Hi Bob,
Thank you for coming to see the show at the Greek and for the nice review, it's greatly appreciated and a lovely way to start the day. Sorry I didn't get to meet you and the Doobies do kick it don't they! I enjoy your work and admire your ability and desire to teach. When I give a talk every now and then at some music school, the kids are always pretty excited to see me until I ask the first question, "How many of you understand how publishing works and what licensing music is all about?" It usually goes downhill from there when I hand out the "doing business under a fictitious name " forms. I was so lucky to learn from Les Paul and T Bone Walker about musicianship and technology. It's great to see you passing that kind of information on. Thanks for sharing your love of music and for working so hard to help artists find their way, you have a big presence in our world.
Cheers,
Steve Miller
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Saturday 22 June 2013
Friday 21 June 2013
Steve Miller At The Greek
He can play. And he did.
Oh, I know what you're saying right now, there goes baby boomer Lefsetz, out of touch with new music, going to see the dinosaurs, living in his own private feedback loop.
You may be right!
But let me tell you what's happening there.
You've got bands without tapes or hard drives, without a plethora of faceless backup musicians, who are able to replicate their hits and more.
The opener was the Doobie Brothers. You know I love the Doobies, but what impressed me most was how tight they were. How they just locked into a groove and wailed. Something even the Rolling Stones cannot do, never mind the youngsters.
The youngsters grew up in the era of MTV, if they even remember when that outlet played music videos, when a star could be made overnight. And some classic acts benefited from MTV exposure, but mostly the breakthrough performers were just that...performers, who focused on image as opposed to musical talent. Oh, I love Culture Club. But...if you didn't have a pretty face or an outrageous costume, you were not going to get traction. In other words, everybody sitting at home playing their guitar, waiting for their moment to prove it to the naysayers, to let the popular people know they had talent and were desirable...got squeezed out.
Ever hang with a classic rock artist? Volubility is not their forte. They speak with their instrument. Whereas a modern star is a spokesmodel, being poised and selling the product is what they do best. So what once was...the youngsters have never been exposed to.
And they weren't exposed to it last night either, because there were none in attendance.
Oh, I've been privy to all the b.s. saying Steve Miller is winning over a young audience. That's just what it is, b.s. The oldsters are going to the show to listen to the music, as the Doobies sang and the audience sang along.
But I was under the impression that Steve Miller was a hit machine, running through those midseventies nuggets that everybody knows, a night out to revel in nostalgia.
But I was stunned that that was not the case.
Steve Miller came to WAIL!
Go see the stars, usually some faceless dude handles the leads. Not that you can tell who's playing, because there are so many musicians on stage, never mind behind the curtains. Whereas Steve Miller is wiggling and wrangling the notes and he's evidencing a style, that not only made him unique, but very rich.
Sure, it emanated from the blues. But my point is you can go to the NAMM show and see twelve year olds with technique, but they've got no soul, no identity, and Steve Miller had and still has both.
Oh, he began with "Jungle Love." Went right into "Take The Money And Run." But from there he went into..."The Stake"?
Fans know the cut, from the "Book Of Dreams" album, it's the one that sounds like "Rocky Mountain Way," even though Joe Walsh did not sue. And based on the whoop of recognition last night, I think most in attendance believed it was "Rocky Mountain Way." And the track is derivative, but it is driving and it gave room for Steve to...play.
Isn't that why you go? To hear the people play?
Somehow a concert has become about the hits. Make 'em sound exactly as they do on the radio, keep the people satisfied. But the people don't know what they want. If you want them to come back, you've got to deliver what they do not expect. Like musicianship.
Who's today's guitar hero? You know, the one topping the chart?
I'm gonna let you in on a secret, referenced above... Want to be a guitar hero? You've got to practice and play! Miller said he was told he'd played the Fillmore more than any other act, 120 times. Most of the bands on the boards these days haven't performed 120 times in their lives!
And speaking of the Fillmore, Steve referenced Carlos Santana and their gigs there and said he was inspired to record "Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma" as a result.
That's from "The Joker," in case you aren't a fan.
And I didn't buy that album, I gave up with "Brave New World" before returning to the fold with "Fly Like An Eagle." Because I only had so much money and I'd been burned out on less than stellar material.
But I knew "Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma"...from the dorms! Because just because you didn't own it, that didn't mean you didn't hear it!
It's the fortieth anniversary of that album. Steve's gonna be seventy this year. That's a long time ago. Steve played a bunch of numbers from the LP, not that anybody in attendance knew he was gonna do so, that was not the focus of the marketing, but that's what at least half the set was all about...doing what Steve wanted, leading instead of following.
But the highlight of the show was the acoustic interlude, when Steve played "Wild Mountain Honey," "Gangster Of Love" and "Dance, Dance, Dance" solo. "Gangster of Love" slowed down and quiet gave it new levels of meaning. Yes, you can make the oldies new again if you take a risk, and you don't have to make the tune unrecognizable, like Bob Dylan, to achieve this.
But the non-musical highlight of the show was the screw-up, when the pedal steel wouldn't play. The roadie is frantically checking cables, time is a-wasting, and Miller is the coolest cat on the planet, you see he's been here before, he knows what to do.
First he says it's a roadie test. Then he says it must be serious, it always is when they unplug and re-plug cables, which illustrates the roadies have run out of ideas. And there's still no sound. And Steve says he's just gonna stand there. Suddenly, we're on his side experiencing an intimate moment, we're not angry there's no music, we too are waiting to see how this all works out.
Well, it was fixed. But it took much longer than it should have. But Steve threw no tantrum, didn't stalk off stage, he was a professional.
That's what too many of today's youngsters are not...because they don't have enough experience!
Am I telling you to go see Steve Miller and the Doobie Brothers?
Yes, I am. Because they're not going to be able to do it much longer. Everybody dies. Usually they get sick before. Hell, Steve paid tribute to Lonnie Turner and Norton Buffalo and too many who are no longer with us.
But unlike the actors, and now maybe too many musicians, Steve didn't attempt to freeze himself in time, a bizarre exercise wherein the performer appears thirty and everybody in the audience looks sixty. No, Steve had gray hair, he was not wearing a flashy outfit, he came to play.
And that's where I started.
Isn't that why you go?
P.S. So I'm sitting there listening to "The Joker" asking myself...how'd he come up with this? By '73, Steve Miller had already peaked, everybody's money was on his old bandmate Boz Scaggs. But rather than replicating what he'd done before, Steve Miller came up with something so outside, it flew up the chart. I mean if you were at home, with no radio, you would have considered "The Joker" an album track... Innovation made music monstrous, not dancing, plastic surgery, social networking or me-tooism. Steve Miller can still sell out sheds because if you want what he's got, you can't get it anywhere else.
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Oh, I know what you're saying right now, there goes baby boomer Lefsetz, out of touch with new music, going to see the dinosaurs, living in his own private feedback loop.
You may be right!
But let me tell you what's happening there.
You've got bands without tapes or hard drives, without a plethora of faceless backup musicians, who are able to replicate their hits and more.
The opener was the Doobie Brothers. You know I love the Doobies, but what impressed me most was how tight they were. How they just locked into a groove and wailed. Something even the Rolling Stones cannot do, never mind the youngsters.
The youngsters grew up in the era of MTV, if they even remember when that outlet played music videos, when a star could be made overnight. And some classic acts benefited from MTV exposure, but mostly the breakthrough performers were just that...performers, who focused on image as opposed to musical talent. Oh, I love Culture Club. But...if you didn't have a pretty face or an outrageous costume, you were not going to get traction. In other words, everybody sitting at home playing their guitar, waiting for their moment to prove it to the naysayers, to let the popular people know they had talent and were desirable...got squeezed out.
Ever hang with a classic rock artist? Volubility is not their forte. They speak with their instrument. Whereas a modern star is a spokesmodel, being poised and selling the product is what they do best. So what once was...the youngsters have never been exposed to.
And they weren't exposed to it last night either, because there were none in attendance.
Oh, I've been privy to all the b.s. saying Steve Miller is winning over a young audience. That's just what it is, b.s. The oldsters are going to the show to listen to the music, as the Doobies sang and the audience sang along.
But I was under the impression that Steve Miller was a hit machine, running through those midseventies nuggets that everybody knows, a night out to revel in nostalgia.
But I was stunned that that was not the case.
Steve Miller came to WAIL!
Go see the stars, usually some faceless dude handles the leads. Not that you can tell who's playing, because there are so many musicians on stage, never mind behind the curtains. Whereas Steve Miller is wiggling and wrangling the notes and he's evidencing a style, that not only made him unique, but very rich.
Sure, it emanated from the blues. But my point is you can go to the NAMM show and see twelve year olds with technique, but they've got no soul, no identity, and Steve Miller had and still has both.
Oh, he began with "Jungle Love." Went right into "Take The Money And Run." But from there he went into..."The Stake"?
Fans know the cut, from the "Book Of Dreams" album, it's the one that sounds like "Rocky Mountain Way," even though Joe Walsh did not sue. And based on the whoop of recognition last night, I think most in attendance believed it was "Rocky Mountain Way." And the track is derivative, but it is driving and it gave room for Steve to...play.
Isn't that why you go? To hear the people play?
Somehow a concert has become about the hits. Make 'em sound exactly as they do on the radio, keep the people satisfied. But the people don't know what they want. If you want them to come back, you've got to deliver what they do not expect. Like musicianship.
Who's today's guitar hero? You know, the one topping the chart?
I'm gonna let you in on a secret, referenced above... Want to be a guitar hero? You've got to practice and play! Miller said he was told he'd played the Fillmore more than any other act, 120 times. Most of the bands on the boards these days haven't performed 120 times in their lives!
And speaking of the Fillmore, Steve referenced Carlos Santana and their gigs there and said he was inspired to record "Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma" as a result.
That's from "The Joker," in case you aren't a fan.
And I didn't buy that album, I gave up with "Brave New World" before returning to the fold with "Fly Like An Eagle." Because I only had so much money and I'd been burned out on less than stellar material.
But I knew "Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma"...from the dorms! Because just because you didn't own it, that didn't mean you didn't hear it!
It's the fortieth anniversary of that album. Steve's gonna be seventy this year. That's a long time ago. Steve played a bunch of numbers from the LP, not that anybody in attendance knew he was gonna do so, that was not the focus of the marketing, but that's what at least half the set was all about...doing what Steve wanted, leading instead of following.
But the highlight of the show was the acoustic interlude, when Steve played "Wild Mountain Honey," "Gangster Of Love" and "Dance, Dance, Dance" solo. "Gangster of Love" slowed down and quiet gave it new levels of meaning. Yes, you can make the oldies new again if you take a risk, and you don't have to make the tune unrecognizable, like Bob Dylan, to achieve this.
But the non-musical highlight of the show was the screw-up, when the pedal steel wouldn't play. The roadie is frantically checking cables, time is a-wasting, and Miller is the coolest cat on the planet, you see he's been here before, he knows what to do.
First he says it's a roadie test. Then he says it must be serious, it always is when they unplug and re-plug cables, which illustrates the roadies have run out of ideas. And there's still no sound. And Steve says he's just gonna stand there. Suddenly, we're on his side experiencing an intimate moment, we're not angry there's no music, we too are waiting to see how this all works out.
Well, it was fixed. But it took much longer than it should have. But Steve threw no tantrum, didn't stalk off stage, he was a professional.
That's what too many of today's youngsters are not...because they don't have enough experience!
Am I telling you to go see Steve Miller and the Doobie Brothers?
Yes, I am. Because they're not going to be able to do it much longer. Everybody dies. Usually they get sick before. Hell, Steve paid tribute to Lonnie Turner and Norton Buffalo and too many who are no longer with us.
But unlike the actors, and now maybe too many musicians, Steve didn't attempt to freeze himself in time, a bizarre exercise wherein the performer appears thirty and everybody in the audience looks sixty. No, Steve had gray hair, he was not wearing a flashy outfit, he came to play.
And that's where I started.
Isn't that why you go?
P.S. So I'm sitting there listening to "The Joker" asking myself...how'd he come up with this? By '73, Steve Miller had already peaked, everybody's money was on his old bandmate Boz Scaggs. But rather than replicating what he'd done before, Steve Miller came up with something so outside, it flew up the chart. I mean if you were at home, with no radio, you would have considered "The Joker" an album track... Innovation made music monstrous, not dancing, plastic surgery, social networking or me-tooism. Steve Miller can still sell out sheds because if you want what he's got, you can't get it anywhere else.
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Rhinofy-Murray the K's Holiday Revue
I went to college with his son!
Only baby boomers know how big the deejays were.
In New York, Cousin Brucie was on WABC, he was for the masses, like me, the young, safe kids.
B. Mitchell Reed was on WMCA. He was the hipster. Who came from L.A.
And on the far end of the dial, at 1010 WINS, was New York's favorite, the Fifth Beatle, Murray the K.
Actually, I became a big fan of Murray the K when he shifted to the FM band, Tom Donahue may have started free-form radio in San Francisco, but to this day that city's an island, a small market, the breakthrough was in New York, on WOR-FM, where Murray the K was not only the prime time deejay, but the program director.
At first I only listened to my dad's transistor. The one in the downstairs bathroom, covered in leather. Yup, just like today, with iPhones, your transistor had a case! Then I got my own stereo, with an FM tuner and...
My idea of a good Saturday night was to unhinge the speaker, drag it to the bathroom door, as far it would go, and listen to the aural trip of WOR while I took a bath.
That's the only thing that happened. Don't let your mind get carried away.
But mine did. With the long version of "Light My Fire." Full album sides. It was an insider's world when most people were clueless, they didn't even have FM radios, if they were in cars, in Lincolns and Cadillacs and Thunderbirds, they got lousy reception.
But this is jumping way ahead...
Back in '65, when I was already addicted, when I'd given up singles and was buying albums...
Someone gave me a gift of Murray the K's holiday show. On vinyl. One LP.
And Jill left it in the sun and it warped, a huge bubble, which made it unplayable.
It was a family crisis, even bigger than when Wendy's dog chewed up the cover of my Blood, Sweat & Tears LP...at least that still played!
I thought about that record for decades.
And searching for a version of the "Bristol Stomp," last weekend I found it on Spotify, not the iteration I remember, it's a two album set, but it's got all my favorites, the songs I loved then and the songs I've come to love now.
LINDA
"L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L...LINDA!"
I loved Jan & Dean even more than the Beach Boys. I didn't own this cut on any of my albums.
What makes this so great is the crowd underneath. You feel like you're at the show!
I'm worried Jan Berry's been forgotten forever. But he was a wunderkind too, not quite Brian Wilson, but those records were...magic.
MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK
The best track on the set, something I didn't know from the radio, I was too young, but this was so infectious...it's the antithesis of today's vocalists, wherein everybody belts and there's no nuance.
It's a ditty, a trifle...but there's MEANING!
TOWN WITHOUT PITY
Oh, the way the band intros the song!
Gene's peak was "It Hurts To Be In Love"...DAY AND NIGHT, NIGHT AND DAY! But this...is totally different, and great in its own way. It'd be as if Jay-Z suddenly became a crooner...ah, that could never happen, today you do one thing and that's it. Whereas Gene Pitney not only performed in multiple styles, he wrote "He's A Rebel" and "Hello Mary Lou"! (Albeit with Cayet Mangiaracina on the Ricky Nelson hit...)
UNDER THE BOARDWALK
We'll be havin' some fun!
They don't make summer songs like this anymore. There are songs of the summer, but unlike this and the Lovin' Spoonful hit, they don't evoke the season, the change in atmosphere, the...illicit behavior.
HE'S SO FINE
The song George Harrison supposedly ripped-off.
I believe he didn't, but Bright Tunes thought otherwise.
But the song is SO FINE!
SHOP AROUND
Back before Smokey had all the plastic surgery, when he truly was young.
I didn't dig this back then, I know how great it is now!
And it goes on from there...
Maybe you had to be there, not at the gig, but during the sixties. Back when music drove the culture, when the baby boomers were the biggest bubble and whatever they said went, hell, to a great degree that's still the case!
It's the energy, the performance...
The era.
P.S. I know, I know, "Bristol Stomp" is not on this album...but listen to it anyway, from before you could swear on TV, when we were all innocent, except...behind closed doors.
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/p6HcZ8
Previous Rhinofy playlists: http://www.rhinofy.com/lefsetz
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Only baby boomers know how big the deejays were.
In New York, Cousin Brucie was on WABC, he was for the masses, like me, the young, safe kids.
B. Mitchell Reed was on WMCA. He was the hipster. Who came from L.A.
And on the far end of the dial, at 1010 WINS, was New York's favorite, the Fifth Beatle, Murray the K.
Actually, I became a big fan of Murray the K when he shifted to the FM band, Tom Donahue may have started free-form radio in San Francisco, but to this day that city's an island, a small market, the breakthrough was in New York, on WOR-FM, where Murray the K was not only the prime time deejay, but the program director.
At first I only listened to my dad's transistor. The one in the downstairs bathroom, covered in leather. Yup, just like today, with iPhones, your transistor had a case! Then I got my own stereo, with an FM tuner and...
My idea of a good Saturday night was to unhinge the speaker, drag it to the bathroom door, as far it would go, and listen to the aural trip of WOR while I took a bath.
That's the only thing that happened. Don't let your mind get carried away.
But mine did. With the long version of "Light My Fire." Full album sides. It was an insider's world when most people were clueless, they didn't even have FM radios, if they were in cars, in Lincolns and Cadillacs and Thunderbirds, they got lousy reception.
But this is jumping way ahead...
Back in '65, when I was already addicted, when I'd given up singles and was buying albums...
Someone gave me a gift of Murray the K's holiday show. On vinyl. One LP.
And Jill left it in the sun and it warped, a huge bubble, which made it unplayable.
It was a family crisis, even bigger than when Wendy's dog chewed up the cover of my Blood, Sweat & Tears LP...at least that still played!
I thought about that record for decades.
And searching for a version of the "Bristol Stomp," last weekend I found it on Spotify, not the iteration I remember, it's a two album set, but it's got all my favorites, the songs I loved then and the songs I've come to love now.
LINDA
"L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L...LINDA!"
I loved Jan & Dean even more than the Beach Boys. I didn't own this cut on any of my albums.
What makes this so great is the crowd underneath. You feel like you're at the show!
I'm worried Jan Berry's been forgotten forever. But he was a wunderkind too, not quite Brian Wilson, but those records were...magic.
MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK
The best track on the set, something I didn't know from the radio, I was too young, but this was so infectious...it's the antithesis of today's vocalists, wherein everybody belts and there's no nuance.
It's a ditty, a trifle...but there's MEANING!
TOWN WITHOUT PITY
Oh, the way the band intros the song!
Gene's peak was "It Hurts To Be In Love"...DAY AND NIGHT, NIGHT AND DAY! But this...is totally different, and great in its own way. It'd be as if Jay-Z suddenly became a crooner...ah, that could never happen, today you do one thing and that's it. Whereas Gene Pitney not only performed in multiple styles, he wrote "He's A Rebel" and "Hello Mary Lou"! (Albeit with Cayet Mangiaracina on the Ricky Nelson hit...)
UNDER THE BOARDWALK
We'll be havin' some fun!
They don't make summer songs like this anymore. There are songs of the summer, but unlike this and the Lovin' Spoonful hit, they don't evoke the season, the change in atmosphere, the...illicit behavior.
HE'S SO FINE
The song George Harrison supposedly ripped-off.
I believe he didn't, but Bright Tunes thought otherwise.
But the song is SO FINE!
SHOP AROUND
Back before Smokey had all the plastic surgery, when he truly was young.
I didn't dig this back then, I know how great it is now!
And it goes on from there...
Maybe you had to be there, not at the gig, but during the sixties. Back when music drove the culture, when the baby boomers were the biggest bubble and whatever they said went, hell, to a great degree that's still the case!
It's the energy, the performance...
The era.
P.S. I know, I know, "Bristol Stomp" is not on this album...but listen to it anyway, from before you could swear on TV, when we were all innocent, except...behind closed doors.
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/p6HcZ8
Previous Rhinofy playlists: http://www.rhinofy.com/lefsetz
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Thursday 20 June 2013
Jay-Z/Samsung/SoundScan
Huh?
Which way do you want it, new model or old? Because like almost everything else in life, you can't have it both ways.
For those coming up to speed, Jay-Z offers an overhyped "collaboration" with Samsung wherein the electronics company buys a million albums at five bucks apiece and distributes them via Android apps. And now Jay-Z is pissed that SoundScan won't count the million as sold, that it won't let him enter the chart at number one and garner all that publicity.
That's how far we've come. The music is irrelevant. It's all about the money and the media.
The money... Jay-Z gets millions. Isn't that enough? Do you see the bankers bitching they're not in the newspaper? No, the bankers are smart, they don't want people to know their business, how much money they're making, they fear the backlash. And they're making the real bucks, unlike entertainers...
You don't want your name in the paper. If you're using the media to stimulate sales, what happens when they stop hyping you? Yup, nobody lasts forever.
Furthermore, what is a sale anymore? Does that metric even count? With people stealing, listening on YouTube and streaming on Spotify, et al? What we really want to know is whether anybody LISTENED to your music!
Hell, that metric is starting to appear. Go on Spotify, look at the play counts. It's pretty fascinating.
Then again, the entertainment business hates statistics, at least those it can't manipulate. Big time entertainment is all about smoke and mirrors, and the complicit press does no homework. Attendance figures? How many of the seats were sold at a discount, how many were given away? This is the currency of the insider, but the insiders won't speak to the press, there's no upside in this. Because the reporter tells the story and then...moves on to something else. If you haven't felt ripped-off by the press, you've never spoken to a reporter.
As for a big first week so retailers will stock more physical inventory... Indie retailers are pissed Jay-Z's doing the Samsung deal. And the whole concept of physical is utterly ridiculous. Let me see... You take orders based on hype, you manufacture and ship product, and then you hope you've got enough in stock to meet demand without having too many shipped back. Whereas online, inventory is ready to be delivered to the customer upon true demand. This is why the artists had it wrong about Napster, it's not like stealing a CD, because the replication and distribution costs are bupkes.
As for keeping your songs off Spotify, what exactly are you accomplishing? That just drives people to YouTube, America's number one streaming service.
It's almost like artists want nothing to do with the future. Media outlets too. Radio doesn't want to break new bands that start new trends, they just want more of what came before. Newspapers don't have enough staff to cover the story as well as the frequently unpaid experts writing for the love of it do so well online. I mean who you gonna trust on record reviews, the "New York Times" or Pitchfork? And I can delineate the flaws with Pitchfork all day long! And then there are the data aggregators, like Amazon and iTunes, with their user reviews. You can see what the public thinks about the product, as opposed to self-anointed experts in the paper. Not that there are not good critics in the mainstream media, but so many are so self-satisfied, it's laughable.
And then you've got the baby boomers propping the whole thing up. Yup, boomers just want to get paid until they retire, then they're gonna withdraw their support and the whole edifice will collapse.
But rank and file citizens are not paragons of practicality, they don't believe in kumbaya. If there's any chance someone's gonna suffer, that their job will be sacrificed for the greater good, for a move into the future, it just can't happen.
And it used to be artists were the leaders, showing the new way.
Now artists are laughable clowns in search of revenue. Hell, Jay-Z, you got paid, isn't that enough?
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Which way do you want it, new model or old? Because like almost everything else in life, you can't have it both ways.
For those coming up to speed, Jay-Z offers an overhyped "collaboration" with Samsung wherein the electronics company buys a million albums at five bucks apiece and distributes them via Android apps. And now Jay-Z is pissed that SoundScan won't count the million as sold, that it won't let him enter the chart at number one and garner all that publicity.
That's how far we've come. The music is irrelevant. It's all about the money and the media.
The money... Jay-Z gets millions. Isn't that enough? Do you see the bankers bitching they're not in the newspaper? No, the bankers are smart, they don't want people to know their business, how much money they're making, they fear the backlash. And they're making the real bucks, unlike entertainers...
You don't want your name in the paper. If you're using the media to stimulate sales, what happens when they stop hyping you? Yup, nobody lasts forever.
Furthermore, what is a sale anymore? Does that metric even count? With people stealing, listening on YouTube and streaming on Spotify, et al? What we really want to know is whether anybody LISTENED to your music!
Hell, that metric is starting to appear. Go on Spotify, look at the play counts. It's pretty fascinating.
Then again, the entertainment business hates statistics, at least those it can't manipulate. Big time entertainment is all about smoke and mirrors, and the complicit press does no homework. Attendance figures? How many of the seats were sold at a discount, how many were given away? This is the currency of the insider, but the insiders won't speak to the press, there's no upside in this. Because the reporter tells the story and then...moves on to something else. If you haven't felt ripped-off by the press, you've never spoken to a reporter.
As for a big first week so retailers will stock more physical inventory... Indie retailers are pissed Jay-Z's doing the Samsung deal. And the whole concept of physical is utterly ridiculous. Let me see... You take orders based on hype, you manufacture and ship product, and then you hope you've got enough in stock to meet demand without having too many shipped back. Whereas online, inventory is ready to be delivered to the customer upon true demand. This is why the artists had it wrong about Napster, it's not like stealing a CD, because the replication and distribution costs are bupkes.
As for keeping your songs off Spotify, what exactly are you accomplishing? That just drives people to YouTube, America's number one streaming service.
It's almost like artists want nothing to do with the future. Media outlets too. Radio doesn't want to break new bands that start new trends, they just want more of what came before. Newspapers don't have enough staff to cover the story as well as the frequently unpaid experts writing for the love of it do so well online. I mean who you gonna trust on record reviews, the "New York Times" or Pitchfork? And I can delineate the flaws with Pitchfork all day long! And then there are the data aggregators, like Amazon and iTunes, with their user reviews. You can see what the public thinks about the product, as opposed to self-anointed experts in the paper. Not that there are not good critics in the mainstream media, but so many are so self-satisfied, it's laughable.
And then you've got the baby boomers propping the whole thing up. Yup, boomers just want to get paid until they retire, then they're gonna withdraw their support and the whole edifice will collapse.
But rank and file citizens are not paragons of practicality, they don't believe in kumbaya. If there's any chance someone's gonna suffer, that their job will be sacrificed for the greater good, for a move into the future, it just can't happen.
And it used to be artists were the leaders, showing the new way.
Now artists are laughable clowns in search of revenue. Hell, Jay-Z, you got paid, isn't that enough?
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E-Mail Of The Day
Hi Bob,
Music 'big business' is slowly looking-sounding-smelling-feeling as appealing as Wall Street and/or the Vatican. (Maybe less smart and less "touchy-feely")
My dilemma: I want people to stream my music all day long (to their hearts content); but, I'm tired of watching the Daniel Ek's and the Mark Westerthefuck's buy new monstertruckairplanes and diamond studded ethnic babies.(tis the sheer principle of the matter)
It's not the money I make the art for, OR the other way around. I make art for the love of art and for the pleasure of creating something myself the only way I know how.
We have been tempted to pull THE USED material from all platforms but our ownâ€"but what does this accomplish? ("Until they became conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.â€â€"1984) Without the artist there is no business of art; yet, so many willing to play (play dead, maybe) that if you don't, you're trampled.
In all probability, it will be the artists who end up make it fair for the artists again somehow... but how? I value your opinion (most of the time), so some input would be great!
Love, Bert
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Music 'big business' is slowly looking-sounding-smelling-feeling as appealing as Wall Street and/or the Vatican. (Maybe less smart and less "touchy-feely")
My dilemma: I want people to stream my music all day long (to their hearts content); but, I'm tired of watching the Daniel Ek's and the Mark Westerthefuck's buy new monstertruckairplanes and diamond studded ethnic babies.(tis the sheer principle of the matter)
It's not the money I make the art for, OR the other way around. I make art for the love of art and for the pleasure of creating something myself the only way I know how.
We have been tempted to pull THE USED material from all platforms but our ownâ€"but what does this accomplish? ("Until they became conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.â€â€"1984) Without the artist there is no business of art; yet, so many willing to play (play dead, maybe) that if you don't, you're trampled.
In all probability, it will be the artists who end up make it fair for the artists again somehow... but how? I value your opinion (most of the time), so some input would be great!
Love, Bert
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Wednesday 19 June 2013
James Gandolfini
I'm in shock.
So I finish writing, close the Microsoft Word window, and what pops up but Tweetdeck.
The celebs' favorite, Kelly Oxford, is tweeting about Gandolfini and the ducks and it seems a bit out of nowhere, but that's where most of her tweets emanate from. Then I scan up my feed and I realize.
HE'S DEAD!
No, it didn't quite happen that way, it was kinda like December 8, 1990, when I was demonstrating my new car stereo to my buddy and every station was playing the Beatles. It starts to sink in. Something out of the ordinary is occurring. Maybe Gandolfini's gotten into a car accident, but I go to Google and that's when it's clear...
He's gone. At 51.
"All of a sudden I'm overcome by a feelin' of brief mortality
'Cause I'm gettin' on in the world
Comin' up on forty one years
Forty one stony gray steps towards the grave
You know, the box, awaits its grisly load
Now I'm gonna be food for worms"
I don't know why I played A3's album, known as Alabama 3 in the U.K., but anybody who did, and there weren't many of us, was immediately struck by "Woke Up This Morning." And when I heard it at the beginning of "The Sopranos"... It's the one intro I never fast-forwarded through, it was a prelude to my Sunday night ritual.
I was hip to James Gandolfini previously. He was unforgettable in "True Romance" and "Get Shorty," but at this point the only great cable television program was "Larry Sanders," we were not prepared for "The Sopranos."
I stumbled upon it in the middle of the night, waking up when I was sick, I was immediately hooked, I recorded it from the beginning and watched, and proceeded to tell everybody I knew about it.
Sure, there'd been reviews previously, which I'd ignored, everything spreads by trusted word of mouth these days.
And the breakthrough episode was Meadow checking out colleges, when Tony stumbles upon an old Mafioso in the witness protection program in Maine, and...kills him with his bare hands.
And then there was that episode where Meadow was punished by...having her Discover card taken away for three weeks, and she told her friend on the phone that she had her parents wrapped around her finger.
That's why "The Sopranos" was so damn good, it was so real, the nuances of modern life.
But now he's gone.
And people die every day. Literally. But I've never seen such an outpouring of sympathy and grief, it's like when Princess Diana died, but Gandolfini was just an actor.
In the best damn television show ever made.
Ask people who their Representative is, who ran for VP and lost last fall, they'll be flummoxed. But they all know Tony Soprano. That's art. When done right its cultural impact is limitless. Life is drudgery, art makes living worthwhile.
Oh, David Chase deserves a ton of credit. But without Gandolfini, the show wouldn't work.
"So long, John Coltrane and Charles Mingus
So long, Duke Ellington and Lester Young
So long, Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald
So long, Jimmy Reed
So long, Muddy Waters
And so long, Howlin' Wolf"
So long, James Gandolfini!
Like the Beatles, there was never a reunion. There was the peak, six seasons, and POOF!, it was done.
But you live on, not only in our hearts and our memories, but on the screen.
That's the power of excellence, that's the power of performance.
My only regret is that you're not here to experience it.
No one knows who will be remembered. You just take your chances and do the work. You can't worry about your legacy, you can just try to get it right. And when you do, we know, because we're watching.
And it's so damn rare.
"Woke Up This Morning": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbSxVNJqqP4
"The Sopranos Opening Theme": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLxSUKA--Dg
"True Romance": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKV-u2Uo3JU
"Get Shorty": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fkl53kNg20
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So I finish writing, close the Microsoft Word window, and what pops up but Tweetdeck.
The celebs' favorite, Kelly Oxford, is tweeting about Gandolfini and the ducks and it seems a bit out of nowhere, but that's where most of her tweets emanate from. Then I scan up my feed and I realize.
HE'S DEAD!
No, it didn't quite happen that way, it was kinda like December 8, 1990, when I was demonstrating my new car stereo to my buddy and every station was playing the Beatles. It starts to sink in. Something out of the ordinary is occurring. Maybe Gandolfini's gotten into a car accident, but I go to Google and that's when it's clear...
He's gone. At 51.
"All of a sudden I'm overcome by a feelin' of brief mortality
'Cause I'm gettin' on in the world
Comin' up on forty one years
Forty one stony gray steps towards the grave
You know, the box, awaits its grisly load
Now I'm gonna be food for worms"
I don't know why I played A3's album, known as Alabama 3 in the U.K., but anybody who did, and there weren't many of us, was immediately struck by "Woke Up This Morning." And when I heard it at the beginning of "The Sopranos"... It's the one intro I never fast-forwarded through, it was a prelude to my Sunday night ritual.
I was hip to James Gandolfini previously. He was unforgettable in "True Romance" and "Get Shorty," but at this point the only great cable television program was "Larry Sanders," we were not prepared for "The Sopranos."
I stumbled upon it in the middle of the night, waking up when I was sick, I was immediately hooked, I recorded it from the beginning and watched, and proceeded to tell everybody I knew about it.
Sure, there'd been reviews previously, which I'd ignored, everything spreads by trusted word of mouth these days.
And the breakthrough episode was Meadow checking out colleges, when Tony stumbles upon an old Mafioso in the witness protection program in Maine, and...kills him with his bare hands.
And then there was that episode where Meadow was punished by...having her Discover card taken away for three weeks, and she told her friend on the phone that she had her parents wrapped around her finger.
That's why "The Sopranos" was so damn good, it was so real, the nuances of modern life.
But now he's gone.
And people die every day. Literally. But I've never seen such an outpouring of sympathy and grief, it's like when Princess Diana died, but Gandolfini was just an actor.
In the best damn television show ever made.
Ask people who their Representative is, who ran for VP and lost last fall, they'll be flummoxed. But they all know Tony Soprano. That's art. When done right its cultural impact is limitless. Life is drudgery, art makes living worthwhile.
Oh, David Chase deserves a ton of credit. But without Gandolfini, the show wouldn't work.
"So long, John Coltrane and Charles Mingus
So long, Duke Ellington and Lester Young
So long, Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald
So long, Jimmy Reed
So long, Muddy Waters
And so long, Howlin' Wolf"
So long, James Gandolfini!
Like the Beatles, there was never a reunion. There was the peak, six seasons, and POOF!, it was done.
But you live on, not only in our hearts and our memories, but on the screen.
That's the power of excellence, that's the power of performance.
My only regret is that you're not here to experience it.
No one knows who will be remembered. You just take your chances and do the work. You can't worry about your legacy, you can just try to get it right. And when you do, we know, because we're watching.
And it's so damn rare.
"Woke Up This Morning": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbSxVNJqqP4
"The Sopranos Opening Theme": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLxSUKA--Dg
"True Romance": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKV-u2Uo3JU
"Get Shorty": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fkl53kNg20
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Moonshine
I'm not sure music is the same if you're popular, if you've got a million friends, if your phone is ringing, if it's overflowing with texts. Then it's sauce. Whereas if you spend more time in your room than at the malt shop, at the skating rink, music is EVERYTHING!
And unlike so much else...sex, intimacy, conversation...it's easily acquired. You can just turn on the radio, you can dig deeper, read magazines, surf online, you can own it.
That's what you do when you hear a track that raises your eyebrows, stops you in your tracks, you dig for more. And in the old days, the best way to do this was to buy the album. You broke the shrinkwrap, dropped the needle and...waited.
That's what I did with Bruno Mars's latest album, "Unorthodox Jukebox," only in this case I didn't have to buy it, I just pulled it up in Spotify. After hearing "When I Was Your Man."
And the opener, "Young Girls," was o.k. The follow-up, "Locked Out Of Heaven," the Police-style track...well, it's not bad, but it's too reminiscent of what once was without being special enough on its own terms.
And then came "Gorilla"... This is what made me want to continue to listen.
You see you hear one great track and you want to hear more.
No, it's different from that, you have your fingers crossed. Kind of like asking a girl if she wants to go on a date and waiting for the response. You hope for your life to be changed, but you know just as easily you could hit a dead end.
But if you've had good conversations before class... If she smiled and tossed her hair...then you know, you've got a chance.
That's what "Gorilla" was...a chance. I knew Bruno Mars had something.
And then I heard "Moonshine."
I'm gonna be out of town when Bruno Mars hits L.A., but I'd go just for this one song. I wanna be the guy in the audience who stands on his feet and sings along with his head in the air, not even looking at the performer, having a transcendent experience.
Yes, I'm that guy. Not the one blocking your view, I'm not gonna stay up if everybody else is sitting... No, I'm the guy who's there but not a member of the group, but in his own private reverie, connecting with the act, the music, having his life made on the spot.
Let's go back to "Gorilla"...
The verse is good, the feel, the ultimate intensity, but what truly makes the track is the chorus...
"You and me making love like gorillas"
It sounds like it comes off of Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust," or the Beatles' "Hey Jude." You just want to put your arms in the air, wave them back and forth and sing along.
This is a rock anthem. From a guy so busy jumping genres and getting plaudits for it that he's avoided settling into his own groove, finding out who he truly is.
Yes, "Unorthodox Jukebox" is only Bruno Mars's second album. In the old days, he'd just be warming up, he probably wouldn't even have a big hit yet. But today's starmaking machinery needs fodder, as does the media, it needs something, someone, to champion, and Bruno Mars gets kudos for imitating others on SNL and what we really want to know is...who is he?
And speaking of who he is... Maybe he's not a Top Forty wunderkind, but a classic rocker. When "Gorilla" fades, we want more. It changes, it's more Porcupine Tree than Rihanna...where would he go from here? In the old days there'd be minutes of instrumental experimentation, but now all we get is the...end.
And then "Treasure," which is more R&B than rock, and decent, but too much made for radio as opposed to testing limits.
And then comes "Moonshine."
What other song do I know with "Moonshine" in the title?
"Sister Moonshine," by Supertramp! And this new "Moonshine" is similar, because just like Supertramp's oeuvre, Bruno Mars's "Moonshine" is not made to fit into any genre, but stands completely alone...which causes us to be drawn to it.
Oh, I know online they say it's akin to Michael Jackson. But listen to the chorus...it's the anti-Michael Jackson!
Especially as his career wore on, Michael Jackson was about showing off, putting in vocal exclamations, imploring us to pay attention, whereas the chorus of "Moonshine" is a step back, it's more Jefferson Airplane than Michael Jackson.
And the bridge... It starts Michael Jacksony, but in the middle it's once again more rock than R&B.
Oh, forget all that.
Are you a winner? An upbeat world-beater who feels entitled to success?
Then stop reading this right now. Really. Hit delete and go on with your victorious life.
But if you've got more questions than answers, if good is not good enough for you, if you're constantly searching for greatness, if your life is made by excellence and you feel no one's paying attention to you...welcome aboard.
We can put on a happy face, we can get along with those at work, at school, but what we really want to do is let go, be ourselves and be accepted.
Good luck with that. I don't have the answers. I'm working on them, I'll get back to you if I ever figure it out. But in the interim, I put on my records and I feel like everything's all right with the world, that I can survive. And the feeling is so exquisite, I listen to my favorites over and over again. They're my drug, better than anything I've ever smoked or ingested. Hell, dope did not make my favorites better, but worse. Because, when done right, music is enough.
Okay, are you still here?
If you're the kind of person who needs to revel in your taste, put others down for what they listen to, it's your time to exit. We're fragile enough, I'm fragile enough, I don't need you to make me feel worse. Yup, unlike you, I'm susceptible to criticism, the first thing I do is evaluate myself, I'm convinced I'm wrong, when the truth is you are. Today they call it bullying, I'll just call it self-satisfied insecurity, you need others to feel worse about themselves so you can feel better.
Okay, that just leaves us. In our own private worlds. Once upon a time completely isolated, but through the magic of the Internet, now able to connect. And that's what I'm gonna do right now, connect you to this track, "Moonshine."
"Moonshine, take us to the stars tonight
Take us to that special place
That place we went the last time, the last time"
You know that place? When you listened to your favorite record and were so happy you wanted to open your windows and scream, needed to go to the gig just to hear this album track you were sure no one else knew...
WELCOME HOME!
Spotify playlist: http://spoti.fi/192r4FI
"Moonshine"-YouTube: http://bit.ly/SSWm4N
"Gorilla"-YouTube: http://bit.ly/TYVywd
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And unlike so much else...sex, intimacy, conversation...it's easily acquired. You can just turn on the radio, you can dig deeper, read magazines, surf online, you can own it.
That's what you do when you hear a track that raises your eyebrows, stops you in your tracks, you dig for more. And in the old days, the best way to do this was to buy the album. You broke the shrinkwrap, dropped the needle and...waited.
That's what I did with Bruno Mars's latest album, "Unorthodox Jukebox," only in this case I didn't have to buy it, I just pulled it up in Spotify. After hearing "When I Was Your Man."
And the opener, "Young Girls," was o.k. The follow-up, "Locked Out Of Heaven," the Police-style track...well, it's not bad, but it's too reminiscent of what once was without being special enough on its own terms.
And then came "Gorilla"... This is what made me want to continue to listen.
You see you hear one great track and you want to hear more.
No, it's different from that, you have your fingers crossed. Kind of like asking a girl if she wants to go on a date and waiting for the response. You hope for your life to be changed, but you know just as easily you could hit a dead end.
But if you've had good conversations before class... If she smiled and tossed her hair...then you know, you've got a chance.
That's what "Gorilla" was...a chance. I knew Bruno Mars had something.
And then I heard "Moonshine."
I'm gonna be out of town when Bruno Mars hits L.A., but I'd go just for this one song. I wanna be the guy in the audience who stands on his feet and sings along with his head in the air, not even looking at the performer, having a transcendent experience.
Yes, I'm that guy. Not the one blocking your view, I'm not gonna stay up if everybody else is sitting... No, I'm the guy who's there but not a member of the group, but in his own private reverie, connecting with the act, the music, having his life made on the spot.
Let's go back to "Gorilla"...
The verse is good, the feel, the ultimate intensity, but what truly makes the track is the chorus...
"You and me making love like gorillas"
It sounds like it comes off of Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust," or the Beatles' "Hey Jude." You just want to put your arms in the air, wave them back and forth and sing along.
This is a rock anthem. From a guy so busy jumping genres and getting plaudits for it that he's avoided settling into his own groove, finding out who he truly is.
Yes, "Unorthodox Jukebox" is only Bruno Mars's second album. In the old days, he'd just be warming up, he probably wouldn't even have a big hit yet. But today's starmaking machinery needs fodder, as does the media, it needs something, someone, to champion, and Bruno Mars gets kudos for imitating others on SNL and what we really want to know is...who is he?
And speaking of who he is... Maybe he's not a Top Forty wunderkind, but a classic rocker. When "Gorilla" fades, we want more. It changes, it's more Porcupine Tree than Rihanna...where would he go from here? In the old days there'd be minutes of instrumental experimentation, but now all we get is the...end.
And then "Treasure," which is more R&B than rock, and decent, but too much made for radio as opposed to testing limits.
And then comes "Moonshine."
What other song do I know with "Moonshine" in the title?
"Sister Moonshine," by Supertramp! And this new "Moonshine" is similar, because just like Supertramp's oeuvre, Bruno Mars's "Moonshine" is not made to fit into any genre, but stands completely alone...which causes us to be drawn to it.
Oh, I know online they say it's akin to Michael Jackson. But listen to the chorus...it's the anti-Michael Jackson!
Especially as his career wore on, Michael Jackson was about showing off, putting in vocal exclamations, imploring us to pay attention, whereas the chorus of "Moonshine" is a step back, it's more Jefferson Airplane than Michael Jackson.
And the bridge... It starts Michael Jacksony, but in the middle it's once again more rock than R&B.
Oh, forget all that.
Are you a winner? An upbeat world-beater who feels entitled to success?
Then stop reading this right now. Really. Hit delete and go on with your victorious life.
But if you've got more questions than answers, if good is not good enough for you, if you're constantly searching for greatness, if your life is made by excellence and you feel no one's paying attention to you...welcome aboard.
We can put on a happy face, we can get along with those at work, at school, but what we really want to do is let go, be ourselves and be accepted.
Good luck with that. I don't have the answers. I'm working on them, I'll get back to you if I ever figure it out. But in the interim, I put on my records and I feel like everything's all right with the world, that I can survive. And the feeling is so exquisite, I listen to my favorites over and over again. They're my drug, better than anything I've ever smoked or ingested. Hell, dope did not make my favorites better, but worse. Because, when done right, music is enough.
Okay, are you still here?
If you're the kind of person who needs to revel in your taste, put others down for what they listen to, it's your time to exit. We're fragile enough, I'm fragile enough, I don't need you to make me feel worse. Yup, unlike you, I'm susceptible to criticism, the first thing I do is evaluate myself, I'm convinced I'm wrong, when the truth is you are. Today they call it bullying, I'll just call it self-satisfied insecurity, you need others to feel worse about themselves so you can feel better.
Okay, that just leaves us. In our own private worlds. Once upon a time completely isolated, but through the magic of the Internet, now able to connect. And that's what I'm gonna do right now, connect you to this track, "Moonshine."
"Moonshine, take us to the stars tonight
Take us to that special place
That place we went the last time, the last time"
You know that place? When you listened to your favorite record and were so happy you wanted to open your windows and scream, needed to go to the gig just to hear this album track you were sure no one else knew...
WELCOME HOME!
Spotify playlist: http://spoti.fi/192r4FI
"Moonshine"-YouTube: http://bit.ly/SSWm4N
"Gorilla"-YouTube: http://bit.ly/TYVywd
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Tuesday 18 June 2013
Trusted Filters
I spent last night listening to the Spotify Top 100.
Well, most of it anyway.
You learn some amazing things, like most rap lyrics are so aspirational and so dumb that unless you buy in, cast all critical faculties aside, you listen and you laugh.
"I woke up in a new Bugatti"
Do you even know what a Bugatti is?
I'll tell you. It's a high profile marque owned by VW that costs $2.5 million. Maybe Ace Hood is hoping they'll send him one, after he raps about it. Or maybe they're paying him to spread the word on their halo product, so his audience will end up buying Jettas and Golfs, who knows!
Then there are tracks about bitches and ho's and making it from the bottom to the top and you have to ask yourself who listens to this stuff.
I'll tell you. Kids who want to belong.
That's what's been left out of the discussion of the Internet revolution, the human element.
We have wankers like Chris Anderson spreading the fiction of the long tail.
We've got hucksters like Tim Westergren providing tuneouts all the while saying he's helping indie artists make money as he lobbies to pay them less.
We've even got MOG/Daisy curating playlists.
But what I want is to feel a member of the group, to belong, to know I don't live in a Tower of Babel where nobody speaks my language.
That's why the ratings of live events, especially awards shows, have skyrocketed. It's not that they're any better than ever, it's not like we like them, but we do enjoy watching them and commenting about them on social media. It makes us feel...connected.
That's the ace in the hole of terrestrial radio. It's got the most ears. And everybody challenging terrestrial radio has got it wrong, they believe it's about niches, when truly it's about mass.
In other words, kids listen to terrestrial radio because other kids do.
But terrestrial radio is not beholden to the kids, but its advertisers. Therefore, few risks are taken. It's not about breaking new music, it's about keeping people listening, and that's not the same thing.
Which is why you can tune into terrestrial and not get it. Everything sounds like it used to. It's not only Top Forty, with drum machines from the eighties, but Active Rock. It's an endless recycling of what was.
And the techies are no better. Because they're all about the data. And to quote the aphorism, research will tell you where you've been, but it won't tell you where you're going.
In other words, the Spotify Top 100 will tell me what people are listening to, but not what's good, what could gain mass if only exposed.
But no one is pursuing this paradigm.
The techies believe in algorithms. And if you think an algorithm works in creative areas, you buy everything you purchase via Amazon recommendations. Huh? I ignore them!
As for the musos, they don't understand the game of music recommendation.
To curate today, you need all winners.
And these winners must not only appeal to you, but a vast audience.
Used to be different. With limited distribution, if you got on radio, you had a chance. Today, with everything available, the public is flummoxed, and the young people listen to Top Forty, the old people listen to classic rock and the acts keep complaining they can't make it.
I get it.
But in order to change the game, one must first focus on mass.
And mass doesn't always equate with hip.
Oh, so you know all the hip acts, you even know their good tracks.
But I'm gonna put it to you straight, the Dirty Projectors are never going mainstream, never gonna happen. That doesn't mean you can't like them, just that most people never will.
But most people will like much more than the Spotify Top 100.
But the problem is...there's not enough money in human music curation. That's the dirty little secret, economics. That's what's screwing up our whole damn country. Not only can you not get rich pursuing your creative dream, you can't pay your rent.
So we've got no development.
Then again, breakthroughs always begin with dreams, money is secondary, if you're willing to work forever for peanuts, your time sometimes comes.
So what we need is new gatekeepers, new curators, not dozens, but fewer than five, who gain mass introducing the public to new music. Expanding their horizons, breaking acts.
But I see no effort in sight.
I see millions of playlists by people who want to be hip.
I see no rhyme or reason in the reviews on Pitchfork.
There's nowhere I can go and listen to ten tracks and like eight or nine.
And I'm not the only one.
P.S. The best thing I heard in the Spotify Top 100, other than Daft Punk, is Bruno Mars's "When I Was Your Man." It's got the haunting feel of Elton John's American debut and a good change but...mediocre lyrics. It's good, but not quite good enough. If only he were pushed a bit further, he'd be closer to Adele, who's the biggest seller of the past couple of years, whose music sold itself.
P.P.S. Chris Brown... You may hate him, but listen to his music and you'll see it's better than most of his contemporaries'. That doesn't mean you're gonna want to listen to it in the future, but that's why despite all the Rihanna b.s., he still has a career.
P.P.P.S. Fall Out Boy may have come back, but unless you're a fan, you'll click to skip "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)." That's the problem in a nutshell, we can click to skip, you've got to make music that keeps us stuck.
P.P.P.P.S. Ellie Goulding's "Anything Can Happen" is a trifle that doesn't quite clear the bar, but if you continue to listen to it you get into it. But if you read the hype and checked her out you'd say to yourself...huh?
P.P.P.P.P.S. Fun. is like Bruno Mars, only not as good. You're relieved when they come on your iPhone, but then you continue to listen and say...this is good, but not great, and we've only got time today for great.
P.P.P.P.P.P.S. Check out Calvin Harris's "Sweet Nothing," featuring Florence Welch. If you say you hate EDM, after listening to this you'll say you don't. It sounds a bit like an NBA anthem, but it's refreshing compared to the dated hip-hop.
P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. This is how bad things are... Ke$ha's positively stupid "Die Young" sounds good. There's nothing new here, which is exactly how radio likes it.
P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. You'll understand why Vampire Weekend's album debuted at number one when you listen to "Unbelievers" and "Step," the tracks radiate intelligence and creativity. Forget everything you knew about the band previously, they've grown, they almost deserve your attention.
P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. "Clarity", featuring Foxes, is close...you listen to at least half wanting it to get better, but it's still not bad.
P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. And another good track is Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines." It's a Prince rip-off, it sounds positively eighties, and the purple one does this so much better, but if you don't find yourself nodding your head and moving your body while listening to this...you're dead. Proving that just because it's mainstream, that doesn't mean it's bad.
Spotify playlist: http://spoti.fi/11MIXzH
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Well, most of it anyway.
You learn some amazing things, like most rap lyrics are so aspirational and so dumb that unless you buy in, cast all critical faculties aside, you listen and you laugh.
"I woke up in a new Bugatti"
Do you even know what a Bugatti is?
I'll tell you. It's a high profile marque owned by VW that costs $2.5 million. Maybe Ace Hood is hoping they'll send him one, after he raps about it. Or maybe they're paying him to spread the word on their halo product, so his audience will end up buying Jettas and Golfs, who knows!
Then there are tracks about bitches and ho's and making it from the bottom to the top and you have to ask yourself who listens to this stuff.
I'll tell you. Kids who want to belong.
That's what's been left out of the discussion of the Internet revolution, the human element.
We have wankers like Chris Anderson spreading the fiction of the long tail.
We've got hucksters like Tim Westergren providing tuneouts all the while saying he's helping indie artists make money as he lobbies to pay them less.
We've even got MOG/Daisy curating playlists.
But what I want is to feel a member of the group, to belong, to know I don't live in a Tower of Babel where nobody speaks my language.
That's why the ratings of live events, especially awards shows, have skyrocketed. It's not that they're any better than ever, it's not like we like them, but we do enjoy watching them and commenting about them on social media. It makes us feel...connected.
That's the ace in the hole of terrestrial radio. It's got the most ears. And everybody challenging terrestrial radio has got it wrong, they believe it's about niches, when truly it's about mass.
In other words, kids listen to terrestrial radio because other kids do.
But terrestrial radio is not beholden to the kids, but its advertisers. Therefore, few risks are taken. It's not about breaking new music, it's about keeping people listening, and that's not the same thing.
Which is why you can tune into terrestrial and not get it. Everything sounds like it used to. It's not only Top Forty, with drum machines from the eighties, but Active Rock. It's an endless recycling of what was.
And the techies are no better. Because they're all about the data. And to quote the aphorism, research will tell you where you've been, but it won't tell you where you're going.
In other words, the Spotify Top 100 will tell me what people are listening to, but not what's good, what could gain mass if only exposed.
But no one is pursuing this paradigm.
The techies believe in algorithms. And if you think an algorithm works in creative areas, you buy everything you purchase via Amazon recommendations. Huh? I ignore them!
As for the musos, they don't understand the game of music recommendation.
To curate today, you need all winners.
And these winners must not only appeal to you, but a vast audience.
Used to be different. With limited distribution, if you got on radio, you had a chance. Today, with everything available, the public is flummoxed, and the young people listen to Top Forty, the old people listen to classic rock and the acts keep complaining they can't make it.
I get it.
But in order to change the game, one must first focus on mass.
And mass doesn't always equate with hip.
Oh, so you know all the hip acts, you even know their good tracks.
But I'm gonna put it to you straight, the Dirty Projectors are never going mainstream, never gonna happen. That doesn't mean you can't like them, just that most people never will.
But most people will like much more than the Spotify Top 100.
But the problem is...there's not enough money in human music curation. That's the dirty little secret, economics. That's what's screwing up our whole damn country. Not only can you not get rich pursuing your creative dream, you can't pay your rent.
So we've got no development.
Then again, breakthroughs always begin with dreams, money is secondary, if you're willing to work forever for peanuts, your time sometimes comes.
So what we need is new gatekeepers, new curators, not dozens, but fewer than five, who gain mass introducing the public to new music. Expanding their horizons, breaking acts.
But I see no effort in sight.
I see millions of playlists by people who want to be hip.
I see no rhyme or reason in the reviews on Pitchfork.
There's nowhere I can go and listen to ten tracks and like eight or nine.
And I'm not the only one.
P.S. The best thing I heard in the Spotify Top 100, other than Daft Punk, is Bruno Mars's "When I Was Your Man." It's got the haunting feel of Elton John's American debut and a good change but...mediocre lyrics. It's good, but not quite good enough. If only he were pushed a bit further, he'd be closer to Adele, who's the biggest seller of the past couple of years, whose music sold itself.
P.P.S. Chris Brown... You may hate him, but listen to his music and you'll see it's better than most of his contemporaries'. That doesn't mean you're gonna want to listen to it in the future, but that's why despite all the Rihanna b.s., he still has a career.
P.P.P.S. Fall Out Boy may have come back, but unless you're a fan, you'll click to skip "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)." That's the problem in a nutshell, we can click to skip, you've got to make music that keeps us stuck.
P.P.P.P.S. Ellie Goulding's "Anything Can Happen" is a trifle that doesn't quite clear the bar, but if you continue to listen to it you get into it. But if you read the hype and checked her out you'd say to yourself...huh?
P.P.P.P.P.S. Fun. is like Bruno Mars, only not as good. You're relieved when they come on your iPhone, but then you continue to listen and say...this is good, but not great, and we've only got time today for great.
P.P.P.P.P.P.S. Check out Calvin Harris's "Sweet Nothing," featuring Florence Welch. If you say you hate EDM, after listening to this you'll say you don't. It sounds a bit like an NBA anthem, but it's refreshing compared to the dated hip-hop.
P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. This is how bad things are... Ke$ha's positively stupid "Die Young" sounds good. There's nothing new here, which is exactly how radio likes it.
P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. You'll understand why Vampire Weekend's album debuted at number one when you listen to "Unbelievers" and "Step," the tracks radiate intelligence and creativity. Forget everything you knew about the band previously, they've grown, they almost deserve your attention.
P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. "Clarity", featuring Foxes, is close...you listen to at least half wanting it to get better, but it's still not bad.
P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. And another good track is Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines." It's a Prince rip-off, it sounds positively eighties, and the purple one does this so much better, but if you don't find yourself nodding your head and moving your body while listening to this...you're dead. Proving that just because it's mainstream, that doesn't mean it's bad.
Spotify playlist: http://spoti.fi/11MIXzH
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Monday 17 June 2013
Then/Now
THEN
You asked for directions.
NOW
You ask for the address.
THEN
You talked on the phone.
NOW
You text on the phone.
THEN
If you were lucky, your parents bought you your own extension when you were sixteen, possibly a Princess phone!
NOW
You get your own phone with its own line when you're ten. Maybe even younger!
THEN
You went home to check your e-mail.
NOW
E-mail is too slow, you're in constant touch with your friends via text and instant messaging programs wherever you go.
THEN
You got a busy signal.
NOW
If someone is not easily reachable you think something bad happened to them.
THEN
Movies played for months, if you missed them, they were gone forever.
NOW
You're angry when every movie ever made is not available for Netflix streaming.
THEN
You watched old movies on HBO.
NOW
You watch original programming on HBO, which is better than the movies in the theatre.
THEN
You discussed the merits of movies, they drove the culture.
NOW
You discuss the merits of television shows, they drive the culture.
THEN
Successful musicians thought they were rich, despite frequently blowing all their income on drugs.
NOW
Musicians are not satisfied with their incomes, they're always comparing themselves to others up the food chain, trying to imitate them by investing in tech startups.
THEN
People sang about their pain.
NOW
People sing about how they're winners and are better than you.
THEN
You begged your parents for a transistor.
NOW
You beg your parents for a phone.
THEN
You bought it because it said Sony.
NOW
You buy it because it says Samsung.
THEN
People sat around in circles singing the songs of the day.
NOW
You can't even sing the hits.
THEN
Artists were on top of the food chain, they recorded their albums in private and delivered them to the label, finished.
NOW
Executives are on top of the food chain, they constantly meddle in the artistic process, execs believe that without them, there'd be no good music.
THEN
Your parents were on a need to know basis, and they didn't.
NOW
You tell your parents everything, even discussing the intricacies of your love life.
THEN
You turned sixteen and started working to save money for a car.
NOW
You turn sixteen and if your parents don't buy you a car you sulk and tell your friends they're mean.
THEN
If someone told you they were going to be on television, you stayed home and watched.
NOW
Everybody's been on television, it's no big deal, and if you truly need to be famous, you make a YouTube clip and spam everybody you know, telling them to watch it.
THEN
The record labels screwed the artists.
NOW
The record labels screw the artists.
THEN
You complained wireless was too slow.
NOW
LTE is faster than many people's home broadband.
THEN
Old people were fat and young people were skinny.
NOW
Young people are fat and old people are skinny, most especially the educated class.
THEN
You graduated from college and took a year or two off, to travel, to find out who you were.
NOW
There's no time to waste, you oftentimes begin your career while you're still in college.
THEN
People believed the American Dream was true, that they could make it from the bottom to the top via smarts and hard work.
NOW
People still believe the American Dream is true, even though the game is rigged against them and social mobility is more possible in Europe.
THEN
You admired politicians.
NOW
Who'd want to be President?
THEN
The Democrats fought for the people.
NOW
The Democrats fight for the corporations.
THEN
The Republicans were the party of smart people.
NOW
The Republicans are the party of dumb people.
THEN
Musicians said no to corporations.
NOW
Musicians say yes to corporations.
THEN
Rock drove the culture.
NOW
No type of music drives the culture.
THEN
We practiced our instruments to become rock stars.
NOW
We practice our social networking skills to become rock stars.
THEN
Your dream was to buy a powerful desktop computer.
NOW
Your dream is to buy a tablet.
THEN
Your computer was obsolete when you drove home from the store.
NOW
You can easily use a six or seven year old computer.
THEN
You never wanted the initial iteration.
NOW
If it's not perfect from the get-go, you're stunned.
THEN
Cars had roll-up windows and no a/c.
NOW
All cars have electric windows and a/c.
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You asked for directions.
NOW
You ask for the address.
THEN
You talked on the phone.
NOW
You text on the phone.
THEN
If you were lucky, your parents bought you your own extension when you were sixteen, possibly a Princess phone!
NOW
You get your own phone with its own line when you're ten. Maybe even younger!
THEN
You went home to check your e-mail.
NOW
E-mail is too slow, you're in constant touch with your friends via text and instant messaging programs wherever you go.
THEN
You got a busy signal.
NOW
If someone is not easily reachable you think something bad happened to them.
THEN
Movies played for months, if you missed them, they were gone forever.
NOW
You're angry when every movie ever made is not available for Netflix streaming.
THEN
You watched old movies on HBO.
NOW
You watch original programming on HBO, which is better than the movies in the theatre.
THEN
You discussed the merits of movies, they drove the culture.
NOW
You discuss the merits of television shows, they drive the culture.
THEN
Successful musicians thought they were rich, despite frequently blowing all their income on drugs.
NOW
Musicians are not satisfied with their incomes, they're always comparing themselves to others up the food chain, trying to imitate them by investing in tech startups.
THEN
People sang about their pain.
NOW
People sing about how they're winners and are better than you.
THEN
You begged your parents for a transistor.
NOW
You beg your parents for a phone.
THEN
You bought it because it said Sony.
NOW
You buy it because it says Samsung.
THEN
People sat around in circles singing the songs of the day.
NOW
You can't even sing the hits.
THEN
Artists were on top of the food chain, they recorded their albums in private and delivered them to the label, finished.
NOW
Executives are on top of the food chain, they constantly meddle in the artistic process, execs believe that without them, there'd be no good music.
THEN
Your parents were on a need to know basis, and they didn't.
NOW
You tell your parents everything, even discussing the intricacies of your love life.
THEN
You turned sixteen and started working to save money for a car.
NOW
You turn sixteen and if your parents don't buy you a car you sulk and tell your friends they're mean.
THEN
If someone told you they were going to be on television, you stayed home and watched.
NOW
Everybody's been on television, it's no big deal, and if you truly need to be famous, you make a YouTube clip and spam everybody you know, telling them to watch it.
THEN
The record labels screwed the artists.
NOW
The record labels screw the artists.
THEN
You complained wireless was too slow.
NOW
LTE is faster than many people's home broadband.
THEN
Old people were fat and young people were skinny.
NOW
Young people are fat and old people are skinny, most especially the educated class.
THEN
You graduated from college and took a year or two off, to travel, to find out who you were.
NOW
There's no time to waste, you oftentimes begin your career while you're still in college.
THEN
People believed the American Dream was true, that they could make it from the bottom to the top via smarts and hard work.
NOW
People still believe the American Dream is true, even though the game is rigged against them and social mobility is more possible in Europe.
THEN
You admired politicians.
NOW
Who'd want to be President?
THEN
The Democrats fought for the people.
NOW
The Democrats fight for the corporations.
THEN
The Republicans were the party of smart people.
NOW
The Republicans are the party of dumb people.
THEN
Musicians said no to corporations.
NOW
Musicians say yes to corporations.
THEN
Rock drove the culture.
NOW
No type of music drives the culture.
THEN
We practiced our instruments to become rock stars.
NOW
We practice our social networking skills to become rock stars.
THEN
Your dream was to buy a powerful desktop computer.
NOW
Your dream is to buy a tablet.
THEN
Your computer was obsolete when you drove home from the store.
NOW
You can easily use a six or seven year old computer.
THEN
You never wanted the initial iteration.
NOW
If it's not perfect from the get-go, you're stunned.
THEN
Cars had roll-up windows and no a/c.
NOW
All cars have electric windows and a/c.
--
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--
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Sunday 16 June 2013
Jay-Z/Samsung
Who's the winner here?
SAMSUNG!
I know, I know, it's part of the hip-hop ethos, to stick it to the man, to take him for everything he's worth, laughing all the while, and this is all very well done, Jay-Z appears thoughtful, one can argue he maintains his credibility...just one thing, it no longer matters whether anybody buys your album, whether you get paid, but whether people LISTEN TO IT!
So Samsung buys a million albums at five bucks apiece to give away..
Name one tune on Prince's album. You know, the one they gave away with the newspaper, over in England. Hell, I can't even remember its NAME!
We need a reboot in music. Everybody's so busy scrambling for cash, declaring the old economics don't work, that they're sacrificing their very core.
I just don't get it.
What is an artist anyway? Is an artist someone who makes a lot of money? Someone everybody knows the name of? Or someone whose music tests limits, makes one think, changes the culture. Will Jay-Z's music do this? I've got no idea, but this campaign has got nothing to do with music and everything to do with money.
But it does get the word out. And that's a hard thing to do today. Yes, more people know Jay-Z's album is coming than yesterday, and that's a good thing.
But one thing we know about stunts, they work once.
Radiohead could do name your price...once, and then the paradigm was dead.
Justin Timberlake overexposed himself to a hit, I'm not sure this is a replicable paradigm, if for no reason other than there's only one Justin Timberlake.
So Jay-Z gives away his album via a Samsung app. How many more people are going to do this before the public tires of the game?
What ever happened to leading with the music?
Sure, there was a minor publicity campaign to get people interested in the Daft Punk album, but what truly sold it was the single, "Get Lucky." How many tracks have you heard this good since? In the whole first half of the year?
In other words, Samsung lasts, acts come and go.
What's the end game here? Tying in with Exxon, so you get the album with ten gallons of gas? Or one track for every Big Mac? Or a meeting with the artist if you open a Goldman Sachs account? Are we really just gonna go down the rabbit hole, selling our souls to the highest bidder, tying in with anybody who'll pay?
Call me old-fashioned, call me a Luddite, but I like my music sans corporate endorsements. I want to believe the artist is only beholden to me. If the problem is you can't make enough money, that the middle class is getting squeezed out, I want to band together with artists to change it, not have them shrug their shoulders and get in bed with the perpetrators of the problem.
You can blame the labels, you can blame the agents, you can blame the promoters, but the buck truly stops with the act. Only the act has the power to execute change.
And Jay-Z tying up with Samsung is not change I can believe in.
"Samsung to Give Away 1 Million Copies of Jay-Z's New Album": http://on.wsj.com/12PFLKm
"Festivals not corporate enough, say kids": http://bit.ly/19oW1TT
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SAMSUNG!
I know, I know, it's part of the hip-hop ethos, to stick it to the man, to take him for everything he's worth, laughing all the while, and this is all very well done, Jay-Z appears thoughtful, one can argue he maintains his credibility...just one thing, it no longer matters whether anybody buys your album, whether you get paid, but whether people LISTEN TO IT!
So Samsung buys a million albums at five bucks apiece to give away..
Name one tune on Prince's album. You know, the one they gave away with the newspaper, over in England. Hell, I can't even remember its NAME!
We need a reboot in music. Everybody's so busy scrambling for cash, declaring the old economics don't work, that they're sacrificing their very core.
I just don't get it.
What is an artist anyway? Is an artist someone who makes a lot of money? Someone everybody knows the name of? Or someone whose music tests limits, makes one think, changes the culture. Will Jay-Z's music do this? I've got no idea, but this campaign has got nothing to do with music and everything to do with money.
But it does get the word out. And that's a hard thing to do today. Yes, more people know Jay-Z's album is coming than yesterday, and that's a good thing.
But one thing we know about stunts, they work once.
Radiohead could do name your price...once, and then the paradigm was dead.
Justin Timberlake overexposed himself to a hit, I'm not sure this is a replicable paradigm, if for no reason other than there's only one Justin Timberlake.
So Jay-Z gives away his album via a Samsung app. How many more people are going to do this before the public tires of the game?
What ever happened to leading with the music?
Sure, there was a minor publicity campaign to get people interested in the Daft Punk album, but what truly sold it was the single, "Get Lucky." How many tracks have you heard this good since? In the whole first half of the year?
In other words, Samsung lasts, acts come and go.
What's the end game here? Tying in with Exxon, so you get the album with ten gallons of gas? Or one track for every Big Mac? Or a meeting with the artist if you open a Goldman Sachs account? Are we really just gonna go down the rabbit hole, selling our souls to the highest bidder, tying in with anybody who'll pay?
Call me old-fashioned, call me a Luddite, but I like my music sans corporate endorsements. I want to believe the artist is only beholden to me. If the problem is you can't make enough money, that the middle class is getting squeezed out, I want to band together with artists to change it, not have them shrug their shoulders and get in bed with the perpetrators of the problem.
You can blame the labels, you can blame the agents, you can blame the promoters, but the buck truly stops with the act. Only the act has the power to execute change.
And Jay-Z tying up with Samsung is not change I can believe in.
"Samsung to Give Away 1 Million Copies of Jay-Z's New Album": http://on.wsj.com/12PFLKm
"Festivals not corporate enough, say kids": http://bit.ly/19oW1TT
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Reviews Don't Matter
The most shocking thing I saw today is Jimmy Iovine without his baseball cap.
And I say this in a good way. Because if Jimmy can own who he is, after playing at being young for so many decades, denying his hair loss, then maybe he can impart this honesty to his acts, implore them to reach down deep inside and say who they really are, because that's when I can relate.
Did you listen to Jian Ghomeshi's interview with Joni Mitchell?
If you've ever hung around her, you know Joni's difficult. Say something offhand, don't get it exactly right, and she'll call you on it. She bristles at being called confessional. What is she confessing, she's telling the truth! She hates feminists, because they hate men, she loves men and will go toe to toe with them. And when done right, her music allows you to see yourself in it. It's what you take away as opposed to what she's saying. The cult of celebrity is faux, it leads nowhere, wanna know what's going on? Look inside!
And if you want to get into Joni, and you should, start with "Blue." Then go to "For The Roses." Then "Ladies Of The Canyon." Then "Hejira." Then "Clouds." How do I know, I've listened to them INCESSANTLY!
Unlike Rob Sheffield, who's excoriated in today's "New York Times" Book Review for his put-down of prog rock in his review of a compendium entitled "Yes Is The Answer." Huh? So you hate this music Rob...isn't that like getting a baby boomer to rant against rap?
And in the same "Rolling Stone" wherein there's a pic of a chapeau-free Iovine, there's a complimentary review of the new Black Sabbath and a put-down of 30 Seconds To Mars' new album. I'd bet Jared Leto's new compendium outsells Ozzy's. Because Jared knows it's all about his fans, whereas Ozzy plays to the press and is all about the money, hell, why else would he get together with Iommi and Butler, other than the fact that he's run out of options and can't sell tickets?
If you're listening to podcasts, and you should, be sure to check out Thom Yorke talking to Alec Baldwin, because he's not the guy you think he is, rather than being a brooding narcissist, Thom's more the bloke next door, enthralled by his heroes, calling them up to work with him. And when asked about new music Yorke says...it's like a pebble in a waterfall.
Ain't that the truth.
I wish I had the answer. But I'll guarantee you it's not a top-down thing, you don't succeed by bombarding everybody with press and then hoping you catch a few, that's a positively ancient model, today you grow from the ground up, and it makes absolutely no difference what the professional critical class has to say about you, because they're not the target audience and your fans are not reading them. These writers are for the grazers. Who is going to read a great review and decide to check something out? A non-fan, who probably won't stick. A real fan doesn't care about the review and lives and dies for you, is stuck to you, and will implore others to get on board.
There's just too much information. If you're not overwhelmed, you're lying. Every weekend there's a dozen new movies. You can be on a TV show and no one knows your name. Everything that used to mean something no longer does. Appear on a late night talk show? It's like pissing in the wind.
What we've got is a new media economy, ruled by its users, with an old media commentary society trying to catch up at best.
In other words, five minutes with Jared Leto is far superior to five minutes with Ozzy. Because Jared is all about thoughts and ideas, Ozzy is a bumbling fool out to sell product. And if you think many people are concerned with the latter, you're wrong. You may slow down to watch the train-wreck, but you're not gonna stop the car and get out and help.
And I LIKE Ozzy. Back when he was the insider's secret, before the TV show, which killed his act, alienating his core fans, who now not only don't go to the show, but don't bring new fans in.
That's how I got in, via a fan. I was taken to the "No More Tears" show twenty years ago and haven't stopped talking about it since. Back when nobody but those in attendance knew Ozzy threw water on the audience and had them wave their hands high above their heads.
I'm trying to figure out what's happening. I'm trying to see the forest for the trees. It's complicated, but my brethren scribes are all doing it the same old way, which has me wondering why I'm paying attention, since you're surely not.
Jimmy Iovine hatless: page 21 of the June 20, 2013 issue of "Rolling Stone"
Jian Ghomeshi interviews Joni Mitchell-6/11/13: http://www.cbc.ca/q/podcasts/q/index.html
Thom Yorke On "Here's The Thing": http://www.wnyc.org/shows/heresthething/2013/apr/01/
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And I say this in a good way. Because if Jimmy can own who he is, after playing at being young for so many decades, denying his hair loss, then maybe he can impart this honesty to his acts, implore them to reach down deep inside and say who they really are, because that's when I can relate.
Did you listen to Jian Ghomeshi's interview with Joni Mitchell?
If you've ever hung around her, you know Joni's difficult. Say something offhand, don't get it exactly right, and she'll call you on it. She bristles at being called confessional. What is she confessing, she's telling the truth! She hates feminists, because they hate men, she loves men and will go toe to toe with them. And when done right, her music allows you to see yourself in it. It's what you take away as opposed to what she's saying. The cult of celebrity is faux, it leads nowhere, wanna know what's going on? Look inside!
And if you want to get into Joni, and you should, start with "Blue." Then go to "For The Roses." Then "Ladies Of The Canyon." Then "Hejira." Then "Clouds." How do I know, I've listened to them INCESSANTLY!
Unlike Rob Sheffield, who's excoriated in today's "New York Times" Book Review for his put-down of prog rock in his review of a compendium entitled "Yes Is The Answer." Huh? So you hate this music Rob...isn't that like getting a baby boomer to rant against rap?
And in the same "Rolling Stone" wherein there's a pic of a chapeau-free Iovine, there's a complimentary review of the new Black Sabbath and a put-down of 30 Seconds To Mars' new album. I'd bet Jared Leto's new compendium outsells Ozzy's. Because Jared knows it's all about his fans, whereas Ozzy plays to the press and is all about the money, hell, why else would he get together with Iommi and Butler, other than the fact that he's run out of options and can't sell tickets?
If you're listening to podcasts, and you should, be sure to check out Thom Yorke talking to Alec Baldwin, because he's not the guy you think he is, rather than being a brooding narcissist, Thom's more the bloke next door, enthralled by his heroes, calling them up to work with him. And when asked about new music Yorke says...it's like a pebble in a waterfall.
Ain't that the truth.
I wish I had the answer. But I'll guarantee you it's not a top-down thing, you don't succeed by bombarding everybody with press and then hoping you catch a few, that's a positively ancient model, today you grow from the ground up, and it makes absolutely no difference what the professional critical class has to say about you, because they're not the target audience and your fans are not reading them. These writers are for the grazers. Who is going to read a great review and decide to check something out? A non-fan, who probably won't stick. A real fan doesn't care about the review and lives and dies for you, is stuck to you, and will implore others to get on board.
There's just too much information. If you're not overwhelmed, you're lying. Every weekend there's a dozen new movies. You can be on a TV show and no one knows your name. Everything that used to mean something no longer does. Appear on a late night talk show? It's like pissing in the wind.
What we've got is a new media economy, ruled by its users, with an old media commentary society trying to catch up at best.
In other words, five minutes with Jared Leto is far superior to five minutes with Ozzy. Because Jared is all about thoughts and ideas, Ozzy is a bumbling fool out to sell product. And if you think many people are concerned with the latter, you're wrong. You may slow down to watch the train-wreck, but you're not gonna stop the car and get out and help.
And I LIKE Ozzy. Back when he was the insider's secret, before the TV show, which killed his act, alienating his core fans, who now not only don't go to the show, but don't bring new fans in.
That's how I got in, via a fan. I was taken to the "No More Tears" show twenty years ago and haven't stopped talking about it since. Back when nobody but those in attendance knew Ozzy threw water on the audience and had them wave their hands high above their heads.
I'm trying to figure out what's happening. I'm trying to see the forest for the trees. It's complicated, but my brethren scribes are all doing it the same old way, which has me wondering why I'm paying attention, since you're surely not.
Jimmy Iovine hatless: page 21 of the June 20, 2013 issue of "Rolling Stone"
Jian Ghomeshi interviews Joni Mitchell-6/11/13: http://www.cbc.ca/q/podcasts/q/index.html
Thom Yorke On "Here's The Thing": http://www.wnyc.org/shows/heresthething/2013/apr/01/
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