Taylor grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. His father, the drummer for a local band, brought him to band practice where he began learning the drums, and guitar. Taylor lost interest in playing instruments as he grew up and dropped out of school in 7th grade. At the age of 17, his mother got cancer, and Taylor looked for a new way of earning income. After a brief stint as a graphic designer, Taylor turned to production. He sold his first beat online for $250, and began to produce full-time.
Career
After realizing that he could make money selling beats online, Taylor pawned many of his possessions to furnish his in-home studio. As he developed his beat creation, he also developed his business strategy, which at first revolved around using Twitter and PayPal to sell his beats to any artist who wanted them. Taylor sells his creations via a one-time payment for usage of his material, eschewing the more complicated publishing and songwriting deals traditionally preferred by producers. In 2016, Taylor placed songs with Trey Songz and Desiigner, which were his first major placements. This led to a publishing deal signed in August 2017 with Warner Chappell Music, Artist Publishing Group and Atlantic Records, which allowed him to lease his works in the traditional way, as well as independently sell beats via his Internet Money YouTube channel.
Internet Money Records
Internet Money Records is a record producer collective and record label co-founded by Taz Taylor and Nick Mira. A blend of a YouTube channel, a record label, and a producer union, Internet Money is a medium for producers to sell beats, as well as an aggregator for producers and creatives. Beyond helping other producers with the business side of making music, Taylor and Internet Money host "tours", where producers can collaborate and work together. Taylor believes that Internet Money is a way to help producers make money off of music using the same techniques he uses. In 2018, Internet Money Records signed a record deal with Alamo Records and Interscope Records. During a stint in mid-2019, Taz's relationship with Alamo and Interscope soured. By late summer, Taz had agreed to a buyout with Alamo and Interscope and signed a new record deal with TenThousand Projects and Caroline Records, giving him more control of who he could sign to the joint venture. As a producer collective, Internet Money has been responsible for 34 singles that have ascended the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019, and has earned the RIAA Platinum and Gold certificates as well.
Controversy
In 2017 and 2018, Taylor has been a part of a Twitter-based war with several other producers. Some producers argue that Taylor's method cheapens beat creation as a whole, and Taylor disagrees, calling these arguments misinformed.
