Yes, John, you're right about the show... and believe me when the rep from Taxi called me that fateful day and asked me if I was "sitting down".. they weren't kidding.. But it's been a few years and I can offer more perspective.

Like any business (and yes mattbanx, you're right, it's a business), they simply want what is useable. For that particular field... infamously known as the "Library" field. Which is great, because you get paid every time something you wrote for them is used (which luckily for me, has actually been quite a lot)... but for those trying to strike it in the "Band" field... "Listen to me, I'm the next Radiohead"... it's trickier.. because 75% of it is image, and fanbase.. They don't take risks.. they want an established group of followers before they take notice... Gone are the days of 'risk'.

However, if you have self-produced, good sounding recordings, then you can most certainly get them directly used (trust me, they don't want to re-record anything).. in licensing and TV, promos, intros, film.. anything... and not to mention the royalties for every time those are aired again.. and again...

I've found the biggest difficulty is this: Are you a writer/composer or an artist/image.

Believe me when I say, there is FAR more work for the former than the latter. Record labels want to pump out artists like hotcakes.. hot for a few minutes, then cold... Next... while I have one particular song on the "O" show and the 25th "O" DVD which is used so many times I've lost track... in my time, I've conducted my city's symphony orchestra because they wanted that "full hollywood sound".. and been given the budget.. it's a wild ride.. but be clear on what your aim is. And above all, they respect not just talent, but applicability: It may be the coolest Electronica/Acid Jazz in history... but, that's the "show" part of "showbusiness"... don't forget, these guys all want to satisfy the "business" side too... and that's applicability..

For one particular episode about Martin Luther King (MLK day), at 11pm they said, "we need a song for the I Have A Dream Speech"... I was a little floored, but not unready. So they sent me the footage, and I improvised the piano to it.. and from there, enhanced the moments with strings, horns, etc.. And at prime time (not the usual day time slot) the next day over 100 million people tuned in. But it was no different than writing for a 15 second commercial bumper.. or a 3 minute sob-piece about a family who lost everything. Ultimately it's about applicability.

This is how I base my Taxi / Broadjam decisions.. Taxi has the real stuff. This is the time to make a definitive decision, and move on it.

G