Rather than doing a Passenger Profile this month, we thought you’d like to see another photo dump from the Road Rally held this past November. These should give you an idea of what you missed if you weren’t able to join us. We hope to see you the first weekend of November 2025. Put it in your calendar, now!
Photography by James DiModica and Willy Sanjuan
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be the Road Rally photographer sneaking a shot from behind the curtain—only to have a panelist point you out during the Keynote Panel—this is what it looks like!
Best-selling author of Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting, Robin Frederick, is all smiles as she delivers her fantastic presentation in the Grand Ballroom.
Diamond Densmore belts out one of her songs at the Open Mic.
(Left to right) Ron Harris, Robina Ritchie-Barker, and Rob Chiarelli did such a great job on the Letting Go of Precious panel that TAXI’s Michael Laskow told them they were his “Avenger-like superheroes.”
Taking Michael’s comment to a hilarious extreme, Robina Ritchie-Barker created this shot for Michael and her fellow panelists!
While moderating the Getting Stuff Done, and Quickly! panel, Michael Laskow turned to the audience and asked, “Are you writing down what they’re telling you?” (Left to right) Panelists Matt Vander Boegh, Robina Ritchie-Barker, and Will Derryberry are behind Michael on stage.
Will Derryberry made this awesome slide for the Getting Stuff Done, and Quickly! panel, and we think you might want to see it!
Right after the audience in the ballroom saw the slide in the previous photo, Michael looked to the heavens and said something like, “Please God, let each and every TAXI member heed that advice!”
The Interpreting TAXI’s Listings and Industry Briefs panel was incredibly helpful to the hundreds of TAXI members who attended. (Left to right) Panelists Tom Stillwagon, Stephanie Reid, moderator Michael Laskow, Bob Mete, Greg Carrozza, and Andrew Jordan posed for this group shot after the panel wrapped up.
Successful and super-dedicated TAXI member F-M Cossey (left) flies about 13 hours from New Zealand to Los Angeles every year to attend the Rally. She’s one of dozens of members who came from all over the world. Yes, we’re trying to make you feel guilty if you didn’t join us because of travel! ;-)
Richard “Crawdaddy” Dance leads the jams in the Jam Room each year, and we’re here to tell you—he’s a badass guitar slinger!
Music licensing executive Dan Waldkirch (right) chats with a couple of TAXI members we can’t identify because their badges are blurry—sorry!
Music licensing executive Geoff Siegel looks like he’s giving some serious thought to this TAXI member’s question.
Veteran Music Row publishers Steve Bloch (left) and Bobby Rymer flank TAXI’s Michael Laskow during the Before They Were Hits panel, in which the original demos of a dozen hit songs were played for the audience.
Five-time Grammy-winning mixer/producer Rob Chiarelli surprised his fellow panelists—and the audience—when he jumped up and started “conducting” to a TAXI member’s instrumental cue during the final panel of the weekend.
Successful TAXI member, songwriter, and producer John Pearson leaves one table full of happy mentees for another during the mentor rotation at the Eat & Greet Luncheon.
The How to Get into Sync’s Inner Circle panel was a smash hit, featuring panelists Jim Thacker, Patty Boss, Greg Carrozza, Matt Vander Boegh, and John Pearson. If you missed this panel, you missed tons of great advice from fellow members who’ve gone from being newbies to go-to composers and producers for many top music licensing companies.
What do you get when nine musicians bump into each other in a hotel hallway? This!
Country music publisher Bobby Rymer carefully considers a lyric before dishing up some great advice to a TAXI member during a One-to-One mentor session. These are free at the Road Rally!
These ladies appear to be asking successful TAXI member Bill Gordon, “C’mon, isn’t there an easier or faster way to become successful in music licensing?” at the Eat & Greet Luncheon. Bill looks like he might have a suggestion or two up his sleeve.
Music licensing executive Geoff Siegel seems to be showing the audience just how long not to make the intro to an instrumental cue, while fellow music licensing executive Chuck Henry smiles in agreement.
Jacob Nathan (left) and Jeff Freundlich are world-class experts on how and why vintage music—from the ’90s and earlier—gets used all the time in TV shows, films, and advertising. If you attended the Turn Your Old Recordings into Sync Income panel, you undoubtedly learned what most musicians have little clue about!
Marion Laird, a super-active member of the TAXI TV live chat community, had been wanting to attend the Rally for years. She finally made it this year and loved meeting all of her TAXI friends face-to-face. Needless to say, she had a blast!
The Pandora AMP sponsor booth was always busy—and colorful, we might add!
Music licensing executive Stephanie Reid must have said something both informative and funny because her fellow panelist, Pedro Costa—who can be somewhat stoic in real life—is nearly laughing! We hope Pedro sees this caption. Lol!
If you were lucky enough to be sitting at this Eat & Greet Luncheon table, you undoubtedly got some great advice from Nashville publisher Steve Bloch.
Scott Barker fills a booth visitor in on how Trackstage can help organize his musical life. And what musician couldn’t use some help in that department?
Notice TAXI CEO Michael Laskow at the ReverbNation booth in the background (blue plaid shirt). He’s stealthily waiting for the perfect opportunity to beg the good folks at the Warm Audio booth in the foreground for a steep discount on some of their super-sexy, great-sounding outboard gear.
Matt Vander Boegh (yellow pants) cracks up his fellow panelists, Greg Carrozza (left) and John Pearson (right), along with the entire ballroom audience.
The enthusiasm level in the Jam Room was high all weekend, but it looks like our photographer caught a special moment here!
After three-and-a-half straight 12-hour days (at least) of learning how to crack the music industry’s success code, networking with industry execs, meeting new collaborators, hugging old friends, and just having the time of their lives, the TAXI members in this ballroom shot deserve some recognition for staying until the very end—and then heading to the hotel bar for even more networking! No wonder TAXI’s successful members number in the thousands and are found all over the world!
TAXI staff member Briagha Abrahamson (right) seems a bit surprised to find out that the boss wants his “priceless” Road Rally ballroom/main stage banner rolled up inside-out rather than outside-in. Her colleagues Liz Cohen (left) and Ashmita Deo (center) clearly thought it was hilarious.