Great placement in the hit TV series Poker Face on Apple+/Peacock
Keith LuBrant - Turnersville, NJ USA
Here’s a great report from long-time member, Keith LuBrant. “I thought I’d share this, since I never would’ve connected with the music library that landed this placement if it weren’t for Michael Laskow’s incredible foresight in starting TAXI so many years ago!
I composed a rock instrumental version of 'Ave Maria' that was placed in the hit TV series Poker Face (Apple TV/Peacock), with the tremendous help of the publishing company I met through TAXI.
The key takeaway from this placement is patience—the opportunity to create this custom piece began back in August of 2024. You never know where your music will take you—or more importantly, how long it will take to get there!
As a TAXI member for nearly two decades, I’d say 99% of my sync deals have come through TAXI. Without TAXI opening those doors, I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today, with music placed in over 1,800 television shows. Attending the Road Rally has also given me the gift of some truly lifelong friendships with fellow composers.”
We never get tired of congratulating you for great placements, Keith. Your work, work ethic, and professionalism are an inspiration to all of your fellow TAXI members!
Placements on The Bachelor and RuPaul’s Drag Race on ABC and Hulu
Elna Myburg - Kingwood, TX USA
We always love hearing from Elna! Here are some of her recent placements. “Ok, there are many placements, so I will pick just a couple. The mentioned tracks were written for libraries I connected with because of prior TAXI forwards. I’ve been a TAXI member for many years and have landed some amazing film and TV placements thanks to the connections I’ve made through TAXI.
Most recently, I had a dark tension track titled 'Echoes of Suspicion' placed in The Bachelor on ABC—a great, lengthy placement, at that!
I also regularly get Urban Dramedy placements in RuPaul’s Drag Race on Hulu.
I’m incredibly grateful for everything I’ve learned through TAXI over the years and for all the doors they continue to open for my music.”
Elna, we’re incredibly grateful to have you as a TAXI member. Your work and success speak for themselves, and we really appreciate that you take the time to let us know how TAXI has paid off for you!
Syncs in Ballerina: From the World of John Wick and A Man Called Otto
David Flavin - Corcoran, MN USA
Great news from David! “I’m grateful to TAXI for another film placement—this time in Ballerina: From the World of John Wick, starring Keanu Reeves and Ana De Armas. What’s especially interesting about this placement is that the song, 'Polka Together,' had been sitting in the library for exactly 10 years! It just goes to show—you never know when a track will finally find its moment.
I was fortunate to have this same library land me a placement two years ago in the film A Man Called Otto, starring Tom Hanks, with the song 'Fourth Floor Please.’
I also recently hit a major milestone: my sync placements have now appeared on 5,000 cue sheets in my ASCAP statements—with about 75% of those coming from libraries I connected with through TAXI forwards. I’m incredibly thankful for the opportunities TAXI has created, allowing me to do what I love while building lasting, professional relationships with some truly great music libraries.”
David, we don’t know what to congratulate you for first; your 5,000 placements, or your placements in a John Wick flick or the Tom Hanks film. Hmmm, let’s go with all of them. We’re incredibly proud of you, and grateful that you let us know about all of these milestones. Here’s to many, many more, and please keep us in the loop as they roll in and add up!
Global syncs on TBS, MTV, Bravo, TV3, M6, France 5, and Pro7
Marco Iannello - Greater Manchester, United Kingdom
Marco has sent us another dazzling update! “Here’s an update on some of my latest placements:
Since the beginning of February, several of my tracks have found their way into a variety of international TV shows.
- An Indian tension piece, 'Sands of Thar,' was used in the Norwegian edition of Paradise Hotel on TV3.
- A Middle Eastern-flavored trap track, 'Samira’s Urban Dream,' was placed in the German factual show Galileo on Pro7.
- A couple of Urban Dramedy tracks—'Hot Tub Flow' and 'Lightfooted Walk'—also landed multiple placements. 'Hot Tub Flow' appeared in Foul Play with Andrew Davis on TBS, The Real Housewives of Atlanta on Bravo, and Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta on MTV, where 'Lightfooted Walk' was also used.
- In addition, my neo-classical piece 'The Ascent' was used again—this time twice—in Pékin Express on France’s M6.
- Lastly, a Japanese-flavored hip-hop track found a home in Échappées Belles on France 5.
Nearly all of these sync placements stem from deals I’ve signed with music libraries TAXI has connected me with. Having your music forwarded to companies that TAXI has vetted and established relationships with is an invaluable way to connect with reputable publishers and library owners. It’s a huge advantage to have that kind of access and professional endorsement through TAXI.”
Marco, you always impress us with your accomplishments and how humble you are about them! Thank you so much for always letting us know about your new placements, and please keep them coming! We really appreciate you!!
His income has QUADRUPLED! Worth the wait
Chris Moser - Riggisberg, SWITZERLAND
If this story doesn’t give you the mental stamina needed to patiently hang in there for the big pay day, maybe nothing will!
Quoting Chris: “After three years of constant pitching and signing tracks to libraries, I finally received my first royalty statement showing significant placements around the world. It’s been a nerve-wracking wait—full of pep talks to myself, fueled by consistent, kind feedback from people around me. But now, I feel like I’ve reached that next level of the ‘game,’ where you actually start getting paid for all the hard work!
First and foremost, I have to thank TAXI for being the door and launchpad into this world of opportunities. I’m also incredibly grateful to everyone around me for their endless encouragement and support!
I posted a comment on the TAXI Forum back in March when I saw my first PRO statement that was actually worth mentioning after several years of pouring myself into production music.
Now, in the second quarter of this year, my royalties have quadrupled—a sign of exponential growth!
This couldn’t have come at a better time. Even though I’ve been fortunate enough to write consistently for excellent libraries for the past two years (without having to hustle as hard to find new ones), the absence of real PRO income had started to wear on my confidence. I began to wonder if all the late nights and hard work were really worth it.
Like many in this business, I have a full-time job, a family, a house—and a dog (LOL). Despite decades of experience producing and performing music, plus a formal education in music and sound engineering that gave me a great head start, there’s simply no substitute for the grind. You have to understand the business, learn what kind of music works in sync, and keep churning out as much ‘usable’ music as possible.
Then, once your tracks finally make their way through the maze of production companies, networks, and both domestic and foreign PROs—which can take months or even years—you finally start to see the results: money showing up in your bank account! It can feel like mental warfare at times, but I’ve stayed afloat because I genuinely love the process of creating music, no matter how long it takes to get paid for it.
Today, I’m seeing placements from all over the world—from the U.S. (including Married to Medicine on BRAVO) to Europe and Asia. My royalty statements aren’t dozens or hundreds of pages long just yet—but it’s a very encouraging beginning!
And I can’t forget to mention that all of this was made possible because I joined TAXI back in 2021 and built strong relationships with music libraries—thanks to forwards from the screeners and connections I made through the TAXI community and Forum.”
Congratulations for not giving up, Chris! We never had any doubt that this day would come for you, but we know it can feel somewhat hopeless until it actually does. And yes, waiting for the cue sheets and payments to take their circuitous routes between nations, networks, and multiple PROs can be frustrating and disheartening. We’re so happy that this validation and income is ramping up for you. Wait until you see where it is in another four years!!!!
50 tracks signed across four companies in his first year
Hubert Razack - Toronto, ON CANADA
Hubert had a really strong first year! “I just signed my fourth library contract—once again, thanks to TAXI! This deal came from a listing asking for a ‘science documentary track.’
I've been a member for just over a year now, and I have about 50 tracks signed across four libraries—all through TAXI! I couldn’t have hoped for a better first year. (Hint: Go to the Road Rally conference!)
Here’s a summary I recently posted on the TAXI Forum reflecting on my first year:
Hey everyone!
I've been a TAXI member for about a year and a half, but I submitted my first track just over a year ago—so it’s time to reflect on what that first year looked like.
When I joined TAXI, I knew absolutely nothing about the sync industry. I mean nothing—I didn’t even know sync licensing was a thing! Everything I’ve learned about sync has come from TAXI.
Here’s what my first year looked like:
- 83 submissions
- 45 forwards (54%)
- 4 library contracts signed
- 33 tracks signed through those libraries (now 50!)
- 0 placements… so far (that I know of!)
Not bad for a first year! So, for anyone who thinks TAXI doesn’t work… well, what can I say? It does!
A lot of credit goes to the incredible TAXI staff for making this platform available—and especially to the Road Rally conference, where I met future collaborators and signed one of my library contracts. Huge thanks also to the TAXI Forum community, whose advice and support have been a big part of the journey.
Now it’s on to year #2! I took a break from submitting while I focused on writing for the libraries I signed with, but now it's time to get back on the submission trail.”
Wow, that’s a great first year, Hubert, and it won’t be long until you start reporting placements from those signings! Please let us know when you get them, and thanks for telling us about these deals and how important the Road Rally has been for you!
His first signing resulted from taking TAXI’s process more seriously
David Sizemore - Trenton, OH USA
“My song 'The Black Heart' by Farehaven was signed to a music library a while ago after being forwarded by TAXI. While I’m still waiting on its first placement, this was a huge milestone in my journey—especially after years of being on and off with TAXI.
Over the past three years, I began taking the process more seriously, and this deal came from just my third forward. I’m hopeful this song will start seeing the light of day in future TV or film placements. This was my first official deal through TAXI, and it’s motivated me to keep writing, submitting, and building my catalog with confidence.
What I appreciate most about TAXI is the constructive feedback—it’s helped me grow as both a songwriter and a producer. Knowing exactly what the industry is looking for keeps me focused, and the platform offers a real opportunity to improve, connect, and ultimately succeed in sync licensing.”
Congratulations, David. They say, "You never forget your first." We hope there are many more to follow!
Signed 7 tracks with a Hollywood-based music library
Gary Nobile - Santa Clara, CA USA
Here’s a recent email from Gary! “Thank you, Michael and the amazing TAXI staff! I just signed a deal for my instrumental track 'Good Ol' Dogs' with a Hollywood-based music library—thanks to you!
During the process (as I’ve learned from you at the Road Rallies), I made it as easy as possible for the library rep by being respectful of their time and as accurate as possible with all the documentation.
Once everything was signed and finalized, I followed another key piece of advice from the Road Rally: If you're in the position, ask if they need anything else you might be able to help with. I figured they'd ask for something way outside my wheelhouse—but to my surprise, they said they needed more tracks just like the one I had submitted. I sent them six more… and they signed them all!
As Michael always says at the Road Rallies and on TAXI TV, success leaves clues. I'm just glad I didn’t cut class that day and actually took the advice. Thank you so much for all your help, TAXI staff—you’re amazing!”
Atta boy, Gary! Congratulations on following the advice to ask if the company needs anything else, and let us know when you sign more deals and get placements!
He almost quit TAXI, then this happened...
David Gates - Lincoln, Lincolnshire , UNITED KINGDOM
David reports, “I was actually going to quit TAXI this year. However, I decided to take one last spin on the wheel. Even though I had quite a few forwards, nothing came of them—until a couple of days ago!
I got a track forwarded for a recent Chiptune listing, and that track has now been signed by a music library. I’m also currently working on another, completely different track for them.
So, the moral of the story is, as always: tenacity, taking critiques on board, and getting better. It might amount to nothing in the end, but for me at least, I’m incredibly proud. Thank you, TAXI!”
Thank you so much for sharing that story and congratulations, David. We’d like to add one more item to your list; patience! So many TAXI members don’t renew because they gave up too soon, and they’ll never know how close they were to launching a successful run in sync. You did the opposite and look what happened!