TAXI Member Success Stories

The Friday Night Lights boxed set features “Can’t Call This House a Home” by TAXI member Brian Emmert and his band, Saints and Sinners. He then received a five-year publishing deal with an independent label/publisher. “We did not really know what kind of results to expect from TAXI, but we signed up and hoped for the best. When we found out that one of our songs was going to be included on the Friday Night Lights Box set, we were thrilled,” he said.

TAXI member Stephen Snider signed a 13-song publishing deal with a West Coast library. Two of his songs, “One More Situation” and “That’s All I Know,” were placed in the Northern Exposure 6th season DVD collection. His song, “Another Trainwreck,” was used in an episode of NBC’s Friday Night Lights. “We never would have gotten these songs to the proper people without TAXI,” he said.

Mary Thompstone, a TAXI member from Ireland, signed a deal with a Nashville-based publisher for film and TV opportunities. “I find TAXI easy to use and with the time difference, I can work peacefully at night with no interruptions on the site,” she said.

In the past year, TAXI member Joe Curtis has signed 20 songs to four different music publishers.

“If You Ain’t Got the Money,” a song by TAXI member Marty Attridge, aired during an April 15 episode of CBS’s drama Without a Trace. “It was very exciting to hear one of our songs on a major TV series. It was our first placement. Being a songwriter/musician for many years it is very gratifying to gain some recognition,” he said.

MTV licensed six of TAXI member Margaret McClure’s songs for two of its shows Taquita & Kaui and Making the Band. The songs are: “Make U,” “I'm In Love With Your Boyfriend,” “Hey Angel,” “The Edge,” “If it Was You,” and “Outside.” “I was happy about [the deal] and will continue to have a good working relationship with MTV,” she said.

TAXI member Ben Connelly signed a 10-song deal with a music publisher for placement in film and TV projects. “ ... I see this deal as potentially bringing up my income from songwriting a bit. And, of course more people will hopefully hear my music,” Ben said.

TAXI member Denny Earnest had six of his Hawaiian and Reggae tunes placed in National Lampoon’s Bag Boy, due out later this year. “I'll be excited sitting there listening, and watching the credits. One of my goals was to sit in a theatre and watch my name in the credits,” he said.

TAXI member Brad Mersereau had two songs, “Song for Sanya” and “Feeling Lucky” placed in the Chris Rock film I Think I Love My Wife. ABC’s Ugly Betty also featured one of Brad’s songs, “Departure,” in a recent episode. “Tune placement in movies and/or television has been a lifelong dream... it was a... total thrill not only to hear my music, but also to receive two composition credits and two performance credits on the big screen,” he said.

Warner Bros.’s Spring Breakdown will feature one of TAXI member Todd Sloan’s songs, “(She’s) Kickin’ my Ass.” “I will say getting that first placement, especially in a film, was a nice boost to keep at it—it made me feel that the time and money I was spending on recording and marketing the music was worth it,” he said.

TAXI members Chuck Henry and Vince Constantino recently had their tracks included on a smooth Jazz compilation CD released by Sony/BMG. The CD has gone triple platinum in Poland. Chuck’s song on the CD is called “Mosaic” and Vince’s is called “Deep Dark Blue.” Regarding the deal, Vince said: “I was obviously really happy to hear my song was chosen, as I know there are tons of talented people making music out there who submit to TAXI. What blew me away, though, was reading the list of other artists on the disc: Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, Natalie Cole, Frank Sinatra, George Bensen, Tony Bennett, Basia, Louis Armstrong, Gladys Knight, Miles Davis. Needless to say, I was humbled to see my name next to theirs and to know my song would be heard out of the same CD players around the world as their timeless music will be.” Chuck also credited TAXI for his recent success: “I don't think I'd be where I am today without TAXI. It has been so valuable to me in many ways. Aside from getting a record deal and lots of publishing deals from TAXI, it has helped me even more so in other, more indirect ways.”

TAXI member Ron Ermini had two of his songs, "When You've Had Enough" and "I'm Crazy 'Bout You," placed in a recent episode of the hit Fox TV series "House."

Colorado-based TAXI member Jody Adams had three songs placed in "Access Hollywood." The songs were "New Morning," "Solitaire," and "Ella's Walk." His song "Blue Dancer" was also featured in CW's "Gilmore Girls." "As my composing tastes have developed and changed over the years, TAXI's diverse and 'ever-changing' smorgasbord of list-requests allows me to find a place to submit the material," Jody said.

TAXI member Ross Seligman signed with a Los Angeles-based music publisher. Ross and his band Echo Helstrom are based in Portland. "I really felt like I had broken through the gatekeepers to something potentially wonderful that I would never have had access to without TAXI. I love Portland Oregon and want to stay here, but many of the people I need to hear Echo Helstrom are in LA. Thanks to TAXI, I can live in Portland and still reach these people," he said.

TAXI member Susan Nikas had two of her songs “Pay Your Money” and “Yellow Van” in ABC Family’s Wildfire. The songs aired during the January 15, 2007 episode of the show. “I have been a TAXI member since about 2000 and credit TAXI with all my improvements as far as song-writing is concerned,” she said.

The feature film Weiners starring Jenny McCarthy will feature TAXI member Kent Forward’s song “Wanted Man.” “I was thrilled to hear the news. This placement was procured by the same publisher that placed a song of mine in the film The Last Ride starring Dennis Hopper, so that one TAXI submission and subsequent relationship with this publisher continues to pay off,” he said.

TAXI member Glenn Shambroom signed an eight-song deal with a Los Angeles-based music publisher for film and TV projects. “I care a great deal about what I do (writing, recording, performing), but I don’t have much appetite, or time, for ‘beating the bushes,’ looking around for opportunities to get my music into the hands of the people who can really do something with it. TAXI gives me an easy way to connect with people who can make use of what I have to offer,” he said.

TAXI member Raymond Barker had a Hip-Hop track in the DVD version of the NBC hit show Friday Night Lights. The song is called “Mr government.” Raymond has also had several songs in NBC’s The Black Donnellys. “TAXI has made me change my whole perspective on what I want to do in the music industry,” he said.

Jogo Gomez signed a publishing deal with a West Coast company for his song “Why Is It,” a 1940s-style Jazz standard. When the TAXI member found out about the deal, he was “that much more fueled and inspired to keep on writing, submitting, advancing [himself], and getting that much better at doing the one thing [he loves] the most in life, and that is writing songs!”

Blair Bielawski’s song “What A Day” was placed in the NBC show Las Vegas via an Arizona-based music library. The member’s song was played on the show during a December 2006 episode. Since then, two more of his songs were placed in the show. “No one connected with any network TV show would have found out about my music without the help of TAXI... The door TAXI opened for me made all the difference,” Blair said.

TAXI member Bruce Hilton’s song “Can't Get Over You” was licensed for the CW TV series Veronica Mars. The song was featured during the November 28, 2006, episode of the show. Bruce was thrilled when he found out about the deal: “This was my first deal, and it cemented my confidence that I was on the right track with TAXI, and that I could repeat this success.”

TAXI member Wayne Ammons signed a deal with a production library for his song “These Colors Don’t Run.” “TAXI has been a valuable resource. It’s helped me to sharpen my writing and recording skills as well as to understand the perspective of a professional songwriter,” Wayne said.

Through TAXI, member Matt Hirt has had several songs placed on TV shows, including Access Hollywood, Standoff, The View, and Girlfriends. One of his songs will also appear in the new Chris Rock Movie I Think I Love My Wife, which is set to open in about a month.

TAXI member Frank Longo landed a five-song deal with a major LA-based music publisher. “Many thanks to TAXI and all of the professional reviewers who were very helpful with their critiques,” he said.

“A Moment Away” by TAXI Member Freddy Litwiniuk played in ABC’s Men in Trees. “I had only a brief description of how the song would be used, so I didn’t know exactly what to expect. When it came on, I was really excited, and felt a sense of accomplishment because I know how hard it is to get to each higher step in music; think of all the musicians competing for that placement. I felt like my hard work had been rewarded. It was a fantastic feeling, and I hope to feel it again soon,” Freddie said.