From: Richard Griffiths
Subject: Re: Today's Aphorisms
It is better to regret what you did do than what you didn't.
There is a solution to every problem.
Nothing great can be achieved without enthusiasm.
_______________________________________________
Subject: Re: Today's Aphorisms
Bob-
Thanks for sharing "The New Making It." It's true. And it's the reason I quit a $200K plus job at Sony Music in order to be a musician again. I left Sony Music (Columbia Records) in 2006. I stared a drum school in NYC in 2009 and because of the same ideas that have helped those six profiled in the article, I make a living from it. And that allows me to pursue my drumming dream without hesitation. My business funds my music and I get to do what I love.
The new digital world may have screwed with royalty payments, but while it ended a way of living for many, it created a whole new world of living differently for many others like me.
It's a classic case of "who moved my cheese" a book that still resonates....IMO.
People will continue to complain about the new digital world screwing up their old ways---but there is plenty of opportunity in embracing the new age. It's a fact. I'm living proof. And I'm much happier now.
Regards,
Mark Feldman
NYC
_______________________________________________
Subject: Re: Today's Aphorisms
re: "YOU BUILD A FOLLOWING, THEN MONETIZE IT."
Hi Bob,
realizing that i am talking about a cover band (yes, it's easier than promoting original music), albeit, a band that I am super proud of called, The Fab Faux. This is a band that i co-founded with bass guitar legend, Will Lee, the coolest TV band leader for Conan, Jimmy Vivino, Joan Osborne/Patti Smith guitarist, Jack Petruzzelli and arranger genius/guitarist, Frank Agnello. My credits include, Rosanne Cash, Amy Helm and Roger Waters.
Luckily for us, we all had various studio or touring gigs in 1997 when Will sparked the idea to start the greatest and most satisfying non wigs and suits, no fake English accents, note for note accurate, heavy concentration on the post touring era (Sgt. Pepper - Abbey Road) Beatles show. We spent months renting rehearsal rooms, sitting with outtakes and demo "cassettes" and CDs that we found in Greenwich Village CD bootleg stores and diligently rehearsed together.
The musical education was the euphoric drug that fueled us. A musician will truly not know how brilliant The Beatles are until the music is broken down to its individual parts. We refused to perform live in NYC until we all felt that the performances were, in our opinion, hypnotically attached to the essence of those records.
Here is my point: when we decided to book a show, we knew that with the plethora of Beatles bands in every city and towns, we would not stand out in print ads, gain an audience until word got out on how our show was like no other - just come to the show, close your eyes and listen to the records live. Because we didn't have an audience, we decided to play for free - yes, FREE. Sometimes, Will and Jimmy would graciously bank roll our expenses when they piled up since there wasn't a guarantee. This went on for about a year.
Beyond that, with a clip board out in the audience to get emails and mailing addresses (we sat in Will's dining room on many nights, mailing post cards about upcoming shows - it was 1998 - and creating cheap looking newsletters in the early days of email) and when the audience grew, we started charging $7.00 per ticket. I think it remained at this fee for another year. By this time, the audiences were lining up around the block of a 300 capacity venue. Then came multiple night shows for a 'package' price. With rehearsal, cartage and crew fees, we were still making low bread but the shows were becoming an event and with prices affordable, dedicated fans could buy extra tickets for future believers who would never go to see a Beatles band.
To keep it fresh, we decided to no longer rely on synths and employed a horn and string section. Tickets then went to $25.00, $30 day of show. We were doing three nights a row at a club called The Bowery Ballroom on the lower east side to accommodate ticket requests and to try and make some money for ourselves. This was a venue that had no interest in cover bands but thanks to a young Beatles freak named John Moore who was booking the club, we thrived (he now co owns Bowery Presents, a giant concert promoter here on the east coast).
About a year later, David Fricke, Senior Music Editor from Rolling Stone Magazine came to see us and decided to do a big story on us and our slow rise that catered to our fans and the music. Suddenly other markets were interested and we began to perform complete Beatles records. The White Album show includes a spoken word/recreated samples accurate Revolution 9. I cannot describe our approach to it in words but I will say that one can hear a pin drop during its performance.
We stayed loyal with John Moore and Bowery Presents here in NYC and now enjoy annual sold out show at The Beacon Theatre with them as promoter. We currently have a large following in other cities such as, Chicago, LA, Ft. Lauderdale, Red Bank, NJ and Ann Arbor, Michigan with some having Live Nation as our buyer. Our e-mailing list for our monthly newsletter is 60,000+ strong plus Facebook which really does help to sell tickets. Ticket tiers still have a mandatory affordable level at all theatre shows but we do include a much higher priced VIP package which includes a post-show meet and greet. This M&G level almost always sells out immediately.
We book ourselves, have an in-house manager, bookkeeper, a giant storage facility for the 30+ guitars and two period drum sets that we use on every show and employ a dedicated crew of seven.
We also have a corporate events arm that is seeing more inquiries and commitments as the economy get better and we are part of benefit shows for virtuous causes that include The Michael J Fox Parkinsons benefit and Caron Drug Treatment Center benefit galas.
Special guests have included, Elvis Costello, Trey Anastasio, Sheryl Crow, Rob Thomas, Dion and Bettye Lavette.
I never wanted to be in a Beatles band (I was an extreme purist) but I love what we have created, love that we now incorporate our own musical personalities into the performances (we jam at outros) and along with the other partners are forever grateful to Will for convincing me to do it 18 years ago and of course, our loyal fan base for their constant patronage. Yes, it is a business now with insurance policies and worker's comp audits but it is only successful because of our initial philosophy: do it for truth, love, the euphoria of the performance and when it is ready, invite everyone that you feel will 'get it' - and hope for the best.
Rich Pagano
The Fab Faux
thefabfaux.com
_______________________________________________
From: curtis solar
Subject: Re: Rhinofy-Blue Bandana
Hey Bob, CJ Solar here. Been subscribed to your letter since a friend first recommended it shortly after I moved to Nashville in 2010 and have been reading your letters since then. Always good stuff.
Me and my two buddies Andy Wills and Ben Goldsmith wrote Blue Bandana a little over a year ago. Ben was working the front desk at BMG and I was about to sign my first publishing deal with Sea Gayle Music, owned by Chris Dubois and Brad Paisley.
We sat down in a writer room at BMG after Ben got off that night. Andy threw out the title Blue Bandana before we started but I believe we ended up starting writing another song first. We got sidetracked and started talking about how MerleFest was coming up and that we wished we could have gone. I started reminiscing on my experiences of going to bonnaroo right out of high school in 2010 and how it was a magical experience for my friends and I.
We started with the lines "She's a bonnaroo baby, she's coachella crazy" and thought, that's pretty cool. Then we started the first verse. None of us had been to any of the other festivals but I hope to check em all out soon. We heard Wakarusa was muddy from some friends over years. And of course I listen to clips on YouTube from the famous Woodstock performances and wish I could have been there. Magical times.
We didn't demo it at first because it was so different, we figured no one in Nashville would ever cut it. I ended up squeezing it on as the 6th song on a session and the band took one pass and threw a solo on about 6 months after we wrote it. It ended up being my favorite on the session and my publisher ended up loving it and showed it to jerrod shortly after I turned it in since he writes for Sea Gayle as well. Being all of the writers first cut and a special song to all of us we were/still are super excited Jerrod took a chance on it.
The music was inspired by all of the classic rock my parents raised me on in Louisiana, from CCR to Allman Bros. Appreciate the inside scoop you give on some of the classics, really dug the piece on King Harvest a while back. "Dancing in the Moonlight" is one of my all time faves.
Glad Blue Bandana made you feel something.
CJ Solar
_______________________________________________
Subject: RE: Rhino-Blue Bandana
Hi Bob,
I always learn something new from your writings. Today I read "MerleFest" and it piqued my curiosity. My first thought it was in relation to Merle Haggard, but I was wrong. Merle Watson. Piqued my interest even more, did some internet research and now I've added to my list of places to go…someday. BTW, a fun fact, Merle Watson was named for my dad, Merle Travis.
Write on…xo Merlene Travis
_______________________________________________
From: Deborah Holland
Subject: Re: Rhinofy-Blue Bandana
or the boy in the red one
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Friday 21 August 2015
Rhinofy-Blue Bandana
I'm a sucker for an acoustic guitar.
That's right, in this electronic world of 0's and 1's, something natural, something evidencing humanity, grabs me and has me paying attention.
At least once a week, I cruise the Country playlists on Spotify. And it's astounding how much of it's formulaic, me-too crap. All about beer and trucks and... When I hear something different and it rings my bell, I don't push the button to fast-forward, I listen.
"She was dancin' in a sundress under a Carolina sunset on the last night of MerleFest"
Huh? Jerrod Niemann is singing about one of America's hippest festivals, one people have been e-mailing me about for years, telling me it's the one I can't miss, the one that doesn't fly on the mainstream radar?
"Told me she ain't missed one since the summer she turned eighteen"
Used to be it was how big your record collection was, now it's how many wristbands you've got, where you've been. It's not only the Grateful Dead themselves who've come back, but their entire ethos.
"She had a flower in her hair, a little smoke was in the air"
Freedom. It's what we all want, what we are all too uptight to pursue. If we don't apply ourselves, work on our careers, we're going to be left behind, broke down and busted on the side of the road. So we envy those who are willing to cast aside the precepts, to hedonistically pursue being alive.
"We were chillin' in some lawn chairs saying we wish we could've seen Woodstock"
Don't think the young don't envy the oldsters, their ability to see not only Zeppelin, but all the bands on that stage in the Catskills. They feel they missed out. On not only the music, but the experience.
"Told me she was leaving in the morning, headed down to New Orleans
Said boy, you oughta come along and I know I shoulda gone"
The last time I blew off my plans was when my buds knocked on my door at midnight and encouraged me to skip the LSAT to drive up to Montreal. Which I did. Saw a Truffaut movie and a border cop found a seed in the glove box of Hughes's Biscayne on the way back. Sometimes I wish I was more free and easy, took more risks.
"She's a Bonnaroo baby, she's Coachella crazy
She'll be folking out in Newport, you've probably seen her before
Up at Lollapalooza, in the mud at Wakarusa
She'll be at the Hangout down in Alabama
Just look for the girl in the blue bandana"
And there you have a recitation of every famous festival in America today. And there are many. Not only the biggies, like Bonnaroo and Coachella, but Newport and Hangout. Listening makes you want to go, to have the music set you free. That's what the festival promises, an escape from the way it is from Monday through Thursday. And here's this woman who's following the festivals like we used to follow the bands, from town to town, like Deadheads and Phish Heads.
And I'd be lying if I didn't say the lyrics were overbaked, nearly lowest common denominator. But then there's that sound... The dynamics from quiet to loud, the anthemic quality, rock and roll before it became harder-edged and left so many out. Country is a big tent, like the above-mentioned festivals. And it turns out we all want to go.
Where we're the stars. Where we let our freak flags fly. Where we're happy. So it's no wonder the song closes with...
"Now I've got a beat-up van and I'm drivin' 'cross this land
Lookin' for a blue bandana"
He's chasing the dream. He wants that feeling back, of being free.
So do I.
And so do you.
We're all looking for the girl in the blue bandana.
Spotify: http://spoti.fi/1WFZvIF
YouTube: http://bit.ly/1fqK859
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That's right, in this electronic world of 0's and 1's, something natural, something evidencing humanity, grabs me and has me paying attention.
At least once a week, I cruise the Country playlists on Spotify. And it's astounding how much of it's formulaic, me-too crap. All about beer and trucks and... When I hear something different and it rings my bell, I don't push the button to fast-forward, I listen.
"She was dancin' in a sundress under a Carolina sunset on the last night of MerleFest"
Huh? Jerrod Niemann is singing about one of America's hippest festivals, one people have been e-mailing me about for years, telling me it's the one I can't miss, the one that doesn't fly on the mainstream radar?
"Told me she ain't missed one since the summer she turned eighteen"
Used to be it was how big your record collection was, now it's how many wristbands you've got, where you've been. It's not only the Grateful Dead themselves who've come back, but their entire ethos.
"She had a flower in her hair, a little smoke was in the air"
Freedom. It's what we all want, what we are all too uptight to pursue. If we don't apply ourselves, work on our careers, we're going to be left behind, broke down and busted on the side of the road. So we envy those who are willing to cast aside the precepts, to hedonistically pursue being alive.
"We were chillin' in some lawn chairs saying we wish we could've seen Woodstock"
Don't think the young don't envy the oldsters, their ability to see not only Zeppelin, but all the bands on that stage in the Catskills. They feel they missed out. On not only the music, but the experience.
"Told me she was leaving in the morning, headed down to New Orleans
Said boy, you oughta come along and I know I shoulda gone"
The last time I blew off my plans was when my buds knocked on my door at midnight and encouraged me to skip the LSAT to drive up to Montreal. Which I did. Saw a Truffaut movie and a border cop found a seed in the glove box of Hughes's Biscayne on the way back. Sometimes I wish I was more free and easy, took more risks.
"She's a Bonnaroo baby, she's Coachella crazy
She'll be folking out in Newport, you've probably seen her before
Up at Lollapalooza, in the mud at Wakarusa
She'll be at the Hangout down in Alabama
Just look for the girl in the blue bandana"
And there you have a recitation of every famous festival in America today. And there are many. Not only the biggies, like Bonnaroo and Coachella, but Newport and Hangout. Listening makes you want to go, to have the music set you free. That's what the festival promises, an escape from the way it is from Monday through Thursday. And here's this woman who's following the festivals like we used to follow the bands, from town to town, like Deadheads and Phish Heads.
And I'd be lying if I didn't say the lyrics were overbaked, nearly lowest common denominator. But then there's that sound... The dynamics from quiet to loud, the anthemic quality, rock and roll before it became harder-edged and left so many out. Country is a big tent, like the above-mentioned festivals. And it turns out we all want to go.
Where we're the stars. Where we let our freak flags fly. Where we're happy. So it's no wonder the song closes with...
"Now I've got a beat-up van and I'm drivin' 'cross this land
Lookin' for a blue bandana"
He's chasing the dream. He wants that feeling back, of being free.
So do I.
And so do you.
We're all looking for the girl in the blue bandana.
Spotify: http://spoti.fi/1WFZvIF
YouTube: http://bit.ly/1fqK859
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Thursday 20 August 2015
Today's Aphorisms
"YOU BUILD A FOLLOWING, THEN MONETIZE IT."
This is a quote from the "New York Times," from a sidebar to the article "The Creative Apocalypse That Wasn't" (http://nyti.ms/1FtB8YY) Be sure to read the stories of the six creative people featured - "The New Making It": http://nyti.ms/1Ju9rRI
YOU START OFF NOWHERE AND YOU'RE LUCKY IF YOU GET SOMEWHERE.
Too many want to start at the top. They don't want to do the hard work. But it always is hard work. What looks like an overnight success is not. People would rather believe the myth.
YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN YOU WALK OUT THE FRONT DOOR.
This is my personal mantra. We're creatures of habit. And now that usually means staying at home in front of the screen. But if you leave the house, you bump into people, you have experiences, you're in the flow and inspired. Try it.
NOBODY TELLS THE TRUTH.
They lie about how many albums they've sold, about how many fans they have and how much money they make. You especially see this in Los Angeles, where people who are broke drive $100,000 cars. Take everything people say with a grain of salt, EVERYTHING! And know that inadequacy is a state of mind. As that old Jamaican seer once sang, you can get it if you really want, but you must try, try and try...
SUCCESS IS USUALLY FLEETING.
Did you see that Yvonne Craig, television's Batgirl, sold real estate when acting gigs dried up? Respect those who've persevered and are still making a living at art, it's extremely difficult.
PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR THE HITS.
If you're doing a live gig, and people are paying for access, you've got to give them what they want, or something equally as good. I know, it sucks, but that's the pressure of building upon prior success.
GOOD IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
When music, TV and movies were limited in quantity, desire frequently outstripped production, people listened to and watched that which they might not have if they had more choice. Now, they've got choice. And there's a rush to quality. Which is why summer TV is fading in America, on cable channels, the WSJ wrote about a fall in the double digits: "Summer-TV Watchers Abandon Cable Shows": http://on.wsj.com/1LhkpKT Used to be we watched network reruns in the summer. Now we don't even want to watch originals, unless they're as good as what we can stream on Netflix.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE AT THE TOP TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
But you do have to be happy with this success. And not be sour grapes that you did not make it to the show. And there's nothing wrong with being a hobbyist, as long as you realize that's what you are and give up the dream.
HATING FADES AWAY, THOSE HATED UPON LAST.
This is something that almost no one in the creative class can get over, the hate. People have always hated those with success, but it's worse now that people have a voice online and economic times are so challenging. If you get caught up in the hating you'll be dragged down. Ask yourself, would you send an equal amount of hate with the same vitriol? It's a reflection upon the hater, not you. Follow Obama, who refused to respond to the Birthers, because he knew it wasn't about his birth certificate, but the sheer fact he was in the White House. Obama won the election. So did you. Bask in it and try to look forward, don't let the naysayers drag you down.
WORD OF MOUTH IS EVERYTHING.
If no one is talking about you, nothing is happening, you're dead in the water.
"Y'ALL TALK ABOUT UX LIKE IT'S JUST ANOTHER FEATURE. FOR A USER, IT LITERALLY IS THE PRODUCT. FULL STOP. EVERYTHING ELSE IS INSIDE BASEBALL."
This is a quote, from the Twitter account of Startup L. Jackson (@StartupLJackson). Or, as that old tire commercial once said, user experience is where the rubber meets the road. Features are secondary to usability. Just ask Microsoft, it had all the market share but its lunch was eaten by Apple, a supposed also-ran. This is how the new Apple screwed up Apple Music. Sure, we might clamor for more features, but that's secondary to bitching that the product is hard to use/unfathomable... We expect every product to be intuitive and work from the first iteration. This is not the electric windows of cars in the sixties. If you want to improve something on the fly, label it BETA!
YOUR BEST IDEAS WILL BE STIMULATED BY SOMEONE OR SOMETHING ELSE.
If you live in a vacuum the light bulb will never go off. You need to read, you need to talk to people, you need to synthesize information into something new. He not busy being born is busy dying (thanks Bob!)
HE WHO BITCHES LOUDEST IS THE LEAST IMPORTANT.
Funny how this works. Those who've made it rarely complain, they know what it took to get there and they know change is a campaign, not just mindless yelling, often executed behind the scenes.
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE ARE SMART.
They may not be book smart, they may be street smart, but when you think you can do the job of the CEO, you're usually wrong. First and foremost, you could never get the gig.
YOU MAKE YOUR OWN OPPORTUNITIES.
There is no insurance anymore. Plenty of people go to Ivy League schools and don't set the world on fire. Sure, it helps to be born on third base, but that's not the only way to make it.
PEOPLE WANT TO BUY.
They want new and different, they want to tell everybody about it and spend money on it, it's a badge of honor. So when you're broke...either you don't have an audience or you haven't figured out how to monetize it.
DON'T BE A PRISONER OF THE PAST.
If you're not constantly reevaluating, if you're not constantly thinking about change, if you believe you're secure...as Rob Halford once sang, you've got another thing comin'. And it ain't gonna be good.
NOBODY HAS ALL THE ANSWERS.
Your opinion is just as good anybody else's. Don't let others be an impediment, assuming you believe in your idea and have traction.
IT ALL DOESN'T MATTER.
Not the money, nor the status...it's a game people play while they're alive and then they die and they're forgotten. Bob Dylan had it right:
"Build me a cabin in Utah
Marry me a wife, catch rainbow trout
Have a bunch of kids who call me 'Pa'
That must be what it's all about
That must be what it's all about"
"Sign On The Window"
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This is a quote from the "New York Times," from a sidebar to the article "The Creative Apocalypse That Wasn't" (http://nyti.ms/1FtB8YY) Be sure to read the stories of the six creative people featured - "The New Making It": http://nyti.ms/1Ju9rRI
YOU START OFF NOWHERE AND YOU'RE LUCKY IF YOU GET SOMEWHERE.
Too many want to start at the top. They don't want to do the hard work. But it always is hard work. What looks like an overnight success is not. People would rather believe the myth.
YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN YOU WALK OUT THE FRONT DOOR.
This is my personal mantra. We're creatures of habit. And now that usually means staying at home in front of the screen. But if you leave the house, you bump into people, you have experiences, you're in the flow and inspired. Try it.
NOBODY TELLS THE TRUTH.
They lie about how many albums they've sold, about how many fans they have and how much money they make. You especially see this in Los Angeles, where people who are broke drive $100,000 cars. Take everything people say with a grain of salt, EVERYTHING! And know that inadequacy is a state of mind. As that old Jamaican seer once sang, you can get it if you really want, but you must try, try and try...
SUCCESS IS USUALLY FLEETING.
Did you see that Yvonne Craig, television's Batgirl, sold real estate when acting gigs dried up? Respect those who've persevered and are still making a living at art, it's extremely difficult.
PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR THE HITS.
If you're doing a live gig, and people are paying for access, you've got to give them what they want, or something equally as good. I know, it sucks, but that's the pressure of building upon prior success.
GOOD IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
When music, TV and movies were limited in quantity, desire frequently outstripped production, people listened to and watched that which they might not have if they had more choice. Now, they've got choice. And there's a rush to quality. Which is why summer TV is fading in America, on cable channels, the WSJ wrote about a fall in the double digits: "Summer-TV Watchers Abandon Cable Shows": http://on.wsj.com/1LhkpKT Used to be we watched network reruns in the summer. Now we don't even want to watch originals, unless they're as good as what we can stream on Netflix.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE AT THE TOP TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
But you do have to be happy with this success. And not be sour grapes that you did not make it to the show. And there's nothing wrong with being a hobbyist, as long as you realize that's what you are and give up the dream.
HATING FADES AWAY, THOSE HATED UPON LAST.
This is something that almost no one in the creative class can get over, the hate. People have always hated those with success, but it's worse now that people have a voice online and economic times are so challenging. If you get caught up in the hating you'll be dragged down. Ask yourself, would you send an equal amount of hate with the same vitriol? It's a reflection upon the hater, not you. Follow Obama, who refused to respond to the Birthers, because he knew it wasn't about his birth certificate, but the sheer fact he was in the White House. Obama won the election. So did you. Bask in it and try to look forward, don't let the naysayers drag you down.
WORD OF MOUTH IS EVERYTHING.
If no one is talking about you, nothing is happening, you're dead in the water.
"Y'ALL TALK ABOUT UX LIKE IT'S JUST ANOTHER FEATURE. FOR A USER, IT LITERALLY IS THE PRODUCT. FULL STOP. EVERYTHING ELSE IS INSIDE BASEBALL."
This is a quote, from the Twitter account of Startup L. Jackson (@StartupLJackson). Or, as that old tire commercial once said, user experience is where the rubber meets the road. Features are secondary to usability. Just ask Microsoft, it had all the market share but its lunch was eaten by Apple, a supposed also-ran. This is how the new Apple screwed up Apple Music. Sure, we might clamor for more features, but that's secondary to bitching that the product is hard to use/unfathomable... We expect every product to be intuitive and work from the first iteration. This is not the electric windows of cars in the sixties. If you want to improve something on the fly, label it BETA!
YOUR BEST IDEAS WILL BE STIMULATED BY SOMEONE OR SOMETHING ELSE.
If you live in a vacuum the light bulb will never go off. You need to read, you need to talk to people, you need to synthesize information into something new. He not busy being born is busy dying (thanks Bob!)
HE WHO BITCHES LOUDEST IS THE LEAST IMPORTANT.
Funny how this works. Those who've made it rarely complain, they know what it took to get there and they know change is a campaign, not just mindless yelling, often executed behind the scenes.
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE ARE SMART.
They may not be book smart, they may be street smart, but when you think you can do the job of the CEO, you're usually wrong. First and foremost, you could never get the gig.
YOU MAKE YOUR OWN OPPORTUNITIES.
There is no insurance anymore. Plenty of people go to Ivy League schools and don't set the world on fire. Sure, it helps to be born on third base, but that's not the only way to make it.
PEOPLE WANT TO BUY.
They want new and different, they want to tell everybody about it and spend money on it, it's a badge of honor. So when you're broke...either you don't have an audience or you haven't figured out how to monetize it.
DON'T BE A PRISONER OF THE PAST.
If you're not constantly reevaluating, if you're not constantly thinking about change, if you believe you're secure...as Rob Halford once sang, you've got another thing comin'. And it ain't gonna be good.
NOBODY HAS ALL THE ANSWERS.
Your opinion is just as good anybody else's. Don't let others be an impediment, assuming you believe in your idea and have traction.
IT ALL DOESN'T MATTER.
Not the money, nor the status...it's a game people play while they're alive and then they die and they're forgotten. Bob Dylan had it right:
"Build me a cabin in Utah
Marry me a wife, catch rainbow trout
Have a bunch of kids who call me 'Pa'
That must be what it's all about
That must be what it's all about"
"Sign On The Window"
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Blockchain
Why is it always people without leverage are agitating for change? Those without hits who can see a better way but have no power to make it happen.
Makes me yearn for the old days, when these people did not have a voice. When not only could they not get a label deal, they could not get their music heard.
Want change? Have a hit! Before you do, your statements are meaningless. You've got to force people to change, and that does not happen via a better idea. And the music business is intransigent, the techies learned the only way to make progress was to STEAL the music. That's what they had in common with the promoters and label owners of yore, they had an element of crookdom, they believed the rules didn't apply to them. But all these agitators for change, they believe Congress should help them out, or that if they just say something long enough about inequity, their opponents will change. Lucian Grainge needs to eat too, baby. And if he doesn't get returns, he's gonna lose his job.
All you songwriters bitching about a reduction in royalties. Not only do I want you to give back your synch fees, I want you to stop complaining and change the paradigm. Yes, Pandora should pay more, but when confronted with a loss in royalties the labels did 360 deals, they wanted a larger piece of the pie. If you're such a damn good songwriter why don't you hold out for more? If you just bitch that you're being ripped-off whilst begging artists to record your tunes you're screwed. Then again, if you write a big hit, you've got power. Max Martin can write his own ticket, then again, Max Martin is making a fortune, because he's not interested in singles or doubles, but home runs, no...GRAND SLAMS!
Unionize your fellow writers, go on strike. Your enemy is the acts covering your tunes, not Spotify or Apple Music. They take your tunes and make millions on the road and give none of that to you. Unfair? Youbetcha.
Furthermore, you've got some people on your side. Like Marty Bandier and Irving Azoff. Bandier has been agitating for higher publishing payouts for years. And he uses his catalog as a big stick. Pull Sony Music and you've got little left. Irving culled a who's who of writers and formed his own performing rights organization, without his tunes the outlets are toast.
But they both know the power of leverage and you don't.
Want to have power in this industry?
Write a hit song. Record it. Then promoters will pay you more than they want to, screaming all the while. Do this before you sign your major label deal and watch the terms change, you'll get more money, because that's what labels thrive on, hits.
And if you want to change the industry you've got to get the heads of the powers-that-be in a vice. Pandora and Universal are not going to kowtow to a good idea, but if you make it impossible for them to transact business without you...
Then again, the labels learned their lesson, that the digital future was here. So what did they do? Leverage the power of their catalogs to get a percentage of Spotify ownership.
They pay athletes on results. Get big enough and not only can you write your own terms, but force a trade.
But in music everybody thinks they're LeBron and should be entitled to start and get rich.
Good luck with defying the laws of economics. Which have nothing to do with the internet, they're immutable!
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Makes me yearn for the old days, when these people did not have a voice. When not only could they not get a label deal, they could not get their music heard.
Want change? Have a hit! Before you do, your statements are meaningless. You've got to force people to change, and that does not happen via a better idea. And the music business is intransigent, the techies learned the only way to make progress was to STEAL the music. That's what they had in common with the promoters and label owners of yore, they had an element of crookdom, they believed the rules didn't apply to them. But all these agitators for change, they believe Congress should help them out, or that if they just say something long enough about inequity, their opponents will change. Lucian Grainge needs to eat too, baby. And if he doesn't get returns, he's gonna lose his job.
All you songwriters bitching about a reduction in royalties. Not only do I want you to give back your synch fees, I want you to stop complaining and change the paradigm. Yes, Pandora should pay more, but when confronted with a loss in royalties the labels did 360 deals, they wanted a larger piece of the pie. If you're such a damn good songwriter why don't you hold out for more? If you just bitch that you're being ripped-off whilst begging artists to record your tunes you're screwed. Then again, if you write a big hit, you've got power. Max Martin can write his own ticket, then again, Max Martin is making a fortune, because he's not interested in singles or doubles, but home runs, no...GRAND SLAMS!
Unionize your fellow writers, go on strike. Your enemy is the acts covering your tunes, not Spotify or Apple Music. They take your tunes and make millions on the road and give none of that to you. Unfair? Youbetcha.
Furthermore, you've got some people on your side. Like Marty Bandier and Irving Azoff. Bandier has been agitating for higher publishing payouts for years. And he uses his catalog as a big stick. Pull Sony Music and you've got little left. Irving culled a who's who of writers and formed his own performing rights organization, without his tunes the outlets are toast.
But they both know the power of leverage and you don't.
Want to have power in this industry?
Write a hit song. Record it. Then promoters will pay you more than they want to, screaming all the while. Do this before you sign your major label deal and watch the terms change, you'll get more money, because that's what labels thrive on, hits.
And if you want to change the industry you've got to get the heads of the powers-that-be in a vice. Pandora and Universal are not going to kowtow to a good idea, but if you make it impossible for them to transact business without you...
Then again, the labels learned their lesson, that the digital future was here. So what did they do? Leverage the power of their catalogs to get a percentage of Spotify ownership.
They pay athletes on results. Get big enough and not only can you write your own terms, but force a trade.
But in music everybody thinks they're LeBron and should be entitled to start and get rich.
Good luck with defying the laws of economics. Which have nothing to do with the internet, they're immutable!
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John Oliver On Televangelists
"There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear"
Those were the words of one Stephen Stills, written back in '66, when the man tried to cramp the style of the youth, back before Pandora's Box was paved over and everybody dashed for cash.
How did that work out for the man?
It didn't. There was a revolution. The war in Vietnam stopped, Woodstock drew hundreds of thousands and not only did rock rule, so did the baby boomers, the establishment was wiped from the landscape in one fell swoop.
You see you can't argue with the dedicated youth when they're speaking the truth.
But the youth have lost their way. Growing up in a challenged economy they've paid fealty to the almighty dollar. There's no mystery why rap videos feature Benzes and country lyrics contain alcohol brand names. Because these empty suits were brought up in an era where speaking truth to power was anathema, in other words, we haven't had that hip-hop spirit here since 1999.
As for the other musical genres, don't make me laugh.
But HBO is the Warner Music of old. With a faceless king known as Richard Plepler who's akin to nobody so much as Mo Ostin, who believed in letting the artists rule, that if you follow them, you win in the end, both artistically and financially.
That's right, most of the other outlets are triangulating, living in fear. Which is why we get empty-headed sitcoms no one can relate to, why there's no one like you on TV. But on HBO...
This John Oliver thing is fascinating. He's the thinking man's Donald Trump. The person who's speaking the truth not to win in the end, but to point out the folly of our leaders and our country. John Oliver is sticking up for us.
Or, as Michael Moore once asked, "Dude, where's my country?"
We were led to believe someone was looking after us. Before the right wing declared government uncool and pulled financing from the IRS. Such that we get zillionaire televangelists flying around in private jets. Multiple private jets. Living a tax free lifestyle equivalent to a tech CEO. Start a band? START A RELIGION!
Which is what John Oliver did, mockingly.
But before that he pointed out the fallacy of religion, a third rail topic in America if there ever was one. You've got to believe in God, the family and...if you're a Republican, no abortion, no unions... Corporations are unfettered, but human beings must heel to the mindless and monied who want them to live by their rules.
But not on HBO.
We're experiencing a revolution. And music is not involved. It started on television. Which makes sense, since we are in the golden age of television.
It turns out you can say that on TV today. And we want to hear it from seasoned players whose minds we respect more than their bodies. Teenagers have no place on HBO. And neither John Oliver nor Bill Maher are models. But what they're doing is speaking their mind, and they've got an army of millions. That's right, HBO cumulatively speaks to more people than almost every other media outlet. That's power. And power is much more interesting than money. Because with power you can change the world. It's easy, like taking candy, from a baby. All you do is point out the follies of the monied, in-power class.
It's like shooting fish in a barrel.
And John Oliver does this every week.
This is not David Letterman, attitude and nothing more, a loner on the fringe. It's certainly not Jimmy Fallon, who's as phony as the teacher's pet and is most interested in ratings. If I hear another word about how Jimmy harnesses the power of the web...how about harnessing the power of the TRUTH!
But John Oliver, functioning in a ratings free zone, is changing the world.
Everywhere I go this week people are talking about this episode.
And that's how it starts, via conversation.
After inroads have been made.
In music, you have one hit and you play arenas. But real stars grow slowly, doing great work week after week, with their flock spreading the word.
It's a new era baby. How long can we listen to corporations tell us they have our best interests at heart? How long can we vote for politicians who are beholden to said corporations? How long can we sit here on the couch until we say...I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE!
All the scuttlebutt and the maneuvering about income inequality, it's irrelevant. The seeds have already been sown. The ball is moving. Change is afoot. Because comedians, from the "South Park" guys to Jon Stewart to John Oliver to the "Simpsons" team, are poking the establishment in the ribs. And while the corporations and their lackeys are busy maneuvering behind closed doors, it's morning in America, their doorbell is getting ready for the wake-up ding-dong.
Don't doubt me. This is not the disorganized Occupy movement. This has got nothing to do with the financially-challenged newspapers. This is television, run by the financially solvent HBO, giving power to people who gleefully point out the inanities and inadequacies of life.
To watch John Oliver is to think he's immune to blowback, that nothing and no one can get to him. That he can keep on speaking the truth. He's Mr. Smith speaking to Washington, not Bernie Sanders. Oliver's got the bigger audience.
And "For What It's Worth" was a hit in '67 but Woodstock didn't happen until '69.
Strap in baby, it's gonna be a wild ride.
But we're gonna win in the end.
Because they've taken it too far and we're no longer gonna sit idly by.
They may have all the money, but the truth is on our side.
And truth triumphs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y1xJAVZxXg
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What it is ain't exactly clear"
Those were the words of one Stephen Stills, written back in '66, when the man tried to cramp the style of the youth, back before Pandora's Box was paved over and everybody dashed for cash.
How did that work out for the man?
It didn't. There was a revolution. The war in Vietnam stopped, Woodstock drew hundreds of thousands and not only did rock rule, so did the baby boomers, the establishment was wiped from the landscape in one fell swoop.
You see you can't argue with the dedicated youth when they're speaking the truth.
But the youth have lost their way. Growing up in a challenged economy they've paid fealty to the almighty dollar. There's no mystery why rap videos feature Benzes and country lyrics contain alcohol brand names. Because these empty suits were brought up in an era where speaking truth to power was anathema, in other words, we haven't had that hip-hop spirit here since 1999.
As for the other musical genres, don't make me laugh.
But HBO is the Warner Music of old. With a faceless king known as Richard Plepler who's akin to nobody so much as Mo Ostin, who believed in letting the artists rule, that if you follow them, you win in the end, both artistically and financially.
That's right, most of the other outlets are triangulating, living in fear. Which is why we get empty-headed sitcoms no one can relate to, why there's no one like you on TV. But on HBO...
This John Oliver thing is fascinating. He's the thinking man's Donald Trump. The person who's speaking the truth not to win in the end, but to point out the folly of our leaders and our country. John Oliver is sticking up for us.
Or, as Michael Moore once asked, "Dude, where's my country?"
We were led to believe someone was looking after us. Before the right wing declared government uncool and pulled financing from the IRS. Such that we get zillionaire televangelists flying around in private jets. Multiple private jets. Living a tax free lifestyle equivalent to a tech CEO. Start a band? START A RELIGION!
Which is what John Oliver did, mockingly.
But before that he pointed out the fallacy of religion, a third rail topic in America if there ever was one. You've got to believe in God, the family and...if you're a Republican, no abortion, no unions... Corporations are unfettered, but human beings must heel to the mindless and monied who want them to live by their rules.
But not on HBO.
We're experiencing a revolution. And music is not involved. It started on television. Which makes sense, since we are in the golden age of television.
It turns out you can say that on TV today. And we want to hear it from seasoned players whose minds we respect more than their bodies. Teenagers have no place on HBO. And neither John Oliver nor Bill Maher are models. But what they're doing is speaking their mind, and they've got an army of millions. That's right, HBO cumulatively speaks to more people than almost every other media outlet. That's power. And power is much more interesting than money. Because with power you can change the world. It's easy, like taking candy, from a baby. All you do is point out the follies of the monied, in-power class.
It's like shooting fish in a barrel.
And John Oliver does this every week.
This is not David Letterman, attitude and nothing more, a loner on the fringe. It's certainly not Jimmy Fallon, who's as phony as the teacher's pet and is most interested in ratings. If I hear another word about how Jimmy harnesses the power of the web...how about harnessing the power of the TRUTH!
But John Oliver, functioning in a ratings free zone, is changing the world.
Everywhere I go this week people are talking about this episode.
And that's how it starts, via conversation.
After inroads have been made.
In music, you have one hit and you play arenas. But real stars grow slowly, doing great work week after week, with their flock spreading the word.
It's a new era baby. How long can we listen to corporations tell us they have our best interests at heart? How long can we vote for politicians who are beholden to said corporations? How long can we sit here on the couch until we say...I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE!
All the scuttlebutt and the maneuvering about income inequality, it's irrelevant. The seeds have already been sown. The ball is moving. Change is afoot. Because comedians, from the "South Park" guys to Jon Stewart to John Oliver to the "Simpsons" team, are poking the establishment in the ribs. And while the corporations and their lackeys are busy maneuvering behind closed doors, it's morning in America, their doorbell is getting ready for the wake-up ding-dong.
Don't doubt me. This is not the disorganized Occupy movement. This has got nothing to do with the financially-challenged newspapers. This is television, run by the financially solvent HBO, giving power to people who gleefully point out the inanities and inadequacies of life.
To watch John Oliver is to think he's immune to blowback, that nothing and no one can get to him. That he can keep on speaking the truth. He's Mr. Smith speaking to Washington, not Bernie Sanders. Oliver's got the bigger audience.
And "For What It's Worth" was a hit in '67 but Woodstock didn't happen until '69.
Strap in baby, it's gonna be a wild ride.
But we're gonna win in the end.
Because they've taken it too far and we're no longer gonna sit idly by.
They may have all the money, but the truth is on our side.
And truth triumphs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y1xJAVZxXg
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Wednesday 19 August 2015
The New Normal
"The Creative Apocalypse That Wasn't": http://nyti.ms/1FtB8YY
The reason concert tickets are so expensive is because people want to buy them. Furthermore, attendees agitate against paperless ticketing because they want the ability to resell. So promoters have given up trying to control access to the supposed hard core fan. The truth is tickets, although expensive, are in most cases underpriced. Why does everybody want to go?
Because in a world of digitized culture where you spend so much of your time in front of a screen you want something real, and there's nothing as real as a concert.
Read the above article. Which posits that the ceiling did not fall Chicken Little. Those who said there would be no art in the digital era turned out to be wrong. Not only that, this writer says that musicians are actually doing pretty well, there are more indies receiving more money.
But I doubt you'll read the article. Because it's tough to read something that's antithetical to your world view. The internet killed music, you can't make money any more, and that's that. Kind of like those Republicans who cannot admit they're wrong when confronted with facts. You see it just doesn't FEEL right!
While you were sleeping, data entered the music business. It may not decide what song's a hit, but indicators tell labels when to push the button, when they have something hot. Managers, agents and labels track social media and streaming services and when they see something reacting, they push the button. Spotify itself does this. It sees what people are flocking to and then reaches out to help acts have further success. It's in Spotify's best interests, the more it helps make hits, the less blowback there is.
But this blowback is incessant.
"In 1999, the national economy supported 1.5 million jobs in that category (Group 27-0000, the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports and Media Occupations); by 2014 the number had grown to nearly 1.8 million. This means the creative class modestly outperformed the rest of the economy, making up 1.2. percent of the job market in 2001 compared with 1.3 percent in 2014. Annual income for Group 27-0000 grew by 40 percent, slightly more than the O.E.S. average of 38 percent."
But Group 27-0000 doesn't include self-employed musicians.
"From 2002 to 2012, the number of businesses that identify as or employ independent artists, writers and performers (which also includes some athletes) grew by almost 40 percent, while the total revenue generated by this group grew by 60 percent, far exceeding the rate of inflation."
"...in 1999 there were nearly 53,000 Americans who considered their primary occupation to be that of a musician, a music director or composer; in 2014, more than 60,000 people were employed writing, singing or playing music. That's a rise of 15 percent, compared with overall job-market growth during the period of about 6 percent. The number of self-employed musicians grew at an even faster rate: There were 45 percent more independent musicians in 2014 than in 2001."
"According to the O.E.S., songwriters and music directors saw their average income rise by nearly 60 percent since 1999. The census version of the story, which includes self-employed musicians, is less stellar: In 2012, musical groups and artists reported only 25 percent more in revenue than they did in 2002, which is basically treading water when you factor in inflation. And yet collectively, the figures seem to suggest that music, the creative field that has been most threatened by technological change, has become more profitable in the post-Napster era - not for the music industry, of course, but for musicians themselves.
And there you have it, but a few more salient points to round out the topic:
"Part of the answer is that the decline in recorded-music revenue has been accompanied by an increase in revenues from LIVE music. In 1999, when Britney Spears ruled the airwaves, the music business took in around $10 billion in live-music revenue internationally; in 2014, live music generated almost $30 billion in revenue, according to data assembled from multiple sources by the live-music service Songkick. Starting in the early 1980s, average ticket prices for concerts closely followed the rise in overall consumer prices until the mid-1990s, when ticket prices suddenly took off: From 1997 to 2012, average ticket prices rose 150 percent, while consumer prices grew less than 100 percent. It's elemental economics: As one good - recorded music - becomes ubiquitous, its price plummets, while another good that is by definition scarce (seeing a musician play a live performance) grows in value."
"The same technological forces that have driven down the price of recorded music have had a similar effect on the cost of making an album in the first place. We easily forget how expensive it was to produce and distribute albums in the pre-Napster era."
"The vast machinery of promoters and shippers and manufacturers and A&R executives that sprouted in the middle of the 20th century, fueled by the profits of those high-margin vinyl records and CDs, has largely withered away. What remains is a more direct relationship between the musicians and their fans. That new relationship has its own demands: the constant touring and self-promotion, the Kickstarter campaigns that have raised $153 million dollars to date for music-related projects, the drudgery that inevitably accompanies a life without handlers. But the economic trends suggest that the benefits are outweighing the costs. More people are choosing to make a career as a musician or a songwriter than they did in the glory days of Tower Records."
Expect a flurry of naysayers to come out of the woodwork shortly. The Trichordist will freak out, all those agitating for a return to yesteryear. But the truth is we're never going back, even if everything Steven Johnson says in this article is wrong. So why can't we just accept it and move on, certainly the public has done this.
But the industry can't. The industry can't get over the fact that recordings are not where the money is, that it's only the entry point to the gravy train. To see execs complain is like listening to American textile honchos bitching forty odd years ago when production moved overseas. As for bringing manufacturing back to America, a ridiculous left wing/Democratic saw, that will happen when people agree to pay $2000 for a flat screen and $20 for a pair of underwear. You start with hearts and minds, and the public not only likes cheap prices, it likes having the history of recorded music at its fingertips.
So stop complaining. You can make money in music, many are. Yes, the spoils are going to the 1%, but that's true in all walks of our economy. Turns out there's a limited number of top-notch execs and a limited number of top-notch musicians. Do you want to go see Taylor Swift for a hundred bucks or the girl down the street for five dollars? Economically the latter seems like a good deal, but the truth is you want to see a star.
The public is happy. Instead of trying to get people to change their minds and go back to a past that you want, better to give them what they want, even better, give them MORE than what they want, new and different. That's what turns people on, not when they're corralled and ripped-off, but when they're enticed.
This article was in the "New York Times." A publication that itself is challenged by digital disruption. But the truth is the "Times" is the most powerful publication in the world, and what is said there has impact, it does not matter if you agree or even read, the truth is the "Times" sets the agenda, it's the starting point of the discussion.
And now that this article's in print, many people will stop worrying about the downtrodden musician or songwriter. After all, worker bees have had to change jobs numerous times, be fleet on their feet, why should musicians get a pass?
You don't.
These are the good old days.
This is the new normal.
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The reason concert tickets are so expensive is because people want to buy them. Furthermore, attendees agitate against paperless ticketing because they want the ability to resell. So promoters have given up trying to control access to the supposed hard core fan. The truth is tickets, although expensive, are in most cases underpriced. Why does everybody want to go?
Because in a world of digitized culture where you spend so much of your time in front of a screen you want something real, and there's nothing as real as a concert.
Read the above article. Which posits that the ceiling did not fall Chicken Little. Those who said there would be no art in the digital era turned out to be wrong. Not only that, this writer says that musicians are actually doing pretty well, there are more indies receiving more money.
But I doubt you'll read the article. Because it's tough to read something that's antithetical to your world view. The internet killed music, you can't make money any more, and that's that. Kind of like those Republicans who cannot admit they're wrong when confronted with facts. You see it just doesn't FEEL right!
While you were sleeping, data entered the music business. It may not decide what song's a hit, but indicators tell labels when to push the button, when they have something hot. Managers, agents and labels track social media and streaming services and when they see something reacting, they push the button. Spotify itself does this. It sees what people are flocking to and then reaches out to help acts have further success. It's in Spotify's best interests, the more it helps make hits, the less blowback there is.
But this blowback is incessant.
"In 1999, the national economy supported 1.5 million jobs in that category (Group 27-0000, the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports and Media Occupations); by 2014 the number had grown to nearly 1.8 million. This means the creative class modestly outperformed the rest of the economy, making up 1.2. percent of the job market in 2001 compared with 1.3 percent in 2014. Annual income for Group 27-0000 grew by 40 percent, slightly more than the O.E.S. average of 38 percent."
But Group 27-0000 doesn't include self-employed musicians.
"From 2002 to 2012, the number of businesses that identify as or employ independent artists, writers and performers (which also includes some athletes) grew by almost 40 percent, while the total revenue generated by this group grew by 60 percent, far exceeding the rate of inflation."
"...in 1999 there were nearly 53,000 Americans who considered their primary occupation to be that of a musician, a music director or composer; in 2014, more than 60,000 people were employed writing, singing or playing music. That's a rise of 15 percent, compared with overall job-market growth during the period of about 6 percent. The number of self-employed musicians grew at an even faster rate: There were 45 percent more independent musicians in 2014 than in 2001."
"According to the O.E.S., songwriters and music directors saw their average income rise by nearly 60 percent since 1999. The census version of the story, which includes self-employed musicians, is less stellar: In 2012, musical groups and artists reported only 25 percent more in revenue than they did in 2002, which is basically treading water when you factor in inflation. And yet collectively, the figures seem to suggest that music, the creative field that has been most threatened by technological change, has become more profitable in the post-Napster era - not for the music industry, of course, but for musicians themselves.
And there you have it, but a few more salient points to round out the topic:
"Part of the answer is that the decline in recorded-music revenue has been accompanied by an increase in revenues from LIVE music. In 1999, when Britney Spears ruled the airwaves, the music business took in around $10 billion in live-music revenue internationally; in 2014, live music generated almost $30 billion in revenue, according to data assembled from multiple sources by the live-music service Songkick. Starting in the early 1980s, average ticket prices for concerts closely followed the rise in overall consumer prices until the mid-1990s, when ticket prices suddenly took off: From 1997 to 2012, average ticket prices rose 150 percent, while consumer prices grew less than 100 percent. It's elemental economics: As one good - recorded music - becomes ubiquitous, its price plummets, while another good that is by definition scarce (seeing a musician play a live performance) grows in value."
"The same technological forces that have driven down the price of recorded music have had a similar effect on the cost of making an album in the first place. We easily forget how expensive it was to produce and distribute albums in the pre-Napster era."
"The vast machinery of promoters and shippers and manufacturers and A&R executives that sprouted in the middle of the 20th century, fueled by the profits of those high-margin vinyl records and CDs, has largely withered away. What remains is a more direct relationship between the musicians and their fans. That new relationship has its own demands: the constant touring and self-promotion, the Kickstarter campaigns that have raised $153 million dollars to date for music-related projects, the drudgery that inevitably accompanies a life without handlers. But the economic trends suggest that the benefits are outweighing the costs. More people are choosing to make a career as a musician or a songwriter than they did in the glory days of Tower Records."
Expect a flurry of naysayers to come out of the woodwork shortly. The Trichordist will freak out, all those agitating for a return to yesteryear. But the truth is we're never going back, even if everything Steven Johnson says in this article is wrong. So why can't we just accept it and move on, certainly the public has done this.
But the industry can't. The industry can't get over the fact that recordings are not where the money is, that it's only the entry point to the gravy train. To see execs complain is like listening to American textile honchos bitching forty odd years ago when production moved overseas. As for bringing manufacturing back to America, a ridiculous left wing/Democratic saw, that will happen when people agree to pay $2000 for a flat screen and $20 for a pair of underwear. You start with hearts and minds, and the public not only likes cheap prices, it likes having the history of recorded music at its fingertips.
So stop complaining. You can make money in music, many are. Yes, the spoils are going to the 1%, but that's true in all walks of our economy. Turns out there's a limited number of top-notch execs and a limited number of top-notch musicians. Do you want to go see Taylor Swift for a hundred bucks or the girl down the street for five dollars? Economically the latter seems like a good deal, but the truth is you want to see a star.
The public is happy. Instead of trying to get people to change their minds and go back to a past that you want, better to give them what they want, even better, give them MORE than what they want, new and different. That's what turns people on, not when they're corralled and ripped-off, but when they're enticed.
This article was in the "New York Times." A publication that itself is challenged by digital disruption. But the truth is the "Times" is the most powerful publication in the world, and what is said there has impact, it does not matter if you agree or even read, the truth is the "Times" sets the agenda, it's the starting point of the discussion.
And now that this article's in print, many people will stop worrying about the downtrodden musician or songwriter. After all, worker bees have had to change jobs numerous times, be fleet on their feet, why should musicians get a pass?
You don't.
These are the good old days.
This is the new normal.
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The 48%
"People are giving up on Apple Music, survey says - 48 percent of Apple Music trialists have stopped using the service, but Apple has denied that claim": http://bit.ly/1hKRvpM
Is Apple Music the new Twitter?
You know they're in trouble when they respond. Steve Jobs would never do this. Even if their number is accurate, which it certainly ain't, not in context, it shows they're anxious and worried about perception.
Let's go with Apple's 79%. What qualifies as usage? I ramped up the product the other day, but I haven't used it for weeks, whereas Spotify's my main man, so am I one of the faithful?
Of course not.
The bottom line is Apple broke the number one precept of software...USABILITY!
Early adopters complained and as a result many never even tried the app. That's what bad word of mouth will do for you. It's the opposite of the iPod phenomenon, wherein people clamored to be a member of the tribe and ultimately switched their whole ecosystem to Apple.
Remember when Twitter was burgeoning? When we all live tweeted awards shows and sporting events? Back before we found out the service was a desert where you only got wet by pissing on yourself? Twitter's a good place to find raw news, it's a terrible place to communicate. Apple Music has got all the tunes right there, but trying to find them amidst your MP3s and the playlists ultimately becomes so frustrating that you tune out.
So where does this leave us?
In a world where Taylor Swift loses. That's right, yesterday's hero is getting pummeled in the Nordics, where CDs are dead and Spotify rules. Proving if you're not everywhere, you're barely anywhere. Just ask Dr. Dre, the Beatles of hip-hop, whose album was decimated by a pretty boy country star known as Luke Bryan. It's like John Lennon's new album being killed by Peter Frampton's. The one AFTER "Comes Alive."
So we've learned everything we know is wrong. Apple is not infallible and exclusives are anathema. We don't need anyone, everyone can be forgotten.
Not that Apple Music will gain no subscribers. But when the free trial is up, it will be operating with one hand behind its back. Because once you're gone, it's so hard to get you back, after someone has kicked the tires and left, they rarely come back. Just ask a car company. When you turn in your car they'll bend over backward to write off excess miles and damage if you'll just re-lease, they want you in the family.
Which is why you have to do such a good job of keeping people in the family to begin with, which is why you can't misstep.
Recently Apple's been the homeland of missteps. First with the U2 album. Didn't anybody there foresee trouble? Of course not, because they're in the bubble. And no one can mesmerize the recording industry like Jimmy Iovine, he's one of them, so he convinced everyone Apple Music was gonna win. The only problem is he forgot to tell the people who might make it a success, the customers, the listeners. It's like Jimmy ignored the history of the internet, where the middleman is excised and the relationship between product and end user is king. Jimmy's locked up hitsdailydouble.com, and if you think anybody takes that site seriously you believe no one pays them for ink. An endless circle jerk. But now it's Apple Music.
So, Apple entered the sphere and failed to save us. That's right, all you bitching about Spotify who were waiting for the white knight, he's not coming. There is no Trojan Horse, while we're on the equine tip. Because Apple Music is a me-too product that works poorly and was marketed barely at all. Sure, the business press covered it but there's crickets on the interwebs, where the word is spread. The Tidal stars got everybody talking about their service in a day, but the world's richest corporation could not achieve this.
Meanwhile, the clueless keep testifying about Apple's supposed victories. The power of Beats 1, that it's reinventing radio. Ain't that a laugh, one professional deejay and a bunch of wannabes, if this is the future I want no part of it.
Deejaying is a professional occupation. As is tech. Sure, marketing is an element, but that's not what built Google. Marketing was secondary to all the internet phenoms. Was Facebook built on marketing?
But Facebook was the anti-MySpace. It just worked when the service Fox bought did not. What a concept! Furthermore, you had to use your real name and Zuckerberg kept improving the product, adding new features. You were excited to hook up with your old friends, you enjoyed building a monument to yourself. But even the musicians don't want to play on Connect. How many times can you fail at a social network before you give up? This is two strikes, isn't that enough in internet time, can you say "PING!"
The artists don't like the future and the labels hate it too and the only ones who are happy are the consumers, who suddenly have the history of recorded music at their fingertips. For free, on YouTube. If you want to get them to pay you've got to provide a BETTER experience than YouTube. But I can Google any song and find it immediately on the video service but I can't even find my own MP3s on Apple Music, at least not quickly. As for the vaunted curation/playlists, I'll admit knowing what to listen to is a problem, but it's SECONDARY to payment. Somehow people figure out how to find YouTube clips and play them a hundred million times, with no help. Playlists are a sideshow, not the main affair.
And so is most music. We're in the superstar era. You're famous or you're not. And if you're not, no amount of streaming payment rejiggering is gonna make you rich. Rather, the rich will get richer and you will be ignored.
So what I know is streaming has won. Done. Vinyl, CDs and MP3s...HISTORY! It's just a matter of where you stream and whether people get paid for it. Hell, almost all services pay 70% to rights holders.
Right now people are not running to Apple Music.
But the good thing is people are listening, they want to consume the product, whereas most have dropped out of Twitter and have no desire to return.
If only Apple could have a continuing freemium element, if only it could issue a mea culpa and admit its flaws and relaunch with a better, simpler, easier to use product...
But that's impossible, they don't have the right to go freemium. Oh, they could negotiate to do so, but the major labels don't want it, they want freemium to go away.
So...
Divorce MP3s from streaming music. Those are two different apps. Just like you took podcasts out of iTunes on the handset.
Focus on breaking acts on Apple Music, not on Beats 1. Where people can go online and listen whenever they want.
Forget Connect.
Break artists on the service. Then the industry will be happy.
But the hundred year war with Spotify has just begun.
And if Spotify could just hire a designer, it'd have a great advantage, Apple's graphics are so much better.
But the truth is most consumers are sitting on the sideline, because of the bad word of mouth, on Spotify by musicians, on Apple Music by users. And this hurts monetization.
Like I've said, we need an "I Want My MTV!" campaign for paid, on demand streaming music services. California gets everyone to reduce water consumption and in music we say if we can't take a shower all day, we're fine if everybody goes thirsty and dies of dehydration.
Apple Music was not the solution.
Focus on building the sphere.
And then let the best service succeed.
P.S. And, once again, only one service will win in each territory, one will have 60%+ market share, just like Google in search and the rest of the internet behemoths.
P.P.S. Streaming didn't kill sound quality and streaming didn't kill the album and streaming didn't rob your bank. Stop the blame game and figure out how to win in the new era.
P.P.P.S. This is just the beginning. We're in the hunt for a new Apple. We may be in the wilderness re UI simplicity and easy usability, that may have died with Steve Jobs, but if you believe Apple's gonna win in the future, you're gonna take Tim Cook and Jony Ive to a hackathon. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!
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Is Apple Music the new Twitter?
You know they're in trouble when they respond. Steve Jobs would never do this. Even if their number is accurate, which it certainly ain't, not in context, it shows they're anxious and worried about perception.
Let's go with Apple's 79%. What qualifies as usage? I ramped up the product the other day, but I haven't used it for weeks, whereas Spotify's my main man, so am I one of the faithful?
Of course not.
The bottom line is Apple broke the number one precept of software...USABILITY!
Early adopters complained and as a result many never even tried the app. That's what bad word of mouth will do for you. It's the opposite of the iPod phenomenon, wherein people clamored to be a member of the tribe and ultimately switched their whole ecosystem to Apple.
Remember when Twitter was burgeoning? When we all live tweeted awards shows and sporting events? Back before we found out the service was a desert where you only got wet by pissing on yourself? Twitter's a good place to find raw news, it's a terrible place to communicate. Apple Music has got all the tunes right there, but trying to find them amidst your MP3s and the playlists ultimately becomes so frustrating that you tune out.
So where does this leave us?
In a world where Taylor Swift loses. That's right, yesterday's hero is getting pummeled in the Nordics, where CDs are dead and Spotify rules. Proving if you're not everywhere, you're barely anywhere. Just ask Dr. Dre, the Beatles of hip-hop, whose album was decimated by a pretty boy country star known as Luke Bryan. It's like John Lennon's new album being killed by Peter Frampton's. The one AFTER "Comes Alive."
So we've learned everything we know is wrong. Apple is not infallible and exclusives are anathema. We don't need anyone, everyone can be forgotten.
Not that Apple Music will gain no subscribers. But when the free trial is up, it will be operating with one hand behind its back. Because once you're gone, it's so hard to get you back, after someone has kicked the tires and left, they rarely come back. Just ask a car company. When you turn in your car they'll bend over backward to write off excess miles and damage if you'll just re-lease, they want you in the family.
Which is why you have to do such a good job of keeping people in the family to begin with, which is why you can't misstep.
Recently Apple's been the homeland of missteps. First with the U2 album. Didn't anybody there foresee trouble? Of course not, because they're in the bubble. And no one can mesmerize the recording industry like Jimmy Iovine, he's one of them, so he convinced everyone Apple Music was gonna win. The only problem is he forgot to tell the people who might make it a success, the customers, the listeners. It's like Jimmy ignored the history of the internet, where the middleman is excised and the relationship between product and end user is king. Jimmy's locked up hitsdailydouble.com, and if you think anybody takes that site seriously you believe no one pays them for ink. An endless circle jerk. But now it's Apple Music.
So, Apple entered the sphere and failed to save us. That's right, all you bitching about Spotify who were waiting for the white knight, he's not coming. There is no Trojan Horse, while we're on the equine tip. Because Apple Music is a me-too product that works poorly and was marketed barely at all. Sure, the business press covered it but there's crickets on the interwebs, where the word is spread. The Tidal stars got everybody talking about their service in a day, but the world's richest corporation could not achieve this.
Meanwhile, the clueless keep testifying about Apple's supposed victories. The power of Beats 1, that it's reinventing radio. Ain't that a laugh, one professional deejay and a bunch of wannabes, if this is the future I want no part of it.
Deejaying is a professional occupation. As is tech. Sure, marketing is an element, but that's not what built Google. Marketing was secondary to all the internet phenoms. Was Facebook built on marketing?
But Facebook was the anti-MySpace. It just worked when the service Fox bought did not. What a concept! Furthermore, you had to use your real name and Zuckerberg kept improving the product, adding new features. You were excited to hook up with your old friends, you enjoyed building a monument to yourself. But even the musicians don't want to play on Connect. How many times can you fail at a social network before you give up? This is two strikes, isn't that enough in internet time, can you say "PING!"
The artists don't like the future and the labels hate it too and the only ones who are happy are the consumers, who suddenly have the history of recorded music at their fingertips. For free, on YouTube. If you want to get them to pay you've got to provide a BETTER experience than YouTube. But I can Google any song and find it immediately on the video service but I can't even find my own MP3s on Apple Music, at least not quickly. As for the vaunted curation/playlists, I'll admit knowing what to listen to is a problem, but it's SECONDARY to payment. Somehow people figure out how to find YouTube clips and play them a hundred million times, with no help. Playlists are a sideshow, not the main affair.
And so is most music. We're in the superstar era. You're famous or you're not. And if you're not, no amount of streaming payment rejiggering is gonna make you rich. Rather, the rich will get richer and you will be ignored.
So what I know is streaming has won. Done. Vinyl, CDs and MP3s...HISTORY! It's just a matter of where you stream and whether people get paid for it. Hell, almost all services pay 70% to rights holders.
Right now people are not running to Apple Music.
But the good thing is people are listening, they want to consume the product, whereas most have dropped out of Twitter and have no desire to return.
If only Apple could have a continuing freemium element, if only it could issue a mea culpa and admit its flaws and relaunch with a better, simpler, easier to use product...
But that's impossible, they don't have the right to go freemium. Oh, they could negotiate to do so, but the major labels don't want it, they want freemium to go away.
So...
Divorce MP3s from streaming music. Those are two different apps. Just like you took podcasts out of iTunes on the handset.
Focus on breaking acts on Apple Music, not on Beats 1. Where people can go online and listen whenever they want.
Forget Connect.
Break artists on the service. Then the industry will be happy.
But the hundred year war with Spotify has just begun.
And if Spotify could just hire a designer, it'd have a great advantage, Apple's graphics are so much better.
But the truth is most consumers are sitting on the sideline, because of the bad word of mouth, on Spotify by musicians, on Apple Music by users. And this hurts monetization.
Like I've said, we need an "I Want My MTV!" campaign for paid, on demand streaming music services. California gets everyone to reduce water consumption and in music we say if we can't take a shower all day, we're fine if everybody goes thirsty and dies of dehydration.
Apple Music was not the solution.
Focus on building the sphere.
And then let the best service succeed.
P.S. And, once again, only one service will win in each territory, one will have 60%+ market share, just like Google in search and the rest of the internet behemoths.
P.P.S. Streaming didn't kill sound quality and streaming didn't kill the album and streaming didn't rob your bank. Stop the blame game and figure out how to win in the new era.
P.P.P.S. This is just the beginning. We're in the hunt for a new Apple. We may be in the wilderness re UI simplicity and easy usability, that may have died with Steve Jobs, but if you believe Apple's gonna win in the future, you're gonna take Tim Cook and Jony Ive to a hackathon. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!
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Tuesday 18 August 2015
Verizon Wireless
I love this company.
Good is not good enough for me. I don't want a cheap Windows machine with low resolution and little power. I'm willing to pay a few hundred dollars extra for four-way stretch in my ski jacket and... I'm willing to give Verizon Wireless all my money to know that I've got the best connections in the business.
What triggered this?
THEY WERE OVERBILLING ME!
Happens all the time when you go to Europe. You add international calling and they say it's going to come off automatically, but it doesn't. So I call the international desk, I don't hold and they immediately take off the charges, as nice as they can be. T-Mobile offers 2G data for free in Europe, and free voice calling to Mexico and Canada, but...I'M NOT SWITCHING!
I used to be on AT&T, I know what a lousy connection can be.
And the thing about wireless is...it's like skis, if you bought 'em, you love 'em. Everybody tells you their company is the best, that they're really no different. But I'll tell you I called the hospital in Vail to find out if my buddy had been admitted. I'd been texting him all day and hadn't heard back... BECAUSE HE'S ON AT&T! He never got the messages!
As for Verizon 4G LTE... It covers Vail completely.
But you don't believe what I say, you say the wireless companies are all the same, I say...
Believe what you want.
Clayton Christensen says good enough is good enough, but not for me!
I was interviewed by the BBC today. They couldn't get a studio, did I have an iPhone?
OF COURSE!
If the app works on an Android, if you can record on an Android, it makes no difference, because these people in the UK were clueless, iPhone was all they knew.
And I feel sorry for you if you cannot afford the best. Sucks, I know. But if you've got some bread, why not go for it? Oftentimes it doesn't even cost any more!
Assuming you know what to buy. Information is at your fingertips, but you refuse to research. And when it comes to political issues, misinformation reigns supreme. Everybody's full of crap online, putting forth their own agenda.
And now it sounds like I've contradicted myself.
But the truth is if you're a savvy surfer, you can get to the bottom of the issue easily. Go to Amazon, throw out the bad reviews, they're always from cranks, who are unsatisfiable, or they had a delivery issue or the product was dead out of the box, and then read the rest. And you do go to Amazon, right? Why pay less when Amazon gives such great service?
We do live in the service economy. And don't ask me to endorse the employment policies of these enterprises, I don't work there, but I will tell you...if you provide something great and treat me right I'm gonna give you my business.
Others shop on price only.
But you get what you pay for, never forget that.
And today your mobile phone is your lifeline. And it doesn't matter how good it is if you've got no connection. And without high speed data, you're not operating.
E-mail me all you want that I'm wrong. E-mail me that Verizon doesn't work overseas, demonstrating your ignorance. E-mail me that it just doesn't matter.
But it does.
P.S. All those of you staying with other companies for the unlimited data... IT ISN'T! If you don't know someone who's been throttled at AT&T, you know no one who uses their phone. And did you know SoftBank was willing to write off its entire investment in Sprint when the merger with T-Mobile failed? These are the owners you're paying fealty to. They know it's just business. Kind of like Donald Trump, when he takes companies bankrupt. Don't get too attached to brands, because they're in flux. Once upon a time I'd buy only Sony, that's been replaced by Samsung. And theoretically Verizon could be superseded by another carrier...BUT IT HASN'T HAPPENED YET!
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Good is not good enough for me. I don't want a cheap Windows machine with low resolution and little power. I'm willing to pay a few hundred dollars extra for four-way stretch in my ski jacket and... I'm willing to give Verizon Wireless all my money to know that I've got the best connections in the business.
What triggered this?
THEY WERE OVERBILLING ME!
Happens all the time when you go to Europe. You add international calling and they say it's going to come off automatically, but it doesn't. So I call the international desk, I don't hold and they immediately take off the charges, as nice as they can be. T-Mobile offers 2G data for free in Europe, and free voice calling to Mexico and Canada, but...I'M NOT SWITCHING!
I used to be on AT&T, I know what a lousy connection can be.
And the thing about wireless is...it's like skis, if you bought 'em, you love 'em. Everybody tells you their company is the best, that they're really no different. But I'll tell you I called the hospital in Vail to find out if my buddy had been admitted. I'd been texting him all day and hadn't heard back... BECAUSE HE'S ON AT&T! He never got the messages!
As for Verizon 4G LTE... It covers Vail completely.
But you don't believe what I say, you say the wireless companies are all the same, I say...
Believe what you want.
Clayton Christensen says good enough is good enough, but not for me!
I was interviewed by the BBC today. They couldn't get a studio, did I have an iPhone?
OF COURSE!
If the app works on an Android, if you can record on an Android, it makes no difference, because these people in the UK were clueless, iPhone was all they knew.
And I feel sorry for you if you cannot afford the best. Sucks, I know. But if you've got some bread, why not go for it? Oftentimes it doesn't even cost any more!
Assuming you know what to buy. Information is at your fingertips, but you refuse to research. And when it comes to political issues, misinformation reigns supreme. Everybody's full of crap online, putting forth their own agenda.
And now it sounds like I've contradicted myself.
But the truth is if you're a savvy surfer, you can get to the bottom of the issue easily. Go to Amazon, throw out the bad reviews, they're always from cranks, who are unsatisfiable, or they had a delivery issue or the product was dead out of the box, and then read the rest. And you do go to Amazon, right? Why pay less when Amazon gives such great service?
We do live in the service economy. And don't ask me to endorse the employment policies of these enterprises, I don't work there, but I will tell you...if you provide something great and treat me right I'm gonna give you my business.
Others shop on price only.
But you get what you pay for, never forget that.
And today your mobile phone is your lifeline. And it doesn't matter how good it is if you've got no connection. And without high speed data, you're not operating.
E-mail me all you want that I'm wrong. E-mail me that Verizon doesn't work overseas, demonstrating your ignorance. E-mail me that it just doesn't matter.
But it does.
P.S. All those of you staying with other companies for the unlimited data... IT ISN'T! If you don't know someone who's been throttled at AT&T, you know no one who uses their phone. And did you know SoftBank was willing to write off its entire investment in Sprint when the merger with T-Mobile failed? These are the owners you're paying fealty to. They know it's just business. Kind of like Donald Trump, when he takes companies bankrupt. Don't get too attached to brands, because they're in flux. Once upon a time I'd buy only Sony, that's been replaced by Samsung. And theoretically Verizon could be superseded by another carrier...BUT IT HASN'T HAPPENED YET!
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Monday 17 August 2015
The Podcast Revolution
Why is it when major media is cropping its stories down to nothing, believing that's the only way to achieve virality, because America is dumb and has a short attention span, that podcasts are gaining traction and are generating the word of mouth traditional outlets crave?
There's the splash and then the regeneration. Podcasting was all over the news in 2005 and then it crashed. But suddenly, it's been reborn. As a long-form medium where those excluded from the traditional airwaves are making not only a home, but inroads.
It's San Francisco in '66. Seattle in '91. It's passionate people pursuing their dream with money in the background. And if you partake of the art, you know there's not enough time to listen to all the podcasts you want, you're addicted and can't stop talking about them.
There's the intimacy... In a world where you're constantly told you're inadequate and don't count, you feel close to podcasters, even if you never contact them. It's akin to FM radio back in the midsixties, it's a small club and you're thrilled to stay up all night listening.
There's the stories... Most podcasts cover stories that appear nowhere else.
There's the humanity... In this tech-dominated culture we love our smartphones, but we're looking for something a little more squishy, a little more gray than black and white. Podcasting is primarily about people, their backgrounds and flaws.
You can start with "Radiolab." Which happens to be going through an identity crisis.
Don't start with Adam Carolla. Although he got a lot of press, it was for all the wrong reasons. Carolla was a refugee from the system, doing his old act in a new place. The revolution is happening with those doing new acts in a new arena, their shows don't resemble anything on the traditional airwaves.
"Radiolab" started on NPR. And it's interesting that so many great podcasts are made by NPR refugees. But what makes "Radiolab" great is it's the last vestige of curiosity, with no limits. Remember being intrigued by something out of your wheelhouse? I hated science in school, but I love listening to "Radiolab." Unfortunately, it takes a long while to make a "Radiolab" podcast, so they keep adding shorter material that's not akin to the regular format which is ultimately disappointing. In podcasting, you must be true to yourself.
The next big star of podcasting is Alec Baldwin. Who interviews those who have something to say as opposed to those who have something to promote. Like David Remnick of the "New Yorker." Alec asks tough questions, you marvel at his intelligence and you lament the ending of an episode. But don't go on his show if you've got nothing to say. Paul Simon was execrable. We live in an era of honesty and transparency, and if you don't adhere to these precepts, stay away.
After you check out Alec, check out Bret Easton Ellis. Who's famous for edgy books but is so erudite and opinionated on his podcast you wish he'd be the one who interviewed the candidates. Then again, he doesn't really care about politics, Bret Easton Ellis cares about art. He's passionate about film. And he's all about splitting hairs and asking the difficult questions. Listening to Bret Easton Ellis's podcast, you'll discover what it's like to go to a liberal arts college.
Then there's Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond's "Dear Sugar." Amateurs giving advice to the lovelorn. But Strayed evidences incredible insight whilst revealing personal details most are afraid to shine light on, like the fact that her husband had an affair. This week's show was a killer. A woman wrote in asking if she should wait for her boyfriend to come back, after he experiments with men. Cheryl and Steve called Dan Savage, who has his own podcast. And Dan said... They write to Cheryl because she's nice and forgiving, but he had to be blunt, the woman's beloved was never coming back, he lied about his reason for leaving, he just wasn't that into the writer. Whew! You're lying in the dark listening to someone giving advice and you're reviewing every episode of your own life, which is the essence of great art. You think the past is set in stone, but the truth is your conception of it is malleable.
Then there's "Mystery Show," Starlee Kine's hour-long endeavor which is exactly what it says. However the mysteries are minimal, and she doesn't really solve them, but the journey along the way...the detours are the best part, just like life.
I found out about "Mystery Show" in a magazine or a newspaper... The same way I used to find out about bands, before everything became part of the industrial hype machine. You're on a treasure hunt. And when you uncover something satisfying you want to tell everybody you know about it.
Of course there's "Serial." Which got the press talking. And Marc Maron's WTF...which is successful because unlike Carolla, he's doing a show completely different from the one he did on the radio. Check out Maron's interview of Terry Gross...who reveals she was married before and dropped out of college to travel cross-country.
And now either you know what I'm talking about or have probably stopped reading.
This is how things begin in America. A hard core lives for it, then it slowly becomes winnowed down and commercialized. But right now, the podcasting world is unformed. And just because anybody can play, don't believe anybody can be successful. You need production, you've got to be riveting, we're building a whole new bevy of stars.
Because people want to go deep. They want to feel connected. They want to be stimulated. They want new and different and they want to talk about it.
Podcasts are the radio shows of yore, before there was TV, but they're on demand.
And you may not be listening now, but you will be.
P.S. Every iPhone has a podcasting app built in. It's purple and it's got a white mic in the middle, with radio waves emanating therefrom. Click on it and then in the lower right-hand corner of the app click on the magnifying glass to search. Search on the above podcasts, when you find one, subscribe. And click on the Feed to download past episodes from the cloud. As long as you keep listening, new episodes will download automatically.
P.P.S. I also recommend "Freakonomics Radio" and the above-referenced "Savage Lovecast."
P.P.P.S. You think you don't have time, but you do. That's the essence of today's world, we all want something to slow us down and pull us down the rabbit hole.
P.P.P.P.S. Ignore the hype, forget the me-too podcasts, a new art form is being created in front of our very eyes. Right now, monetization is not high, you cannot get rich, which means people are free to experiment, which makes listening more exciting.
P.P.P.P.P.S. Squarespace. Stamps.com. If you want to get traction for your product, advertise in new media, on the edge. I've never heard about Square Space anywhere else, but it sponsors a multitude of podcasts, and I feel good about the company, it's a pioneer.
P.P.P.P.P.P.S. I want to be a pioneer. I want to be on the leading edge. And right now the action is in podcasts. The same way it was with music in the sixties and tech in the last few decades. But this time the emphasis is on art. And art is so much more satisfying than money.
"Radiolab": http://www.radiolab.org
"Here's The Thing With Alec Baldwin": http://www.wnyc.org/shows/heresthething/
"Bret Easton Ellis Podcast": http://podcastone.com/Bret-Easton-Ellis-Podcast
Cheryl Strayed/Steve Almond "Dear Sugar": http://www.wbur.org/series/dear-sugar
Starlee Kine "Mystery Show": https://gimletmedia.com/show/mystery-show/
"Serial": http://serialpodcast.org
"WTF With Marc Maron": http://www.wtfpod.com
WTF Episode 604 - Terry Gross: http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_604_-_terry_gross
"Freakonomics Radio": http://freakonomics.com/radio/
"Savage Lovecast": http://www.savagelovecast.com
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There's the splash and then the regeneration. Podcasting was all over the news in 2005 and then it crashed. But suddenly, it's been reborn. As a long-form medium where those excluded from the traditional airwaves are making not only a home, but inroads.
It's San Francisco in '66. Seattle in '91. It's passionate people pursuing their dream with money in the background. And if you partake of the art, you know there's not enough time to listen to all the podcasts you want, you're addicted and can't stop talking about them.
There's the intimacy... In a world where you're constantly told you're inadequate and don't count, you feel close to podcasters, even if you never contact them. It's akin to FM radio back in the midsixties, it's a small club and you're thrilled to stay up all night listening.
There's the stories... Most podcasts cover stories that appear nowhere else.
There's the humanity... In this tech-dominated culture we love our smartphones, but we're looking for something a little more squishy, a little more gray than black and white. Podcasting is primarily about people, their backgrounds and flaws.
You can start with "Radiolab." Which happens to be going through an identity crisis.
Don't start with Adam Carolla. Although he got a lot of press, it was for all the wrong reasons. Carolla was a refugee from the system, doing his old act in a new place. The revolution is happening with those doing new acts in a new arena, their shows don't resemble anything on the traditional airwaves.
"Radiolab" started on NPR. And it's interesting that so many great podcasts are made by NPR refugees. But what makes "Radiolab" great is it's the last vestige of curiosity, with no limits. Remember being intrigued by something out of your wheelhouse? I hated science in school, but I love listening to "Radiolab." Unfortunately, it takes a long while to make a "Radiolab" podcast, so they keep adding shorter material that's not akin to the regular format which is ultimately disappointing. In podcasting, you must be true to yourself.
The next big star of podcasting is Alec Baldwin. Who interviews those who have something to say as opposed to those who have something to promote. Like David Remnick of the "New Yorker." Alec asks tough questions, you marvel at his intelligence and you lament the ending of an episode. But don't go on his show if you've got nothing to say. Paul Simon was execrable. We live in an era of honesty and transparency, and if you don't adhere to these precepts, stay away.
After you check out Alec, check out Bret Easton Ellis. Who's famous for edgy books but is so erudite and opinionated on his podcast you wish he'd be the one who interviewed the candidates. Then again, he doesn't really care about politics, Bret Easton Ellis cares about art. He's passionate about film. And he's all about splitting hairs and asking the difficult questions. Listening to Bret Easton Ellis's podcast, you'll discover what it's like to go to a liberal arts college.
Then there's Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond's "Dear Sugar." Amateurs giving advice to the lovelorn. But Strayed evidences incredible insight whilst revealing personal details most are afraid to shine light on, like the fact that her husband had an affair. This week's show was a killer. A woman wrote in asking if she should wait for her boyfriend to come back, after he experiments with men. Cheryl and Steve called Dan Savage, who has his own podcast. And Dan said... They write to Cheryl because she's nice and forgiving, but he had to be blunt, the woman's beloved was never coming back, he lied about his reason for leaving, he just wasn't that into the writer. Whew! You're lying in the dark listening to someone giving advice and you're reviewing every episode of your own life, which is the essence of great art. You think the past is set in stone, but the truth is your conception of it is malleable.
Then there's "Mystery Show," Starlee Kine's hour-long endeavor which is exactly what it says. However the mysteries are minimal, and she doesn't really solve them, but the journey along the way...the detours are the best part, just like life.
I found out about "Mystery Show" in a magazine or a newspaper... The same way I used to find out about bands, before everything became part of the industrial hype machine. You're on a treasure hunt. And when you uncover something satisfying you want to tell everybody you know about it.
Of course there's "Serial." Which got the press talking. And Marc Maron's WTF...which is successful because unlike Carolla, he's doing a show completely different from the one he did on the radio. Check out Maron's interview of Terry Gross...who reveals she was married before and dropped out of college to travel cross-country.
And now either you know what I'm talking about or have probably stopped reading.
This is how things begin in America. A hard core lives for it, then it slowly becomes winnowed down and commercialized. But right now, the podcasting world is unformed. And just because anybody can play, don't believe anybody can be successful. You need production, you've got to be riveting, we're building a whole new bevy of stars.
Because people want to go deep. They want to feel connected. They want to be stimulated. They want new and different and they want to talk about it.
Podcasts are the radio shows of yore, before there was TV, but they're on demand.
And you may not be listening now, but you will be.
P.S. Every iPhone has a podcasting app built in. It's purple and it's got a white mic in the middle, with radio waves emanating therefrom. Click on it and then in the lower right-hand corner of the app click on the magnifying glass to search. Search on the above podcasts, when you find one, subscribe. And click on the Feed to download past episodes from the cloud. As long as you keep listening, new episodes will download automatically.
P.P.S. I also recommend "Freakonomics Radio" and the above-referenced "Savage Lovecast."
P.P.P.S. You think you don't have time, but you do. That's the essence of today's world, we all want something to slow us down and pull us down the rabbit hole.
P.P.P.P.S. Ignore the hype, forget the me-too podcasts, a new art form is being created in front of our very eyes. Right now, monetization is not high, you cannot get rich, which means people are free to experiment, which makes listening more exciting.
P.P.P.P.P.S. Squarespace. Stamps.com. If you want to get traction for your product, advertise in new media, on the edge. I've never heard about Square Space anywhere else, but it sponsors a multitude of podcasts, and I feel good about the company, it's a pioneer.
P.P.P.P.P.P.S. I want to be a pioneer. I want to be on the leading edge. And right now the action is in podcasts. The same way it was with music in the sixties and tech in the last few decades. But this time the emphasis is on art. And art is so much more satisfying than money.
"Radiolab": http://www.radiolab.org
"Here's The Thing With Alec Baldwin": http://www.wnyc.org/shows/heresthething/
"Bret Easton Ellis Podcast": http://podcastone.com/Bret-Easton-Ellis-Podcast
Cheryl Strayed/Steve Almond "Dear Sugar": http://www.wbur.org/series/dear-sugar
Starlee Kine "Mystery Show": https://gimletmedia.com/show/mystery-show/
"Serial": http://serialpodcast.org
"WTF With Marc Maron": http://www.wtfpod.com
WTF Episode 604 - Terry Gross: http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_604_-_terry_gross
"Freakonomics Radio": http://freakonomics.com/radio/
"Savage Lovecast": http://www.savagelovecast.com
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Charts Not Playlists
There's a fiction that we all want to be doing our own thing, burrowing down into holes of our own device, satiated with a world only we control.
But the truth is we want to feel part of humanity, we want to belong, and the further we get away from the rest of our fellow human beings, the worse our state of mind.
We want to not only engage with art, we want to discuss it, argue about it. And that's why music burgeoned in the MTV era...we could all argue about Duran Duran and Culture Club, literally everyone saw Michael Jackson thrill us with his moonwalk.
But today we know there's Taylor Swift and Kanye West and...
Those passionate about music can't understand those who aren't...
And the industry itself lives in a bubble similar to the one enveloping the GOP.
Not only is the money in mass, so is the satisfaction! We all know the story of the Tower of Babel, it's not a nursery rhyme, but rather a cautionary tale...how did we get so far from the garden?
Prior to MTV there were a number of radio formats. But then the television outlet merged them together and made a monoculture. People who were left out screamed. Suddenly AOR, the rock format, was history. Top Forty was everything... Even hip-hop invaded the Top Forty.
And then the internet came along and blew everything apart and without a manual, and with no sense of history, the industry has not only been flummoxed, it's wandering in the wilderness with no direction home.
The future is not playlists and the future is not Beats 1.
The future is TRUSTED filters directing the audience where to partake of desirable music.
Apple Music's playlists aren't bad, but who made them? We live in a culture of stars, but the makers of these lists are complete unknowns, why should we trust them, why should we pay attention, is anybody listening? Until we heap praise upon list makers, drawing attention and an audience to them, we're mired in the mud.
And Apple 1 radio is a sideshow. It's the same damn thing we've seen for far too long, which is to take hip insiders and have a party that the rest of us have no desire to attend. Sure, the station has fans, but in an on demand culture, who wants to be beholden to the ravings of lunatics not appealing to them?
In other words, we watch HBO on demand.
And we watch the shows because they're on HBO.
HBO is a trusted filter. It doesn't add shows to fill the schedule, there's not something new every hour. If HBO lays down its cash, we deem it important, we want to check it out.
And HBO has competitors, like Showtime and now Starz. But the truth is, after that...it's a vast wasteland of programming looking for traction, with over 400 shows a year no one can check them all out, they have to wait for word of mouth to build, which rarely does. Shows get canceled before they get good and reach critical mass and even "Breaking Bad" takes years to become a hit.
We do live in an on demand culture. We do want to check out the wares on our own time. HBO has an app which allows you to watch its shows ON DEMAND! We can stream Beats 1, but we're more interested in a brief Zane Lowe playlist which we can click on and sample.
So maybe Mr. Lowe is a trusted filter. At least in the U.K. He's yet to make his bones elsewhere, and so far the hype has not achieved this goal. We haven't learned why we should be paying attention to Mr. Lowe, his track record of breaking worthy hits, instead it's all about his story. Story comes AFTER the work. You don't read a profile of an unknown techie before his company goes public.
Then again, whittling down music to a few hit tunes is anathema to the labels and the musicians. Because it means most people will be left out. They like it this way, the utter chaos that has the potential audience throwing its collective hands in the air.
We will have trusted filters.
And they will be built upon the backs of human beings. Algorithms don't work with art.
And these human beings' work may be exposed under the moniker of the corporation, but music will only be healthy when it's understandable, and now it is not.
We might need a playlist for every genre. But only one, that we all pay attention to.
That's what radio has right, the playlist. Radio weeds through all the material and delivers the good stuff for its listeners... With too many commercials and jive programming. But what if you excised the deejays and ads from radio, and you didn't have to listen all at once?
Then you'd have the future.
Like television, music is driving towards the great consolidation. Everybody can make it, but not everybody can be heard.
Businesses depend upon audiences, upon customers. If no one is buying, companies fail.
Music has been failing for over a decade.
What does tech tell us?
ATTENTION COMES FIRST! MONETIZATION COMES LATER!
All the scuttlebutt in music is what streaming services pay, instead of how many people are signing up, free or not. We've got it wrong. It's not about where people are listening, BUT WHAT THEY'RE LISTENING TO!
I want to find the good stuff. I want to be able to talk about the good stuff with others. I want to go to the concert and enjoy the communal moment.
And so does everybody else.
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But the truth is we want to feel part of humanity, we want to belong, and the further we get away from the rest of our fellow human beings, the worse our state of mind.
We want to not only engage with art, we want to discuss it, argue about it. And that's why music burgeoned in the MTV era...we could all argue about Duran Duran and Culture Club, literally everyone saw Michael Jackson thrill us with his moonwalk.
But today we know there's Taylor Swift and Kanye West and...
Those passionate about music can't understand those who aren't...
And the industry itself lives in a bubble similar to the one enveloping the GOP.
Not only is the money in mass, so is the satisfaction! We all know the story of the Tower of Babel, it's not a nursery rhyme, but rather a cautionary tale...how did we get so far from the garden?
Prior to MTV there were a number of radio formats. But then the television outlet merged them together and made a monoculture. People who were left out screamed. Suddenly AOR, the rock format, was history. Top Forty was everything... Even hip-hop invaded the Top Forty.
And then the internet came along and blew everything apart and without a manual, and with no sense of history, the industry has not only been flummoxed, it's wandering in the wilderness with no direction home.
The future is not playlists and the future is not Beats 1.
The future is TRUSTED filters directing the audience where to partake of desirable music.
Apple Music's playlists aren't bad, but who made them? We live in a culture of stars, but the makers of these lists are complete unknowns, why should we trust them, why should we pay attention, is anybody listening? Until we heap praise upon list makers, drawing attention and an audience to them, we're mired in the mud.
And Apple 1 radio is a sideshow. It's the same damn thing we've seen for far too long, which is to take hip insiders and have a party that the rest of us have no desire to attend. Sure, the station has fans, but in an on demand culture, who wants to be beholden to the ravings of lunatics not appealing to them?
In other words, we watch HBO on demand.
And we watch the shows because they're on HBO.
HBO is a trusted filter. It doesn't add shows to fill the schedule, there's not something new every hour. If HBO lays down its cash, we deem it important, we want to check it out.
And HBO has competitors, like Showtime and now Starz. But the truth is, after that...it's a vast wasteland of programming looking for traction, with over 400 shows a year no one can check them all out, they have to wait for word of mouth to build, which rarely does. Shows get canceled before they get good and reach critical mass and even "Breaking Bad" takes years to become a hit.
We do live in an on demand culture. We do want to check out the wares on our own time. HBO has an app which allows you to watch its shows ON DEMAND! We can stream Beats 1, but we're more interested in a brief Zane Lowe playlist which we can click on and sample.
So maybe Mr. Lowe is a trusted filter. At least in the U.K. He's yet to make his bones elsewhere, and so far the hype has not achieved this goal. We haven't learned why we should be paying attention to Mr. Lowe, his track record of breaking worthy hits, instead it's all about his story. Story comes AFTER the work. You don't read a profile of an unknown techie before his company goes public.
Then again, whittling down music to a few hit tunes is anathema to the labels and the musicians. Because it means most people will be left out. They like it this way, the utter chaos that has the potential audience throwing its collective hands in the air.
We will have trusted filters.
And they will be built upon the backs of human beings. Algorithms don't work with art.
And these human beings' work may be exposed under the moniker of the corporation, but music will only be healthy when it's understandable, and now it is not.
We might need a playlist for every genre. But only one, that we all pay attention to.
That's what radio has right, the playlist. Radio weeds through all the material and delivers the good stuff for its listeners... With too many commercials and jive programming. But what if you excised the deejays and ads from radio, and you didn't have to listen all at once?
Then you'd have the future.
Like television, music is driving towards the great consolidation. Everybody can make it, but not everybody can be heard.
Businesses depend upon audiences, upon customers. If no one is buying, companies fail.
Music has been failing for over a decade.
What does tech tell us?
ATTENTION COMES FIRST! MONETIZATION COMES LATER!
All the scuttlebutt in music is what streaming services pay, instead of how many people are signing up, free or not. We've got it wrong. It's not about where people are listening, BUT WHAT THEY'RE LISTENING TO!
I want to find the good stuff. I want to be able to talk about the good stuff with others. I want to go to the concert and enjoy the communal moment.
And so does everybody else.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
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