monday, I decided to postpone that episode until next w...

11 CAREER-KILLING Habits Musicians SHOULD AVOID! Before you work on developing good habits that can drive your success, there are some nasty old bad habits you need to part company with because they're holding you back. Actually, they can kill the career in the music business you've always wanted. When you hear what they are, I think you'll be nodding your head in agreement with the majority of th...

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 in this episode to hear a range of really cool music that our A&R team has uncovered recently.

Late one evening in 2019, I spent a couple of hours trading studio war stories in the control room (pictured below) with Trevor Fletcher, the Vice President of the legendary Criteria Studios in Miami. Trevor's mom (Margie Curry) was my awesome boss when I worked at Criteria nearly 50 years ago. She remains a cherished friend of mine to this day. When Trevor was a kid, he'd come to the studio after...

Do You Really Need A MIDDLE MAN in Today's MUSIC Industry??

If you get contacted by one of TAXI’s clients offering you a deal and you’d like to know the technical aspects of delivering your music to that company, this week’s TAXI TV is for you! TAXI’s Head Screener (Craig Pilo) has put together a video showing you how to properly export your masters and stems! Craig will be joining me in the studio, and he’ll be answering your questions after we play the v...

If you think having great music gets you a “pass” from getting the business aspects of sync 100% right, you’re 100% wrong! Here’s proof in the form of an email TAXI recently got from a new client when we reached out to ask if they needed us to run any new searches for them… Date: Thu, Jan 5, 2023 at 12:40 PM Subject: Re: Happy New Year! To: Tom @TAXI Happy New Year to you too, Tom. I'll let you kn...

We’re super excited to be broadcasting our first LIVE episode since The Road Rally, and we promise to help you make 2023 your most productive year yet! Most of us make New Year’s resolutions, but statistically, 90% of resolutions are just words without actions. It’s easy to resolve that you’re going to lose weight in the coming year, but hard to avoid ordering a delicious pizza when you don’t feel...