TAXI TV

Latest Episodes:

Potential AI Music LEGAL ISSUES [with Attorney, Ben McLane][051523] May 17, 2023

Show notes

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 discussion! Music Business In 10 Easy Lessons: The Deal by Ben McLane: https://amzn.to/3MmQuVX *As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases from the link above.*

5 WAYS To DESTROY A Music Industry Relationship! [with Tracey And Vance Marino] May 09, 2023

Show notes

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 ruin some (or many) of their relationships, new and old! My goal in this week's episode of TAXI TV is to highlight many of the relationship-building and/or killing things I've witnessed over the last three decades. Sadly, most of the time, the people who've committed relationship suicide don't even realize what they've done, and the impact it's had. Special Guests... I consider Tracey and Vance Marino world-class experts at building and maintaining music industry relationships. I've watched them work their magic at conferences and online. As a matter of fact, they dedicated an entire chapter to that subject in their excellent book, Hey, That's My Song! That chapter alone is worth the price of buying their book! Please join me when I interview Tracey and Vance during this week's episode. I'll bet you'll find yourself saying "oops" more than once as we go through all the ways you can destroy the music business relationships you should be building, maintaining, and nurturing. Hey, That's My Song by Tracey and Vance Marino: https://amzn.to/3peEOvx *As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases from the link above.*

Ask TAXI Music's CEO ANYTHING! [Q&A With Michael Laskow][050123] May 02, 2023

Show notes

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 why Hollywood studios won't use you to score their blockbuster films? I know the answer! Want to know why your mixes don't sound like hit records? I'll let you in on a little secret ;-) Want to know where the "sweet spot" is to place a mic on an acoustic guitar? You're going to find out! Want to know how to mic an electric guitar amp for the best sound? I'll fill you in! Want to know a sure-fire way to avoid popping "P's" when recording vocals? I'm going to show you. Want to know how to make publishers reach out to you time and time again? It's common sense, but many people don't do it! Want to know how to approach an industry pro at TAXI's convention? If you promise not to let them know who told you, I'll tell you the secret ;-) Want to know how to avoid headphone leakage when recording vocals? The answer is SO simple, yet almost always overlooked!

How Many Music Licensing Catalogs Should You Be In [042423] Apr 25, 2023

Show notes

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! I Want to Hear From You! I want this episode to be pretty interactive, with a lot of feedback from TAXI members (and viewers who have music in music libraries) as to what YOU think is an optimal number of catalogs to be in, and any strategic thinking you might have when deciding which companies you work with! If you can contribute to this discussion, I would REALLY appreciate it if you could join us for the live show. I plan to spend more time than usual taking comments and questions from the chat during the live show!

Structuring TV Film Tracks The Holy Grail[041723] Apr 18, 2023

Show notes

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 good those books are! Deconstructing Production Music for TV by Steve Barden: https://amzn.to/3o9UFLn Writing Production Music for TV by Steve Barden: https://amzn.to/41qUQ3i Steve’s most recent book, Deconstructing Production Music for TV, is a deep dive into some serious analysis of nine cues, which you can listen to online. For each cue, Steve breaks it down as follows: - The Structure - Chord Progression - Melody - Instrument Choices - Style and Genre - The Emotion and Intended Use - The Sound Libraries He Used - Analysis of the Bars and Sections of the Score - ...and Why the Cue Works! I’m beyond excited to have Steve share his considerable knowledge with you. With any luck, we’ll be playing you some of the cues during the show, as Steve tells us what he did, and most importantly, WHY he did it!

AI - Powered Titles For Music Licensing Boost Your Sync Income[041023] Apr 11, 2023

Show notes

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 instrumental or song? We're going to go over how the RIGHT titles can make you more money in sync licensing! Not only will we review dozens of great titles pulled from top music library catalogs, we're also going to delve into the minds and work processes of music supervisors and video editors. That should help us understand why some titles work better than others in certain situations!

How To Make Music Libraries LOVE YOU! [040323] Apr 04, 2023

Show notes

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 asked several of TAXI’s successful members to share their personal Music Licensing Checklists! What are they, exactly? They’re the lists of things they do before they submit their music to the companies we connect them with. It’s the list of things that make it easy for those companies to love working with them, again, and again! The things that make them “go-to” composers and artists! The things that might even give them insider access and/or special treatment by the people at those Music Licensing Companies. Do You Want to Be a “Go-To” Composer or Artist? Don’t miss this episode of TAXI TV. I’ve already seen the checklists from these successful TAXI members, and WOW, they are really, really good! I honestly think these lists are better than what you might get if you were to take an expensive course in Music Licensing/Production Music. You’ll Get the Checklists for FREE! And you won’t have to pay to watch weeks of boring videos, or sit through classes with a professor who only gives you one person’s perspective. Our Production Music Checklists are coming to you directly from several highly-experienced (and successful) TAXI members who are battling it out in the trenches, right now!

STOP Making These 5 Common MICROPHONE MISTAKES! Mar 28, 2023

Show notes

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. Frustrating, isn’t it? While we don’t have enough time in this week’s episode to solve every problem you might be having, we do have enough time to solve some problems you have recording vocals and organic instruments. And most of those problems start with common microphone mistakes. If you think your biggest mistake was not buying a $3,500 Neumann U87, consider this: Bon Iver’s hit album, Emma, Forever Ago, was recorded using a single, $99 Shure SM57 and a beat-up, old Sears catalog acoustic guitar that sounded like it looked. I love microphones and classic outboard gear more than the average person. I learned the craft of audio from some of the best engineers and producers in the business at the time. Some of them are considered legends, and I’m going to teach you some of the mic. techniques I learned from them. I’m going to show you how to get great sounds and how to stop making mistakes with your microphones! Join me for this episode of TAXI TV, and you’ll be a few steps closer to making better-sounding recordings.

The TRICK To Making MONEY With Production Music![032023] Mar 21, 2023

Show notes

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!

TAXI's A&R Hot Seat - YOU DECIDE, Forward Or Return This Music Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

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 very much on-target! Here's the Listing we're going to be listening for... CONTEMPORARY FOLK-POP SONGS with Male or Female Vocals are needed by a prestigious International Music Publishing and Licensing Company that's doing a major expansion of their catalogue! NOTE: This Library is FAIRLY NEW to requesting music from TAXI, so this is a great opportunity to create a new relationship for your music with a very highly-regarded company! Trust us, this is a catalog you want to be in! This Company is looking for Mid-to-Up-Tempo Songs that could be found on a playlist with the following references: "Stick Season" by Noah Kahan "The Worst Of You" by PJ Harding & Noah Cyrus "Sweet Ever After" by Ellie Holcomb feat. Bear Rinehart Please send them well-crafted Folk-Pop Songs with captivating melodies, honest lyrics, and memorable hooks that could work well for a variety of sync placements. Your submissions should have engaging rhythms, contemporary Folk-Pop instrumentation in the general wheelhouse of the examples, and acoustic-based arrangements that seamlessly blend Folk and Pop elements. Your productions and any virtual instruments or sounds you may choose to use need to be high-quality and not dated-sounding. Expressive, well-performed vocals are a must, as well! Lyrics should avoid references to specific names, places, dates, brands, and profanity. Do NOT copy the referenced artists or songs in any way, shape, or form. Use them only as a general guide for tempo, texture, tone, and overall vibe. Do NOT submit any material with unauthorized samples of any other artists’ music, sounds, or any other form of media. Broadcast Quality is needed. NOTE: The bar will be high for this request. Please send your very best! This Company offers a NON-EXCLUSIVE deal. The specific deal points will be handled on a case-by-case basis. You must own or control your Master and Copyright to pitch for this opportunity. Please submit as many Songs as you'd like, online or per CD. Please include lyrics. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by TAXI. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59 PM (PST) on Monday, March 6th, 2023. TAXI # S230306FP

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