The Problem

We haven't had an act worth talking about since Gaga.

And she took herself out of contention by disconnecting from reality, the bane of too many stars. Once you stop walking the street, once you think you truly are a celebrity, we're no longer interested.

That's why we loved John Lennon. He'd fuck up now and again. Do or say something strange. Whether it was saying the Beatles were more popular than Jesus or photographing himself nude with his new bride. Lennon had an edge. Then again, this was a guy who wanted to live in New York City without protection. Unfortunately, it cost him.

Remember when everybody was talking about music?

Then you're a baby boomer. Or a Gen-X'er who came of age with MTV. Or a hip-hop acolyte. At all three times, music drove the culture, it gave us a reason to pay attention. Now..?

Who do we blame?

The people who make and sell it.

Primarily the people who sell it, who've never had skin in the game and think the business goes on forever, which it does, not realizing most people are only interested in the spike.

Maybe we need a commissioner. It's helped out professional sports.

But the truth is, music is adrift. With Bono the face of Elevation Partners and Guy Oseary trumpeting his investments with Ashton Kutcher it's no wonder that U2's track had no traction and the band postponed their album and tour.

You see they just don't get it.

They're an oldies act.

Go out and play the hits. You're done. Toast. We don't want any more.

The only person who seems to know this is Billy Joel. Who's refused to make new music for decades, because no one wants it.

We don't want that which will top the chart, we want that which has to be released or its maker will self-destruct.

We live in an era that's all about TV and tech. Dramas and apps. And the only way to compete with them is to be just as innovative and good.

So...

1. Every major label should invest in one work project. An act that does not fit the Top Forty paradigm that the purveyors believe deserves to be heard, that they're willing to stand by album after album as the artist develops. This is the essence of Richard Russell's greatness. He signs the act first, then figures out how to sell it. Have a competition, put it on television, we want the best new acts and we don't want them to be like anything before, unless they can sing well and write even better, which no one seems to be able to do today, ergo the usual suspect songwriters dominating the chart.

2. Indie labels can play, but the truth is indies are usually ignorant and indiscriminating, just like the acts they sell. Recording is cheap, distribution is even cheaper. Today, it's all about the marketing, that's the advantage the major labels have. But the only person who ever started a record company at Sony is Doug Morris, who swears by radio and retail, and that was a good formula...in the last century.

3. New executive blood. In the sixties, labels had the house hippies. The truth is there's no upward mobility at record labels today. Until we let teenagers work there, they'll continue to write apps. Until we let people make decisions on taste, we'll get me-too product. Until you can make millions in your twenties, no one of any worth will want to work at a label.

4. The curious case of Scooter Braun. Bieber was worthless, but he garnered a lot of attention. Credit Braun, who decided to do it his way. Imagine if Bieber truly had something to say, if he was not just a pin-up for those who had never had sex. Imagine if all the attention paid to this nitwit was focused on someone of merit. Braun did it his way, but most people of his ilk, from good families with money, don't want to go into the music business. Why? So you can make little money as old farts control your game? Scooter started in the uncontrollable world known as YouTube, before the labels even knew its power. If you can't see the game differently, we don't care what you've got to say or sell.

5. Universality. That was the key to Adele's success. What we need is something that plays to almost everybody, but what we've got in music are endless niches, from hip-hop to metal to EDM. But the truth is members of all cadres glom on to something great, something transcendent, like Adele. Dream big.

6. Pull, not push. We're immune to marketing messages, especially when they're all about crap. If what you've got doesn't ignite passion and followers all by its lonesome, forget about it. This is the story of Lorde, "Royals" sold itself, all the label did was pour gasoline on the fire. More like this please.

7. The curse of plenty. The public is overloaded. At least TV is expensive. But there's an endless tsunami of records and most people just throw up their hands and say NO MAS! We've got to spoon-feed people, just a couple of acts at a time.

8. Classic rock is fading in the rearview mirror. Hip-hop is deep into its maturity. We're ready for something new. But all the brains are not focusing on music. Music is a special medium, none other competes, but people are only interested when it's great.

9. Innovation sells. Avicii mashes up acoustic and soul with EDM and he ends up with the most played track in the history of Spotify. Avicii thought outside the box. When he previewed this music, the horde at Ultra pooh-poohed it. Because people always first reject what they ultimately embrace. If you're not getting a huge reaction, you're not different enough. If you're so outside that people hate you, that's not so bad, people hate everything different, and it takes years for people to embrace things. The masses came late to both the "Sopranos" and "Breaking Bad."

But no one wants to change the paradigm, no one wants to lead, except for the powerless. And the powerless don't seem to be able to stem the tide of income inequality, why should they be able to bring back the heyday of music?

We've got to jawbone the powerful to the point where they take risks, to the point where they just don't do it the way they always have.

The public is ready for new and different, the public is ready to embrace great. But instead, they're fed an endless buffet of who gives a shit.

Like Coachella... Let's see, I go see some ancient acts and those who will never go mainstream. Good for those who want to parade in bikinis and ogle other bodies, bad for music. And the complacent press writes about this festival as if it matters. And Coachella is the granddaddy! Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo mean even less. The former is a party and the latter is a rite of passage, neither breaks any music.

Same with television competitions. They don't want new and different, it doesn't get instant ratings. No one is interested in last week's episode of the "Voice," but a great record can sell decades later.

And all the fighting amongst ourselves! The acts decrying streaming services, everybody complaining they can't get paid. Most people ignore these battles. Just deliver a hit, then they're interested.

There's more good music than ever before.

But that's not good enough.

We watch the Oscar people trumpet that which no one cares about. Which is why the movie business is being driven towards a cliff. It's worldwide blockbusters or art films that play better as extended series on television. Remind me why I should overpay to go to the theatre again?

We need a rethink. And a doubling-down. And a stop to complaints. And a removal of focus on tech. Everything ever recorded is already available... What are we gonna listen to? How are we gonna get others to listen? When are we going to go out to dinner and find people talking about music instead of television??


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