Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Laskow. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Michael Laskow saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1965 when he was just nine years old. He knew in that moment that he wanted to be in the music business. But he didn’t want to be a rock star, he wanted to be a recording engineer and record producer. Not a career path that many in his mid-Western farm town pursued.
Ten years later, Laskow was attending the University of Miami, and as luck would have it, a delivery person from a music instrument store let him tag along for delivery to Criteria Studios in North Miami. Laskow pestered the owner for a week until he relented and gave him an internship. The day he started, the Eagles were recording ‘One of These Nights,’ the Bee Gees were recording “Jive Talkin’,’ and Eric Clapton was recording, ‘I Shot the Sheriff.’
Laskow worked his way up the ladder with acts like Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, Neil Young, Firefall, Cheap Trick, Rod Stewart, Melanie, and many more.
Choosing family time over studio time, Michael began working as an audio post-production engineer, so he could be home with his family most nights. Ten years later, he missed music and had the idea to start TAXI Independent A&R in a one-bedroom apartment in Woodland Hills. TAXI has become the world’s leading independent Artist and Repertoire company, known all over the globe.
Now, decades later, and from its offices in Calabasas, TAXI still helps independent songwriters, artists, composers, and producers get their music in films and TV shows, as well as connecting them with record labels, music publishers, production music libraries, and film/TV music supervisors.
“The number of musicians who’ve made deals and had placements through TAXI is uncountable after more than 30 years of doing this,” says Laskow. “And it’s incredibly rewarding to know that our connections, hard work, and expert curation has made the dream of being in the music business a reality for TAXI’s members all over the world.”
TAXi members come to Los Angeles from all over the world each year for its convention, the TAXI Road Rally, held at the Westin LAX hotel each November. There, TAXI members and significant players from the music industry come together for three days of education and networking. The Road Rally is considered to be best-in-class for musicians who are serious about pursuing a career in the music industry.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I thought having a great idea would cause people to beat a path to my door. The problem was that TAXI sounded too good to be true. There ARE some scams out there, and they haven’t made it easier for us. We’ve had to work really hard to establish credibility and trust. But, more than 30 years later, we are thriving, and the scammers (for the most part) are out of business.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Operating a company that always puts integrity first. Why? Because it just feels better. You don’t have to trick people or rip them off to be successful. Good guys can win, although the high road can be the tougher road to hoe.
Contact Info:
- Website: taxi.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taximusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TaxiIndependentAR/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TAXIMusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuZpYuUC9yC8UGd0T6xcbUg
Image Credits
All photos by James DiModica and Ryan Taalbi
