During the 32 years TAXI has been helping songwriters, artists, composers, and producers become successful, there’s one thing we know virtually every musician has been searching for: A real “shortcut” to success. The magic pill. The silver bullet. The one thing that can make your success happen faster!
TAXI’s legendary music conference, The Road Rally, is that “thing.”
We can’t think of one successful member who hasn’t told us that. And, as always, it’s FREE for every TAXI member and a guest of their choosing!
We’re a few days away from sending the Ballroom schedule off to the printer, so the final version could be ever so slightly different. But, only slightly! The panels and times are locked in, and the panelists have all confirmed. If you’re reading this, you’re going to get a “sneak peek” of the Ballroom panels before we post them on the website a few days from now.
What you’ll see below is only 1/3 of all the great stuff we have in store for you!
There are also dozens of classes on topics we know you want to learn about. There will be One-to-One Mentors, Drive-By Mentors in the evenings, Open Mics, Jam Sessions, and of course; the famous Eat & Greet Luncheons.
If there was ever a Road Rally that you simply cannot miss, this is the one. And that’s not marketing hype! Not even a little bit!!!
The Ballroom panels are incredible (see below), the Driver’s Ed classes are the best we’ve ever offered, the people we’ve meticulously selected as your One-to-One Mentors are the best we’ve ever had, and the Mentors who will be at the Eat & Greet Luncheons are also the best we’ve ever had sitting at your tables.
We’ve been more selective than ever in who we’ve booked for you this year. Even more so than any other year. And you know how great the previous 26 Road Rallies have been! This one is going to be even better… much better, we promise!
Remember, none of this is marketing hyperbole! None of it!! Keep reading to see what we mean!
TAXI ROAD RALLY 2023
Schedule of Events
*Subject to minor changes | Class descriptions and Mentor bios will be coming soon
Thursday, November 2nd
Road Rally Registration
– Near the Grand Ballroom on the hotel’s first floor. You must have a photo ID to get your Road Rally badge!
One-to-One Mentor Registration
– Grand Ballroom Foyer – After you register for the Rally, proceed to One-to-One Mentor Registration in the Ballroom Foyer. Refer to the Mentor Bios list to make your selection. Members only, please. One Mentor per member. First-come, first-served basis. Must already be registered and have your Rally badge with you.
Dinner
– Eat at the hotel’s Daily Grill (the food is really good) with all the new friends you’ve made during Road Rally Registration!
Jam Room and Open Mic
– The Jam Room is in the Concourse Ballroom (2nd floor—backline provided) and the Open Mic is in the Mezzanine Theater (top of escalator). The Open Mic is on a first-come, first-served basis. Members and guests are welcome to jam and perform!
Friday, November 3rd
Registration
– Continues at the Rally Registration desk near the hotel’s Grand Ballroom on the first floor.
Opening Remarks
– Grand Ballroom (Lobby Level, 1st Floor).
– Legendary Record Producer Michael Lloyd.
Welcome to the Road Rally
– TAXI Founder and CEO Michael Laskow welcomes attendees to the 26th Road Rally. Michael will draw a ticket stub (between 9:05am and 10:15am) and one lucky person will win $500 cash to help pay for their travel expenses. You must be in the ballroom and have your ticket stub with you to win!
Keynote Interview
– Music Licensing: Today, Tomorrow, and After AI – Grand Ballroom (Lobby Level, 1st Floor) – This year’s Keynote interviewee, Adam Taylor is the President of APM Music, the world's leading creative music house and production music library. With more than 300 diverse libraries, it boasts the largest, deepest, and broadest music collection in the industry - one million plus tracks produced by the industry’s most respected and admired libraries. Adam is also a board member of the Production Music Association, as well as its Chairman. If you want to know the hottest genres, why some composers and artists enjoy more success than others, why streaming networks pay so little on the back end, and what the future of the production music industry looks like, we’re going to ask Adam all of that and more!
How to Make Your TV Music Much More Usable
– Grand Ballroom (Lobby Level, 1st Floor) – If you want to give your music a competitive advantage, do not miss this presentation! Biagio Messina is the Executive Producer of a bunch of True Crime shows and well-known documentaries. He’s also a TV Editor, Composer, and personally selects all the music for his TV shows! He’s going to show you how and why he chooses music, and then lay his selections into scenes from past episodes. Then he’s going to give you his checklist for a unique approach to creating music TV editors will find highly usable. We’ve never seen this insider info presented at any other conference or online. You can only see it during this live, one-time presentation. Due to copyright issues, we can’t record video or audio. You’ve only got one chance to see this powerful session, and this is it! All music placed in the scenes during this presentation will be from TAXI members via a special TAXI Listing that ran prior to the Road Rally.
One-to-One Mentor Sessions
– Located in O’Hare and Orly rooms. (Mezzanine Level / 2nd Floor)
Driver’s Ed Classes
– See class grid and descriptions for more info.
Eat & Greet Luncheon #1
– Concourse Ballroom (2nd Floor) – You need to have purchased your Eat & Greet ticket in advance, and have your Rally badge with the Eat & Greet Luncheon credential on it to attend. Bring CDs or USB Drives of your music if you’d like to give some out!
Ad Music: What Works and What Doesn’t
– Grand Ballroom (Lobby Level, 1st Floor) – Nate and Kaelie Highfield (aka The Highfields) have definitely dialed in the secret sauce for creating highly usable music for TV commercials. Music Supervisor Michael Frick has worked on tons of TV commercials, and regularly licenses music for major brands’ TV spots. We’re going to pick their brains and play lots of examples. Don’t miss this session if you want to know the genres, production styles, lyric approaches, and business aspects of this fast-moving lane of the sync industry.
One-to-One Mentor Sessions
– Located in O’Hare and Orly rooms. (Mezzanine Level / 2nd Floor)
Driver’s Ed Classes
– See class grid and descriptions for more info.
Film & TV Song Pitch and Feedback Panel
– Grand Ballroom (Lobby Level, 1st Floor) – Songs (from TAXI members only) will be played for Music Supervisors and Music Licensing Executives: Stephanie Reid (Vice President, Black Toast Music), Mason Cooper (Music Supervisor), Ryan Gaines (CEO, Mutiny Recordings), Jacob Nathan (Sr. Director of A&R, Fervor Records), and Jerry Pilato (V.P. ScoreKeepers/Indie Orange). Songs only! Music played during this panel will be chosen randomly from a playlist generated from a panel-specific TAXI Listing that ran prior to the Rally. Submissions not played during the panel will be screened on a yes/no basis after the Rally, and Forwards will be sent to all the panelists.
Driver’s Ed Classes
– See class grid and descriptions for more info.
Jam Room and Open Mic
– The Jam Room is in the Concourse Ballroom (2nd floor—backline provided) and the Open Mic is in the Mezzanine Theater (top of escalator). The Open Mic is on a first-come, first-served basis. Members and guests are welcome to jam and perform!
Saturday, November 4th
Instrumental Pitch and Feedback Panel
– Grand Ballroom (Lobby Level, 1st Floor) – Panelists Steve Barden (CEO, Reel Note Music), Chuck Henry (CEO, 10 West Music), Noel Webb (CEO, Spider Cues), and Pedro Costa (CEO, InStyle Music) will listen, give feedback, and possibly take some music home! Music played during this panel will be chosen randomly from a playlist generated from a panel-specific TAXI Listing that ran prior to the Rally. We’ll call your name if your music is randomly chosen. If you’re not in the ballroom, we’ll move on to the next person’s track. Submissions not played during this panel will be screened on a yes/no basis after the Rally, and Forwards will be sent to all the panelists.
Driver’s Ed Classes
– See class grid and descriptions for more info.
Modernize Your Songs: The Master Class
– Grand Ballroom (Lobby Level, 1st Floor) – If you’ve ever been told that your songs are good but they sound a little dated, you really don’t want to miss these world-class modernization techniques shared by Robin Frederick, author of the best-selling books Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting and Shortcuts to Songwriting for Film & TV. During this Master Class, Robin will play some TAXI members’ songs that could use a little modernization, and contrast them with contemporary hits in similar styles. Music played and critiqued during the second half-hour of this class will be chosen randomly from a playlist generated from a panel-specific TAXI Listing that ran prior to the Rally. We’ll call your name if your music is randomly chosen. If you’re not in the ballroom, we’ll move on to the next person’s song. One randomly selected TAXI member who submitted for this panel will win a one-hour consult with the amazing Ms. Frederick. You must be in the Grand Ballroom to win.
One-to-One Mentor Sessions
– Located in O’Hare and Orly rooms. (Mezzanine Level / 2nd Floor)
Eat & Greet Luncheon #2
– Concourse Ballroom (2nd Floor) – You need to have purchased your Eat & Greet ticket in advance, and have your Rally badge with the Eat & Greet Luncheon credential on it to attend. Bring CDs or USB Drives of your music if you’d like to give some out!
The Truth About Marketing, Promotion, Social Media, and Money
– Grand Ballroom (Lobby Level, 1st Floor) – If you’re a songwriter, producer, independent artist, or licensing music for sync, this is not to be missed! Join Ron Harris, Rob Chiarelli, and two very special guests: music industry legend Jay King, and Streetlamp Records executive Aaron Overton for what promises to be a very comprehensive class on Marketing, Spotify, Digital Distribution, Curated Playlists, Streaming, and all the tools that are at your disposal. They’ll also be discussing Money Collection, Royalties, the MLC, SoundExchange, PROs, Neighboring Rights, Content ID, HFA, Rightsflow, and more. Learn how to use these tools to get every penny that’s coming to you. This hour will pull back the curtain on the most misunderstood, confusing, and overwhelming area of the music business. Got questions? You’re going to get some great answers!
One-to-One Mentor Sessions
– Located in O’Hare and Orly rooms. (Mezzanine Level / 2nd Floor)
Driver’s Ed Classes
– See class grid and descriptions for more info.
Does it Feel Like Your Music Has Gone into a Black Hole?
– Grand Ballroom (Lobby Level, 1st Floor) – Are you frustrated that your music doesn’t get forwarded by TAXI? Are you bewildered that your music’s been forwarded, but you haven’t heard from the company? Has your music been signed, but had no placements? Pedro Costa (Music Library CEO), Mason Cooper (Music Supervisor), Craig Pilo (TAXI’s Head Screener), Matt Vander Boegh (Successful TAXI Member and Composer), and Vince Nicotina (Successful TAXI Member and Composer) will alleviate your frustration, and help you find the way to forge ahead to ultimate success.
Before They Were Hits – Grand Ballroom (Lobby Level, 1st Floor)
– Publisher Steve Bloch has original demos of some big Country hits, and we’re going to play them, followed by the versions you heard on the radio! Michael Laskow will also play the “best piano/vocal demo” he’s heard in his entire career, followed by the version that was a radio hit. This will be a casual hang out. Feel free to bring your favorite beverage and snacks, so you can kick back and enjoy!
Driver’s Ed Classes
– See class grid and descriptions for more info.
Dinner Break
– You should have tons of new friends to dine with!
Jam Room and Open Mic
– The Jam Room is in the Concourse Ballroom (2nd floor—backline provided) and the Open Mic is in the Mezzanine Theater (top of escalator). The Open Mic is on a first-come, first-served basis. Members and guests are welcome to jam and perform!
Sunday, November 5th
Earning Income with Sonic Branding, Sound Design, and Trailers
– Grand Ballroom (Lobby Level, 1st Floor) – Jeanna Isham and Randon Purcell started out creating instrumental cues for TAXI’s music library clients. They built on that foundation to pursue their true passions, and learned that there’s more than one way to earn income making music for media. Are you interested in taking a road less traveled? Join them to learn how they do what they do, and how they’re building their respective careers!
Making Major League Hits with Rob, Ron, Trevor, and Zaire
– Grand Ballroom (Lobby Level, 1st Floor) – The Rob & Ron Show (Rob Chiarelli and Ron Harris) has moved to the Main Stage! This year, they’re bringing two very special guests: Trevor Brown and Zaire Koalo (aka The Orphanage), two of the hottest, most sought-after writer-producers on planet Earth. They’re well known for their work with Demi Lovato, including her #1 and 5x platinum single “Sorry Not Sorry,” which has been streamed over a billion times.
The team recently produced and co-wrote “Shape of Me” by Rita Ora, “Kissing New People” by Maeta feat. Ty Dolla $ign, and recent releases with Lizzo, Alessia Cara, Jason Derulo, TeaMarr, Skip Marley, and Oliver Tree. Their many successes also include The Chainsmokers, Alina Baraz, YBN Nahmir, PrettyMuch, Sabrina Carpenter, 5 Seconds of Summer, Dove Cameron, gnash, and Anne-Marie.
They’re currently in the studio with John Legend, DUCKWRTH, Lil Nas X, Ebeneezer, Johnny Orlando, Olivia O'Brien, Kehlani, and Madilyn Bailey. Please join 5-time Grammy-winner Rob Chiarelli and multi-platinum, star-making A&R Executive Ron Harris when they discuss everything and anything with Trevor and Zaire, from artists and songwriting, to production, and mixing with the biggest names in the business. This will be a fun, unscripted event with Q&A included!
Driver’s Ed Classes
– See class grid and descriptions for more info.
Lunch
– No Eat & Greet Luncheon today. You’re on your own. Enjoy the Daily Grill, which we anticipate will be very busy. Plan accordingly.
Song Listening and Feedback Session
– Theater (Mezzanine Level, 2nd Floor) – Note: This session is NOT for Film & TV music feedback. This session is for Songs for Label, Publisher, and Artist feedback only!
Craig Pilo, Host, DJ, and Jazz
Chris Long, Rock and Singer/Songwriter
James Kocian, Top 40 Pop, Christian/Gospel, and Country
Ty Knox, Hip-Hop, Top 40 Pop, and R&B
Steve Bloch, Country
VERY IMPORTANT: You will be given ONE numbered ticket as you enter the Mezzanine Theatre before the session begins. A duplicate ticket will be placed in a box labeled with the genre you specify. PLEASE know what genre your song is BEFORE you come to the session. Sorry, but latecomers will NOT be able to get a ticket out of fairness to the people who arrived on time. To choose songs for the panel, we’ll pull a random ticket from a box and call the ticket number out for you to bring up your phone, pad, or laptop, and a printed lyric sheet. PLEASE have your song ready to be played so you don’t spend time searching for it! Only TAXI members with a valid Road Rally 2023 badge can submit for this session!
Scoring Feature Films VS Creating Library Cues
– Grand Ballroom (Lobby Level, 1st Floor) – Many TAXI members have become really good at creating instrumental cues, and would love to "graduate" to scoring films and television. Adonis Aletras has made that transition and will tell you how he gets the gigs, what the compositional and aesthetic differences are, timecode considerations, which sample libraries and live instruments he uses, and how he works to please the "deciders" — the director and producer. We'll go through the entire process from first contact to the film's release. Adonis will also play a scene from a film he's just scored, which was co-produced by a major Hollywood film studio!
Hear from Your Peers: Open Q&A
– Grand Ballroom (Lobby Level, 1st Floor) – This hand-picked cross-section of TAXI veterans and music library owners will field questions about the music industry, TAXI, making better submissions, getting more forwards, typical library deals, songwriting, composing, producing, dealing with rejection, and anything else you can think to ask! Please join Greg Carrozza, Jim Thacker, CK Barlow, and Pedro Costa for what could be the most information-packed session we’ve ever done. If you’ve got questions after drinking from the Road Rally firehose, this is your chance to get them answered before you go home!
Driver’s Ed Classes
– See class grid and descriptions for more info.
The Happy Ending Pitch Panel
– Grand Ballroom (Lobby Level, 1st Floor) – This panel of experts from varied backgrounds will listen to randomly selected songs during this Rally-ending Pitch Panel. Film, TV, Song, and Artist pitches are all fair game during this panel with: Michael Lloyd (Multi-Platinum Producer, Music Supervisor), Rob Chiarelli (Multi-Platinum, Grammy-Winning Producer, Mixer), Ron Harris (Label A&R, Multi-Platinum Producer), Pedro Costa (Film/TV Music Licensing Executive), and Stephanie Reid (Film/TV Music Licensing Executive). Music played during this panel will be chosen randomly from a playlist generated from a panel-specific TAXI Listing that ran prior to the Rally. We’ll call your name if your music is randomly chosen. If you’re not in the ballroom, we’ll move on to the next person’s track. And don’t miss the acoustic guitar prize donated by Michael Lloyd! You’ve got to be in the room to win.