Hi ,

Let’s face it — the music industry has always been ageist.

For decades, if you weren’t young (late teens to twenty-something), the record industry wasn’t especially interested. Youth and image became the currency of the business, and countless talented musicians were quietly filtered out long before their music ever had a real chance.

Yes, there have always been exceptions. But the unspoken rule kept many incredibly capable “older” artists from getting signed and from having the record-label machine working behind them.

That’s not cynical — it’s simply how the industry operated. And very few insiders were willing to admit it publicly.

I’ve been in the music business since 1975 and have sat in more behind-the-scenes conversations about this than I can count. The president of a major label once told me, “If we could sign artists in utero, we would.” He laughed when he said it… but not entirely.

Streaming has improved things somewhat. Every now and then, I hear a song I love, look up the artist, and discover they’re not especially young — or traditionally “marketable.”

Which raises an interesting question:

Have listeners finally started caring more about the music than the person making it?

Maybe

But here’s the more important question for TAXI members and TAXI TV’s viewers…

What about sync licensing?

Do age and appearance matter when you’re creating music for film, TV, advertising, or streaming media?

Most people assume the answer is no.

But after watching this business closely for decades, I can tell you there are situations where perception still plays a role — and understanding where it does (and where it absolutely doesn’t) can dramatically change how you view your opportunities.

If you’ve ever felt like the traditional music industry timeline passed you by, you may want to rethink that assumption.

I haven’t seen this topic discussed openly very often, and I’ll share some honest perspective — the good, the bad, and the occasionally uncomfortable truth — on today’s TAXI TV.

One more thing: I’ll also be sharing some information that many “older” musicians find genuinely encouraging once they understand how the music licensing side of the industry works.

You might have kept yourself on the bench when you could be making touchdowns on the playing field.

I'll be discussing this on TAXI TV this afternoon at 4 PM Pacific on YouTube.

If you're curious, you can watch it here.

Hope you can join me.
— Michael