Music industry contacts are most useful if you know how to use them correctly. Sadly, many musicians don’t take the time to learn what to do if they make a new contact in the music business. Hard to come by, easy to blow the relationship! There are hundreds, maybe thousands of website that give out free listings of music industry contacts, along with contact information for the A&R people at record companies, music publishers, and film & TV music supervisors. While it’s great that you can get your hands on that information, there are some critical things to think about...

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Songwriters and artists who want to license their music for film and TV placements, get record deals, publishing deals, and placements in TV commercials and video games have been using TAXI’s A&R service since 1992 for good reason—TAXI has more REAL connections with record labels, music publishers, and top music supervisors than ever. Why? Because TAXI has been around for more than twenty years, and we filter the music before it’s pitched to the A&R reps, publishing companies, and Film & TV music supervisors. Why Music Filtering Matters With millions of songwriters, artists, and composers all trying to pitch their...

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A list of music supervisors might look like the Holy Grail to the uninitiated. But having a music supervisor directory is only part of the puzzle when trying to pitch your music for film and TV. Knowing what the people on that list are currently working on, and what kind of music they’re looking for at the moment is the true key to success.. Music supervisors aren’t just looking for good music, they’re looking for great music that fills a need. And more often than not, what they need is music that supports the central emotion of the scene. They...

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"How do I get my music heard?" asked the caller. If I had a nickel for every time a songwriter, artist, band or composer has asked me that question, I could retire! Truthfully, it's not a great question because it's so ambiguous. The people who ask the question would get a much better answer if they asked a more specific question. Here are some examples: "How do I get my music heard by an A&R person at a record label? "How do I get my music heard by a publisher?" "How do I get my music heard by a Film...

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"Is TAXI Worth it? Is TAXI REAL or is it a Scam?" I saw that question posted on a forum about an hour ago. I'm not sure why people are still asking that question after nearly 19 years in business and thousands of success stories on the Internet. I know that some of our less than scrupulous competitors create fake posts to make themselves look better. I know that we have some sour grapes folks out there who make it their business to denigrate TAXI as a form of retribution because their music didn't make the grade. What I don't...

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"What Are Film & TV Music Supervisors Looking For?" Songwriters, artists and especially composers ask me that question all the time. I'm going to give you the answer in a minute. Be forewarned, you might not take me seriously because it's so incredibly easy! Remember when your parents told you not to watch too much TV because it kills brain cells? Well, that might be true for the average person, but maybe not for musicians who want to know what Film and TV Music Supervisors are looking for. It might even be, well... downright educational. There's no better way to...

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Jeff Greenleaf shows up in the Success Stories section of our Forum quite often. Want to know how he's used TAXI to build his fast-growing success?

Learn exactly what Broadcast Quality Music is and what it sounds like. Hear examples and see TV commercials that have really simple one-instrument music beds that earned their creators thousands of dollars. Virtually anyone with a home studio can easily make Broadcast Quality Recordings. Also answering these questions: • Can I earn money with Instrumentals and Songs? • How long should my tracks be? • What are "Universal Lyrics?" • Do my tracks need to be "Mastered" to be competitive? • What is a "Buttoned Ending," and do I need one? • How much money can I make? • What...

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It's a new year, but I'm going to revisit a topic from last year... any year for that matter. Can you record Broadcast Quality Music if you have a limited home studio? Yes, but it depends what you're recording. If you're trying to do big, lush Orchestral tracks, you're going to need outstanding virtual instruments or samples and lots of tracks. If however, you want to start out with some simple ideas that can and very well should get some Film and TV placements, you'll be surprised by how little recording gear and instrumentation you can get by with. Imagine...

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TV Music Licensing pays songwriters and composers differently than Film Music Licensing does. Most songwriters don't know that, and they ask me the question pretty frequently! The short answer is "yes, it pays differently," in the U.S. In the United States, composers of scores, background music and featured songs do NOT get paid when the music is played in a movie theater. In other words, there's no back end, no performance royalty for music played in theaters. But there IS a performance royalty for theater play in many, if not most other countries. So, while you won't get an ASCAP,...

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