Hi Everyone,
Amazingly enough, our friends at TAXI are inviting 200 of our Just Plain Folks Members to attend their world class music conference for FREE!!!! Normally, this conference is ONLY open to fully paid TAXI members and their guest, but for the second year in a row, they've made us this amazing offer. Last year the 250 spots were all snapped up almost immediately, so if you are interested in attending this for free, you need to read the information below and call the good folks at TAXI to sign up for one of the spots.
The TAXI Road Rally is still the best music conference I have attended and is worth the $300 price of joining TAXI alone, but 200 of you get to go free!
I'll be there as will many of our Just Plain Folks Mentor Staff (Steve Seskin, Jason Blume, John Braheny etc...). And while you are in town, you can join us at one of our area Showcases before or after the Rally, including our largest of the year on Sunday night, November 10th on the world famous Santa Monica Pier!
I am posting this at 5:30AM local time and you can start calling to sign up at 9AM Pacific Time through 6PM Pacific Time by following the directions below. If you miss calling in on Friday, October 18th, you'll have to try again on Monday morning at 9AM Pacific Time because no one will be answering the phone over the weekend.
Good luck and I look forward to seeing you in Los Angeles in a few weeks!
Brian Austin Whitney
Just Plain Folks
www.jpfolks.com Here is a copy of the email I received from TAXI Founder Michael Laskow last night.
*************************************************************************
From:
Michael Laskow
Founder
TAXI
To:
Brian Austin Whitney
Founder
Just Plain Folks
Hi Brian,
I'd like to invite some of your members to be our guests at this year's Road
Rally. The vibe was so cool between our members last year, that we thought
we'd do it again.
We have a limited number seats available, so we'll be doling them out on a
first-come, first-served basis. And this year, we'll only be able to
accommodate 200 of your members as seats are going faster than usual.
We'll be at the same hotel as last year (a shuttle ride from LAX), which I'm
sure you remember is very luxurious, and the rooms are only $94/night. The
Rally is one day longer this year, and begins on Thursday evening, November
7th, and ends Sunday night, November 10th. Admission is by invitation only,
and as always, the Road Rally is FREE.
We can only disclose the hotel info to people who register so we don't get
gate crashers. To register, your members need to call us at 1-800-458-2111 and
say, "I'm a Just Plain Folks Member, and I'd like to come to the Road Rally."
We'll hook them up with hotel info, etc.
Here's the Schedule of Events for this year, preceded by some quotes from
people who came last year. I hope your members enjoy it as much as last year.
Warm regards,
Michael
Michael Laskow
Founder and CEO
TAXI
-------------------------
Dear Michael and all the TAXI crew,
This was my first Road Rally. All the pre-publicity made it a must-go
opportunity. And it was much more than I expected. Just the opportunity to
speak to A&R people (who really were very human after all) was worth TEN
times the cost of getting there.
My advice to anyone planning to go to the Road Rally for the first time is:
Go! It's addictive, it's the best opportunity you'll ever get, and it's fun,
friendly and free! And, like me, you'll be back.
Mike Fitzsimons
Brighton, Sussex, England
--------------------------
The "Road Rally" is worth at least 4 times the cost of an annual membership,
and it¹s free! I'd actually be willing to pay MORE to be a TAXI member, and
then trust the TAXI staff to continue to add valuable services to my
membership.
Dale Gustavson,
Orange, CA
--------------------------
Dear TAXI,
I found the Road Rally to not only be incredibly informative, but also a
total blast! The convention makes the TAXI membership fee seem a bargain!
Jessica Treat
Solana Beach, CA
-------------------------
Greetings TAXI,
Just wanted to drop a note to say thanks. I am one of the biggest critics in
the world and even I can't find fault with this year's Road Rally. In a word
it was AWESOME!
Leonard Moss
Los Angeles, CA
*******************************************************************
What can you expect from coming to the Road Rally?
- A true insider¹s view at what the top guns in the music industry are
looking for and how they find it.
- Incredible advice from some of the world¹s very best songwriters.
- High-level experts exposing other ways to make money with your music in
Film, TV, and Video games.
- A&R, Publishing, and Film & TV music pitch panels -- these panels have
produced deals for TAXI members every year!
- Top experts showing you exactly how to build your own fanbase, book your
own shows, and sell your own CDs.
- Lunches with industry executives sitting at your table and answering your
questions.
-Members picked from a hat to perform live in front of 2,000 fellow members
and industry executives.
- Networking opportunities that are unparalleled in this universe.
- We collect your music to send the panelists home with.
- How to Record a Killer Demo at Home
- TAXI Member success stories
- Find Your Musical Soulmate Lunch
- Open Mikes featuring TAXI members
- Artist Marketing Clinics
- How to Improve Your Vocals clinic
- More great stuff yet to be announced!
****************************************************************
--- Road Rally 2002 Schedule ----
-- (subject to change, but not much) --
Thursday Evening, November 7th
5:30 pm Registration Begins
6:00 7:30pm Dinner Buffet
7:30 11:30pm - Open Mic Members selected at random Thursday and Saturday
nights for acoustic Open mics. Grand piano onstage, bring your own acoustic
guitar. Friday night will be electric, pre-selected bands.
8:00 11:30pm - Open Mic Second Stage Upstairs in the 200 seat theatre
every night! Members selected at random.
Friday, November 8th - Breakout Day
8:00am Registration continues
9:00 9:30am - Opening Speech - Delivered by Jason Blume, pro songwriter and
author of "Six Steps to Songwritng Success." He knocked everybody¹s socks off
two years ago. New topic this year.
9:30 12:30pm - One-to-One Mentoring - A&R People, Producers, Hit
Songwriters, and Industry Pros of all kinds will sit down and listen to your
song and/or your questions.
9:30 10:30am - Jason Blume Clinic - "Give Them a Reason to Choose You and
Your Songs"
10:30 11:00am The Ins and Outs of Making and Marketing Your Own CD.
presented by Disc Makers.
11:00 11:30am Street Smart Marketing and Self-Promotion - with CD Baby
President, Derek Sivers
11:30 12:00 noon Learn to Sing Like the Pros with vocal coach to the
stars, Lis Lewis.
12:00 12:30pm Increase Your Odds of Writing a Hit Song - Ralph Murphy,
VP of ASCAP is one of the most knowledgeable people we¹ve ever met in the
music business. He¹s uncovered the secrets that will ensure your song will be
a hit. You won¹t want to miss this one!
10:00 5:00pm - How to Record a Killer Demo at Home awesome seminars and
clinics presented by Roland in the upstairs Theatre.
12:30 2:00pm - Find Your Musical Soulmate Lunch - Are you a songwriter
looking for a collaborator? An artist looking for a producer, a band looking
for a player? Eat and meet. This promises to be one of our greatest
innovations yet. You asked for it TAXI delivers!
2:00 5:00 - More One-To-One Mentoring We¹re assembling a terrific array
of experts for the AM and PM sessions.
2:00 3:00pm Better Lyric Writing with Pat Pattison. Berklee College of
Music¹s professor of all things lyrical will dramatically improve your lyric
writing technique in just one session.
3:00 - 4:00pm 12 Steps to Building Better Songs with songwriting experts
Pete and Pat Luboff. This is an audience participation workshop in which they
lead the entire group in a collaboration on a new song.
4:00 5:00pm Music, Money, and Success with ASCAP VP Todd Brabec and
Chrysalis Music VP Jeff Brabec. Your music can generate multiple streams of
income. Find out if you are sitting on a cash cow.
5:00 6:30pm - Happy Hour
6:30 8:00pm Dinner Buffet
8:00 Midnight - Top TAXI Picks Play Live and Electric We¹ll be selecting
the bands with a committee of major label A&R folks.
8:00 Midnight Open Mic Second Stage - continues in the Theatre.
Saturday, November 9th
8:00am Registration continues
9:15 9:30am Meet The Staff
9:30 10:30am - Keynote Address Steve Seskin - One of today¹s most
successful songwriters. He's a true "A" list writer with a boatload of songs
recorded by Tim McGraw, Olivia Newton-John, Neal McCoy, John Michael
Montgomery, Peter Frampton, Kenny Chesney, Collin Raye, Waylon Jennings. An
incredible speaker who is guaranteed to inspire and motivate you.
10:30 12:15pm - A&R Q&A No convention anywhere delivers this many
high-quality A&R people on just one panel. We get many of the music
industry¹s top guns, and ask them the questions you want answered. This panel
blows away any other A&R panels you¹ve ever been to. Our panelists are
hand-picked for their "accessibility" and position in the industry. Find out
the truth from the people at the top. Learn what they¹ll be looking for next,
and what makes them sign on the dotted line.
12:15 2:15pm Mentor Lunch Close encounters with industry experts who
give a damn. We hand pick great people from many different areas of the music
industry. You¹ve probably never gotten this up close and personal with people
who WANT to help you!
2:15 3:15pm - Living Legend A live, talk-show style interview with a
true industry legend.
3:15 5:00pm - A&R Pitch Panel We pick songs randomly, and play them live
for a panel of A&R big-shots. The audience votes along with the panel. Tons
of fun, and extremely enlightening. The audience loves this panel every year.
5:30 7:30pm Yamaha presents The Technology of Songwriting with hit
songwriters sharing their techniques.
6:30 8:00pm Dinner Buffet
8:00 Midnight - Open Mic Members Picked at random in the Main Ballroom
8:00 Midnight - Second Stage Open Mic in upstairs Theatre.
Sunday, November 10th
9:00 11:00am - Song School This tremendously popular panel will feature
songwriters/producers/authors Jai Josefs and Jason Blume techniques, tools,
and secrets of hit songwriting
11:00 12noon - Member Success Stories Want to learn how your fellow
members found success through TAXI? Don¹t miss this panel!
12:00 2:00pm - Find Your Musical Soulmate Lunch
2:00 3:00pm - Hit Songwriters Panel Want to be the best? Then you need
to learn from the best. Another unbelievable crew of writers with hundreds of
cuts among them will tell you how they do it
3:00 3:45pm "I Don¹t Want to be a Rock Star" How to make money with your
music without being a rock star. Music Libraries, Video Game Music, Film and
TV placements can generate serious cash for those of you who want to work
from home.
3:45 4:30pm Music Library Listening Panel - Randomly picked songs get
played for the top people in the industry. Many TAXI members have signed
deals and made big bucks as direct result of this panel!
4:30 6:00pm Music Publishers Q&A with the big boys (and girls!).
Randomly picked member songs get played for these decision-makers.
6:00pm - Rally Finale and After Party
Invited Panelists (subject to minor changes) include:
Tim Devine, Sr. VP/GM, Columbia Records, Tony Ferguson, VP A&R , Interscope
Records, John Loken VP/GM Ultimatum Records, Shane Barrett, A&R MCA
Nashville, Jon Pikus A&R, Sony Records, Marshall Altman, A&R Columbia
Records, Lionel Conway, President, Mosaic Music Publishing, Bruce Burch, EMI
Music Publishing, representaives from Elektra Records, Dreamworks Records,
BMI, several Hit Songwriters, Presidents of Major Music Libraries, Major Film
and TV Music Supervisors and many, many more!
1. ****IMPORTANT**** To register for the Road Rally, call TAXI at
1-800-458-2111 NO LATER THAN Monday, OCTOBER 21st by 5pm PST (pacific time).
Remember to say "I belong to Just Plain Folks and I want to come to the Road
Rally." If you¹re going to bring a guest, please have their name, address,
and phone number ready when you call TAXI.
2. For discount airline tickets see information below:
American Airlines has again cut special fares for Road Rally participants. To make reservations call the American Airlines Meeting Services desk toll-free at 1-800-433-1790 daily between 5 a.m. 12 Midnight Central Time and refer to Star File # A18N2AK
1. Valid Travel Dates: November 5, 2002 - November 12, 2002
2. Airports: Los Angeles/LAX, Burbank, Ontario, Orange County, Long Beach
3. 5% discount off of the lowest fare at time of booking.
4. 10% discount off full coach fares booked in "Y" Class with at least 7 days advance purchase.
5. 10% discount off the lowest applicable airfare if booked and ticketed 60 days in advance of the Road Rally.
6. 15% discount off of full coach fares booked in "Y" class with at least a 60 day advance purchase.
Southwest Airlines is also offering a 10% discount on most of its already low fares for travel to and from the Road Rally. You or your travel agent may call Southwest Airlines Group and Meetings Reservations at 1-800-433-5368 and reference the ID code # J6942. Reservations Sales Agents are available 7:00 a.m. 8:00 p.m. Monday Friday, or 8:30 a.m. 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday Central Standard Time. You must make reservations five or more days prior to travel to take advantage of this offer.
1. Valid Travel Dates: November 2, 2002 November15, 2002.
2. Airports: Los Angeles/LAX, Burbank, Ontario, and Orange County.
3. 10% discount off of already low fares.
Please call the airlines or your travel agent with questions about air fares or tickets, the folks at TAXI are clueless about it beyond arranging for the discounts.
