TAXI TV

Adonis Aletras is a long-time TAXI member and successful composer who lives on the island of Cyprus, several thousand miles away from the United States. But being thousands of miles away from the epicenter of the U.S. sync market hasn’t been an issue for him!

As a matter of fact, he’s repeatedly told me, “If I can succeed at this from a tiny island nation in the Mediterranean, I think anybody from anywhere can do it as well.”

I recently asked Adonis what he’d like to discuss on this episode of TAXI TV, and his answer was immediate: “Let’s talk about what composers and artists can do to make editors want to use their music more often!”

I’ve been talking about the “usability” factor when creating music for sync licensing for years, so I was excited that he suggested that topic! Please join Aletras and me for this frank and informative conversation that could help you succeed as well!

Michael Eames might be the smartest person I know in the music industry. We’ve been friends for 15 or 20 years, and I’m always amazed by his insights, depth of understanding, and wisdom. I feel enriched each time we speak about all things music industry-related, and this interview lives up to that promise. Read his bio, and I think you’ll see why you shouldn’t miss what he’s got to say about AI and the music industry…

Michael Eames is a trained composer, songwriter, and pianist with experience in film scoring who studied music at Cornell University and UCLA Extension; Michael also secured a minor in Business Management from Cornell. As President of PEN, Michael oversees all aspects of the operation, as well as focuses on pitching the catalogue to all media and business development.

Michael was chosen to serve (along with four other independent music publishers and five songwriters) on the Unclaimed Royalties Oversight Committee (UROC) of The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) that will commence blanket mechanical licensing of the digital services in the U.S. as of January 1, 2021. Prior to starting his publishing company, Michael oversaw the international activities and film & television department of Don Williams Music Group, where he was responsible for song catalogues such as Jimi Hendrix, Chicago, and Roy Orbison, among numerous others. He also worked previously for Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys and the management and music supervision firms The Derek Power Co and Seth Kaplan Entertainment.

I had a whole bunch of questions I didn't get to ask our Head Screener the last couple of times he joined me on TAXI TV. He's a consummate pro, and you guys seem to love his answers, so I pulled out the unasked questions from his last two appearances and got some great answers!

I'm not going to hype this up, but I really think you'll learn how to use your TAXI membership more effectively if you watch this episode. I'm also sure you'll learn how the sync industry really works, rather than relying on sketchy info and opinions from people who know some stuff, but not all of it.

Do yourself (and your career) a favor and invest less time than it takes to stream another mediocre movie. Craig and I will give you more accurate inside information about sync than you'd get by taking a full-semester of a college music class.

How do I know this? Because they don't teach this stuff in college!

Get real-world tips that can make all the difference by watching today's episode.

There’s a reason Robin Frederick always packs the ballroom at our conference each year, and gets great reviews when she joins me on TAXI TV—she researches what the rest of us don’t have time to, and then gives advice that’s straightforward, easy-to-follow, and many would even say, life-changing.

At least, songwriters and artists say that, lol.

If you’re new to TAXI, new to our email list, or you’ve never seen Robin on TAXI TV or at the Road Rally, then you’re about to see why she’s achieved “guru” status among songwriters and artists all over the world.

There's so much information, disinformation, and countless opinions on the future of music in the shadow of generative AI that it's virtually impossible to keep up with it all. I try, but long-time TAXI member, indie musician, composer, and producer Paul Croteau does a far better job than I do.

Paul has what some might call an "obsession" with gathering facts before he forms his opinions, so I listen carefully to what he has to say.

In other words, he's done the heavy lifting, so the rest of us don't have to!

If you'd like to become far better informed about AI as it relates to the music industry, you really don't want to miss this episode! Actually, if you create music, I don't think you can afford to not watch it. Paulie is a very smart, well-informed person, and you'll be much better informed having heard what he's got to say.