There's a fiction that if I know about it, if I'm aware of it, everybody is. Furthermore, if for some reason you're not, you're an out of it nerd who's got no knowledge of popular culture.
But it don't really happen that way at all.
I keep receiving e-mail that Ferguson was featured in the mailer's Twitter feed or on their Facebook page. The assumption is therefore everybody knows about it. But nothing could be further from the truth, which is we all see different stuff on our feeds, if we're paying attention at all.
Yes, despite all the Wall Street hype, most people don't pay attention to Twitter. Oh, they might have an account, they might have signed up when it was the rage, a few years back, but they never check it out. So not only are they unaware of what's going on there, everybody on Twitter follows different people, so they're subjected to different information. I was right on it with the Tony Stewart accident, I saw Nathan Hubbard's tweet about it. But the only tweets about Ferguson in my feed came from Michael Moore.
Yup, we all get different information from different people. We live in a Tower of Babel society, has been that way since the twenty first century, when the Internet took hold, but no one wants to admit it, because that would mean their reach is tiny and that they don't have their finger on the pulse.
But there is no pulse. That's the point. When there were three networks everybody knew about "Laugh-In," if you didn't watch, you were a social pariah.
Ditto with MTV. If you were unaware of Culture Club you had no eyes. That's what built the channel, everybody imploring their cable provider to add it so they wouldn't be left out.
And today we don't want to be left out on a grand scale, we want a broadband connection and a smartphone, but what appears on these devices...is usually completely different from what appears on someone else's.
This is a huge problem in music. Where people who follow the hits believe everybody does. Most of America is unaware of Jay Z's hits, never mind Iggy Azalea's. The world they live in is an echo chamber, which one can easily avoid.
As are the niches known as Americana and Active Rock... You think your favorite acts are impacting the general culture, that they matter, that most people give a damn, but they don't.
And tastemaker publications are operating on an old paradigm, that they're gatekeepers, and they anoint the hits. But if your album is reviewed in the "New York Times" be sure to show your mother, because almost no one else gives a damn. Same deal with a late night television appearance. Hell, check the ratings, and the statistics, that's DVR hour, most people with the set on are watching recordings, we save Fallon and Kimmel, et al, for highlights the next day online, if we bother to follow them all.
Sure, there are phenomena, like "Gangnam Style," but now more than any time in our lifetimes, we live in a society where we consume different culture, hell, we oftentimes even eat different food! That's been a recent story, the upper classes consume stuff the lower have never heard of.
So come down off your throne, and realize what is important to you is probably not to someone else. If you think you're better than someone else because you know something they don't, are aware of a record they aren't, then you're living in a twentieth century world, it's you who are out of it
But what is end game? A complete Balkanization of America? To the point where we all speak different languages?
That's possible. Hell, it's hard to go to dinner and find points of communication...
But the truth is we're all yearning for central repositories of information where we can find out what is not only important, but what is the consensus.
This is Twitter's number one problem...WHO DO I FOLLOW?
And they're not doing a good job of telling us, because Twitter is populated by techies, not liberal arts majors, they understand numbers, but not concepts.
And if Facebook showed everybody the same thing, they'd squeeze out the small advertisers. Meanwhile, isn't that the bitch, that you can't reach as many people on Facebook as you used to, without spending zillions of dollars?
And dollars are more important than information in today's society, that's what we all cotton to. Jay Z got five million dollars from Samsung, it doesn't matter whether anybody listened to the music he was promoting, never mind remember it.
It's like business is our national sport. Forget baseball, so antiquated and so slow that only oldsters truly care. But now the diamond fanatics will be e-mailing I'm wrong, that their ten year old is a diehard fan!
And there you've got the problem in a nutshell. Your anecdotal evidence cannot be spread to the masses, it just doesn't fly. Check baseball ratings, they're anemic.
As are most music sales.
Because most people are just not paying attention. And this is bad for society at large.
Yes, it's great we're disconnected from the old intermediaries, the old filters that decided what was a hit. And it's great that the only news that happens is not in the newspaper and on TV. But having destroyed the old model, what is the new, chaos?
If the music industry had a clue, which it doesn't, it'd post a weekly list of what America needs to check out, crossing all genres. Just like the old "Give The Gift Of Music" campaign. The key would be to build hits which benefited all of us. But no one in the industry can see this, that there's mayhem in the marketplace.
And the old news outlets are operating on old models, if they're operating at all.
And the Internet news outlets believe in clicks, because after all it's about money.
And I'm stuck here in the middle with you. With tons of information and little time, wondering where to start.
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Saturday 16 August 2014
Friday 15 August 2014
Ferguson
Do you know what it is?
Ferguson is the first post-television story news story. Used to be we turned on the box and were exposed to the world. Now the news is turning into the music business.
You know the music business... A former juggernaut where everybody screamed for a decade and now there are few dominant artists. Used to be you couldn't escape number one, now you've got no idea what number one is.
When they rioted in Detroit in the sixties, everybody was transfixed, because America lived on television, and that's all you saw on the three networks.
Today, if you don't turn on one of the TV news programs, there's a good chance Ferguson bounced right off of you.
Meanwhile, the news industry does not know this, so busy following developments in the story, they don't know most people are clueless.
Credit Ezra Klein, he understands the hole at the center of the traditional news organizations' vision, he now gives digestible background on Vox. Want to know what's happening in Ferguson, go here: http://bit.ly/VqelHD
But the truth is most people don't want to know.
Oh, they want to listen to the work of Jay Z and Beyonce, they want to be faux gangsters, but as for the plight of the black man in America, too many just don't care. We used to make them care, now what?
And there are a ton of issues for everybody to care about. The arming of local governments with war surplus. Individual rights.
But there's no center.
Yup, BuzzFeed has not done a list, so it's like Ferguson doesn't exist.
Actually, if you scan BuzzFeed's homepage you see that there is finally a list, "How 28 Local Newspaper Front Pages Across America Covered, Ferguson, Missouri," but it's only got one comment, it's got no virality.
Is that what we've come to? Is the only thing that matters train-wreck value? If it's got no viral elements does it land at the bottom of the heap?
And believe me, the online "news" outlets are all about virality. "Reporters" are paid by the click. As if everything was a pop song and if it didn't fly up the charts, it was worthless.
But news is not pop music. News is what happens. And what is happening is our government is out of control and despite the Supreme Court saying racism is over, that no voting rights supervision is necessary, it's the same as it ever was, if you're black, beware.
Yup, we might have a black President, but we do not live in a post-racial society.
And just like music, news is now something people follow, their obsession. Check the ratings for Fox, never mind MSNBC or CNN, they're positively anemic, almost nobody's watching.
And the "Wall Street Journal" and "New York Times" have readers, but local papers have been eviscerated to the point of unreadability and local news likes a good murder, but not as much as it likes a cat rescue.
So there's no focus in culture anymore. Everything's grist for the mill. Almost nothing lasts. And those in charge don't blink, but double down, believing if they just yell louder, they'll get more traction, not realizing most people aren't paying attention and never will.
What kind of miserable world do we live in where a comedian sadly takes his own life and everybody knows about it but a young man is gunned down in Missouri and most people are clueless?
We need a rethink.
Today it was announced cable companies have more Internet than TV subscribers. The younger generation lives online, and the older generation loses touch.
Where are the young techies who are going to solve this problem? Who are going to build the go-to site for not only news, but music, somewhere someone time-challenged can go to find out what's going on?
Ezra Klein is starting. But the best and the brightest, like Mark Zuckerberg, are so beholden to their advertisers and Wall Street that they completely evade social responsibility.
Then again, it's our culture. Wherein the Ivy graduates all go into finance, where it's about lining your pocketbook as opposed to doing good for society.
Ferguson shows it can happen here. That our biggest threat might not be terrorists, but us.
And those who will inherit this country know little about it, because they're posting food photos on Instagram and building monuments to themselves on Facebook.
Pay attention.
Then again, where?
Life has become so overwhelming that we all just hop from phenomenon to phenomenon. What was the number one movie two weeks ago? What was the number one record? Who is your Congressperson? What does the military industrial complex do with its leftovers? These are the questions you should be concerned with.
But all you care about is the new iPhone.
Because Apple markets better than the "Times" and CBS.
And unless it instantly gets eyeballs and revenue, it's worthless in today's society.
And that's just sad.
Yup, while you're fighting to get ahead, to establish your brand, to win in society, you don't realize you're losing all the while.
Really.
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Ferguson is the first post-television story news story. Used to be we turned on the box and were exposed to the world. Now the news is turning into the music business.
You know the music business... A former juggernaut where everybody screamed for a decade and now there are few dominant artists. Used to be you couldn't escape number one, now you've got no idea what number one is.
When they rioted in Detroit in the sixties, everybody was transfixed, because America lived on television, and that's all you saw on the three networks.
Today, if you don't turn on one of the TV news programs, there's a good chance Ferguson bounced right off of you.
Meanwhile, the news industry does not know this, so busy following developments in the story, they don't know most people are clueless.
Credit Ezra Klein, he understands the hole at the center of the traditional news organizations' vision, he now gives digestible background on Vox. Want to know what's happening in Ferguson, go here: http://bit.ly/VqelHD
But the truth is most people don't want to know.
Oh, they want to listen to the work of Jay Z and Beyonce, they want to be faux gangsters, but as for the plight of the black man in America, too many just don't care. We used to make them care, now what?
And there are a ton of issues for everybody to care about. The arming of local governments with war surplus. Individual rights.
But there's no center.
Yup, BuzzFeed has not done a list, so it's like Ferguson doesn't exist.
Actually, if you scan BuzzFeed's homepage you see that there is finally a list, "How 28 Local Newspaper Front Pages Across America Covered, Ferguson, Missouri," but it's only got one comment, it's got no virality.
Is that what we've come to? Is the only thing that matters train-wreck value? If it's got no viral elements does it land at the bottom of the heap?
And believe me, the online "news" outlets are all about virality. "Reporters" are paid by the click. As if everything was a pop song and if it didn't fly up the charts, it was worthless.
But news is not pop music. News is what happens. And what is happening is our government is out of control and despite the Supreme Court saying racism is over, that no voting rights supervision is necessary, it's the same as it ever was, if you're black, beware.
Yup, we might have a black President, but we do not live in a post-racial society.
And just like music, news is now something people follow, their obsession. Check the ratings for Fox, never mind MSNBC or CNN, they're positively anemic, almost nobody's watching.
And the "Wall Street Journal" and "New York Times" have readers, but local papers have been eviscerated to the point of unreadability and local news likes a good murder, but not as much as it likes a cat rescue.
So there's no focus in culture anymore. Everything's grist for the mill. Almost nothing lasts. And those in charge don't blink, but double down, believing if they just yell louder, they'll get more traction, not realizing most people aren't paying attention and never will.
What kind of miserable world do we live in where a comedian sadly takes his own life and everybody knows about it but a young man is gunned down in Missouri and most people are clueless?
We need a rethink.
Today it was announced cable companies have more Internet than TV subscribers. The younger generation lives online, and the older generation loses touch.
Where are the young techies who are going to solve this problem? Who are going to build the go-to site for not only news, but music, somewhere someone time-challenged can go to find out what's going on?
Ezra Klein is starting. But the best and the brightest, like Mark Zuckerberg, are so beholden to their advertisers and Wall Street that they completely evade social responsibility.
Then again, it's our culture. Wherein the Ivy graduates all go into finance, where it's about lining your pocketbook as opposed to doing good for society.
Ferguson shows it can happen here. That our biggest threat might not be terrorists, but us.
And those who will inherit this country know little about it, because they're posting food photos on Instagram and building monuments to themselves on Facebook.
Pay attention.
Then again, where?
Life has become so overwhelming that we all just hop from phenomenon to phenomenon. What was the number one movie two weeks ago? What was the number one record? Who is your Congressperson? What does the military industrial complex do with its leftovers? These are the questions you should be concerned with.
But all you care about is the new iPhone.
Because Apple markets better than the "Times" and CBS.
And unless it instantly gets eyeballs and revenue, it's worthless in today's society.
And that's just sad.
Yup, while you're fighting to get ahead, to establish your brand, to win in society, you don't realize you're losing all the while.
Really.
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Rhinofy-Bubblegum Primer
"Simon Says"
1910 Fruitgum Company
The first bubblegum hit and I absolutely HATED IT!
This was '68, "Disraeli Gears" was making an impact, as was underground FM radio, and we were subjected to this drivel on AM radio? We were going BACKWARDS!
Come on, Simon Says was made for first graders, everybody soon outgrew it, now there's a song about the stupid game? And at this time no one had an FM radio in the car.
Utter drivel.
But it's funny, it's got no legs, people don't remember this as the first bubblegum hit, it's faded into obscurity.
"Green Tambourine"
The Lemon Pipers
Okay, it was the first number one hit for Buddah Records, the home of bubblegum, but despite Wikipedia and the rest of the web crediting this as the first bubblegum hit, I don't think so, I LOVED IT!
And my point is not my reaction, it's just that it sounded like what was happening, it was mildly psychedelic, with effects, and sure, playing your green tambourine might be stupid, but not like playing Simon Says. Furthermore, hippies, eighteen months before Woodstock, were famous for playing tambourines and other musical instruments. Actually, that was what was different from today, we got together and played instruments, sang along, although I don't remember anybody singing "Green Tambourine," because its magic was in its production, its arrangement, it's anthemic, it's better than most of the chart-topping hits of today!
"Yummy, Yummy, Yummy"
The Ohio Express
It's this hit that is trotted out as the number one exponent of bubblegum, and it was a gigantic hit, but I bought the single, I was infected.
That's the true mark of a great record, you've got to hear it again and again.
And I always thought the lyrics were tongue-in-cheek. And the changes are infectious, and the emotion borders on honesty.
I know, I know, people see "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy" as lowest common denominator, but the truth is it's rooted in rock more than pop and it just sounds GOOD!
"Bang-Shang-A-Lang"
The Archies
This track has been completely forgotten, everyone remembers "Sugar Sugar," which I found unlistenable back then and refuse to inject into this playlist today. But this, the initial Archies hit, is palatable.
Archie Andrews was still a hero. If we had the Monkees, maybe the Archies could be a reasonable production, alas, it was not, but we didn't know it at this point, so we gave the track a break.
"My Baby Loves Lovin'"
White Plains
The Buddah bands, the 1910 Fruitgum Company and the Ohio Express, were the definitive bubblegum acts, lowest common denominator enterprises whose singles exploited and extorted money from young children. Sure, I was a fan of "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy," but the Ohio Express's follow-up track was just dreck. "Chewy Chewy" was not only dumb, it played on the same paradigm as the original hit, as if originality was out of the question. Whereas the 1910 Fruitgum Company's subsequent hits were much better, although not great. "1,2,3 Red Light" was stupid, but less stupid than "Simon Says," but although listenable, it's forgettable. "Indian Giver" was a step up, but not a giant one.
And here begins the problem. What else do we call bubblegum music? Online you'll see Tommy James' "I Think We're Alone Now," but that's just a rewrite of history. James was a legitimate act, just because something appealed to the youth and was upbeat and catchy, that did not mean it was bubblegum. And just because Kasenetz and Katz, the bubblegum progenitors, were behind the Music Explosion's "Little Bit O' Soul," that does not make it bubblegum either, most people I knew considered the track to be legitimate, as did I. Bubblegum was seen as illegitimate, like stealing candy, from a baby.
And White Plains was English, but they sounded like they came from the New York hit factory, the track was light and just a bit more sophisticated than the Buddah hits, was it bubblegum? Like I said, the line of demarcation is subjective. It certainly had that sound.
"Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)"
Edison Lighthouse
The same lead singer as White Plains, Tony Burrows, this is a step up from the White Plains track, it chugs along, you didn't push the AM button when it came on, at least at first.
"Smile A Little Smile For Me"
The Flying Machine
Classified as bubblegum by many, this English act was certainly shooting for a young demo, but I love this cut to this day. The changes, the sincerity, the singability, I can remember where I was when I heard it, driving back to our ski house, after a long day at Bromley. This is great.
"Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'"
Crazy Elephant
Another Kasenetz and Katz production, I can see how some classify this as bubblegum, but to me it rocked too much, in a BTO kind of way, to be categorized as such, come on, it's only a short hop to "Takin' Care Of Business," never mind so many Grand Funk hits, most especially "We're An American Band"...hell, one could argue Todd Rundgren understood and digested bubblegum music and served it back up to those who decried it the same way bands long after the seventies mixed in disco elements and those who wanted to blow up the dance records suddenly loved the sound.
Crazy Elephant is just too big, or crazy, to be on Spotify, you can hear "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'" on YouTube here: http://bit.ly/1pQiQX1
"Tracy"
The Cuff Links
I guess we've got to call this one bubblegum, since it features the same lead singer as the Archies, Ron Dante.
I liked this more back then.
Now I wouldn't call the Partridge Family bubblegum, that was manufactured TV stuff, and it came later.
The Osmonds were more of a boy band, a white rip-off of the Jackson 5.
Yes, one could argue true bubblegum lasted a very short period of time, from late '67 until...the seventies and the burgeoning FM album format killed it.
But for a while there, it was the rage, everybody was talking about it, hipsters hated it and oldsters tapped their feet to it and kids ate it up.
Kind of like today. Yup, that's what Max Martin specializes in, Dr. Luke too, Katy Perry is nothing so much as a bubblegum artist, following in the footsteps of bubblegum boy groups like Backstreet boys and 'N Sync.
You see the kids need the sound.
And in an ever more complicated world, that which is simple triumphs.
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/1pQjMuu
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1910 Fruitgum Company
The first bubblegum hit and I absolutely HATED IT!
This was '68, "Disraeli Gears" was making an impact, as was underground FM radio, and we were subjected to this drivel on AM radio? We were going BACKWARDS!
Come on, Simon Says was made for first graders, everybody soon outgrew it, now there's a song about the stupid game? And at this time no one had an FM radio in the car.
Utter drivel.
But it's funny, it's got no legs, people don't remember this as the first bubblegum hit, it's faded into obscurity.
"Green Tambourine"
The Lemon Pipers
Okay, it was the first number one hit for Buddah Records, the home of bubblegum, but despite Wikipedia and the rest of the web crediting this as the first bubblegum hit, I don't think so, I LOVED IT!
And my point is not my reaction, it's just that it sounded like what was happening, it was mildly psychedelic, with effects, and sure, playing your green tambourine might be stupid, but not like playing Simon Says. Furthermore, hippies, eighteen months before Woodstock, were famous for playing tambourines and other musical instruments. Actually, that was what was different from today, we got together and played instruments, sang along, although I don't remember anybody singing "Green Tambourine," because its magic was in its production, its arrangement, it's anthemic, it's better than most of the chart-topping hits of today!
"Yummy, Yummy, Yummy"
The Ohio Express
It's this hit that is trotted out as the number one exponent of bubblegum, and it was a gigantic hit, but I bought the single, I was infected.
That's the true mark of a great record, you've got to hear it again and again.
And I always thought the lyrics were tongue-in-cheek. And the changes are infectious, and the emotion borders on honesty.
I know, I know, people see "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy" as lowest common denominator, but the truth is it's rooted in rock more than pop and it just sounds GOOD!
"Bang-Shang-A-Lang"
The Archies
This track has been completely forgotten, everyone remembers "Sugar Sugar," which I found unlistenable back then and refuse to inject into this playlist today. But this, the initial Archies hit, is palatable.
Archie Andrews was still a hero. If we had the Monkees, maybe the Archies could be a reasonable production, alas, it was not, but we didn't know it at this point, so we gave the track a break.
"My Baby Loves Lovin'"
White Plains
The Buddah bands, the 1910 Fruitgum Company and the Ohio Express, were the definitive bubblegum acts, lowest common denominator enterprises whose singles exploited and extorted money from young children. Sure, I was a fan of "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy," but the Ohio Express's follow-up track was just dreck. "Chewy Chewy" was not only dumb, it played on the same paradigm as the original hit, as if originality was out of the question. Whereas the 1910 Fruitgum Company's subsequent hits were much better, although not great. "1,2,3 Red Light" was stupid, but less stupid than "Simon Says," but although listenable, it's forgettable. "Indian Giver" was a step up, but not a giant one.
And here begins the problem. What else do we call bubblegum music? Online you'll see Tommy James' "I Think We're Alone Now," but that's just a rewrite of history. James was a legitimate act, just because something appealed to the youth and was upbeat and catchy, that did not mean it was bubblegum. And just because Kasenetz and Katz, the bubblegum progenitors, were behind the Music Explosion's "Little Bit O' Soul," that does not make it bubblegum either, most people I knew considered the track to be legitimate, as did I. Bubblegum was seen as illegitimate, like stealing candy, from a baby.
And White Plains was English, but they sounded like they came from the New York hit factory, the track was light and just a bit more sophisticated than the Buddah hits, was it bubblegum? Like I said, the line of demarcation is subjective. It certainly had that sound.
"Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)"
Edison Lighthouse
The same lead singer as White Plains, Tony Burrows, this is a step up from the White Plains track, it chugs along, you didn't push the AM button when it came on, at least at first.
"Smile A Little Smile For Me"
The Flying Machine
Classified as bubblegum by many, this English act was certainly shooting for a young demo, but I love this cut to this day. The changes, the sincerity, the singability, I can remember where I was when I heard it, driving back to our ski house, after a long day at Bromley. This is great.
"Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'"
Crazy Elephant
Another Kasenetz and Katz production, I can see how some classify this as bubblegum, but to me it rocked too much, in a BTO kind of way, to be categorized as such, come on, it's only a short hop to "Takin' Care Of Business," never mind so many Grand Funk hits, most especially "We're An American Band"...hell, one could argue Todd Rundgren understood and digested bubblegum music and served it back up to those who decried it the same way bands long after the seventies mixed in disco elements and those who wanted to blow up the dance records suddenly loved the sound.
Crazy Elephant is just too big, or crazy, to be on Spotify, you can hear "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'" on YouTube here: http://bit.ly/1pQiQX1
"Tracy"
The Cuff Links
I guess we've got to call this one bubblegum, since it features the same lead singer as the Archies, Ron Dante.
I liked this more back then.
Now I wouldn't call the Partridge Family bubblegum, that was manufactured TV stuff, and it came later.
The Osmonds were more of a boy band, a white rip-off of the Jackson 5.
Yes, one could argue true bubblegum lasted a very short period of time, from late '67 until...the seventies and the burgeoning FM album format killed it.
But for a while there, it was the rage, everybody was talking about it, hipsters hated it and oldsters tapped their feet to it and kids ate it up.
Kind of like today. Yup, that's what Max Martin specializes in, Dr. Luke too, Katy Perry is nothing so much as a bubblegum artist, following in the footsteps of bubblegum boy groups like Backstreet boys and 'N Sync.
You see the kids need the sound.
And in an ever more complicated world, that which is simple triumphs.
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/1pQjMuu
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Thursday 14 August 2014
Availability
This is why I hate the book business.
There's been a raft of publicity for William Deresiewicz's book "Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life" wherein the author decries the soft choices of today's Ivy League graduates.
But I can't buy it.
Oh, it began in "The New Republic," with the story "Don't Send Your Kid to the Ivy League": http://bit.ly/1o2AIy6 But even though I was forwarded that article numerous times, it seemed like link-bait to me, so I skimmed it and moved on.
Then I became a bit more curious when the "New York Times" wrote about it on August 5th, "This Is What An Ivy League Education Will Get You": http://nyti.ms/1nTJD0h
But I wasn't closed until I read a review of the book on the front page of yesterday's "New York Times" Arts section entitled "Lowered Ambitions in Higher Education": http://nyti.ms/1pNFrmR
I just clicked to download a sample chapter on my Kindle. I wanted to check the book out.
But I can't. It's unavailable until August 19th.
Did you get the memo that the music industry is going to go to a worldwide release date? Finally, they're waking up, a decade and a half too late. They're mostly worried about piracy, but at least you can coordinate publicity.
That's the truth, we live in a worldwide economy.
But at least people want to steal music. They don't care that much about books.
That's the essence of a desirable product, the degree to which people will clamor for it and download it illicitly if you don't make it available commercially.
That's just how dumb the book publishers are. Which is why it's hard to take their side in the battle against Amazon, not that Amazon is right, but why do the publishers have to be so STUPID!
What is Simon and Schuster trying to achieve here? A big first week debut?
Talk to the music industry, where number one gets you one week bragging rights. Has ANYBODY spoken to you, e-mailed you, texted you about the new Tom Petty album this week? OF COURSE NOT, THAT'S LAST WEEK'S STORY!
And the way you get something to last is by infecting the public with quality. The public is the decider, not the media establishment. We not only make hits, more importantly we SUSTAIN THEM!
I'm not gonna bother stealing this book, it's too much effort. But will I remember to download it a week from now, when the publicity's history and I've forgotten about it?
We live in a day and date economy. If you're gonna hype, let me buy it.
And sure, the cumulative hype may have helped get me interested in the book, but I can't spread the word personally, because I can't READ IT!
And I want to, because yesterday's review told me 50% of 2010 Harvard graduates went into finance. And that just sucks. Once upon a time we got artists like Tom Rush from Harvard, never mind Rivers Cuomo, and funny people from the Lampoon, now all we get is rapers and pillagers.
And the review went on to say that economics was the most popular major at the Top 10 liberal arts schools. I was reading the Middlebury magazine on a flight and marveled that economics was the number one major, no one I knew majored in the subject when I was there.
This is why we've got lousy music, the best and the brightest follow the money, and only the money.
But one thing's for certain, when the boomers and Gen-X'ers retire the new generation that takes over this world will know that if you're hyping, you've got to be selling at the same time. That if you're getting people interested, let them click to buy, there's just too much information for them to remember weeks down the line.
So, same as it ever was. The entertainment companies believe they're better than us and their customer are middlemen. Didn't Simon and Schuster ever hear of Napster? Have they been paying attention to the music business AT ALL?
In our world we love the sound so much that the new paradigm is no promotion, you don't even hype it until it's available, just ask Beyonce.
But Beyonce has more impact than seemingly any writer, and Simon and Schuster is doing its best to keep it that way.
P.S. The first thing I looked for on the Amazon page was customer reviews. I don't trust the hype. But with no publication, no reviews. Huh? I don't care what the establishment has to say, I care about what WE have to say!
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There's been a raft of publicity for William Deresiewicz's book "Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life" wherein the author decries the soft choices of today's Ivy League graduates.
But I can't buy it.
Oh, it began in "The New Republic," with the story "Don't Send Your Kid to the Ivy League": http://bit.ly/1o2AIy6 But even though I was forwarded that article numerous times, it seemed like link-bait to me, so I skimmed it and moved on.
Then I became a bit more curious when the "New York Times" wrote about it on August 5th, "This Is What An Ivy League Education Will Get You": http://nyti.ms/1nTJD0h
But I wasn't closed until I read a review of the book on the front page of yesterday's "New York Times" Arts section entitled "Lowered Ambitions in Higher Education": http://nyti.ms/1pNFrmR
I just clicked to download a sample chapter on my Kindle. I wanted to check the book out.
But I can't. It's unavailable until August 19th.
Did you get the memo that the music industry is going to go to a worldwide release date? Finally, they're waking up, a decade and a half too late. They're mostly worried about piracy, but at least you can coordinate publicity.
That's the truth, we live in a worldwide economy.
But at least people want to steal music. They don't care that much about books.
That's the essence of a desirable product, the degree to which people will clamor for it and download it illicitly if you don't make it available commercially.
That's just how dumb the book publishers are. Which is why it's hard to take their side in the battle against Amazon, not that Amazon is right, but why do the publishers have to be so STUPID!
What is Simon and Schuster trying to achieve here? A big first week debut?
Talk to the music industry, where number one gets you one week bragging rights. Has ANYBODY spoken to you, e-mailed you, texted you about the new Tom Petty album this week? OF COURSE NOT, THAT'S LAST WEEK'S STORY!
And the way you get something to last is by infecting the public with quality. The public is the decider, not the media establishment. We not only make hits, more importantly we SUSTAIN THEM!
I'm not gonna bother stealing this book, it's too much effort. But will I remember to download it a week from now, when the publicity's history and I've forgotten about it?
We live in a day and date economy. If you're gonna hype, let me buy it.
And sure, the cumulative hype may have helped get me interested in the book, but I can't spread the word personally, because I can't READ IT!
And I want to, because yesterday's review told me 50% of 2010 Harvard graduates went into finance. And that just sucks. Once upon a time we got artists like Tom Rush from Harvard, never mind Rivers Cuomo, and funny people from the Lampoon, now all we get is rapers and pillagers.
And the review went on to say that economics was the most popular major at the Top 10 liberal arts schools. I was reading the Middlebury magazine on a flight and marveled that economics was the number one major, no one I knew majored in the subject when I was there.
This is why we've got lousy music, the best and the brightest follow the money, and only the money.
But one thing's for certain, when the boomers and Gen-X'ers retire the new generation that takes over this world will know that if you're hyping, you've got to be selling at the same time. That if you're getting people interested, let them click to buy, there's just too much information for them to remember weeks down the line.
So, same as it ever was. The entertainment companies believe they're better than us and their customer are middlemen. Didn't Simon and Schuster ever hear of Napster? Have they been paying attention to the music business AT ALL?
In our world we love the sound so much that the new paradigm is no promotion, you don't even hype it until it's available, just ask Beyonce.
But Beyonce has more impact than seemingly any writer, and Simon and Schuster is doing its best to keep it that way.
P.S. The first thing I looked for on the Amazon page was customer reviews. I don't trust the hype. But with no publication, no reviews. Huh? I don't care what the establishment has to say, I care about what WE have to say!
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Wednesday 13 August 2014
Whether To Be On Spotify
New York City, just like I pictured it!
Does anybody catch "Innervisions" references anymore? You know, "Living In The City"? That's from the break.
Anyway, the people watching is incredible. The older I get the more I realize that's what it's all about, interacting, having conversations, and I spent the afternoon at Q Prime, and I had a fascinating conversation with Cliff Burnstein, considered one of the smartest people in the business, about Spotify.
You've got to be on it.
Didn't used to be this way. Cliff didn't believe you needed to be on Rhapsody or Rdio or Deezer, but Spotify has traction. What, are there one and a half million premium subscribers?
And these are the active new music consumers. And if you've got new music and they can't hear it it's just like it doesn't exist.
Everything in life is about timing. You don't want to be too early, and you don't want to be too late. And if you don't have your music on Spotify now, you're too late, you're working against yourself.
Oh, stop it with the echo chamber of musicians decrying payments, the truth is Spotify pays 69+% of all revenues to rights holders. How could you want a better deal, this is what Apple pays at iTunes!
As for streaming, did you see the Viacom survey on streaming, claiming it's the new normal? You may not like the move to access, but most certainly the fans do: http://bit.ly/1rfqObo
So the point is you have to engage with active consumers. And the most active consumers are streaming on Spotify, because they want access to all new music instantly. They're the tastemakers who spread the word. If you don't infect them, you're leaving money on the table. You may exclaim you're number one on the antiquated SoundScan chart but the truth is sales are anemic and there's no indication anybody listened to the album, never mind spread the word about it.
But Spotify subscribers do both.
And no, I'm not getting paid by the Swedish streaming service. But if you don't think the history of recorded music all in one place for one low monthly price is the greatest thing to happen in the history of recorded music then you liked going to the record store salivating over albums you could not afford and were never going to hear.
Now, with everything available, you have to make it easy for people to access it. Ever wonder why Amazon promotes 1 Click? Ever wonder why Steve Jobs promoted ease of use? If you think life should be hard you're probably searching for 78s at garage sales. The truth is with so much information at our fingertips, that which is not will get buried.
Furthermore, wouldn't you rather get paid every time your music gets played? Speak with an old musician, it's ASCAP and BMI that keep them alive, only superstars get record royalties. That's how it is in streaming, you get paid for plays forever!
As for the low payouts today... First, check your deal, there's a good chance your label is making beaucoup bucks on your recording, you've got a bad split. Second, know that in the digital sphere everything is about scale. The bigger it is, the better it pays. Will people be bitching about Spotify payments five years from now? No, the same Luddites keeping their music off the service will be ecstatic that they're getting paid so much.
So don't hold back. Put your music on Spotify day and date of release. Otherwise, you're just hurting yourself.
Listen to Cliff Burnstein.
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Does anybody catch "Innervisions" references anymore? You know, "Living In The City"? That's from the break.
Anyway, the people watching is incredible. The older I get the more I realize that's what it's all about, interacting, having conversations, and I spent the afternoon at Q Prime, and I had a fascinating conversation with Cliff Burnstein, considered one of the smartest people in the business, about Spotify.
You've got to be on it.
Didn't used to be this way. Cliff didn't believe you needed to be on Rhapsody or Rdio or Deezer, but Spotify has traction. What, are there one and a half million premium subscribers?
And these are the active new music consumers. And if you've got new music and they can't hear it it's just like it doesn't exist.
Everything in life is about timing. You don't want to be too early, and you don't want to be too late. And if you don't have your music on Spotify now, you're too late, you're working against yourself.
Oh, stop it with the echo chamber of musicians decrying payments, the truth is Spotify pays 69+% of all revenues to rights holders. How could you want a better deal, this is what Apple pays at iTunes!
As for streaming, did you see the Viacom survey on streaming, claiming it's the new normal? You may not like the move to access, but most certainly the fans do: http://bit.ly/1rfqObo
So the point is you have to engage with active consumers. And the most active consumers are streaming on Spotify, because they want access to all new music instantly. They're the tastemakers who spread the word. If you don't infect them, you're leaving money on the table. You may exclaim you're number one on the antiquated SoundScan chart but the truth is sales are anemic and there's no indication anybody listened to the album, never mind spread the word about it.
But Spotify subscribers do both.
And no, I'm not getting paid by the Swedish streaming service. But if you don't think the history of recorded music all in one place for one low monthly price is the greatest thing to happen in the history of recorded music then you liked going to the record store salivating over albums you could not afford and were never going to hear.
Now, with everything available, you have to make it easy for people to access it. Ever wonder why Amazon promotes 1 Click? Ever wonder why Steve Jobs promoted ease of use? If you think life should be hard you're probably searching for 78s at garage sales. The truth is with so much information at our fingertips, that which is not will get buried.
Furthermore, wouldn't you rather get paid every time your music gets played? Speak with an old musician, it's ASCAP and BMI that keep them alive, only superstars get record royalties. That's how it is in streaming, you get paid for plays forever!
As for the low payouts today... First, check your deal, there's a good chance your label is making beaucoup bucks on your recording, you've got a bad split. Second, know that in the digital sphere everything is about scale. The bigger it is, the better it pays. Will people be bitching about Spotify payments five years from now? No, the same Luddites keeping their music off the service will be ecstatic that they're getting paid so much.
So don't hold back. Put your music on Spotify day and date of release. Otherwise, you're just hurting yourself.
Listen to Cliff Burnstein.
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Monday 11 August 2014
Robin Williams
"We all live so close to that line
And so far from satisfaction"
"Song For Sharon"
Joni Mitchell
He was one of us. A baby boomer who seemed not to fly above the fray, but to be part of it. A man so gifted we wondered where he got it from, with a demeanor that had you feeling if you ran into him you'd easily enter conversation, you'd soon be old friends.
I don't know what happened here. I don't know Robin Williams. All I do know is when one of us takes himself out of the lineup, removes himself from the game, we're all left with more questions than answers.
Being human is rough. But when it's over all there is is silence. And as bad as it gets, it always gets better, if you can ride out the bad patches. I guess Robin Williams no longer could.
We venerate our stars. The younger ones keep telling us how much better they are than us. We believe riches and fame will solve all our problems. And when they don't, you have to wonder what the game is about.
Maybe you're well-adjusted. You've got a home and a family and a job and you smile as you drink pina coladas on the porch. But most people who rise above, especially in the entertainment field, are flawed. They need the applause to fill a deep hole inside that can never be topped off. The high of a hit only lasts so long. And the machine demands you continue to play. What did Shep Gordon so famously say, if he does his job as a manager right it'll probably kill you?
Because in entertainment you're never maintaining. You're either going up or going down. And when you get to the top, there's only one direction.
And Robin Williams held it together better than most, he had quite a long ride. And the truth is he radiated joy, and warmth, he's the person you'd want to call when you're down and out, but now he's gone.
So we can't understand that. It makes us question our own existence. And if Robin Williams can take his own life, what is the meaning of life. Sure, he dabbled in drugs, like so many his age. Sure, he was imperfect. But he tried and succeeded and it still wasn't enough.
Mork was a phenomenon.
And Robin switched to films when the jump from the small screen to the large was almost impossible.
Meanwhile, he kept his comedy career. Maybe that's the explanation, comics are so often tortured, the greatest, like Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor, never make it to old age.
But Robin was different, because he let us inside.
But he was so manic, we did wonder what it would be like to live in that body.
And he had a lot of hits, but my favorite was always "Dead Poets Society," because it's about inspiration, convincing young people to be all they can be. Not who others want them to be, but what they feel inside.
And we look up to people who do it their own way, who cast off the shackles of family expectations and listen to their heart and follow their own path.
And even the youngest amongst us know it's hard to make it, never mind sustain.
Which is why we had respect for Robin. He stayed in the game.
So I feel out of sorts. I feel the loss. Even though I never knew him and he never knew me.
And since Robin was a comedian as well as an actor, we felt we knew his true identity, there was no filter.
And unlike so many, Robin did not demand the solo spotlight, despite being the biggest star, he was just one of the troops on "Comic Relief."
I guess that's what we need right now. For Robin Williams to do some dark comedy. Because it's never too soon. And Robin knew how to do it with humility and humanity.
So, so long Robin. Your flame has been snuffed, your story has been written, you're going to fade in the rearview mirror like the rest of us. But we would have far preferred it if you'd carried on, even if you had no more hits, if you'd showed up and entertained us now and again, if we heard that you had a good family life and some laughs.
And so long the twentieth century, where if you made it on TV and in movies, you made it everywhere. Everybody knows Robin Williams, most people don't know most of today's stars.
But hello to a culture that focuses on winners, on trappings as opposed to identities. Yup, we're heading even further in the wrong direction, everybody's honing their brand, polishing off the rough edges for consumption when the truth is all our identities are rough, especially those of our beloved stars.
And we loved Robin Williams.
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And so far from satisfaction"
"Song For Sharon"
Joni Mitchell
He was one of us. A baby boomer who seemed not to fly above the fray, but to be part of it. A man so gifted we wondered where he got it from, with a demeanor that had you feeling if you ran into him you'd easily enter conversation, you'd soon be old friends.
I don't know what happened here. I don't know Robin Williams. All I do know is when one of us takes himself out of the lineup, removes himself from the game, we're all left with more questions than answers.
Being human is rough. But when it's over all there is is silence. And as bad as it gets, it always gets better, if you can ride out the bad patches. I guess Robin Williams no longer could.
We venerate our stars. The younger ones keep telling us how much better they are than us. We believe riches and fame will solve all our problems. And when they don't, you have to wonder what the game is about.
Maybe you're well-adjusted. You've got a home and a family and a job and you smile as you drink pina coladas on the porch. But most people who rise above, especially in the entertainment field, are flawed. They need the applause to fill a deep hole inside that can never be topped off. The high of a hit only lasts so long. And the machine demands you continue to play. What did Shep Gordon so famously say, if he does his job as a manager right it'll probably kill you?
Because in entertainment you're never maintaining. You're either going up or going down. And when you get to the top, there's only one direction.
And Robin Williams held it together better than most, he had quite a long ride. And the truth is he radiated joy, and warmth, he's the person you'd want to call when you're down and out, but now he's gone.
So we can't understand that. It makes us question our own existence. And if Robin Williams can take his own life, what is the meaning of life. Sure, he dabbled in drugs, like so many his age. Sure, he was imperfect. But he tried and succeeded and it still wasn't enough.
Mork was a phenomenon.
And Robin switched to films when the jump from the small screen to the large was almost impossible.
Meanwhile, he kept his comedy career. Maybe that's the explanation, comics are so often tortured, the greatest, like Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor, never make it to old age.
But Robin was different, because he let us inside.
But he was so manic, we did wonder what it would be like to live in that body.
And he had a lot of hits, but my favorite was always "Dead Poets Society," because it's about inspiration, convincing young people to be all they can be. Not who others want them to be, but what they feel inside.
And we look up to people who do it their own way, who cast off the shackles of family expectations and listen to their heart and follow their own path.
And even the youngest amongst us know it's hard to make it, never mind sustain.
Which is why we had respect for Robin. He stayed in the game.
So I feel out of sorts. I feel the loss. Even though I never knew him and he never knew me.
And since Robin was a comedian as well as an actor, we felt we knew his true identity, there was no filter.
And unlike so many, Robin did not demand the solo spotlight, despite being the biggest star, he was just one of the troops on "Comic Relief."
I guess that's what we need right now. For Robin Williams to do some dark comedy. Because it's never too soon. And Robin knew how to do it with humility and humanity.
So, so long Robin. Your flame has been snuffed, your story has been written, you're going to fade in the rearview mirror like the rest of us. But we would have far preferred it if you'd carried on, even if you had no more hits, if you'd showed up and entertained us now and again, if we heard that you had a good family life and some laughs.
And so long the twentieth century, where if you made it on TV and in movies, you made it everywhere. Everybody knows Robin Williams, most people don't know most of today's stars.
But hello to a culture that focuses on winners, on trappings as opposed to identities. Yup, we're heading even further in the wrong direction, everybody's honing their brand, polishing off the rough edges for consumption when the truth is all our identities are rough, especially those of our beloved stars.
And we loved Robin Williams.
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The East Coast
My mother sneaks into the movies.
I'm here for a wedding. Actually, I already went. Saw Lloyd Blankfein, was dying to talk to him, but you know backstage rules, unless you're introduced they never treat you right, so I didn't.
Before that I stopped at the Varvatos store. That's the power of Howard Stern, John dresses the King Of All Media, so I know who he is, and when I had time to kill before the ceremony I walked over to his emporium where I found this book about the influence of rock in fashion, actually, that's the title of the book, you should check it out, I'd say to even buy it, it's here: http://amzn.to/1kx0U4s Broken down into sections you can truly see how fashion and rock went hand in hand. I always think about the sixties and seventies being about taking the stage in your street clothes, but in retrospect, there was a scarf here, a hat there... If you're trying to make it, or just interested in the game, buy this book, great coffee table conversation. To tell you the truth, I thought Varvatos's fascination with rock was phony, but now I'm reconsidering.
So I flew on American, historically one of the worst airlines extant. But after its merger with US Airways and now the L.A. to NYC war, they've upgraded the planes, and seemingly the help too. The story is now the aircraft are two-thirds business and one third coach. And in business, it's lie-flat seats, which was really good, because my tush still hurts, I'm still sitting on a donut. And while I was lying down, I saw a woman waiting for the bathroom and noticed she had a nice rear end. When she turned around, I realized it was that actress Carla Gugino, you know, from "Entourage." She was flying with her boyfriend. How do I know? I Googled!
And the east coast is so green! And humid. You eat outside and everybody drives in a convertible and it almost makes you want to move back.
And the conversation! Not about what you wear but college date rape and Israel and...it's funny how it's one big country yet we're all so different. But when they started talking about college, I was glad I lived in L.A. I don't want to recall my SAT scores. And I'm old enough to know that where you go is only a start.
So it's weird to see my mother and all her friends aging. Some have all their marbles, some don't, and some are no longer here.
And what they want to talk about is real estate and their estates. It's the great American conversation, what the value of your place is. My mother is unhappy that the value of her condo has gone down so far, there are too many vacancies in the building, and she's wary about the empty units selling, since taxes are so high.
But her life is pretty good. She's addicted to Netflix on her iPad. She's going through documentaries now, she watched three while I was at the wedding.
And the Gray Panthers go to the movies, like the zombies did in "Dawn Of The Dead," it's what they know! And my mom is pointing out the multiplex and that's when she tells us she doesn't pay. She's got it all worked out in her head, since she's on a walker she goes in a separate entrance, if she ever gets caught she's gonna say she thought her friend bought the ticket!
P.S. The food has been spectacular. Had to have fried clams, but what surprised me was the quality of the oysters, which are supposedly the same everywhere because of air freight. That would be untrue. These were spectacular! And, of course, I went to Carvel, which you can get in Westwood, but it brings me back to my youth. And today we went to Pepe's Pizza. The white clam is one of America's delicacies, with a thin crust and a nearly-burnt end, this would take over America if they spread it west.
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I'm here for a wedding. Actually, I already went. Saw Lloyd Blankfein, was dying to talk to him, but you know backstage rules, unless you're introduced they never treat you right, so I didn't.
Before that I stopped at the Varvatos store. That's the power of Howard Stern, John dresses the King Of All Media, so I know who he is, and when I had time to kill before the ceremony I walked over to his emporium where I found this book about the influence of rock in fashion, actually, that's the title of the book, you should check it out, I'd say to even buy it, it's here: http://amzn.to/1kx0U4s Broken down into sections you can truly see how fashion and rock went hand in hand. I always think about the sixties and seventies being about taking the stage in your street clothes, but in retrospect, there was a scarf here, a hat there... If you're trying to make it, or just interested in the game, buy this book, great coffee table conversation. To tell you the truth, I thought Varvatos's fascination with rock was phony, but now I'm reconsidering.
So I flew on American, historically one of the worst airlines extant. But after its merger with US Airways and now the L.A. to NYC war, they've upgraded the planes, and seemingly the help too. The story is now the aircraft are two-thirds business and one third coach. And in business, it's lie-flat seats, which was really good, because my tush still hurts, I'm still sitting on a donut. And while I was lying down, I saw a woman waiting for the bathroom and noticed she had a nice rear end. When she turned around, I realized it was that actress Carla Gugino, you know, from "Entourage." She was flying with her boyfriend. How do I know? I Googled!
And the east coast is so green! And humid. You eat outside and everybody drives in a convertible and it almost makes you want to move back.
And the conversation! Not about what you wear but college date rape and Israel and...it's funny how it's one big country yet we're all so different. But when they started talking about college, I was glad I lived in L.A. I don't want to recall my SAT scores. And I'm old enough to know that where you go is only a start.
So it's weird to see my mother and all her friends aging. Some have all their marbles, some don't, and some are no longer here.
And what they want to talk about is real estate and their estates. It's the great American conversation, what the value of your place is. My mother is unhappy that the value of her condo has gone down so far, there are too many vacancies in the building, and she's wary about the empty units selling, since taxes are so high.
But her life is pretty good. She's addicted to Netflix on her iPad. She's going through documentaries now, she watched three while I was at the wedding.
And the Gray Panthers go to the movies, like the zombies did in "Dawn Of The Dead," it's what they know! And my mom is pointing out the multiplex and that's when she tells us she doesn't pay. She's got it all worked out in her head, since she's on a walker she goes in a separate entrance, if she ever gets caught she's gonna say she thought her friend bought the ticket!
P.S. The food has been spectacular. Had to have fried clams, but what surprised me was the quality of the oysters, which are supposedly the same everywhere because of air freight. That would be untrue. These were spectacular! And, of course, I went to Carvel, which you can get in Westwood, but it brings me back to my youth. And today we went to Pepe's Pizza. The white clam is one of America's delicacies, with a thin crust and a nearly-burnt end, this would take over America if they spread it west.
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Distribution Is King
If you can't buy it, if you can't see it, if you can't experience it...
It doesn't matter how good it is.
That's what the authors are truly railing against in the Amazon/Hachette war, that their books have been relegated to second-class citizens.
There's a fiction being spread that content is king. That's a complete fallacy, distribution is king. Sure, successful content creators may gain fame, but usually the money lands with the distributor. That's how the majors became majors, because of distribution. Their pipeline not only made sure their product was in stores and featured, but that they got paid!
So the world is controlled by the faceless while the people out front get screwed. Oh, the company makes you famous, if you play ball. If you don't, you're George Michael, your hits dry up and whatever publicity you get is about anything but the music.
Apple is certainly a manufacturer and a software creator, but it's also a distributor, the company decides what gets into the App Store. And also controls iTunes Store real estate.
Facebook decides what you get to see on your page. That's right, you don't have much control. Maybe if you paid, but there's much more money in being a distributor of advertising than charging users who've become inured not to pay.
And now we've got Amazon, the consumer's "friend," tightening its grip upon distribution. That's the issue. Once you control the final sale, you get to decide what is purveyed and at what price.
As Bob Dylan would say, we're just pawns in their game.
Wal-Mart devoured Main Street.
Napster devoured record stores. Just because you can buy a vinyl record at your local emporium, that does not make YouTube and Spotify's power any less. Yup, while you're celebrating the old format, overpaying for the privilege, the digital distributors aren't even paying attention.
So don't believe everything you read. And question not only authority, but preconceptions.
Distribution has always been king. From the Gold Rush, wherein merchants who sold to miners oftentimes got richer than the diggers, to today, when he who controls the pipes wins.
Ever wonder why your cable bill is so high, why those companies roll in dough, why Comcast eats and devours everything in its path?
That's the power of DISTRIBUTION!
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It doesn't matter how good it is.
That's what the authors are truly railing against in the Amazon/Hachette war, that their books have been relegated to second-class citizens.
There's a fiction being spread that content is king. That's a complete fallacy, distribution is king. Sure, successful content creators may gain fame, but usually the money lands with the distributor. That's how the majors became majors, because of distribution. Their pipeline not only made sure their product was in stores and featured, but that they got paid!
So the world is controlled by the faceless while the people out front get screwed. Oh, the company makes you famous, if you play ball. If you don't, you're George Michael, your hits dry up and whatever publicity you get is about anything but the music.
Apple is certainly a manufacturer and a software creator, but it's also a distributor, the company decides what gets into the App Store. And also controls iTunes Store real estate.
Facebook decides what you get to see on your page. That's right, you don't have much control. Maybe if you paid, but there's much more money in being a distributor of advertising than charging users who've become inured not to pay.
And now we've got Amazon, the consumer's "friend," tightening its grip upon distribution. That's the issue. Once you control the final sale, you get to decide what is purveyed and at what price.
As Bob Dylan would say, we're just pawns in their game.
Wal-Mart devoured Main Street.
Napster devoured record stores. Just because you can buy a vinyl record at your local emporium, that does not make YouTube and Spotify's power any less. Yup, while you're celebrating the old format, overpaying for the privilege, the digital distributors aren't even paying attention.
So don't believe everything you read. And question not only authority, but preconceptions.
Distribution has always been king. From the Gold Rush, wherein merchants who sold to miners oftentimes got richer than the diggers, to today, when he who controls the pipes wins.
Ever wonder why your cable bill is so high, why those companies roll in dough, why Comcast eats and devours everything in its path?
That's the power of DISTRIBUTION!
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Rob Thomas Responds
From: ROB T
Subject: hi from rob thomas
Dear Bob,
I've always enjoyed reading your letters and your recent take on matchbox twenty (or 20) was no exception. There were even some points in there that we, ourselves, have talked about from time to time. But there were also, as I'm sure you would imagine, a couple parts that I feel completely miss the point of who we are and what we have accomplished.
Somewhere between being today's hitmakers and being yesterday's news is a zone that I would expect you to understand better than most. An artist that has had enough success to be able to pull together a fan base that genuinely cares about the music they are making even if they aren't fully a part of the "love me" game we see playing out on reality shows and in celebrity magazines.
We may never be cool. We may never be tastemakers. We may even never again have hits on top 40 radio. But when we put out an album and go on tour there are more than enough people to listen and come see us to give us a career that's enviable to 99% of people who do what we do.
It's hard to believe that our career is "over" when so many people still come out to see us play. In fact, we would've loved to have you stop by our last matchbox tour to give your take on our status but chances are we wouldn't have heard you over the sound of our sold out crowds enjoying themselves hearing music they love.
I have nothing but respect for you and what you do but I feel like you have been so far on the inside for so long that you have lost touch with the best part of music. It's subjective. And if tens of thousands of people want to come see me or matchbox or anyone that's exactly what a REAL career is.
Step out from behind your computer sometime, Bob. There are real people out here who are fans of a great number of things that I'm sure you thought were long gone. And the artists they are fans of are having a lot of fun and enjoying their careers just fine.
Rt
p.s.
working on a new solo album. Hope you dig it.
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Subject: hi from rob thomas
Dear Bob,
I've always enjoyed reading your letters and your recent take on matchbox twenty (or 20) was no exception. There were even some points in there that we, ourselves, have talked about from time to time. But there were also, as I'm sure you would imagine, a couple parts that I feel completely miss the point of who we are and what we have accomplished.
Somewhere between being today's hitmakers and being yesterday's news is a zone that I would expect you to understand better than most. An artist that has had enough success to be able to pull together a fan base that genuinely cares about the music they are making even if they aren't fully a part of the "love me" game we see playing out on reality shows and in celebrity magazines.
We may never be cool. We may never be tastemakers. We may even never again have hits on top 40 radio. But when we put out an album and go on tour there are more than enough people to listen and come see us to give us a career that's enviable to 99% of people who do what we do.
It's hard to believe that our career is "over" when so many people still come out to see us play. In fact, we would've loved to have you stop by our last matchbox tour to give your take on our status but chances are we wouldn't have heard you over the sound of our sold out crowds enjoying themselves hearing music they love.
I have nothing but respect for you and what you do but I feel like you have been so far on the inside for so long that you have lost touch with the best part of music. It's subjective. And if tens of thousands of people want to come see me or matchbox or anyone that's exactly what a REAL career is.
Step out from behind your computer sometime, Bob. There are real people out here who are fans of a great number of things that I'm sure you thought were long gone. And the artists they are fans of are having a lot of fun and enjoying their careers just fine.
Rt
p.s.
working on a new solo album. Hope you dig it.
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Sunday 10 August 2014
The Amazon/Hachette War
This is not about books.
This is about corporations. And power. And the rights of not only artists, but individuals.
There's a fiction in America today that corporations are our friends. Amazon even pushes the paradigm by saying all its efforts are for us. Pitting writers against readers in a sideshow that deflects from the truth that this really only about money, Amazon's bottom line.
Amazon wants to own everything. Is that a good thing?
We've been wrestling with this issue for years, but no one wants to take a stand. Because they love that Facebook is free, Twitter too. The goal is to be in an Apple commercial, get sponsored by Samsung or Red Bull. But do these companies now have so much power that they're hurting rather than helping us?
The Internet shrinks the world down to a click. With every store right next to the other, only one survives. So Google owns search. Facebook is your digital home. And Amazon is where you buy...seemingly everything.
Is this good for us?
Don't trust the writers, they're myopic and know nothing about money.
And don't trust Hachette, run so inefficiently that the writers make a pittance while the company thrives.
Trust your gut. Do you really want to live in a 1984 world where Big Brother controls everything?
That's the humorous element in this story. Amazon trotted out George Orwell's quotes, saying to beware of publishers colluding against paperbacks when he said just the opposite. Credit the "New York Times" for revealing this truth, check it out here: http://nyti.ms/1nCTh7p
But what is most fascinating is the nerds at Amazon could get it so wrong. Read Brad Stone's "The Everything Store." Amazon long ago fired experts, recommendations are made by algorithms, and the keepers of our culture know nothing about the liberal arts, and everything about money. Either they can't read or they can't research or both, and that's a sorry state of affairs.
But the truth is most of the public can't either. The great unwashed want to be on reality shows and most college students focus on practical efforts like business, and what gets squeezed is culture. Ever wonder why music is so repetitive and mediocre? Because it's made by the lowest common denominator element, the best and the brightest are working at the bank.
Hachette does not have clean hands. But the writers are a pawn in this dispute, like the Ukrainians living on the Russian border. They're getting hurt while powers are fighting about something else.
But now the writers are fighting back, by banding together and taking an ad in the aforementioned "New York Times" urging you to e-mail Jeff Bezos. That's a waste of time, don't bother, Jeff will be inundated with a zillion e-mails in defense of the writers, if you base your efforts on public e-mail campaigns or petitions, you'll do the wrong thing. But the truth is the Amazon/Hachette war is now a matter of public debate.
And that's what it is, a war. And it's not about books. It's about how much of our lives are we going to turn over to Amazon.
Come on, you like instant delivery, you like a trustworthy merchant, but do you like a company that can single-handedly set prices and determine availability?
Oh, shut up about physical books and bookstores. That's in the rearview mirror, digital won, because it's convenient and inherently cheaper. If you don't know this, I feel sorry for you, because then you don't get the bigger picture, which is...
When are we the people gonna stand up to corporations?
The Supreme Court says they're people too. Not hard to believe when the Republicans started the Federalist Society to infiltrate the bench and when they got power nominated these pro-business judges.
But the Democrats don't have clean hands either. Because politics is all about money, and people just haven't got as much, not when corporations can donate as much as they want.
But we're supposed to sit at home satiated because we have a cheap mobile phone and free Facebook.
They came for our privacy, and we coughed it up, not only willingly plugging our information into fields online, but not realizing everything we ever did has been codified and put up for sale online. Google yourself, they've got not only your age and address, but everywhere you've ever lived, and who you were married to, good luck getting a fresh start.
And now they want to "benevolently" control our purchases, never mind our thoughts.
Jeff Bezos will ignore incoming e-mails, but he can't ignore the publicity. Because it makes Amazon look...evil.
And Amazon is. It undercuts/undersells competitors. It constantly goes into new territories, and if it were smart and priced the Fire phone at zero, it would have a new cadre of supporters mindlessly marching into its coffers.
Do you want one company delivering not only your books, but your television, both the set and the programming, determining what to feature?
Where is the individual in today's society? Who is looking out for us? Who is making sure we don't get screwed?
Nobody. That's right, nobody. You're on your own, baby. And if we don't band together, we're screwed.
We used to band together as political parties, but we lost control of those to the corporations.
We used to band together under artists who spoke the truth, but they too all aligned with the corporations, the only ones with deep pockets.
And we idiots are consumed with logos. Believing if we just drive the right car and wear the right clothes we'll win, when the truth is we lost a long time ago.
It's time for a revolution in America, at least online. If we don't reign in the Internet behemoths, it's game over. Forget Obama, the kings will be Zuckerberg and Bezos, if they aren't already. The former determines what information we'll be exposed to and the latter determines what items we will buy.
This makes the cable and media landscape look like small potatoes. This makes Rupert Murdoch look like a pawn. Because Murdoch doesn't control ALL the news, nor ALL the programming. Sure, some cable companies have virtual monopolies on distribution, but no cable company covers the entire nation, never mind the entire world.
But Google and Facebook and Amazon do, or are close to it. And they've got no competitors. They're only becoming more powerful.
And the government won't stop them.
Only we can do it.
Jeff Bezos is just a person. The Orwell screw-up shows the people he employs have blind spots.
At least let us buy our books while you work it out with Hachette.
But you can't watch the Dodgers if you're not on Time Warner and if you're published by Hachette it's like you don't exist on Amazon.
Who's sticking up for the little guy? Who, in this case, is just about everyone?
Nobody.
Never forget that.
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This is about corporations. And power. And the rights of not only artists, but individuals.
There's a fiction in America today that corporations are our friends. Amazon even pushes the paradigm by saying all its efforts are for us. Pitting writers against readers in a sideshow that deflects from the truth that this really only about money, Amazon's bottom line.
Amazon wants to own everything. Is that a good thing?
We've been wrestling with this issue for years, but no one wants to take a stand. Because they love that Facebook is free, Twitter too. The goal is to be in an Apple commercial, get sponsored by Samsung or Red Bull. But do these companies now have so much power that they're hurting rather than helping us?
The Internet shrinks the world down to a click. With every store right next to the other, only one survives. So Google owns search. Facebook is your digital home. And Amazon is where you buy...seemingly everything.
Is this good for us?
Don't trust the writers, they're myopic and know nothing about money.
And don't trust Hachette, run so inefficiently that the writers make a pittance while the company thrives.
Trust your gut. Do you really want to live in a 1984 world where Big Brother controls everything?
That's the humorous element in this story. Amazon trotted out George Orwell's quotes, saying to beware of publishers colluding against paperbacks when he said just the opposite. Credit the "New York Times" for revealing this truth, check it out here: http://nyti.ms/1nCTh7p
But what is most fascinating is the nerds at Amazon could get it so wrong. Read Brad Stone's "The Everything Store." Amazon long ago fired experts, recommendations are made by algorithms, and the keepers of our culture know nothing about the liberal arts, and everything about money. Either they can't read or they can't research or both, and that's a sorry state of affairs.
But the truth is most of the public can't either. The great unwashed want to be on reality shows and most college students focus on practical efforts like business, and what gets squeezed is culture. Ever wonder why music is so repetitive and mediocre? Because it's made by the lowest common denominator element, the best and the brightest are working at the bank.
Hachette does not have clean hands. But the writers are a pawn in this dispute, like the Ukrainians living on the Russian border. They're getting hurt while powers are fighting about something else.
But now the writers are fighting back, by banding together and taking an ad in the aforementioned "New York Times" urging you to e-mail Jeff Bezos. That's a waste of time, don't bother, Jeff will be inundated with a zillion e-mails in defense of the writers, if you base your efforts on public e-mail campaigns or petitions, you'll do the wrong thing. But the truth is the Amazon/Hachette war is now a matter of public debate.
And that's what it is, a war. And it's not about books. It's about how much of our lives are we going to turn over to Amazon.
Come on, you like instant delivery, you like a trustworthy merchant, but do you like a company that can single-handedly set prices and determine availability?
Oh, shut up about physical books and bookstores. That's in the rearview mirror, digital won, because it's convenient and inherently cheaper. If you don't know this, I feel sorry for you, because then you don't get the bigger picture, which is...
When are we the people gonna stand up to corporations?
The Supreme Court says they're people too. Not hard to believe when the Republicans started the Federalist Society to infiltrate the bench and when they got power nominated these pro-business judges.
But the Democrats don't have clean hands either. Because politics is all about money, and people just haven't got as much, not when corporations can donate as much as they want.
But we're supposed to sit at home satiated because we have a cheap mobile phone and free Facebook.
They came for our privacy, and we coughed it up, not only willingly plugging our information into fields online, but not realizing everything we ever did has been codified and put up for sale online. Google yourself, they've got not only your age and address, but everywhere you've ever lived, and who you were married to, good luck getting a fresh start.
And now they want to "benevolently" control our purchases, never mind our thoughts.
Jeff Bezos will ignore incoming e-mails, but he can't ignore the publicity. Because it makes Amazon look...evil.
And Amazon is. It undercuts/undersells competitors. It constantly goes into new territories, and if it were smart and priced the Fire phone at zero, it would have a new cadre of supporters mindlessly marching into its coffers.
Do you want one company delivering not only your books, but your television, both the set and the programming, determining what to feature?
Where is the individual in today's society? Who is looking out for us? Who is making sure we don't get screwed?
Nobody. That's right, nobody. You're on your own, baby. And if we don't band together, we're screwed.
We used to band together as political parties, but we lost control of those to the corporations.
We used to band together under artists who spoke the truth, but they too all aligned with the corporations, the only ones with deep pockets.
And we idiots are consumed with logos. Believing if we just drive the right car and wear the right clothes we'll win, when the truth is we lost a long time ago.
It's time for a revolution in America, at least online. If we don't reign in the Internet behemoths, it's game over. Forget Obama, the kings will be Zuckerberg and Bezos, if they aren't already. The former determines what information we'll be exposed to and the latter determines what items we will buy.
This makes the cable and media landscape look like small potatoes. This makes Rupert Murdoch look like a pawn. Because Murdoch doesn't control ALL the news, nor ALL the programming. Sure, some cable companies have virtual monopolies on distribution, but no cable company covers the entire nation, never mind the entire world.
But Google and Facebook and Amazon do, or are close to it. And they've got no competitors. They're only becoming more powerful.
And the government won't stop them.
Only we can do it.
Jeff Bezos is just a person. The Orwell screw-up shows the people he employs have blind spots.
At least let us buy our books while you work it out with Hachette.
But you can't watch the Dodgers if you're not on Time Warner and if you're published by Hachette it's like you don't exist on Amazon.
Who's sticking up for the little guy? Who, in this case, is just about everyone?
Nobody.
Never forget that.
--
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