The Road Rally Explained - Part 1

I'll admit, I was very skeptical about TAXI at first. Forwards, deals, screeners, A&R people, publishers, labels, artists, licensing, film/TV...it's quite a bit of information to digest. And to try and find an objective opinion about TAXI; fugetaboutit! (hence, this blog)

Then once a year there's this "Road Rally" that happens in L.A., which for most of us is quite a distance to travel. The rally is talked (and emailed) about quite a bit from TAXI. They HIGHLY recommend members attend. And with good reason.

WHAT IS IT?
The annual TAXI Road Rally is a three day music industry conference. There are professionals from every sector of the industry teaching, sharing, and imparting indispensable advice on how to help you take your career to the next level!

WHEN & WHERE IS IT?
Typically the second weekend of November of every year. The Road Rally officially starts on Friday morning, and concludes on Sunday afternoon. The event is held at the Westin Hotel and Conference Center: LA-X. (TAXI secures a greatly reduced group rate for members who attend!)

WHY SHOULD YOU GO?
I thought you'd never ask! Here's 5 reasons:

#1: You will attend classes that will immediately help you! You will learn new melody writing techniques, pitching short cuts, lyric refinement procedures, production tricks, performance ideas, marketing strategies, and so much more!

#2: You will develop relationships with people! TAXI members are from countries far and wide, and you will meet them, talk with each other, and learn from one another. This is your tribe, your community, your extended family! 
Additionally,  you'll be meeting with the very industry executives that are otherwise unreachable!

#3: You will be inspired, motivated, and focused! Admit it, it's hard for most of us to stay on target with our music goals because we are all so busy...and many of us are working solo in our own home studios. This is a great way to connect with other people just like you and get re-energized!

#4: It's free. Yes, it's free.
Sometimes people see things that are free and think 'it must not have any value if it's free.' I mean, who gives ANYTHING away for free, right?!? Well, Michael Laskow does! He and the staff include the Road Rally for you (and a guest!) in your membership.

*On a personal note, I've attended music conferences of all sorts all over the country and the Road Rally is BY FAR AND AWAY the best of the best.

TAXI could charge $1,000 and it would be a bargain. $1,000! Now I hear you thinking, 'that's dumb. No one pays 1k for a conference.' Check out TED.com (great speeches online!) and look at the cost of their conferences. (click here)

Now please pick your jaw back up off the floor and believe me when I say the Road Rally is on the same level (benefit, caliber of speakers, diversity of topics) as TED! And The Road Rally is FREE. Whoa.

#5: You will  realize you don't need as much sleep as you think you do! With thousands of other super-cool, uber-creative people around, the atmosphere is electrifying!


So that's a brief summary of the Road Rally and its benefits. I will be detailing a few suggestions for maximizing your experience at the Rally (in a later post), but for now I implore you to sign up and attend! (click here)