As we put this newsletter together every month, we’re always shocked by how many members report that their deals (and ultimately, sync placements) come quickly after meeting industry pros at TAXI’s FREE conference, the Road Rally. Want to speed up your journey to sync success? Read this to see how you can do it, too!
Song placed in Hyundai TV commercial
John Pearson – Hendersonville, TN, USA
John and his co-writers and fellow TAXI members, Greg Carrozza and Becky Ketelsen, landed a great placement. Here’s the story. “I’m stoked to report a nationwide Hyundai TV commercial placement that my co-writers and I landed! The song is 'Do It Like This' by our band 'Reveica' and is available on all DSPs. My fellow band members Becky Ketelsen and Greg Carrozza, who are also fellow TAXI members, wrote this remotely in 2022, and I pitched it to a publisher I had met through another TAXI member. That publisher asked us to do an album, and so far off of that collection, we have also landed a national TV ad with Samsung, and internet ads with Kleo Color and several other companies. I would have never made these connections if not for TAXI and the networking opportunities TAXI provides. Be it TAXI TV, the TAXI Forums, or the TAXI Road Rally, the networking is second to none!”
John added, “I really like the inspiration that TAXI’s daily briefs afford, but my favorite thing about TAXI has been the networking that comes with attending the annual Road Rally in person. Those Road Rallies and the TAXI Forums have helped propel my career faster than anything else I have done.”
The Grand Ballroom was full for the Keynote Interview!
Four deals signed on numerous tracks
Todd Bordonaro, Bronx, NY, USA
Here’s some great news from Todd... “I'm fairly new to TAXI, and in 2022 I attended my first Road Rally. I met someone [a music library executive] the first night at the bar hangout. We hit it off immediately, and I sent a few tracks for review. I ended up signing a contract and have since created 12 tracks for that company.
My goal at the 2023 Road Rally was to do more networking. I met two other music licensing executives and signed contracts with both of them, as well. I’ve now signed four deals as a direct result of attending the Road Rally! I’ve also been collaborating with some fabulous musicians I’ve met at your conference, and the tracks we’re producing go to the companies I've made deals with through TAXI. My feeling is, if you don't attend the Road Rally conference, then you're only getting a small part of what TAXI has to offer. Looking forward to the 2024 Rally!”
The Westin Hotel’s Lobby Bar is where the action is at during every Road Rally. The number of relationships and signings that happen there is uncountable at this point!
Nobody Can Beat the Room Rates You’ll Get for the Rally!
TAXI contracts for a large block of rooms at the Westin LAX Hotel, so that means the rate you’ll get through us is guaranteed to be cheaper than Kayak, Travelocity, Orbitz, Expedia, etc. Even cheaper than bundling your flight and hotel! Click the button below to book directly with the Westin.
Made $40,000 from a Jack Daniel’s TV commercial
Braiden Wood – Titusville, FL
Braiden shared this great story, “Hello! To anyone reading, my name is Braiden Wood. I was a founding member and toured with the pop-rock band, Before You Exit. We had the privilege of playing shows with All Time Low, Yellowcard, and Mayday Parade.
Back in 2017, my manager recommended that I also look into the sync music industry and signed me up for TAXI. As I started watching TAXI TV and submitting songs to listings, I quickly learned it was a different goal in sync and started testing the waters by submitting to different genres. November rolled around and I attended my first TAXI Road Rally conference in Los Angeles. It was an awesome trip! I gained valuable insight and made lots of great connections with other producers and songwriters there.
Shortly after the conference, I submitted two TAXI listings under the ‘Advertising’ heading. They both mentioned that the placements could be in the ballpark of $10,000! One was a calm serene ad and one was a sports-oriented TV commercial. Little did I know that the listings came from the same sync company. Both submissions passed through TAXI’s screening, and shortly after that I got a call from a music licensing company to discuss the songs and what working together could look like. Since then that company has signed many of my songs and placed them in TV commercials like Jack Daniel’s, Alta, and Teachers Credit Union! And to top it off, the Jack Daniel’s ad has made over $40,000 so TAXI’s listing didn’t lie! I’m truly grateful for that music licensing company, and TAXI for all your hard work and for teaching me how to be successful in the sync music industry.
I had a few other publishers sign songs, two of which I still do some work for. I've had placements on shows like Married to Medicine and Black Ink Chicago, through one of the companies for trap placements. I've found that working with the first company that the advertising lane is my favorite genre to be in, and they are such a talented team so it's really a joy to get to work with them.
I think the best part about TAXI is the free education I’ve gotten. TAXI TV is such a great learning spot, and the Road Rallies are so worth the time and effort to travel to, as you gain so much in such a short time there. From the classes to the panels, to the mentors and relationships you leave with, it really felt like Michael (TAXI’s CEO), and all of the TAXI team genuinely wanted to see everyone thrive! I am very grateful for TAXI, and love getting to work with the great music licensing companies I’ve met.”
The Listening Panel for Record Label songs (VS sync) was very well-attended by an appreciative crowd. The panelists are (left to right): Rock and Singer/Songwriter, Chris Long; Country, Steve Bloch; Hip-Hop, Top-40 Pop, and R&B, Ty Knox; Top-40 Pop, Christian/Gospel, James Kocian; and Jazz, Craig Pilo.
Got a placement on France 5
Bob Gardner – Akron, OH, USA
Bob reports, “In 2021, I had a swamp rock instrumental cue forwarded to a prominent production music library. They signed that track and I subsequently ended up doing two complete albums for them. From one of those albums, an album of Chicago blues-style instrumentals, two tracks were placed on a show that aired on a TV station called France 5. One cue was used for its entire length of 2:30!
I had a co-writer on those tracks, a gentleman I initially met through TAXI. At last year's TAXI Road Rally music conference — I was unable to afford this year's, unfortunately — I met a person whom I have collaborated with a great deal. We’ve signed a vocal song with another well-known company, whose owner I met at the Eat & Greet Luncheon at the Road Rally in 2022, as well as some instrumental tracks with yet another Los Angeles-based music licensing company.
My accomplishments thus far are rather insignificant when compared to those of some of TAXI’s long-time members, but they’re important to me, and it’s hard to imagine that I would have accomplished anything had I not become a TAXI member. TAXI has enabled me to learn what the industry wants, how to produce it, put me in touch with like-minded collaborators, and ultimately has helped me sign deals that have gotten me some of the first of, what I hope will be, many, many placements.”
Mentor, Owen Chaim (far right) discussing something really important because nobody has touched their dessert yet during this Eat & Greet Luncheon.
Road Rally resulted in getting signed!
Michael Leeman – Chapel Hill, Australia
Michael reports, “I traveled from Australia recently to attend my first Road Rally, and this trip included a brief and memorable Californian holiday with my wife beforehand. This was our first visit to the USA.
About six months ago, I bought a good quality classical guitar, and after a long break I began working to regain technique. This eventually encouraged me to have a go at writing some original classical and Spanish guitar music. A music library owner who attended the Road Rally liked the two Flamenco-ish style tracks which he listened to in a Road Rally mentor session, and another track since then, and has now offered a deal! He also asked me how many more similar tracks I could provide him with in the next three months. Would you believe it?! I would say that if I hadn’t made the effort to attend the Rally, the above would not have happened.”
Music Licensing Executive, Madison Tasker gives feedback on a song from the band, Indré, during the One-to-One Mentor sessions at the Rally. Band members Maddie and Angelo Indré seem to be paying close attention!
Nobody Can Beat the Room Rates You’ll Get for the Rally!
TAXI contracts for a large block of rooms at the Westin LAX Hotel, so that means the rate you’ll get through us is guaranteed to be cheaper than Kayak, Travelocity, Orbitz, Expedia, etc. Even cheaper than bundling your flight and hotel! Click the button below to book directly with the Westin.
“Many relationships began for me at the Rally, not only with fellow members, but also with music library owners and publishers who eventually signed my music. I would not have any of the success I have had so far without the TAXI Road Rally. It’s a no-brainer in my opinion, if you’re serious about your career.”
-Robbie Hancock, TAXI Member
“This was my first TAXI Road Rally, and I have to admit I was a bit skeptical of the claims that it could ‘change my life.’ The first day blew my doubts away. Inspiring, helpful speakers and teachers from the upper echelons of the music industry willingly sharing their knowledge. Rooms full of people with similar interests, all excited to talk to complete strangers. I got an excellent critique of my music from an exec at a famous publisher, and made lots of contacts. I'll never be able to thank you enough!”
-Dave Ogden, TAXI member
“I have made more contacts in the industry and made several deals from people I’ve met at the Rally. Not to mention the friends I’ve made. It’s hard to describe in words. You just have to experience it for yourself.”
-Steve Barden, TAXI Member
“As far as I'm concerned, it's the top educational and networking event in the music business and I recommend it in all of my books and workshops. Bravo!”
-Jason Blume, Hit Songwriter, 50 Million Records
“I flew 15 hours from Sao Paulo, Brazil to LA just for the Rally. And I can tell you: It was one of the best experiences in my life!”
-Rogerio Maudonnet, TAXI Member
“I think it should be the duty of every TAXI member to do everything in their power to make the TAXI Road Rally their ‘music industry pilgrimage’ every year, because entire, successful music careers have been built from the Road Rally alone. I have witnessed it personally; it’s not just a bunch of marketing hype.”
-Fett, TAXI Member