TAXI Member Success Stories

After being forwarded to a successful music publishing company, Chris Lago's song Be My Lover was placed on the WB's Melrose Place. "This placement will make me submit more songs for licensing. I had given up on music licensing a year ago, but now I am doing better than ever... The song that was played on the show had gotten returned twice before getting picked by a publisher! Just be persistent. If you believe in your music and you push for it, and you're willing to push some more even after being told, 'no,' you'll eventually find opportunities out there..." he said.

Japan-based TAXI member Chris Whatley has had eight song placements in TV shows as a result of his music being forwarded to a highly successful independent music publisher. The shows include ABC's Desperate Housewives and Everwood and NBC's Heroes and Life. "I am based in Tokyo, and get TV later on cable. The first time my music was placed, a friend in the U.S. heard it first and called me in middle of the night (Japan time) shouting excitedly, 'I just heard your tune on Heroes'... I thought he was either drunk or mistaken, or both. Six months later the ... statement came through. Needless to say, it was a sweet moment. So I tracked down the episode and watched it," he said.

After a forward through TAXI to a well-connected music consultant with many film/TV/commercial placements, Keith LuBrant signed a deal that landed his songs "Come Here" and "Can You Tell Me Why" in American Idol's music catalog. Keith also made a connection through TAXI with a Los Angeles-based commercial and production music composer who runs a music library, and wrote music for a specific request which landed Keith the opportunity to write a tune for the new Mattel Hot Wheels commercial! "...I was a skeptic when I first joined Ö I honestly thought TAXI was a scam and figured I'd get my money back once I saw proof. But, I have been pretty successful since I joined and have been happily proven wrong!" he said." he said.

Terry Topley's Celtic song "Hooray for the Liberties" was placed on ABC's The Forgotten. This was a result of a forward through TAXI to a Los Angeles-based music publisher. "Thanks to TAXI my song has been heard coast to coast TV in America. I've achieved more by sending my songs to TAXI than all the demos sent to Irish music publishers and record labels over twenty years, thank you TAXI," he said.

As the result of an ongoing relationship with an East Coast music library/publisher established through a TAXI forward in 2006, five of Denny Earnest's Americana/Folk guitar tunes were recently placed on NBC's poker show Poker After Dark. Denny also landed a few recent deals with an Arizona-based music publisher that he made a connection with through TAXI in 2004. These included a song placed MTV's Run's House, FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and TLC's Date My House. "Patience is the key. Last fall I was worrying about how to make the mortgage; one trip to the mailbox changed that. I got a (four-figure) check from ASCAP from a TAXI listing," he said.

As the result of a forward through TAXI to a highly successful music publisher, Jeff Lopez's Jazz song "The Sun and the Rain" was placed in the October 11 episode of the popular NBC TV series Heroes. "I didn't hear about the deal. I was on the road during the broadcast. My family and I watch Heroes regularly. When I am on the road, my wife records them for me so I can catch up when I get back off the road. During one of the scenes, I recognized the music and said to myself 'I know this tune, what is it? It's my tune!' Literally," he said.

Scott Gerow has landed placements in TNT's action/drama Dark Blue, ABC's Ugly Betty, and Ice Cube's new movie Janky Promoters. These were a result of a forward through TAXI to a highly successful music publisher. "I'm always honored to get songs signed. I've gotten a good amount of work through TAXI, which has led to great networking opportunities. So, at my studio we sign a number of songs and tracks every month. I have to be honest, I don't dance around the living room as much as I did with my first few deals, but I'm always thrilled that my music works well enough for people that they want to sign it," he said.

Helen Austin submitted her singer/songwriter song "Happy" through TAXI to an L.A.-based music publisher requesting songs that specifically mention happy, and as a result of a forward to this company, her song was licensed for a Royal Caribbean cruise line commercial. "I got the e-mail about the deal while rushing out of the house and was thrilled and couldn't stop smiling! It's such a great feeling to know that your music was picked by someone to represent their product!" she said.

Ken Morrison and his writing partner Mark Reiman landed a placement with their Jazz ballad tune "Everyone Can See" in the Golden Globe-nominated film A Single Man as the result of meeting a Los Angeles-based music publisher at the TAXI Road Rally. "Mark and I were lucky enough to attend a screening of A Single Man before its national release. It was fun to hear a little of our song in the film... but the real thrill came as the credits rolled. It's a good film and the fact that it [was] nominated for three Golden Globes (including best soundtrack) is a nice feather in our caps... to say nothing of the current Oscar-buzz," Ken said.

Richard Bassett's song "Never Gonna Shake Me" was used in the new reality TV series Vertical Pole Challenge as the result of a forward through TAXI to the show's producer. "Even though most of us want our song(s) to be a number one hit song, any opportunity to get songs used and benefit from them is probably a good thing. This opportunity kind of came out of the blue. I got a forward and didn't hear anything for a while... which is pretty typical... then I got an e-mail letting me know that they were interested in using my song for Vertical Pole Challenge. I don't watch a whole lot of reality TV Ö but I am pretty excited about getting this opportunity for my co-writer and me. A big Thank You to TAXI for this connection!" he said.

As the result of a forward through TAXI to a Los Angeles-based commercial and production music composer who runs a music library, Terry Munday's instrumental track "Song of the Meadow Lark" was placed in First Love, Second Chance on The LifeStyle Channel. "I've had my music accepted, a lot of it, on four major music libraries in the U.S. And, as I live in London, to achieve this without the help of TAXI would have been unthinkable. It took time. I listened to the feedback from the TAXI reviewers and... and, eventually, the doors began to open," Terry said.

Jeff Greenleaf landed several deals as a result of attending the TAXI Road Rally. One deal was two placements with his high-tension instrumentals on MTV's Styl'D as the result of a forward through TAXI to a Los Angeles-based commercial and production music composer who runs a music library, and has already signed 100 of Jeff's instrumental cues. He has also signed up as a composed of a popular daytime talk show. "I've grown so much since I joined TAXI. Getting forwards is like planting seeds. I want to thank TAXI and all the forum members for keeping me focused... and patient," he said.

As the result of a forward through TAXI to a highly successful music publisher/library, Matt Hirt's instrumental cue "Jungle Love" was placed a few times in the 20th Century Fox movie All About Steve starring Sandra Bullock, Bradley Cooper, and Thomas Hayden Church. Matt's cue was used as the theme for the evil reporter, "Vasquez." "This placement came from a library TAXI hooked me up with so as usual: THANKS TAXI!! ... Feature film placements are always extra nice," he said. Matt has also had daily placements in the Dr. Oz Show since it started in September, averaging about 30 seconds of music a day. He also had songs included in Ugly Betty, Dancing With the Stars, and many others.

Dave Walton's very first TAXI connection landed him yet a few more placements. Dave's electronica track "Body And Soul" was licensed by CBS and placed in CSI commercial promos. His instrumental piece "Hostage" was placed on the show called Americans Feeding Americans, which aired on The Hallmark Channel. Dave also had his instrumental piece "Chalice" placed on an ABC Family show called Dark Night. "Having music affiliated with and promoting the show CSI (a cool show with cool music) is a music dream come true and that never would have happened without TAXI," he said.

TAXI member Tony Thompson has his Jazz song, "Midnight," featured on an episode of Fox's Fringe. This was the result of a forward through TAXI to a music publisher. "When I first submitted music to TAXI, half a dozen things got forwarded within the first six weeks and within six months I had an offer from a publisher who operates a music library. "Attending a TAXI Road Rally and reading the newsletters, recommended books, and [video] clips helped me to understand the business end and the logistics of the process as well as the potential for real opportunity," he said.

As a result of a forward through TAXI to a music publisher/library, member Ivan Valles's song, "Always You" was placed in NBC's Mercy. Attending a TAXI Road Rally and reading the newsletters, recommended books, and [video] clips helped me to understand the business end and the logistics of the process as well as the potential for real opportunity," he said.

TAXI member Stephen Baird had two recent successes with TAXI. He signed an exclusive deal for five Hip-Hop tracks with a production music library/publisher for various film/TV placements. He has also landed regular placements on The Dr. Oz Show. "My cue was the first cue played when Dr. Oz walked out to take the stage for the first time. Pretty cool knowing that my music kicked off a new show," he said.

Writing/recording/publishing partners, Jay Ramsey & Bob Kelly (Nevada), recently gave us an update on their initial exclusive deal with a very successful Music Publisher they signed with through TAXI, and are now reporting that their four-figure deal has now bumped up to a five-figure deal! They also reported that one of their '60s tunes was placed in episode 306 of the new AMC show Mad Men. Jay and Bob added: "It just goes to show that good songs are good songs but if they don't get into the right hands they just sit around and gather dust. Thanks Taxi for getting us in touch with the right Publisher and into the 'right hands.'"

Gary Sredzienski (Maine) was just informed that his song "Klezmerized" was placed in the July 22nd episode of The Philanthropist on NBC starring James Purefoy and Neve Campbell. This was the direct result of a forward through TAXI to a highly successful Music Publisher based in Los Angeles. Gary also notified us that he landed a third movie deal through TAXI with the same Music Publisher based in Los Angeles. Gary's latest placement was with his ethnic accordion tune "Vlad the Joker" in the upcoming Indie film Love Hurts starring Jenna Elfman, Janeane Garofalo, and Carrie Ann Moss. "This is my third major motion picture [placement] and these great things have happened all because of Taxi. Even a musician on the seacoast of Maine can get tunes in movies.... an accordionist none the less!!!"Thanks,Gary Sredzienski

After a forward through TAXI to an established and successful Music Publisher based in L.A., José León's (United Kingdom) Reggaeton song "Mueve La Cadera" was placed on ABC's Ugly Betty in episode 8 of season 3. Just a few months later, this same publisher placed the same song in a short film called Los Bandoleros (directed and produced by Vin Diesel), which is the prequel to link The Fast and the Furious to the latest film in the series, Fast & Furious (4th one in the series). "Just wanted to thank all at TAXI, keep up the good work!!"Best,José León

Dean Krippaehne landed a placement in Chris Rock's new HBO film/documentary Good Hair as a result of a forward through TAXI to a very successful music publisher based in Los Angeles. Dean also just signed six more songs on Muzak due to a connection made through TAXI. Finally, Dean also received a phone call from Universal's licensing department notifying him that they are releasing Stefanie Heinzmann's CD in the U.S. in March (which Dean originally had his song "Do Your Thing" cut on her album released in Europe as the result of a forward through TAXI to an international management / publishing / production company).

Blake Carver just received his royalty check stating that his two instrumental surf tunes "Rocket To The Moon" and "Vegas After Dark" were placed on the TV show Caught On Camera: Thieves and Thugs that aired on NBC. This was the result of a forward through TAXI to a leading music publisher based in Los Angeles. "[TAXI's] industry listings constantly supply me with new things to write for and with deadlines to keep me sharp. There will be a listing for something I think I can pull off and it now turns into a project with a deadline. Doing this I am never "out of work." Ö TAXI is without a doubt one of the best investments I have made in my music career," he said.

Through TAXI, Stuart Ridgway originally connected with a huge TV production company that currently produces three of the most popular shows for the world's largest music cable network. A TAXI listing that he was originally connected through was meant for placing his music in Making The Band on MTV, but the deal fell through. Later, when Stuart was on his way down to the 2004 TAXI Road Rally, he dropped by the music coordinator's office to reconnect with her and discovered she needed music for a new show. The show was Starting Over on NBC, and Stuart was hired to compose music for the Emmy award-winning show for two seasons. Soon after this show ended, the music coordinator found more work for Stuart, and he starting writing for shows such as Bad Girls Club on the Oxygen channel, as well as Real World and Road Rules on MTV. While writing for these shows, Stuart also made several other connections through TAXI.

Freddy Litwiniuk recently reported that his song "Fade Away" appeared in episode 102 of the ABC series Cupid. This deal is a result of a forward through TAXI to a leading music publisher who has secured many film/TV placements to TAXI members. "Hearing my song on TV never gets old! When I was notified of the placement, I had no idea how much of it was used or where it was used, so when I watched the show and found out that the song was played right off the top, almost in its entirety, I was really happy. The characters even referred to the song in the dialogue!" he said.

Chas Edwards Jr. recently informed TAXI that as a result of a single song forward through TAXI to the creative director of an established U.S./international music publishing company, his music was added to MTV's catalog/library, and was used a few times on Cribs. "Almost a year later (after Chas signed the deal with the Music Publishing company), when I forgot all about that and I pretty much wanted to quit making music, I was watching MTV Cribs and heard my music in the background!!!! Then two days later I heard more of my music on Cribs, then a week later I heard another track! I can't explain the feeling via e-mail! But I owe it all to everyone over at TAXI," he said.