TAXI TV

I had a whole bunch of questions I didn't get to ask our Head Screener the last couple of times he joined me on TAXI TV. He's a consummate pro, and you guys seem to love his answers, so I pulled out the unasked questions from his last two appearances and got some great answers! I'm not going to hype this up, but I really think you'll learn how to use your TAXI membership more effectively if you watch this episode. I'm also sure you'll learn how the sync industry really works, rather than relying on sketchy info and opinions from people who know some stuff, but not all of it. Do yourself (and your career) a favor and invest less time than it takes to stream another mediocre movie. Craig and I will give you more accurate inside information about sync than you'd get by taking a full-semester of a college music class. How do I know this? Because they don't teach this stuff in college! Get real-world tips that can make all the difference by watching today's episode.

There's so much information, disinformation, and countless opinions on the future of music in the shadow of generative AI that it's virtually impossible to keep up with it all. I try, but long-time TAXI member, indie musician, composer, and producer Paul Croteau does a far better job than I do. Paul has what some might call an "obsession" with gathering facts before he forms his opinions, so I listen carefully to what he has to say. In other words, he's done the heavy lifting, so the rest of us don't have to! If you'd like to become far better informed about AI as it relates to the music industry, you really don't want to miss this episode! Actually, if you create music, I don't think you can afford to not watch it. Paulie is a very smart, well-informed person, and you'll be much better informed having heard what he's got to say.

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. Btw, I was at a session at the Foo Fighters' private studio a few days ago and had my mind blown! I'm going to tell you all about that and show you some photos of the control room, live room, guitar amps, and especially the vintage Neve recording console Dave Grohl bought from the legendary Sound City studio when it closed its doors. Other stuff I'll be talking about... Want to know how many tracks you really need before music libraries take you seriously? I get that question all the time, and frankly, the answer will surprise you! And, I’m going to tell you today. These are the types of questions I’ll be happy to answer, and anything else you’ve got! Viewers love these episodes, and I always have fun doing them.

Hollywood Score Composer and Film Producer Brian Ralston is one of the most well-informed and articulate people I’ve met during my 50 years in the music business. He’s so clear-headed about so many aspects of the music and film industries that I did a solo interview with him at this year’s Road Rally—our annual conference. Brian didn’t disappoint! The people in the ballroom felt like they had learned something important. Things they normally don’t think about because they’re usually focused on the music much more than their career. Because he was so good, I’ve decided to do something I’ve rarely done after the Road Rally—I’ve invited Brian to reprise what we did on stage last month, but this time we’re doing it live on TAXI TV!

My two favorite things I hear from members at our annual conference are: 1) “I went to school at Berklee, but I’ve learned more in a single weekend at the Road Rally than I learned in four years of college,” and 2) “I was certain that I was going to be let down after all your hype about the Rally, but it’s actually way better than you said it would be.” I hear those same things every single year. It makes me scratch my head and wonder why every single TAXI member doesn’t come. Those of you who were there know exactly what I mean. The vibe, the camaraderie, the access to industry people you just won’t find anywhere else, the networking, and the real-world education are apparently somewhat indescribable. How do I know? Because I can’t seem to find the words to convince all of our members to come. Yet, we have members who came from Finland, Germany, France, New Zealand, Australia, the U.K., Argentina, Israel, Japan, and other faraway destinations that are a full day’s worth of travel away, and at least $1,500 for the plane ticket, and they were thrilled they made the effort. On the other hand, we have members who live in Los Angeles and could drive to the Rally in 30 minutes or less, and they didn’t come. I just don’t get it! Today’s TAXI TV episode is going to be dedicated to the people who came and loved the Rally. We’re going to see photos, we’re going to watch some videos, and we’re going to hear from the members who were there.

Monday’s episode of TAXI TV should be amazing! Robin Frederick is going to join us, and she’s going to tell us what her Top 10 Songwriting Hacks are. Robin’s book, Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting, is a best-seller, and we’ve never heard anything but raves, so even I’m excited to hear what her “hacks” are. If you’re new to our email list or TAXI TV, you really don’t miss this episode. You’ll find out why the ballroom at our conference—the Road Rally, starting November 6th—is always standing room only when Robin does one of her deep dives on songwriting each year. I’m going to give away a copy of Robin’s amazing book during the episode on Monday, but you’ve got to watch the live broadcast on YouTube at 4 pm Pacific time to have a shot at getting a complimentary copy of this seminal book on songwriting! Robin Frederick's Book: Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting: https://amzn.to/48G91bA

If you’ve ever been frustrated that your sync career is taking off as quickly as you’d like, you really don’t want to miss today’s live episode of TAXI TV (4 pm Pacific time) on YouTube! I’ll be joined by one of TAXI’s most successful members, Matt Vander Boegh, and I’ve asked him to distill all the things he’s done to become so successful down to the 5 most important. Matt’s music can be heard every hour of the day all over the world, but that wasn’t always the case! He made so many mistakes in the beginning of his career that I’m certain you’ll be saying, “Holy crapola, I do that, too!” as you watch. What did he do that took him from getting 79 (if memory serves) “rejections” in his first year to having his music in dozens of catalogs and getting placements every day of the year? You’ll find out at 4 pm (Pacific time) today when Matt shares the Top 5 things that skyrocketed his career. Win a Private Dinner with Matt and Michael! One lucky viewer of the live episode will win a private dinner in the Westin LAX Hotel’s Presidential Suite with Matt and yours truly during the TAXI Road Rally conference (November 6-9 in Los Angeles), and for dessert, we’ll listen to some of your music and give you feedback! If you can’t make it to the Rally (are you crazy?!), we’ll do a private Zoom and you can order yourself a pizza to eat as we meet ;-)