People have got to stop dying.
I know, I know, it's the way of the world. But when you age, when the people you came up with start to die, it leaves you lost in a way that is not depicted in the news, it reinforces that everything is temporary, that most of the games in life are an illusion, and that all the touchstones you've been depending upon are nonexistent.
John Heard starred in "Chilly Scenes Of Winter," subsequently retitled and rereleased as "Head Over Heels." It was the film depiction of an Ann Beattie book, back when she was a cult hero, before everybody became a cult hero, when books still mattered, especially if they captured the zeitgeist, which in this case is the ennui of twentysomethings.
Which doesn't exist anymore.
Used to be the twenties were not go-go. Most didn't go to graduate school. They were not working their way up the ladder of the corporation. They were not worried about falling behind.
They were just trying to find themselves.
I know, I know, it became a cultural joke, but who are you, really? Are you the job or the title or..? And are you on the right path in life? Today everybody's so desperately worried that they're falling behind that they cannot get ahead, at least personally, they're stunted, they're wearing blinders.
And the truth is I've neither read nor seen "Chilly Scenes Of Winter" since the seventies. My memory may be screwed up. But I remember one of the two being set in Salt Lake City and the tenseness of connection and on again and off again relationships and my girlfriend turned me on to the book and I hold the memory dear and have followed John Heard ever since.
This was back when movies were still a passion. The essence of American culture. "Jaws" and "Star Wars" were seen as anomalies, not the way forward. Flicks would play for months. They opened in New York and L.A. and you'd line up on Friday night and come out after like you'd been to a rock concert, having had an experience. And the actors were rock stars. You followed their careers. You looked out after them. There was a clear dividing line between movies and television and there were not twenty new flicks every weekend and you could be a student, a connoisseur, you could get a handle on what was going on, know the players, and invest in their careers.
And it's weird that the players are getting older.
But it's even weirder that there are new players, whose names we do not know and ultimately do not care about.
So Heard was in "Cutter's Way," a troubled production that finally hit the screen. And the thing about Heard is you could see inside him. He too was troubled, he had a past, he wasn't light and two-dimensional, you knew people like him.
And then he became a joke in "Home Alone" and his arc seemed to flatten, he was not on the way up anymore, and you read about his troubled personal life and he seemed to be someone you used to know, who showed up now and again, like on "The Sopranos," old and fat, everybody ages, or dies, when we want them fixed in our mind. Kinda like an old girl or boyfriend. You expect them to look just like they did when you were involved with them. And then you run into them and you can see the years in their face, the time in their body, they're experienced, beaten-down, they're no longer in their twenties with hopes and dreams, they're just trying to get along. They're still the same person, it's just that...
You cannot go home anymore.
And then you find out home doesn't even exist. Not only did your mother sell it, the new owners repainted and added an addition and left toys in the front yard and they changed the name of your school and all you can rely on is that celluloid, when you come across the old movie on TV, or in your mind, and you're reminded of what once was. With the road of life empty and long in front of you. When you were just coasting instead of hurtling down the highway. When you thought it would go on forever.
But it doesn't.
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Saturday 22 July 2017
Ozark
This show went from five stars to two and a half while we were watching it.
But I can't turn it off.
I don't know what's going on anymore. I'm sitting on the crapper reading my phone and freaking out. The ruling party in Poland is taking over the Supreme Court and the Palestinians want to break off relations with the Israelis and America's a second-class citizen sans leadership. We went from the ruler of the free world to an also-ran in six months. All in the name of selfishness. That's what it's all about. Those damn foreigners and ethnic people are ruining our country and our economy. Manufacturing our TV sets, coming here and taking our jobs. If we could just return to what once was everything would be great.
But there's no turning back.
That's what they don't tell you about life, it's all forward all the time. And it's very fucking weird. Especially now, when the whole paradigm of life has been shot to hell and those in power tell us they know what they're doing when they don't. Not only the buffoons in D.C., but the entertainment titans in Los Angeles and the bankers in New York. Greed doesn't seem to be very good. There's no long term planning. It's all now, now now, and you wonder why the underclass is desperate. And we're all hanging on by a thread. Statistics tell us we've got no savings, we're leveraged up the wazoo and we're unprepared for retirement. But then that comes, watcha gonna do? It's kinda like health care. The ACA sucked until suddenly you got insurance and I don't want to go left and right here because that's another thing I've learned this year, it's positively useless, you can't convince someone to switch sides, facts are no help, you can't fight decades worth of indoctrination. It's kind of like when you go away to college and find out your parents are not perfect. Then again, maybe the "best friend" millennials still think theirs are, and their parents certainly think they are, so what we've got is an endless circle jerk.
Nobody goes to the movies. Of course there's a business, of comic book superheroes, one wherein the prices are raised so grosses look good but the problem is the paradigm no longer works. I think about going to the flicks now and again, "Baby Driver" and "The Big Sick," but they don't start when I show up, never mind the fact that I have to drive over to see them. I would have paid twenty bucks to see them day and date at home. Even more if it was more than me. Instead, when I'm not reading, when I need a jolt of humanity, which is what TV, when done right, delivers, I turn on Netflix and binge.
Now notice it's not HBO. HBO's destined for the crapper. There's this fiction that content is king. But what do I always tell you, distribution is king! And the problem with HBO is they dribble out the product, I have to wait a whole damn week to see a new episode, and by time a couple have already played I'm too far behind and give up anyway. What was that Reese Witherspoon show, "Big Little Lies" or something like that? Got a lot of press, actually watched one episode, but I was too far behind and I already know the ending but when I start a show on Netflix I feel like I'm going down my own personal rabbit hole, with the stars on the show, and if I like it I can go deeper and deeper and it makes me feel coddled in a world where Sting can get tons of publicity and his album can stiff and a derided rapper can become ubiquitous. And I don't need to shit on Lil Yachty, hell, I'm not even that familiar with his material, but when his elders and contemporaries are both complaining where does this leave me? Do I dive in or..?
And I'm not saying Sting's new music is any good either, that it's worth listening to, everything just drops on your doorstep and disappears. Just that fast. And no one knows everything and no one knows what's going on and so much of what's offered on the streaming services is crap, but when you find something to dig your teeth into, that titillates you, it's so satisfying.
So this is another drug show. As in crime. As in cartels. That's the drama. And it's been overdone, it's just that Laura Linney is such a good actress. And it turns out Jason Bateman is pretty good with drama and how old is he now anyway? His wife may be too old to have kids. That's how you know time has passed, when the youngsters become oldsters, where does that leave you, in this case, me?
And in this show Bateman is smart. He's got good quips but even better analysis. And for so long the men on TV have been dumb. And don't beat me up for that, it was a story in one of the papers, and women rule the world anyway, it's just that she cheated and he did not and I don't want to give away the plot but why is everybody so moral on the outside but different on the inside?
Someone recommended a new book, I skimmed the sample chapter, I'm not even gonna look up the title, I'm done with most non-fiction, it's a way for people to get rich, they all have an agenda, even vaunted Malcolm Gladwell, have you listened to his podcast, L.A. is famous for its private golf courses? Nobody has EVER said that to me in my lifetime, but he's got a point to make, everybody's got a point to make, when they're not making money, which is why art is so satisfying, it lives outside that system.
So Bateman and family move to Lake of the Ozarks to try and launder money.
I've got a fascination with resort areas. Having lived in so many. Either you're a local or a tourist and you want to be a local but you can't make ends meet. Did I tell you that when I was a ski bum, a starving freestyle skier, there was a coterie of twentysomething in Bogner one-pieces, which is like driving a Lamborghini, or at least it was, with no visible means of support? They were DOPE DEALERS! COCAINE! As my father always told me, there are no mysteries, your goal is to pry beneath the surface and uncover the truth, don't be satisfied with the surface story.
So they're fish out of water and desperate and except for the overdone rednecks, the show kind of resonates. Takes me away from this fast-paced world which is simultaneously humdrum that I can no longer figure out and makes me happy and what truly makes me happy is the lack of frustration, I can watch to my heart's content, finish the whole damn show in one day if I want to, I've done that, but tonight we watched three, and it was a great antidote to a week of b.s. and if you're looking for lessons you've got to know that TV rules, because it's on demand and in the home and Netflix rules because it's all available at once and it's not quite the theatre but the soundtrack was blowing up the Sonos subwoofer and it reminded me of nothing so much as the seventies, when I went to the movies almost every night, taken away into a visceral world that made me feel rooted and alive.
I went back there tonight.
But I can't turn it off.
I don't know what's going on anymore. I'm sitting on the crapper reading my phone and freaking out. The ruling party in Poland is taking over the Supreme Court and the Palestinians want to break off relations with the Israelis and America's a second-class citizen sans leadership. We went from the ruler of the free world to an also-ran in six months. All in the name of selfishness. That's what it's all about. Those damn foreigners and ethnic people are ruining our country and our economy. Manufacturing our TV sets, coming here and taking our jobs. If we could just return to what once was everything would be great.
But there's no turning back.
That's what they don't tell you about life, it's all forward all the time. And it's very fucking weird. Especially now, when the whole paradigm of life has been shot to hell and those in power tell us they know what they're doing when they don't. Not only the buffoons in D.C., but the entertainment titans in Los Angeles and the bankers in New York. Greed doesn't seem to be very good. There's no long term planning. It's all now, now now, and you wonder why the underclass is desperate. And we're all hanging on by a thread. Statistics tell us we've got no savings, we're leveraged up the wazoo and we're unprepared for retirement. But then that comes, watcha gonna do? It's kinda like health care. The ACA sucked until suddenly you got insurance and I don't want to go left and right here because that's another thing I've learned this year, it's positively useless, you can't convince someone to switch sides, facts are no help, you can't fight decades worth of indoctrination. It's kind of like when you go away to college and find out your parents are not perfect. Then again, maybe the "best friend" millennials still think theirs are, and their parents certainly think they are, so what we've got is an endless circle jerk.
Nobody goes to the movies. Of course there's a business, of comic book superheroes, one wherein the prices are raised so grosses look good but the problem is the paradigm no longer works. I think about going to the flicks now and again, "Baby Driver" and "The Big Sick," but they don't start when I show up, never mind the fact that I have to drive over to see them. I would have paid twenty bucks to see them day and date at home. Even more if it was more than me. Instead, when I'm not reading, when I need a jolt of humanity, which is what TV, when done right, delivers, I turn on Netflix and binge.
Now notice it's not HBO. HBO's destined for the crapper. There's this fiction that content is king. But what do I always tell you, distribution is king! And the problem with HBO is they dribble out the product, I have to wait a whole damn week to see a new episode, and by time a couple have already played I'm too far behind and give up anyway. What was that Reese Witherspoon show, "Big Little Lies" or something like that? Got a lot of press, actually watched one episode, but I was too far behind and I already know the ending but when I start a show on Netflix I feel like I'm going down my own personal rabbit hole, with the stars on the show, and if I like it I can go deeper and deeper and it makes me feel coddled in a world where Sting can get tons of publicity and his album can stiff and a derided rapper can become ubiquitous. And I don't need to shit on Lil Yachty, hell, I'm not even that familiar with his material, but when his elders and contemporaries are both complaining where does this leave me? Do I dive in or..?
And I'm not saying Sting's new music is any good either, that it's worth listening to, everything just drops on your doorstep and disappears. Just that fast. And no one knows everything and no one knows what's going on and so much of what's offered on the streaming services is crap, but when you find something to dig your teeth into, that titillates you, it's so satisfying.
So this is another drug show. As in crime. As in cartels. That's the drama. And it's been overdone, it's just that Laura Linney is such a good actress. And it turns out Jason Bateman is pretty good with drama and how old is he now anyway? His wife may be too old to have kids. That's how you know time has passed, when the youngsters become oldsters, where does that leave you, in this case, me?
And in this show Bateman is smart. He's got good quips but even better analysis. And for so long the men on TV have been dumb. And don't beat me up for that, it was a story in one of the papers, and women rule the world anyway, it's just that she cheated and he did not and I don't want to give away the plot but why is everybody so moral on the outside but different on the inside?
Someone recommended a new book, I skimmed the sample chapter, I'm not even gonna look up the title, I'm done with most non-fiction, it's a way for people to get rich, they all have an agenda, even vaunted Malcolm Gladwell, have you listened to his podcast, L.A. is famous for its private golf courses? Nobody has EVER said that to me in my lifetime, but he's got a point to make, everybody's got a point to make, when they're not making money, which is why art is so satisfying, it lives outside that system.
So Bateman and family move to Lake of the Ozarks to try and launder money.
I've got a fascination with resort areas. Having lived in so many. Either you're a local or a tourist and you want to be a local but you can't make ends meet. Did I tell you that when I was a ski bum, a starving freestyle skier, there was a coterie of twentysomething in Bogner one-pieces, which is like driving a Lamborghini, or at least it was, with no visible means of support? They were DOPE DEALERS! COCAINE! As my father always told me, there are no mysteries, your goal is to pry beneath the surface and uncover the truth, don't be satisfied with the surface story.
So they're fish out of water and desperate and except for the overdone rednecks, the show kind of resonates. Takes me away from this fast-paced world which is simultaneously humdrum that I can no longer figure out and makes me happy and what truly makes me happy is the lack of frustration, I can watch to my heart's content, finish the whole damn show in one day if I want to, I've done that, but tonight we watched three, and it was a great antidote to a week of b.s. and if you're looking for lessons you've got to know that TV rules, because it's on demand and in the home and Netflix rules because it's all available at once and it's not quite the theatre but the soundtrack was blowing up the Sonos subwoofer and it reminded me of nothing so much as the seventies, when I went to the movies almost every night, taken away into a visceral world that made me feel rooted and alive.
I went back there tonight.
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Friday 21 July 2017
Mailbag
From: Val Garay
Subject: Re: Jack Tempchin At The Grammy Museum
Hey Bob,
So I remember when I was the Clive go to repair guy.
Back in the 70s the first thing he came to me with was the Jennifer Warnes - Right Time of The Night single produced buy Jim Ed Norman.
He thought it was a hit single but something was wrong. So I took the job and re-recorded the vocal and remixed it and lo and behold her first big hit.
Then there was Eric Carmen's - Boats Against The Current album produced by Gus Dugeon of Elton fame.
Clive couldn't get that one finished either so I finished that one also.
Then there was Beth & Steve Fischel of "Honk" fame signed to Clive and he wanted me to produce them.
Then came the Funky Kings.
They had just about completed their first album with Paul Rothchild (the Doors fame) and again Clive came to me to come in and finish it and re-mix the album.
I had met Jack before at the Troubadour and didn't really know Richard Stekol or Jules Shear or the multi instrumentalist Greg Liesz or Frank Cotinola the drummer.
I remixed the record and Arista put it out.
Unfortunately Johnny Rivers with his amazing song sense covered the song "Slow Dancing" with a fairly generic version but radio knew him and so that became the hit.
So then I started the second album but that never got completed either and the band broke up with the 3 principals going their separate ways.
I do remember loving a Richard Stekol song from that album that I eventually cut with Kim Carnes on the big hit album, "Mistaken Identity" with Bette Davis Eyes.
I just loved the song "My Old Pals". One of Richards's best.
I worked with Jack many times after that on numerous projects with him as a song writer. What a lovely guy as are all the others as well.
Cheers,
Val
____________________________________________
From: Ken Kragen
Subject: Re: The Classic-Day One
Bob, I sure wish I could've been at the Doobie Brothers Eagles concert this past weekend in LA. I am out of town on vacation. I know Irving Azoff will probably never confirm this but I actually played a significant role in the Eagles getting back together the first time. My then client Travis Tritt was about to do a video for a song he recorded for the country music Eagles tribute album and I called Irving to see if somehow we could miraculously get the group together to back him. Irving said there is no way that will ever happen. Don and Glenn will never agree but he added I know you're friends with Don if you can get him I'll reach out to Glen. I called Don and he repeated the same thing Irving did that there was no way it would happen. Somehow right there on the phone I came up with an outrageously crazy video idea. Don laughed and said OK I'll do it. I went back to Irving and told him and said now you have to get Glen. Amazingly he did although Glen didn't want to do my crazy idea. So we got together at a little club on pico Boulevard in Los Angeles in the group sang "Taking It Easy" with Travis. Three weeks later they announced they were getting together and going on tour again. I never made a penny from that but I sure was proud to be involved. They're simply my favorite group of all time.
____________________________________________
Subject: The Eagles
Man they just do not fuck around. Been catching some of the youtube videos and it's just a celebration of music.
This is not a money grab. This is Love and music driving the train. What a high blessing these musicians and their songbook has been to us.
Deacon worked for us for a few months at Interscope Studios. It's really great to see him invigorating the music and honoring his Dad.
Fucking A, this is music at it's highest vibration.
--
Peter Barker
Producer A&R
Spin Move Records
____________________________________________
From: Todd Sattersten
Subject: Re: Books
Bob,
Long time listener, love the show.
I have worked in book publishing for the last 15 years and have played in just about every role of the ecosystems - author, agent, editor, publisher, bookseller, foreign rights. It's been a trip to watch all the change over that time and I don't think that change has the same effects across all media industries.
Your rant about books, digital and pricing is one near and dear to my heart. Here is my take.
Most book publishers look at the world as one of scarce attention. They use price discrimination as their mental model for how the economics of the industry should work. They think they sell a product with a limited shelf life, like a baker or cruise ship company. Release the expensive hardcover, followed by the less expensive paperback, followed by the now largely retired mass paperback. This creates high profits early in the cycle for the people who really want the book and attempts to open up other segments of demand as the price goes down. Since most books don't sell many copies, they are doing their best to maximize profit early in the sales cycle.
You and Amazon share the worldview of price elasticity - if you lower the price, more people will buy it. I have run experiments with publishing projects and found this is true. Lower prices sell more stuff. Here is the trick: Can you sell enough volume to make up for lost margin? If you are selling a Top 100 title, I think the answer is yes. For the thousands of other books in the long tail, this is the wrong answer and you can't make the margin up on your hits.
Subscription services are the end game of a world of price elasticity. Books are different animal though. I can watch an entire season of Orange Is the New Black in the same time it takes to read the latest from Stephen King. Most people read one or two books in a YEAR. True readers might read ten to twenty books in 2017. Having a thousands of books to choose from and pay a monthly fee doesn't make sense to even the one percent of readers.
And higher prices didn't kill digital books. Yes, sometimes, I like to press a button and being able to start to read a book now. Others like their books in the cloud rather than on a shelf. Turns out only 10% of the market has those needs right now. The screens that most people use (phone and laptop) are not great for reading. Research shows people read slower on devices. The 550 year old codex format is still a better device for the vast majority of people who like to read books. This is a technology problem. Maybe something like VR gives us a better way to read books.
Look for the market to move to shorter books with shorter chapters to fit better into our widely varied, time segmented media life. You already see this in YA and business.
Thanks for listening.
Todd Sattersten
____________________________________________
From: William Castiglione
Subject: RE: Books
thanks Bob, i am in the process of carting my extensive hardcover collection to a "donation" box, as i'm moving and not moving the books, i'm taking my Kindle...but I was at a loss on what to be reading lately...anyway, grabbed the kindle file for Savages for $10 and grabbed the audio for another $7, so i can read and listen when driving which i love to do...if i can get a book and the audio for that book for under $20 combined, i consider that a win...and a sale for Amazon...frankly both for $15 would get me spending a lot of money as reading and partly listening when driving has become the way i prefer to digest many books...sometimes its nice to be read to and rest the tired eyes.
but my reading habits went from 2-3 books a week to 2-3 books a year, every kindle book i want to buy last couple years, is more than i want to pay...so fuck that. also, i will never read a book on paper again, cause i have to use reading glasses with books, something the kindle has allowed me not to have to get used to, so i'd rather read a larger font which changes with light and time of day, but i can read with my 55 year old eyes without help and one handed....and i'm going to stay eye glass free as long as possible, if nothing else the Kindle has saved my eyes from reading glasses...
I agree with you that publishing has blown it big time...
Bill Cason
____________________________________________
Subject: WSJ outreach re Christian Buettner and TheFatRat
Bob, I enjoy your newsletter and was intrigued by the letter you posted from Christian Buettner about his YouTube service. I cover the videogame industry for The Wall Street Journal and would love to connect with him. Any chance you could pass along his contact info, or forward this email to him? I'd be most grateful.
Regards,
Sarah E. Needleman
TECHNOLOGY REPORTER
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.
____________________________________________
From: Sonny Rock
Subject: Re: The Defiant Ones-Episode Two
"How in the Hell did we get Here?"
Nailed it, Bob
I was 10 yrs old when I read about the US Fest, began a Fascination of Motley Crue/U2,Music itself, that lasts today.
Jimmy was/is a Genius.
Dre was/is a Genius.
Why aren't I a Genius?
Someone has to be in the crowd. Bono needs someone to sing to.
That's me, I guess.
Sonny
Subject: Re: Jack Tempchin At The Grammy Museum
Hey Bob,
So I remember when I was the Clive go to repair guy.
Back in the 70s the first thing he came to me with was the Jennifer Warnes - Right Time of The Night single produced buy Jim Ed Norman.
He thought it was a hit single but something was wrong. So I took the job and re-recorded the vocal and remixed it and lo and behold her first big hit.
Then there was Eric Carmen's - Boats Against The Current album produced by Gus Dugeon of Elton fame.
Clive couldn't get that one finished either so I finished that one also.
Then there was Beth & Steve Fischel of "Honk" fame signed to Clive and he wanted me to produce them.
Then came the Funky Kings.
They had just about completed their first album with Paul Rothchild (the Doors fame) and again Clive came to me to come in and finish it and re-mix the album.
I had met Jack before at the Troubadour and didn't really know Richard Stekol or Jules Shear or the multi instrumentalist Greg Liesz or Frank Cotinola the drummer.
I remixed the record and Arista put it out.
Unfortunately Johnny Rivers with his amazing song sense covered the song "Slow Dancing" with a fairly generic version but radio knew him and so that became the hit.
So then I started the second album but that never got completed either and the band broke up with the 3 principals going their separate ways.
I do remember loving a Richard Stekol song from that album that I eventually cut with Kim Carnes on the big hit album, "Mistaken Identity" with Bette Davis Eyes.
I just loved the song "My Old Pals". One of Richards's best.
I worked with Jack many times after that on numerous projects with him as a song writer. What a lovely guy as are all the others as well.
Cheers,
Val
____________________________________________
From: Ken Kragen
Subject: Re: The Classic-Day One
Bob, I sure wish I could've been at the Doobie Brothers Eagles concert this past weekend in LA. I am out of town on vacation. I know Irving Azoff will probably never confirm this but I actually played a significant role in the Eagles getting back together the first time. My then client Travis Tritt was about to do a video for a song he recorded for the country music Eagles tribute album and I called Irving to see if somehow we could miraculously get the group together to back him. Irving said there is no way that will ever happen. Don and Glenn will never agree but he added I know you're friends with Don if you can get him I'll reach out to Glen. I called Don and he repeated the same thing Irving did that there was no way it would happen. Somehow right there on the phone I came up with an outrageously crazy video idea. Don laughed and said OK I'll do it. I went back to Irving and told him and said now you have to get Glen. Amazingly he did although Glen didn't want to do my crazy idea. So we got together at a little club on pico Boulevard in Los Angeles in the group sang "Taking It Easy" with Travis. Three weeks later they announced they were getting together and going on tour again. I never made a penny from that but I sure was proud to be involved. They're simply my favorite group of all time.
____________________________________________
Subject: The Eagles
Man they just do not fuck around. Been catching some of the youtube videos and it's just a celebration of music.
This is not a money grab. This is Love and music driving the train. What a high blessing these musicians and their songbook has been to us.
Deacon worked for us for a few months at Interscope Studios. It's really great to see him invigorating the music and honoring his Dad.
Fucking A, this is music at it's highest vibration.
--
Peter Barker
Producer A&R
Spin Move Records
____________________________________________
From: Todd Sattersten
Subject: Re: Books
Bob,
Long time listener, love the show.
I have worked in book publishing for the last 15 years and have played in just about every role of the ecosystems - author, agent, editor, publisher, bookseller, foreign rights. It's been a trip to watch all the change over that time and I don't think that change has the same effects across all media industries.
Your rant about books, digital and pricing is one near and dear to my heart. Here is my take.
Most book publishers look at the world as one of scarce attention. They use price discrimination as their mental model for how the economics of the industry should work. They think they sell a product with a limited shelf life, like a baker or cruise ship company. Release the expensive hardcover, followed by the less expensive paperback, followed by the now largely retired mass paperback. This creates high profits early in the cycle for the people who really want the book and attempts to open up other segments of demand as the price goes down. Since most books don't sell many copies, they are doing their best to maximize profit early in the sales cycle.
You and Amazon share the worldview of price elasticity - if you lower the price, more people will buy it. I have run experiments with publishing projects and found this is true. Lower prices sell more stuff. Here is the trick: Can you sell enough volume to make up for lost margin? If you are selling a Top 100 title, I think the answer is yes. For the thousands of other books in the long tail, this is the wrong answer and you can't make the margin up on your hits.
Subscription services are the end game of a world of price elasticity. Books are different animal though. I can watch an entire season of Orange Is the New Black in the same time it takes to read the latest from Stephen King. Most people read one or two books in a YEAR. True readers might read ten to twenty books in 2017. Having a thousands of books to choose from and pay a monthly fee doesn't make sense to even the one percent of readers.
And higher prices didn't kill digital books. Yes, sometimes, I like to press a button and being able to start to read a book now. Others like their books in the cloud rather than on a shelf. Turns out only 10% of the market has those needs right now. The screens that most people use (phone and laptop) are not great for reading. Research shows people read slower on devices. The 550 year old codex format is still a better device for the vast majority of people who like to read books. This is a technology problem. Maybe something like VR gives us a better way to read books.
Look for the market to move to shorter books with shorter chapters to fit better into our widely varied, time segmented media life. You already see this in YA and business.
Thanks for listening.
Todd Sattersten
____________________________________________
From: William Castiglione
Subject: RE: Books
thanks Bob, i am in the process of carting my extensive hardcover collection to a "donation" box, as i'm moving and not moving the books, i'm taking my Kindle...but I was at a loss on what to be reading lately...anyway, grabbed the kindle file for Savages for $10 and grabbed the audio for another $7, so i can read and listen when driving which i love to do...if i can get a book and the audio for that book for under $20 combined, i consider that a win...and a sale for Amazon...frankly both for $15 would get me spending a lot of money as reading and partly listening when driving has become the way i prefer to digest many books...sometimes its nice to be read to and rest the tired eyes.
but my reading habits went from 2-3 books a week to 2-3 books a year, every kindle book i want to buy last couple years, is more than i want to pay...so fuck that. also, i will never read a book on paper again, cause i have to use reading glasses with books, something the kindle has allowed me not to have to get used to, so i'd rather read a larger font which changes with light and time of day, but i can read with my 55 year old eyes without help and one handed....and i'm going to stay eye glass free as long as possible, if nothing else the Kindle has saved my eyes from reading glasses...
I agree with you that publishing has blown it big time...
Bill Cason
____________________________________________
Subject: WSJ outreach re Christian Buettner and TheFatRat
Bob, I enjoy your newsletter and was intrigued by the letter you posted from Christian Buettner about his YouTube service. I cover the videogame industry for The Wall Street Journal and would love to connect with him. Any chance you could pass along his contact info, or forward this email to him? I'd be most grateful.
Regards,
Sarah E. Needleman
TECHNOLOGY REPORTER
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.
____________________________________________
From: Sonny Rock
Subject: Re: The Defiant Ones-Episode Two
"How in the Hell did we get Here?"
Nailed it, Bob
I was 10 yrs old when I read about the US Fest, began a Fascination of Motley Crue/U2,Music itself, that lasts today.
Jimmy was/is a Genius.
Dre was/is a Genius.
Why aren't I a Genius?
Someone has to be in the crowd. Bono needs someone to sing to.
That's me, I guess.
Sonny
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The Room Where It Happens
Those people you hate, you'd like in real life.
David Brooks is a right-leaning columnist for the "New York Times." But recently his columns have focused on social more than political science. He digs down deep into the archives of history to make points about today. That's a result of his education at the University of Chicago, a rigorous institution focused on the classics. Sure, you have to be smart to understand the concepts, but you also have to apply yourself, do the hard work, and although you can spend hours on social media and even coding it might get you ahead temporarily, but it won't make you a better person, won't make you more worldly, it won't expand your horizons like a traditional education will.
That was my shock upon entering Middlebury. The prep school students were so well read! I went to a melting pot public high school in a middle class suburb and I still haven't recovered. These are the advantages you read about today. The rich send their children to institutions that teach them how to think and the poor don't even go to college, or when they do they study business, preparing them for a role but not to lead.
Leaders have vision. They're born to it. It's a nature and nurture thing, both family and experience, and the gap between those who are advantaged and disadvantaged grows ever wider and those left out have no idea how the game is played, because they're never in the corridors of power, and if they get close, they become anxious and don't know how to behave. That's what I learned most at Middlebury, how to hang with rich people. Non-Jews whose names were world-famous, who had money for generations, who knew not to be ostentatious, not to boast, not to stick out at all unless you truly deserved to, and then you were humble.
I know this is different from the image of entertainment, especially with Jews, who triumphed in vaudeville and then the Catskills before inhabiting TV. And there are even executives behind the camera with out of control, larger than life images, like Ari Emanuel, who they made a whole TV series about, but most of them are not that way at all. Well, maybe in entertainment, but not in the rest of the world. Actually, that's when you get in trouble in entertainment, when you think you're bigger than the act. That's devastated the record business ever since the era of Clive Davis and Tommy Mottola. The exec does not know best, the act does. Most of what "Mr. Davis" put out is forgettable tripe. Whereas his quieter colleague, Mo Ostin, released some of the best music of all time, by letting artists be themselves and not crowing about it.
So I'm reading Brooks's column the other day, ostensibly about income inequality, and I come to this passage:
"People at the top, he observed, tend to adopt a reserved and understated personal style that shows they are far above the 'assertive, attention-seeking strategies which expose the pretensions of the young pretenders.' People at the bottom of any field, on the other hand, don't have a lot of accomplishment to wave about, but they can use snark and sarcasm to demonstrate the superior sensibilities."
Brooks is referencing the work of a legendary French sociologist, but I found it hard not to apply this lens to the world I inhabit.
The guys who run the record companies are nice. That's right, the ones you deplore, hate on principle, get yourself in a room with them and you'll be charmed, you'll be caught off guard. I'm not saying they're princes (or princesses!) I'm just saying you hate them on principle, but they've been through the wars and triumphed and now they can afford to be nice and amenable.
Want to connect with a majordomo?
Don't talk business. It doesn't impress them. Actually, it turns them off, they get accosted, pitched all day long. And as far as making a deal with you...they're much more worried about who you are than the music you make. No one wants to work with an asshole. They pass all the time on talented jerks. They want to know that you're reasonable and have opinions and are somewhat worldly.
But you're busy attacking them on Twitter.
Now this flips the ruling class out. Because before the internet revolution, no one had access to them, they couldn't hear the naysayers. Oh, acts got reviews, but execs? They were faceless behind doors counting their money. So now when they go online, they're busy barking back, blocking people, not knowing it has nothing to do with them at all, it has to do with the position and mind-set of the commentator, they're down and out and they don't like it. What they want most is YOUR job! That's right, research anybody complaining about you online and you'll find they're struggling in your field. My greatest haters are writers. Somehow I seem to have their job, they're better, they know more people, they're more connected, I'm a doofus, and if the world worked properly they'd have the gig and not me. And it doesn't matter who I really am and how I got here, I'm a two-dimensional character in their minds, someone to vent their venom at.
So you flip the script and you look at the people in power...
Rob Light is a gentleman.
Michael Rapino is sincere and is just as down to earth as you are.
Irving Azoff is charming.
Lucian Grainge is personable with a sense of humor.
It makes your head spin if you contemplate it.
Then again, when they were up and coming, and scrapping, they were more like you. But not too much like you, because then you can't get ahead. Because the truth is once you're in the club, you've got to get along, you see the same people constantly. So hate them for their lifestyles, the golfing trips, the cruises, their spending of that money that should go to you, but the truth is they're exercising business mores that have existed for millennia.
Now I'm not saying more people shouldn't be in the club.
And I'm not saying that the internet and social media have not placed a spanner in the works.
But some of this is basic humanity, people.
So Brooks's point, which I agree with, is we should give more people a leg up. Which is certainly better than tearing others down, it doesn't get you anywhere.
And I agree with this.
But what resonated most was that life is a learning process, and the more you learn the better off you are. It begins early and it's all about being curious and applying yourself and hanging with the right people and knowing how to behave.
But this has nothing to do with the message sent to you by the media. Talking about instant successes utilizing new tools to ramp up their income and dominate.
No, generally speaking the same people dominate over and over. Most of the "talent" is evanescent.
Meanwhile, meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
Mark Zuckerberg goes to Sun Valley. As do Sheryl Sandberg and Daniel Ek. And if you think Herb Allen's conference is summer camp, a pleasure retreat akin to a rave, but for older people, you know nothing. Allen's an investment banker. Sun Valley is all about deals. And you make deals via relationships. And they're in the club and you're not.
How do you get in the club?
Start at the top again.
P.S. You don't want to be a court jester, the entertainer who's singing and dancing for rich people, no, you want to be an equal, or to quote Aaron Burr from "Hamilton," you want to be in the room where it happens!
David Brooks: "Getting Radical About Inequality": http://nyti.ms/2vttonf
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David Brooks is a right-leaning columnist for the "New York Times." But recently his columns have focused on social more than political science. He digs down deep into the archives of history to make points about today. That's a result of his education at the University of Chicago, a rigorous institution focused on the classics. Sure, you have to be smart to understand the concepts, but you also have to apply yourself, do the hard work, and although you can spend hours on social media and even coding it might get you ahead temporarily, but it won't make you a better person, won't make you more worldly, it won't expand your horizons like a traditional education will.
That was my shock upon entering Middlebury. The prep school students were so well read! I went to a melting pot public high school in a middle class suburb and I still haven't recovered. These are the advantages you read about today. The rich send their children to institutions that teach them how to think and the poor don't even go to college, or when they do they study business, preparing them for a role but not to lead.
Leaders have vision. They're born to it. It's a nature and nurture thing, both family and experience, and the gap between those who are advantaged and disadvantaged grows ever wider and those left out have no idea how the game is played, because they're never in the corridors of power, and if they get close, they become anxious and don't know how to behave. That's what I learned most at Middlebury, how to hang with rich people. Non-Jews whose names were world-famous, who had money for generations, who knew not to be ostentatious, not to boast, not to stick out at all unless you truly deserved to, and then you were humble.
I know this is different from the image of entertainment, especially with Jews, who triumphed in vaudeville and then the Catskills before inhabiting TV. And there are even executives behind the camera with out of control, larger than life images, like Ari Emanuel, who they made a whole TV series about, but most of them are not that way at all. Well, maybe in entertainment, but not in the rest of the world. Actually, that's when you get in trouble in entertainment, when you think you're bigger than the act. That's devastated the record business ever since the era of Clive Davis and Tommy Mottola. The exec does not know best, the act does. Most of what "Mr. Davis" put out is forgettable tripe. Whereas his quieter colleague, Mo Ostin, released some of the best music of all time, by letting artists be themselves and not crowing about it.
So I'm reading Brooks's column the other day, ostensibly about income inequality, and I come to this passage:
"People at the top, he observed, tend to adopt a reserved and understated personal style that shows they are far above the 'assertive, attention-seeking strategies which expose the pretensions of the young pretenders.' People at the bottom of any field, on the other hand, don't have a lot of accomplishment to wave about, but they can use snark and sarcasm to demonstrate the superior sensibilities."
Brooks is referencing the work of a legendary French sociologist, but I found it hard not to apply this lens to the world I inhabit.
The guys who run the record companies are nice. That's right, the ones you deplore, hate on principle, get yourself in a room with them and you'll be charmed, you'll be caught off guard. I'm not saying they're princes (or princesses!) I'm just saying you hate them on principle, but they've been through the wars and triumphed and now they can afford to be nice and amenable.
Want to connect with a majordomo?
Don't talk business. It doesn't impress them. Actually, it turns them off, they get accosted, pitched all day long. And as far as making a deal with you...they're much more worried about who you are than the music you make. No one wants to work with an asshole. They pass all the time on talented jerks. They want to know that you're reasonable and have opinions and are somewhat worldly.
But you're busy attacking them on Twitter.
Now this flips the ruling class out. Because before the internet revolution, no one had access to them, they couldn't hear the naysayers. Oh, acts got reviews, but execs? They were faceless behind doors counting their money. So now when they go online, they're busy barking back, blocking people, not knowing it has nothing to do with them at all, it has to do with the position and mind-set of the commentator, they're down and out and they don't like it. What they want most is YOUR job! That's right, research anybody complaining about you online and you'll find they're struggling in your field. My greatest haters are writers. Somehow I seem to have their job, they're better, they know more people, they're more connected, I'm a doofus, and if the world worked properly they'd have the gig and not me. And it doesn't matter who I really am and how I got here, I'm a two-dimensional character in their minds, someone to vent their venom at.
So you flip the script and you look at the people in power...
Rob Light is a gentleman.
Michael Rapino is sincere and is just as down to earth as you are.
Irving Azoff is charming.
Lucian Grainge is personable with a sense of humor.
It makes your head spin if you contemplate it.
Then again, when they were up and coming, and scrapping, they were more like you. But not too much like you, because then you can't get ahead. Because the truth is once you're in the club, you've got to get along, you see the same people constantly. So hate them for their lifestyles, the golfing trips, the cruises, their spending of that money that should go to you, but the truth is they're exercising business mores that have existed for millennia.
Now I'm not saying more people shouldn't be in the club.
And I'm not saying that the internet and social media have not placed a spanner in the works.
But some of this is basic humanity, people.
So Brooks's point, which I agree with, is we should give more people a leg up. Which is certainly better than tearing others down, it doesn't get you anywhere.
And I agree with this.
But what resonated most was that life is a learning process, and the more you learn the better off you are. It begins early and it's all about being curious and applying yourself and hanging with the right people and knowing how to behave.
But this has nothing to do with the message sent to you by the media. Talking about instant successes utilizing new tools to ramp up their income and dominate.
No, generally speaking the same people dominate over and over. Most of the "talent" is evanescent.
Meanwhile, meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
Mark Zuckerberg goes to Sun Valley. As do Sheryl Sandberg and Daniel Ek. And if you think Herb Allen's conference is summer camp, a pleasure retreat akin to a rave, but for older people, you know nothing. Allen's an investment banker. Sun Valley is all about deals. And you make deals via relationships. And they're in the club and you're not.
How do you get in the club?
Start at the top again.
P.S. You don't want to be a court jester, the entertainer who's singing and dancing for rich people, no, you want to be an equal, or to quote Aaron Burr from "Hamilton," you want to be in the room where it happens!
David Brooks: "Getting Radical About Inequality": http://nyti.ms/2vttonf
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Thursday 20 July 2017
TheFatRat Responds
From: Christian Buettner
Subject: TheFatRat - more info
Hi Bob,
Thank you so much for your write up and for showing interest in my project! So here is more information about what I've done and how it happened. I wish I could say it was all a clever, perfectly laid out plan from start to end, but it was more a step by step development with a lot of surprises.
It all started when I moved back from Los Angeles to a small village near Göttingen in Germany. I had decided to spend more time with my family instead of grinding 14 hours in the studio, seven days a week. At that time I was 34 years old and had been in the music industry as a producer for over fourteen years. I've had some success, but overall I found the business quite frustrating because a lot of great songs never got released while some of my worst songs got on big record labels just because they were done with the right people. On some songs I had to make a thousand changes to make everybody happy until the song completely lost it's soul. After doing this for years, I decided to stop compromising and instead fully dedicate myself to the music that I love. I got rid of everybody around me, including all labels, managers and publishers. The only person I kept working with was my wife Svea who I make all important decisions with and who also works as my A&R.
Working alone and without any deadlines I was now free to work on a track for as long as I wanted. Sometimes I spent months on a single song. And when it was finished I could release it to my fans immediately. I put out all my songs for free, simply because I wanted to share them with people who loved it. I would also let everybody use them in their videos, their live streams and in their web based games and apps. I even gave away the project files and stems so people could make remixes and covers.
The only problem was, that I had no clue how to make a business of it. At that point I didn't even have my music on iTunes, Spotify etc. because I believed you couldn't make money from sales and streams. Everybody around me said so. Boy was I wrong.
I have always loved video games. Starting in the 80s with Bubble Bobble on the Commodore 64 ranging to current games like The Witcher 3, they have always been my favourite hobby. So when I started making my very own music it came only natural that it was heavily influenced by video games. Little did I think about that the fast growing video game community on YouTube was a REALLY GOOD PLACE TO BE. So while everybody else was fighting for limited slots on music blogs or the even more limited slots on radio, I came across YouTube gaming channels with millions of subscribers that were desperately looking for music that they could use without getting copyright claims. Long story short: within little more than two years I found my own channel growing from 6.000 subscribers to over 1.5 millions with over 250 million play just on my channel and over a billion adjusted streams all over YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/thefatrat
Even though my songs were available for free download, fans kept complaining that they couldn't find them on iTunes. So I finally uploaded them to all stores but didn't expect to make more than a few bucks from it. It quickly turned out that Spotify can be a money printing machine. Especially for independent artists without labels, featured artists and co-producers all taking their share, but instead a 100% controlled master and copyright.
After two years of independence, I got my old friend Alex Harrow from Milk & Honey as a manager on board because the project had gotten too big to handle for just Svea and me. And of course I started getting offers from record companies. But due to my history I had very little interest in that. Until Universal Music Sweden came along. They showed that they really understood what I was doing. Not only by what they said, but also by the deal that they offered.
Having a partner like Universal Music opens a lot of new opportunities.
I'm writing this email on a flight from San Francisco to Cologne to perform on the ESL Counter Strike finals, one of the largest E Sports events in the world. In 2016 they had over 14.000 people in the arena, over 60 million streams and over 30 million households watching on TV. Video Games have been the biggest media business for quite a while, but these days they're finally breaking into mainstream. They are not considered as some sort of toy anymore but as full-fledged art. And being one of the very few musicians who is part of the gaming community is certainly a great situation.
Together with Universal Music we are also in the process of starting a new label called The Arcadium. The purpose of which is to identify other artists in the YouTube, gaming and electronic space that would work with our model and our long term goal being to establish the worlds leading catalog of electronic video game music. The Creative Labs division of UMG Sweden has helped us to create a digital store front for all online UGC (User Generated Content) creators to source my music for their videos. This catalog will be expanded upon by future releases from me as well as the records we sign to The Arcadium from other artists. The beta version of this site is announced and active online as of two weeks ago.
https://the-arcadium.net/
Thanks again for your interest, if you got any questions, feel free to contact me.
Christian
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Subject: TheFatRat - more info
Hi Bob,
Thank you so much for your write up and for showing interest in my project! So here is more information about what I've done and how it happened. I wish I could say it was all a clever, perfectly laid out plan from start to end, but it was more a step by step development with a lot of surprises.
It all started when I moved back from Los Angeles to a small village near Göttingen in Germany. I had decided to spend more time with my family instead of grinding 14 hours in the studio, seven days a week. At that time I was 34 years old and had been in the music industry as a producer for over fourteen years. I've had some success, but overall I found the business quite frustrating because a lot of great songs never got released while some of my worst songs got on big record labels just because they were done with the right people. On some songs I had to make a thousand changes to make everybody happy until the song completely lost it's soul. After doing this for years, I decided to stop compromising and instead fully dedicate myself to the music that I love. I got rid of everybody around me, including all labels, managers and publishers. The only person I kept working with was my wife Svea who I make all important decisions with and who also works as my A&R.
Working alone and without any deadlines I was now free to work on a track for as long as I wanted. Sometimes I spent months on a single song. And when it was finished I could release it to my fans immediately. I put out all my songs for free, simply because I wanted to share them with people who loved it. I would also let everybody use them in their videos, their live streams and in their web based games and apps. I even gave away the project files and stems so people could make remixes and covers.
The only problem was, that I had no clue how to make a business of it. At that point I didn't even have my music on iTunes, Spotify etc. because I believed you couldn't make money from sales and streams. Everybody around me said so. Boy was I wrong.
I have always loved video games. Starting in the 80s with Bubble Bobble on the Commodore 64 ranging to current games like The Witcher 3, they have always been my favourite hobby. So when I started making my very own music it came only natural that it was heavily influenced by video games. Little did I think about that the fast growing video game community on YouTube was a REALLY GOOD PLACE TO BE. So while everybody else was fighting for limited slots on music blogs or the even more limited slots on radio, I came across YouTube gaming channels with millions of subscribers that were desperately looking for music that they could use without getting copyright claims. Long story short: within little more than two years I found my own channel growing from 6.000 subscribers to over 1.5 millions with over 250 million play just on my channel and over a billion adjusted streams all over YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/thefatrat
Even though my songs were available for free download, fans kept complaining that they couldn't find them on iTunes. So I finally uploaded them to all stores but didn't expect to make more than a few bucks from it. It quickly turned out that Spotify can be a money printing machine. Especially for independent artists without labels, featured artists and co-producers all taking their share, but instead a 100% controlled master and copyright.
After two years of independence, I got my old friend Alex Harrow from Milk & Honey as a manager on board because the project had gotten too big to handle for just Svea and me. And of course I started getting offers from record companies. But due to my history I had very little interest in that. Until Universal Music Sweden came along. They showed that they really understood what I was doing. Not only by what they said, but also by the deal that they offered.
Having a partner like Universal Music opens a lot of new opportunities.
I'm writing this email on a flight from San Francisco to Cologne to perform on the ESL Counter Strike finals, one of the largest E Sports events in the world. In 2016 they had over 14.000 people in the arena, over 60 million streams and over 30 million households watching on TV. Video Games have been the biggest media business for quite a while, but these days they're finally breaking into mainstream. They are not considered as some sort of toy anymore but as full-fledged art. And being one of the very few musicians who is part of the gaming community is certainly a great situation.
Together with Universal Music we are also in the process of starting a new label called The Arcadium. The purpose of which is to identify other artists in the YouTube, gaming and electronic space that would work with our model and our long term goal being to establish the worlds leading catalog of electronic video game music. The Creative Labs division of UMG Sweden has helped us to create a digital store front for all online UGC (User Generated Content) creators to source my music for their videos. This catalog will be expanded upon by future releases from me as well as the records we sign to The Arcadium from other artists. The beta version of this site is announced and active online as of two weeks ago.
https://the-arcadium.net/
Thanks again for your interest, if you got any questions, feel free to contact me.
Christian
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Books
I'm recovering from dental implant surgery. It was the back molar, there was an infection, despite having a root canal and so much invested in that tooth, and it had to be extracted and I was lucky the periodontist could do the implant at the same time, you never know, so it'll be three months before I get my new tooth as opposed to six, but I'm supposed to ice fifteen minutes out of twenty and that's just insane but the doctor called me yesterday and insisted so I spent all day with ice on my cheek while I read Colin Harrison's "You Belong To Me."
Now I'm hesitant to recommend books unless they're slam dunks. In a short attention span economy people want to go deep, but to get them over the hurdle, to get them invested in a book, is a huge step. Meanwhile, the inane book industry is doing is best to kill the Kindle, with readers and bookstores singing hosannas, not realizing they're relegating themselves to second-class citizens in the digital economy where we all live. Music revenue goes up with streaming and publishers believe by charging more for digital books they're winning. That's why Kindle sales are off. Used to be all digital books were under ten bucks. Makes sense, doesn't it, with no printing and no shipping and no returns? But now, oftentimes the paperback is cheaper than the digital equivalent. ON AMAZON! People pay attention to price. And they'll pay for convenience, but not if they think they're being ripped-off, and this just sticks in my craw. T-Mobile revolutionizes the mobile business with competition, by lowering prices, but the publishers are a cabal supporting unrealistically high book prices to their detriment. And ours. And now I'm off on a rant, but no one is more self-satisfied than those who work in the publishing industry. The only reason they can survive is because there's so little money in it. If there was any cash, Silicon Valley would swoop down and disrupt them. Which is what Bezos tried, instead he's now revolutionizing news with the "Washington Post" and voice-activated computing with the Echo. If someone is not turning over bricks in your space that means you're too far from the mainstream.
End of rant. Because now I've lost all the readers, because they love their physical books, and the non-readers, because they don't give a shit. But if you're still paying attention, I want to recommend one book. Start here. It's an easy read, and it's riveting.
Don Winslow's "Savages."
I told my shrink I was reading "The Force," and he started waxing rhapsodic about "Savages" and he hardly ever speaks, he couldn't hold himself back, so I purchased it and couldn't put it down.
California is a dream, even at this late date. And Winslow captures the Orange County/Laguna Beach lifestyle better than any TV show. Because it's a state of mind. It's not L.A. and it's not San Francisco and it's not all about money but it is about hedonism and if you've ever been there you know Laguna is a revelation and...
It's about dope dealers. It is a genre book. But it's also about ethos, personalities, choices and reading it is going down a rabbit hole that you'll be glad to be ensconced in.
And unlike the hoity-toity, revered intellectuals who went to the Iowa workshop and teach university courses as they write their unreadable books that sell fewer than 10,000 copies, Winslow knows it's first and foremost about plot, story! I don't care how well something is written, if there's no story...
But there's also insight, let me give you some...
"Walked two thousand miles and went nowhere."
We're told experience counts, but not everyone learns along the way. Just because you marched the steps that doesn't mean you gained any insight.
"You sell the skills you have."
Which is why you'd better accumulate some, so you've got options.
"Also: do not fuck with someone until you know exactly who the fuck you're fucking with."
Funny how those with the most bluster are the paper tigers whereas those who come on softer, even wimpy, contain an iron fist in that velvet glove.
"If you let people believe that you're weak, sooner or later you're going to have to kill them."
Bingo. This is why people can't get ahead. They're too busy being nice to those who are fucking with them from above. The only way someone will respect you is if you stand up to them, do you have the balls?
"Ben still doesn't get -- Chon thinks -- that you don't change the world. It changes you."
The longer you live the more you realize this. It's a giant sluiceway with little control and if you're going against the grain, trying to stay out of the maelstrom, you're gonna get kicked in the nuts and fail even worse.
But the book that guy recommended at the Classic...
That's the thing about books. No one talks about music anymore, there's too much of it and we all listen to different stuff. And I won't say that many people talk about books either, but if they know you're a reader...
The dirty little secret is most books suck. And unlike with records, it takes hours to learn this. And you find what some people consider good...description, feeling, those are important, but what about flow and plot?
But this guy thanked me for introducing him to Winslow and he recommended Colin Harrison's "You Belong To Me," the book I read all day yesterday as I iced.
"You Belong To Me" is a curious construction. It's a highbrow genre book. We've seen a lot of that recently, authors writing about zombies and the like to get paid after their highly-reviewed lit efforts rain down no coin. So, you've got a crime thriller, but with tons of insight.
No one can handle the truth.
But we all want to see it, it's oh-so-rare.
That's what turns me on. When someone is speaking my truth back to me, when I feel I'm not the only person on the planet with these thoughts. And in "You Belong To Me" there are comments about the world at large and relationships and aging and wisdom that are so right on that until the book became about plot twists at the end I couldn't wait to recommend it to you.
But I still will.
Now Colin Harrison went to Iowa. He's a working stiff. At Scribner. Which is probably why none of his books have taken off. You've got to put everything into it. This guy is just one step away. He's got to decide whether he's writing genre fiction or literature, and he'd be better doing the latter, but it's harder to get an audience there, the bar is higher, but let's see if I can drop some of Harrison's wisdom on you here.
"His nephews were young and confused. They suffered the fallacy of perception: They thought because they perceived something, such as 'family honor,' that it really existed."
What does a fiftysomething gang member think. Get old enough and you gain perspective, you see what is really important. That's what our youth-focused culture does not want to admit. That most of its games are irrelevant. You learn this as you age.
"'Everyone wants control and no one gets it. I thought you knew that. That's one of the lessons of life, okay?'"
You think you're important, you move mountains, but it's just an illusion. If you can't cope with failure, things not going your way, bumps in the road, you're going to get bounced off the freeway of life. Control freaks fail.
"He was amazed, and not for the first time, how little he really knew about anybody."
People are a mystery. You can talk to them every day and then they'll jump the rails, do something completely unexpected. But we all want to be known, Rachel is begging Paul to tell her his story. The more you hold back, the more it is to your detriment. Life is about sharing.
"You had to have places in the city like that, places that didn't change, or you didn't know who you were anymore."
That's the horror of aging. The changes. What used to be there but is not anymore. You need to know that the touchstones of your life still exist. Which is why you return to these shrines. And when you return and they're gone or changed irrevocably, you're uprooted, unsettled, without reference points you're in free fall.
So if you like "Savages," and if you're a fan of sixties and seventies literature, the whiz-bang in-your-face it's all about the Great American Novel paradigm, you will, you can also read its prequel, "The Kings Of Cool," but it's not as good and certainly avoid the Oliver Stone film of "Savages," you can't capture the essence of a book in a movie, or very rarely, it's distilled to the plot and however beautiful Blake Lively might be she is not the character in the book, nor are the dope dealers.
So what I'm saying here is if you're overwhelmed by our fast-paced society and you want to feel rooted, want to dig down deep and feel understood while you're titillated, I'd recommend these books.
You can buy them instantly. Read them on not only your Kindle, but the Kindle app on your phone or tablet or your computer. You see it's the instant reward that's so fascinating. Making books exciting again. Hearing about something and being able to dive in immediately, discard what is not interesting if the sample chapter does not resonate.
But the old fogeys would rather you traipse to the bookstore with its crummy inventory so you can buy physical books to keep the English major proprietor in business.
What a concept.
"Savages": http://amzn.to/2tL7cTK
"You Belong To Me": http://amzn.to/2tuJBLB
"The Kings Of Cool": http://amzn.to/2uDSXnT
Now I'm hesitant to recommend books unless they're slam dunks. In a short attention span economy people want to go deep, but to get them over the hurdle, to get them invested in a book, is a huge step. Meanwhile, the inane book industry is doing is best to kill the Kindle, with readers and bookstores singing hosannas, not realizing they're relegating themselves to second-class citizens in the digital economy where we all live. Music revenue goes up with streaming and publishers believe by charging more for digital books they're winning. That's why Kindle sales are off. Used to be all digital books were under ten bucks. Makes sense, doesn't it, with no printing and no shipping and no returns? But now, oftentimes the paperback is cheaper than the digital equivalent. ON AMAZON! People pay attention to price. And they'll pay for convenience, but not if they think they're being ripped-off, and this just sticks in my craw. T-Mobile revolutionizes the mobile business with competition, by lowering prices, but the publishers are a cabal supporting unrealistically high book prices to their detriment. And ours. And now I'm off on a rant, but no one is more self-satisfied than those who work in the publishing industry. The only reason they can survive is because there's so little money in it. If there was any cash, Silicon Valley would swoop down and disrupt them. Which is what Bezos tried, instead he's now revolutionizing news with the "Washington Post" and voice-activated computing with the Echo. If someone is not turning over bricks in your space that means you're too far from the mainstream.
End of rant. Because now I've lost all the readers, because they love their physical books, and the non-readers, because they don't give a shit. But if you're still paying attention, I want to recommend one book. Start here. It's an easy read, and it's riveting.
Don Winslow's "Savages."
I told my shrink I was reading "The Force," and he started waxing rhapsodic about "Savages" and he hardly ever speaks, he couldn't hold himself back, so I purchased it and couldn't put it down.
California is a dream, even at this late date. And Winslow captures the Orange County/Laguna Beach lifestyle better than any TV show. Because it's a state of mind. It's not L.A. and it's not San Francisco and it's not all about money but it is about hedonism and if you've ever been there you know Laguna is a revelation and...
It's about dope dealers. It is a genre book. But it's also about ethos, personalities, choices and reading it is going down a rabbit hole that you'll be glad to be ensconced in.
And unlike the hoity-toity, revered intellectuals who went to the Iowa workshop and teach university courses as they write their unreadable books that sell fewer than 10,000 copies, Winslow knows it's first and foremost about plot, story! I don't care how well something is written, if there's no story...
But there's also insight, let me give you some...
"Walked two thousand miles and went nowhere."
We're told experience counts, but not everyone learns along the way. Just because you marched the steps that doesn't mean you gained any insight.
"You sell the skills you have."
Which is why you'd better accumulate some, so you've got options.
"Also: do not fuck with someone until you know exactly who the fuck you're fucking with."
Funny how those with the most bluster are the paper tigers whereas those who come on softer, even wimpy, contain an iron fist in that velvet glove.
"If you let people believe that you're weak, sooner or later you're going to have to kill them."
Bingo. This is why people can't get ahead. They're too busy being nice to those who are fucking with them from above. The only way someone will respect you is if you stand up to them, do you have the balls?
"Ben still doesn't get -- Chon thinks -- that you don't change the world. It changes you."
The longer you live the more you realize this. It's a giant sluiceway with little control and if you're going against the grain, trying to stay out of the maelstrom, you're gonna get kicked in the nuts and fail even worse.
But the book that guy recommended at the Classic...
That's the thing about books. No one talks about music anymore, there's too much of it and we all listen to different stuff. And I won't say that many people talk about books either, but if they know you're a reader...
The dirty little secret is most books suck. And unlike with records, it takes hours to learn this. And you find what some people consider good...description, feeling, those are important, but what about flow and plot?
But this guy thanked me for introducing him to Winslow and he recommended Colin Harrison's "You Belong To Me," the book I read all day yesterday as I iced.
"You Belong To Me" is a curious construction. It's a highbrow genre book. We've seen a lot of that recently, authors writing about zombies and the like to get paid after their highly-reviewed lit efforts rain down no coin. So, you've got a crime thriller, but with tons of insight.
No one can handle the truth.
But we all want to see it, it's oh-so-rare.
That's what turns me on. When someone is speaking my truth back to me, when I feel I'm not the only person on the planet with these thoughts. And in "You Belong To Me" there are comments about the world at large and relationships and aging and wisdom that are so right on that until the book became about plot twists at the end I couldn't wait to recommend it to you.
But I still will.
Now Colin Harrison went to Iowa. He's a working stiff. At Scribner. Which is probably why none of his books have taken off. You've got to put everything into it. This guy is just one step away. He's got to decide whether he's writing genre fiction or literature, and he'd be better doing the latter, but it's harder to get an audience there, the bar is higher, but let's see if I can drop some of Harrison's wisdom on you here.
"His nephews were young and confused. They suffered the fallacy of perception: They thought because they perceived something, such as 'family honor,' that it really existed."
What does a fiftysomething gang member think. Get old enough and you gain perspective, you see what is really important. That's what our youth-focused culture does not want to admit. That most of its games are irrelevant. You learn this as you age.
"'Everyone wants control and no one gets it. I thought you knew that. That's one of the lessons of life, okay?'"
You think you're important, you move mountains, but it's just an illusion. If you can't cope with failure, things not going your way, bumps in the road, you're going to get bounced off the freeway of life. Control freaks fail.
"He was amazed, and not for the first time, how little he really knew about anybody."
People are a mystery. You can talk to them every day and then they'll jump the rails, do something completely unexpected. But we all want to be known, Rachel is begging Paul to tell her his story. The more you hold back, the more it is to your detriment. Life is about sharing.
"You had to have places in the city like that, places that didn't change, or you didn't know who you were anymore."
That's the horror of aging. The changes. What used to be there but is not anymore. You need to know that the touchstones of your life still exist. Which is why you return to these shrines. And when you return and they're gone or changed irrevocably, you're uprooted, unsettled, without reference points you're in free fall.
So if you like "Savages," and if you're a fan of sixties and seventies literature, the whiz-bang in-your-face it's all about the Great American Novel paradigm, you will, you can also read its prequel, "The Kings Of Cool," but it's not as good and certainly avoid the Oliver Stone film of "Savages," you can't capture the essence of a book in a movie, or very rarely, it's distilled to the plot and however beautiful Blake Lively might be she is not the character in the book, nor are the dope dealers.
So what I'm saying here is if you're overwhelmed by our fast-paced society and you want to feel rooted, want to dig down deep and feel understood while you're titillated, I'd recommend these books.
You can buy them instantly. Read them on not only your Kindle, but the Kindle app on your phone or tablet or your computer. You see it's the instant reward that's so fascinating. Making books exciting again. Hearing about something and being able to dive in immediately, discard what is not interesting if the sample chapter does not resonate.
But the old fogeys would rather you traipse to the bookstore with its crummy inventory so you can buy physical books to keep the English major proprietor in business.
What a concept.
"Savages": http://amzn.to/2tL7cTK
"You Belong To Me": http://amzn.to/2tuJBLB
"The Kings Of Cool": http://amzn.to/2uDSXnT
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The Word Of Mouth Economy
Netflix added 5.2 million subscribers in the last quarter, their biggest increase ever in their slowest period.
It's the programming stupid!
Now when a new show comes out there are reviews. But this is not like a film, where you can go and digest it in two hours. Most of Netflix's series require ten hours or so, which means except for the hottest product, and even for that, people take days, weeks, even months to devour it. And then they talk about it and get others to view it, to even sign up and view it.
The old economy doesn't like this.
The old economy builds up to a one time date, an event, where everybody is supposed to rain down money. You're supposed to be in a state of frenzy, where you cannot resist.
But look at the news business. Almost no stories sustain. Assuming they're heard at all. Now the key is to have a story that sticks. How do you accomplish that?
Every week the media publishes the top ten records.
But you know what the biggest story right now is? "Despacito," smashing all previous streaming records. And that's been in the marketplace for half a year! Meanwhile, it seems that Katy Perry's new album, which entered at number one, has been completely forgotten.
Do you know who likes charts? RECORD COMPANIES! They give the patina of coherence to a world of chaos. But chaos rules.
In other words, the day of release is when the hard work begins. It probably doesn't pay to make a big effort before that. Which is why superstars drop their new albums with no advance publicity. You hit the ground running. Or even better, you release product and wait for the reaction. If you get none, truly smart producers create and drop more product. Forget the album, you're looking for a reaction, and if you get none, it's back to the drawing board. Don't like this week's big budget Netflix series? That's okay, we've got another in two weeks, meanwhile your friend will tell you over coffee about a show they're hooked on that came out months ago and you'll dig deep and...
This is not the way it was supposed to be. There was supposed to be a very narrow funnel of gatekeepers. Labels, radio stations, hipsters, who decided what deserved attention. But now the public decides what deserves attention. What happened in hip-hop is gonna happen to all other genres.
Hip-hop operates outside the major label system. No, that's not completely true, but hip-hop is about continuous product, oftentimes released for free, and then something catches fire and runs up the Spotify chart and STAYS THERE! Hits take longer to make and they stay longer when made. And they're made by fans at home, listening to the Rap Caviar playlist on Spotify, researching and exchanging ideas causing people to check out what they're hearing about.
This is already starting to happen in country, which is gaining traction on streaming services. And when it does... Beware! The format is gonna widen, the fear of women being shut out will prove fallacious. Radio will lose its stranglehold. As it is, country on Spotify is programmed by John Marks, who is legendary for getting records started on Sirius XM.
You've got to have a scene, you've got to have word of mouth. This is what is hurting rock. Too many Luddites inured to the CD who want to live in their silos. The story of the future, the hit future, is not niche but broad-based acceptance. If you're not fighting for every dollar, you're not gonna get many dollars. One movie a weekend succeeds. There are four hundred plus scripted shows a year, but only a few winners. You want to be a winner. How do you do this? By being in the marketplace and seeing if your product catches fire.
Now you can chase success, build on a story, add fuel to the fire, but it's the public that makes hits today, certainly in streaming, and if you've been paying attention, streaming rules, it's taken over the music business.
So the paradigm is different. You're creating land mines. Your catalog lives forever online. Forget the big album build-up, the hype. It's ignored. Almost everything is ignored up front. The money is in what lasts. And if someone likes one cut of yours, they're going to check out more. Your success is based upon cumulative streams, not sales of albums, and the streams go on forever.
So it starts slower, takes time to build, and pays beaucoup bucks if it hits.
And if it doesn't.
Start over.
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It's the programming stupid!
Now when a new show comes out there are reviews. But this is not like a film, where you can go and digest it in two hours. Most of Netflix's series require ten hours or so, which means except for the hottest product, and even for that, people take days, weeks, even months to devour it. And then they talk about it and get others to view it, to even sign up and view it.
The old economy doesn't like this.
The old economy builds up to a one time date, an event, where everybody is supposed to rain down money. You're supposed to be in a state of frenzy, where you cannot resist.
But look at the news business. Almost no stories sustain. Assuming they're heard at all. Now the key is to have a story that sticks. How do you accomplish that?
Every week the media publishes the top ten records.
But you know what the biggest story right now is? "Despacito," smashing all previous streaming records. And that's been in the marketplace for half a year! Meanwhile, it seems that Katy Perry's new album, which entered at number one, has been completely forgotten.
Do you know who likes charts? RECORD COMPANIES! They give the patina of coherence to a world of chaos. But chaos rules.
In other words, the day of release is when the hard work begins. It probably doesn't pay to make a big effort before that. Which is why superstars drop their new albums with no advance publicity. You hit the ground running. Or even better, you release product and wait for the reaction. If you get none, truly smart producers create and drop more product. Forget the album, you're looking for a reaction, and if you get none, it's back to the drawing board. Don't like this week's big budget Netflix series? That's okay, we've got another in two weeks, meanwhile your friend will tell you over coffee about a show they're hooked on that came out months ago and you'll dig deep and...
This is not the way it was supposed to be. There was supposed to be a very narrow funnel of gatekeepers. Labels, radio stations, hipsters, who decided what deserved attention. But now the public decides what deserves attention. What happened in hip-hop is gonna happen to all other genres.
Hip-hop operates outside the major label system. No, that's not completely true, but hip-hop is about continuous product, oftentimes released for free, and then something catches fire and runs up the Spotify chart and STAYS THERE! Hits take longer to make and they stay longer when made. And they're made by fans at home, listening to the Rap Caviar playlist on Spotify, researching and exchanging ideas causing people to check out what they're hearing about.
This is already starting to happen in country, which is gaining traction on streaming services. And when it does... Beware! The format is gonna widen, the fear of women being shut out will prove fallacious. Radio will lose its stranglehold. As it is, country on Spotify is programmed by John Marks, who is legendary for getting records started on Sirius XM.
You've got to have a scene, you've got to have word of mouth. This is what is hurting rock. Too many Luddites inured to the CD who want to live in their silos. The story of the future, the hit future, is not niche but broad-based acceptance. If you're not fighting for every dollar, you're not gonna get many dollars. One movie a weekend succeeds. There are four hundred plus scripted shows a year, but only a few winners. You want to be a winner. How do you do this? By being in the marketplace and seeing if your product catches fire.
Now you can chase success, build on a story, add fuel to the fire, but it's the public that makes hits today, certainly in streaming, and if you've been paying attention, streaming rules, it's taken over the music business.
So the paradigm is different. You're creating land mines. Your catalog lives forever online. Forget the big album build-up, the hype. It's ignored. Almost everything is ignored up front. The money is in what lasts. And if someone likes one cut of yours, they're going to check out more. Your success is based upon cumulative streams, not sales of albums, and the streams go on forever.
So it starts slower, takes time to build, and pays beaucoup bucks if it hits.
And if it doesn't.
Start over.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/?utm_source=phplist5938&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=The+Word+Of+Mouth+Economy
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Monday 17 July 2017
Mailbag
From: Peter Buffett
Subject: Re: The Defiant Ones-Episode Four
"You can't as a businessman"
Don't forget my dad! Bono once came to the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting to see "how two guys over 80 could hold an audience of 40,000 for six hours without a light show"
________________________________________
From: Marty Winsch
Subject: Re: Kid Rock For Senate
This reminds me of the madness over the Chick-fil-a same sex marriage hub hub back in June of 2012. The more the left hammered, the longer the lines got at local CFAs thanks to the right coming out to counter support. We were on our way to the South Carolina coast for vacation, decided to stop for lunch and couldn't believe the swarm of people descending on the CFA off the exit! I remember sitting in my car striking up a conversation with an older gentleman from PA about all the commotion. He said he'd never even heard about CFA until everything in the news. So, be conservative, they decided to show their support by eating there...no matter how long it look.
Think about how golden the silence would be worth to the left both with respect to Rock & Fil-A. Before all this technology, used to be about standing up and being counted, heard, physically. Now, it feels like in some cases, being heard requires being disciplined enough to be quiet via certain mediums.
________________________________________
From: Sepp Donahower
Subject: Re: Travis Kalanick
the company will crumble now….look at american apparel and dov charney….who i know well…he came to LA sleeping on friends couches and selling fashon t shirt blanks when there were none has a dream and built an empire providing thousands of jobs…the board and private equity partners drove him out just like travis….and the company crumbled and is gone.
________________________________________
From: Ryan Booth
Subject: Re: RapCaviar
I'm a filmmaker and have recently been making some of those videos for RapCaviar. Not massive budget and getting the artists to give you time is complex, but there isn't anything I make that gets more views than the RapCaviar videos. We shot Young M.A. going to hang with a youth football team in Brownsville. She played on the boys team growing up and she went specifically to hang out with a young girl who is playing on the boys team. They sat and talked for a few minutes. Took a ton to make it happen. But I really think it's a moment that girl will never forget. Massively successful artist showing her a photo of playing on the boys team as a little girl. Just like her. M.A. said, "what happens after the game...when you're shaking hands and you take your helmet off..." The little girl finished her sentence, "whoa, it's a girl?!" M.A. lit up and started laughing. "That same thing happened to me."
It was a moment.
And they're trying to facilitate those moments a couple of times a week, in the middle of that massive playlist. Pretty interesting.
Cheers.
r
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From: Ken Kragen
Subject: I've Had The Time Of My Life
Bob: I'm older than you so I was already managing musical artists by the time "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" came out and I loved it. For one of the few times in my life I ran after an act. I pitched Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but they didn't sign with me. Years later Bill became a client. What a wonderful human being. He and another former client of mine, Jennifer Warren had a huge hit with "I've Had The Time Of My Life." You were just too young to appreciate how special the Righteous Brothers were at the time.
By the way congratulations on the terrific piece in Sunday's LA Times. Loved seeing you get that kind of coverage.
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From: Walter Sabo
Subject: Re: Manufacturing Authenticity
The culture for innovation.
You are correct and it has always been so. Nothing that exists can easily embrace new or change.
That's because it exists because of what already is.
When I started at NBC as the person in charge of their FM stations, I spent most of my time with "corporate" convincing them of the viability of the FM Band. This was the company, RCA, that funded and housed the invention of FM. But, shocking, I wanted to scrap the automation, build physical plants and hire 200 people to make it work. And I did. But that only happened when the CEO cut off the bureacrats and said, "Let Walter do what he wants." It was an order to innovate, not a logical path. We launched two new formats: AC, which I was ASSURED would never work on FM, and Urban at WKYS.
When I launched the first FM talk station aimed at people under 50, New Jersey 101.5 and again at KLSX LA and WTKS Orlando I was assured it would never work. "FM is for music." This year NJ 101.5 will be 27, and grosses more than any Philly station. The local management of all those stations thought it was a bad idea. A CEO had to cut them off and declare the innovation. Those are real innovations that now seem the norm, but they were not. They were incredibly hard to get on the air and keep on the air long enough to realize success. If I had had a mortgage and kids I probably would not have hung out there that far for that long. Never one kind word about being innovative from anyone. Except the owners.
At Sirius, when I got there Pre-launch, my biggest challenge was compelling new ingredients between the songs. No, I never used music research. Never monitored adds and deletes. I really didn't pay much attention to the music because I knew our opportunity was in a different place: What I tried very hard to get on the air was a fresh approach to what the talent says. If you hate a song, say it. If you know a lot about a song share it. No clocks, rules about how long they could talk or what to say---just say something! My favorite break ever was HUMAN NEWMAN on HITS ONE snoring through the entire break. I challenged the talent to scare me.
Howard Stern--nope they didn't want THAT! But I made the first call to recruit him with the blessing of the majority shareholder, not the blessings of the programmers.. Quite the opposite.
And when I arrived all the non-music channels were just airing the audio feeds from cable channels---I got rid of all of them for quite awhile. I said we are going to make original, dangerous, different uncensored talk. The first one I put on was OutQ. It doesn't all work--but I TRY STUFF every day. I am too proud to copy. I've never gone around the country handing out photocopies of a format. I bake from scratch. My work is often messy, never duplicable.
People get confused. I don't drink, have never seen cocaine, don't know any indies and I wear Brooks Brothers. I wear Brooks Brothers because that's my bodytype! and it gets me in the room with the CEO's who will then give me permission to trash the place and let a new crop grow. If you want the music industry to change, and it must, it's not going to happen with the staff or A&R people. It's going to happen when crazed, impatient CEOS (the Yetnikoffs) say "do it." I've NEVER had a staffer say, hey we want to do something different. It always comes from the owner/CEO. The ones who seem most conservative, rarely are.
Top 40 was created by two OWNERS. Desperate owners!
I do a talk show on WPHT Philadelphia every week and hopefully I can talk to you on it soon! Your work is outstanding. Walter
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Subject: Re: Forgiveness
Bob,
There's a family story that my great grandfather stole a firetruck as a young boy and drove it around town. He went on to be an OBGYN delivered hundreds, maybe thousands of kids.
Can you imagine if a kid stole a firetruck today? DHS would be called. He might go to jail. I doubt he'd get into medical school.
Different times, and I know we have to be more careful these days, but we should also lighten up.
Jack Pratt
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From: Beau Willimon
Subject: Re: Beau Willimon Responds
Thanks for sharing these replies, Bob, and for posting my response. The support the Public has been getting has been strong and inspiring, due in no small part to folks such as yourself getting the word out and bringing it into the collective conversation. These are the sort of conversations that we've been having for centuries - what is art? what is its role? who does it serve? And I'm encouraged that this ongoing debate is still alive and well in America (for now!).
B
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Re: The Classic-Day One
Bob,
I just finished reading this out loud, and my wife and I have great, big lumps in our throats. By the time I got to the end of the piece, I could barely
continue speaking. That's how well you captured the concert, the moment and all of our lives. Thanks for the second or third great essay this week.
I only wish I could have been there. And you're absolutely right......It's ALL about the songs.
Best always,
Eric Carmen
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From: Willem Van Maele
Subject: Re: TheFatRat
I'm only 24 and work in the music industry, but I've never heard the name 'TheFatRad' nor 'Animal Jam'. You made even me feel old. Damnit!
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Subject: Re: TheFatRat
Bob,
This one truly hits "home" today. As a musician (of decades ) and middle school music teacher, I had never heard of Thefatrat until the beginning of this past school year when a student shared them as his favorite group. The class searched him on YouTube using our smart board and I couldn't believe the number of views on top of the fact that I had never heard of the group before. "Unity" has a perfect melody for students to remember and I now use that song to teach my 6th and 7th graders about songwriting/composing, the music industry; as we do the "math" on the monetary value of "views" and advertising and yes, beat-making.
Thanks for your words Bob.
Seth
www.picklepieproductions.com
www.facebook.com/sethandthemoodymelix
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From: Claire Cameron
Subject: Re: TheFatRat
I have an eight year old in the room and decided I'd test The Fat Rat without any introduction. I hit the first link to hilarious results. His eyes started to spin, he chucked aside the xbox controller, and started dancing like a maniac -- only Jennifer Beals has hit the floor harder. What?!
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From: Joshua Freni
Subject: Re: TheFatRat
My 11 year old son fell in love with Marshmello after seeing him on one of his favorite YouTube channels, WHAT'S INSIDE (4.7mil subscribers). Now that Marshmello remixed Future's "Mask Off", I have an 11 year old walking around the house chanting "Percocets, molly, percocets, rep the set, gotta rep the set".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQozKx5dLr4&t=282s&utm_source=phplist5937&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Mailbag
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From: Joshua Malinsky
Subject: Re: TheFatRat
Crazy right?
I have a 9-year-old son with a true gift for music. He found TheFatRat
through his favourite video game as well and using my Spotify account.
And of course, once you like a few things on Spotify, a whole path of
music opens up via it's suggestions. I used to worry about how my kids
would discover music beyond pop radio, without a physical library of
music in the house to explore (ie: CDs, which have long since left my
home). It turns out Spotify is doing a better job than I could have
hoped for in terms of giving kids access to non-pop-radio music in the
genres he likes already.
He now plays TheFatRat constantly on piano to the delight of other kids,
and we all have fun making up goofy lyrics to go along.
Until this email I was pretty sure I was living this existence in isolation!
Best
Joshua
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From: Patrick Charles
Subject: Re: TheFatRat
Bob;
My son knows TheFatRat from playing Geometry Dash on the iPad, he's 7.
I used to work in radio so I never play radio in the car. He's only ever heard the music I stream, so his favourites up to now were The Beatles, Weezer, Ben Folds, Weird Al.
Since he's started playing Geometry Dash and finding the videos and music on YouTube, I've had to make him a GeometryJamz playlist for the drive to camp. He now says his favourite music is EDM!
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Subject: RE: TheFatRat
Hi Bob, so smart to talk to kids about music. All music execs should sit w 10-17 year olds STAT!. The parents will buy them everything they ask for. My kids are 10 and 15. For the past two years they have found all (100%) of their music on youtube and word of mouth of their school friends. They discover bands and songs through either the video game posted on YouTube or the youtube star or an ad. On YT my 15 yr old son discovered Twenty One Pilots , his obssession, and then...Hot Topic clothing store takes it from there. They are in every mall. If he likes a band -they have the tshirt, then you see all of the other band tshirts displayed on their walls and the names get branded in your mind. Then if you Google the random band you saw on the tshirt wall of HT, Google sends you spam of all of the related bands. That is how they suck the kids in. I've witnessed it first hand. The kids discover the music online and the merch pushes it to the next level and there starts the domino effect. I came from a film music background at MCA records and music supervisor at MTV. Both of those brands do not exist to my kids. My 10 yr. old daughter watches you tube stars- now it's all about Jake Paul and his new single...she begs for his tshirt..
Bottom line. It's youtube, HT, and Spotify gifts cards they want. Trust me execs need to know this or get out.
Kris Long
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TheFatRat @ThisIsTheFatRat
@Lefsetz thanks so much for your letter. And say hello to Luke and Annabelle
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Subject: Festivals
Hi Bob —
My partner, Sean, and I started Wanderlust 8 years ago, a wellness festival focused on yoga, organic food, inspirational lectures, outdoor activities and wine and music at night. Now we've got 70 of them running in 16 countries. They are not behemoths like Coachella. We'll four-wall big ski resorts in the summer like Squaw Valley and do 3,000 - 4,000 people per day for 4 days. It's a premium experience where everyone is a VIP. People can sweat, think, dance and be merry and stay in a ski condo and get a shower.
For us, it was always about creating intentional community, a experience where people could gather around shared beliefs and practices. We tap into these bubbling little wellness communities everywhere we go. I can't believe 2,500 people come out in Santiago, Chile to do yoga with a DJ, but they do.
We found our little corner of the universe. We don't need headliners. People are just coming for the experience and to be with their community. Right now, there are so many different niche experiences that pull people together that share a common passion — be it food & wine, mountain biking, surfing or God.
It's not that different than recorded music. It used to be that plenty of bands went platinum. It's not that less music is being consumed or made. It's just a mile wide and an inch deep. You can make a record in your bedroom and anyone that shares your esoteric passion can find it. There is a downside to this fragmentation. Because recorded music doesn't generate revenues like it once did, we've lost the ability to do big things - like record orchestras or big horn sections or even real drums.
Similarly, the era of the big festival may be waning (the blue chips notwithstanding). It may become more difficult to launch huge productions and pay the big headliners seven figures. A new era of creative, scrappy experience-focused promoters will need to figure out how to make smaller niche events work financially.
Best -
Jeff Krasno
Co-Founder, Wanderlust
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Subject: Re: Peak Festival
Hi Bob,
Thanks for this. I've been following you for many years, however, this will be my first ever 'reply' back..
I work in the festival industry, where I began as a free-lancer, traveling the country working some of the largest-festivals in North America (Bonnaroo, Coachella, Jazzfest... even Pemberton). As somebody in their 20's - it was a dream come true, the best job you could ask for. You felt like a rock-star, being out on-the-road and meeting cool people and experiencing cool shit along the way, I have some of the best experiences and memories from those days.
I then went on to work for CID Entertainment, leaders in 'VIP' packaging and crafters of 'boutique' experiences for many of these festivals. It was an interesting time in the festival space, where people were demanding more and more amenities - VIP lounges, Super VIP lounges, catered food, air-conditioned bathrooms -- essentially, trying to build a Ritz Carlton at a festival venue in the middle of nowhere, and making sure those folks dishing out thousands, and tens of thousands of dollars, got their moneys worth. It was no longer about just providing 'comforts', but about excess luxury. Despite all of the critics (then and now) who talk about how VIP has ruined these events, I never really saw the downside to it, or saw it as a 'exclusivity' thing, but more about how certain people (typically older) don't want to schlep in the mud, pitch a tent, wait in long porta potty lines, etc. - who does? They want certain comforts that will still allow them to enjoy their experience, check out the bands they like, eat well, drink well, and sleep well, and...they have the money to do it, so why not? They're happy, and the college kids camping in the mud with their best friends, wandering around on psychedelics and eating heady grilled cheeses are happy too, so it all works.
I couldn't agree with you more about how we don't need any more festivals. I've already started to become jaded towards festivals and they've slowly been losing the same magic and excitement that they once had (of course, the High Sierras, Lockns and other special few have managed to retain it), but overall... its over. I think the new shift will be towards 'travel' or 'destination' festivals. Travel is extremely important to my generation (yes, we may desire Instagram pics, but it's also Instagram that helped sparked our wanderlust). Travel is also an industry that is growing rapidly, across all ages. I truly think that people are beginning to crave 'experiences' over stuff - which is a good thing, and I am all for it. Many of my friends who used to travel to 5-10 festivals in a summer are now saving their money, and splurging on a 1 or 2 'destination' festivals, where they get so much more out of the experiences, instead of seeing a favorite band a knocking one thing off of their bucket list, they get to knock of 3 or 4 things off. I know work for a company called Everfest - a platform for discovering 'festivals' from all around the world, and we get an amazing amount of traffic, because people want to learn about what's out there.
There is a festival in Iceland called Secret Solstice, and there entire marketing strategy was to push an 'exotic destination' that just so HAPPENED to be having a festival. The festival was secondary, but they were able to entice young people to come out to the event through images and highlighting the beautiful landscape of Iceland and incorporating that beauty into their events (performances and parties were held on glaciers, in caves, etc). I think its genius, and its where I see the 'festival' industry heading.
I love your articles and insights, thanks so much for always providing unique perspectives on the entertainment industry.
Andrew Goodwin
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From: Jason Flom
Subject: Why Rock Died
Bob-??As someone who grew up watching and worshipping (and then working with) many of the greatest rock bands and rock stars of all time (I even lost my virginity at a YES concert at Madison Square Garden!) this is a subject to which I have devoted a great deal of thought. My thesis is that the 60s and 70s were basically a period of counterculture renaissance and from this era emerged not only the most important music since probably Beethoven but also some of the greatest pop art and film of all time (Warhol, Picasso, The Godfather, etc.). And it wasn't just the music that reigned, it was the magical, mystical, iconic and sometimes even dangerous characters who were making it. Back then it mattered, a lot, who each band member was and whether or not each or all of them contributed to the writing/creative process: the artwork mattered, the liner notes mattered, fuck…..everything mattered! And when Led Zeppelin came to town you knew some left field kinda shit was going to go down. Back then I could (and did) go see a true genius live onstage at MSG at least once a week-if it wasn't the Beatles or the Stones it was Queen or Sly and the Family Stone (who, btw was the definition of a rock star) or Pink Floyd or The Who or Elton John or Aerosmith or Bob Dylan or Stevie Wonder or Alice Cooper-the list goes on and on!??
My theory is that musical trends are dictated by shifts in musical creativity-the artists making the best music always win and the trends follow them which explains why disco had it's heyday and then there was grunge and ultimately hip hop took over-it's because each of those genres was the best music of it's time! And while perhaps the last true genius to emerge in rock was Jack White there have been some amazing records and artists-Kid Rock's talent must be recognized. But there is no doubt that there is now and there will always be incredible new music being made and I would argue that today we have genius in the form of Drake, Jay-Z, Kendrick and many other rappers who not only create music that will stand the test of time but who also take principled stands on issues that matter-just as the rock legends of the past did!
??I am committed to helping bring back the ethos of rock and the sound of guitars so here's my pitch: I recently founded the Church of Rock and Roll which is a life style brand devoted to the values I believe in: the first "commandment" is "Be kind to yourself, to other people, to animals and the earth" and it kind of flows from there but in a nutshell it stands for personal freedom and social consciousness. It's my way of connecting people of good will around a shared theme of positivity, togetherness and activism and all are welcome to join-we welcome all!
And the other very exciting news is that we just released the debut record from a band called Greta Van Fleet that I believe is going to awaken this generation to the sounds and the vibes that we all loved so much and that made us want to be a part of this industry that I love.
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Subject: Re: Re-Mike Caren/Why Rock Died
Bob
After reading all the responses to when Rock died, I immediately called my 26 year old millennial self appointed music expert daughter Elisa. I asked her when Rock died. Sounding bored and indifferent she replied. "It started to die years ago when you and mom started to borrow my CD"s. It died when I bumped into my parents on the dance floor at a concert at the Beachland". Just now before she hung up the phone I could hear Link Wray playing in the background.
Terry
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From: Harry/thablackparade
Subject: Re: Re-Mike Caren/Why Rock Died
And you wonder why the younger generation has no interest in rock. I've lost count of the number of posts complaining that the younger generations don't put in the work and everything is fixed. First off, who the fuck are the ones actually signing and funding artists of this decade? It sure as hell isn't millennials. If you have a problem with poorly written, auto-tuned, robotic music - then STOP SIGNING AND PROMOTING IT!
Seriously. At what point will boomers realize that millennials hate their guts? That millennials hate the major labels and have no interest in paying for music because 1. most of them don't have any money and 2. the majors keep putting out crap. Sure, those just looking to 'fit in' will ride the latest fad and listen to the mindless drivel pushed on radio and now Spotify. Maybe some of them even like it. Maybe it serves a purpose - they can get high to it, fuck to it, drive to it.
Define rock in 2017. Define punk in 2017. Define DIY, alternative, electronic, EDM. Is it an attitude? A look? A sound?
Stop looking for the next big thing - the next era - because it's not going to happen. Things move too quickly and music is no longer separated geographically, so music doesn't sound markedly different from region to region, at least in the U.S. It has become an amalgamation and I doubt you'll see enough of a collective shift like that of the 5-10 year waves of the 20th century.
Billy Corgan put it best, to paraphrase, explaining that he used to study a specific subject, style, or technique very deeply, whereas he believes millennials are much more likely to skim a variety of topics or ideas and take what they want, kind of like browsing images on Instagram. As a millennial and a multi-instrumentalist, I don't necessarily disagree. It's unlikely I would spend a year focusing on one technique or style - not because I'm not interested enough in it or don't want to understand it - but because it shouldn't take that long.
You have to understand, we grew up with unlimited access to different types of music. Whereas the boomers were limited to records at home, the radio, and live performances, we've be listening to music constantly through our childhood, teen years, and now, twenties. iPods (and then iPhones) on throughout the school day, and then home to music on laptops, TVs, cars, etc.
So for the millennials who became musicians, if they are genuine fans of music, then they've been exposed to way more music than boomers were at the same age. I can tell you, as an artist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, engineer, whatever - it has been invaluable. It's made me a better musician and a better songwriter and has allowed me to develop as an artist. God knows no one else was going to.
Those who talk about producers. I can't speak for the major label artists, but for the rest of us, it was never a choice. I do everything myself. Why? Because it was either do it yourself or don't bother. Don't you think bands would love to work with Flood, Eno, Lillywhite, Vig, etc. etc. etc.? Of course! But who the fuck is going to pay for that? Labels don't want to develop acts and no one wants to do jack shit until you've developed yourself and are making $$$. It's no wonder artists like Chance and Frank Ocean are giving the industry the finger. The fuck do we owe you? And by the way, good luck trying to use Pro Tools and making a record on your own in a basement with a $100 microphone, motherfuckers. Go on, if you think it's so easy.
What you call the "music industry" is a facade, as Bob has pointed out time and time again. A facade created by you - the boomers - to extend your profits and squeeze whatever else is left out of the catalogue you stole from artists for over half a century. There will always be shitty pop music, just as there will always be sheep who will gladly buy it. The older millennials have turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment in that a fair amount are actually buying into this crap, but perhaps the younger ones will realize what's up.
So the joke is on all of you. We hate you and don't care what you have to say. Fuck your 'rock n' roll' and fuck your 'get off my lawn' mentality. We're not paying for your shit.
Get back to your day job of fucking up the planet why don't ya.
Sincerely,
Every Millennial Ever
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Subject: Re: Re-Paul Anka
Bob,
Following up on my friend Mike Clink's post, I engineered Paul's vocals for a project over the course of a few days in the late 1980's. Over the course of these days, just in general chitchat, he inquired about my life and family. One of the things I mentioned was that I had a daughter just about to start kindergarten. On the last day of our work, as Paul was preparing to leave, I felt a hand go into my pocket from behind. I turned around to see Paul, who had just put a $100 bill into my pocket. I was touched by his gesture and explained that it was neither customary nor necessary to tip the engineer. His response was, "I want you to buy something nice for that daughter of yours". He went on to say that if my wife and I ever came to Vegas, he would have his team set us up with a room at The Golden Nugget, where Paul was performing (as I recall). I've never forgotten his gesture and have remained touched by it over these last many years. I am honored to have worked with him.
John Van Nest
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From: Kevin Shipman
Subject: Re: Re-Paul Anka
I was a friend of both Line Renaud and Lulu Gaste (her composer husband) and I sang with Line at the Casino de Paris in 1966 and '67. Lulu would love to have written the song but the actual composers were Claude Francois and Jacques Reveaux. Paul wrote the english language version of the lyrics.
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From: Richard J. Moylan
Subject: Re: Re-Paul Anka
My Way - Yes. New York, New York - No. That was Kander & Ebb.
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Subject: Re: Re-Stop Selling Files And CDs
Re: Software Subscriptions
As the head of a software development company I want to bring up that while a user may not see the value of the new features and upgrades, the operating systems (OS X and Windows) require constant updates for security and compatibility with the world. These update requirements are pushed to MS and Adobe (and others) and so without a steady income stream, software dies on the vine or becomes so filled with security holes that it is a security risk to all who use it. The "good old days" of running an app for years without update have been killed by the pace of innovation (that we ourselves demand) across the board, as well as bad actors who are constantly exploiting security weaknesses.
Not necessarily defending, just offering that it's not completely arbitrary. Grievous Angel is as good as the day it was released, Photoshop needs constant work.
Bryson Jones
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From: Dan Millen
Subject: RE: Software subscriptions
People complaining about office is crazy. Outlook desktop has always run my life and Microsoft is constantly improving it, especially the windows version.
I subscribe to MS office family plan, which also you five total users of the entire office suite for $9.99 a month mac AND windows. Each account gets a terabyte of document storage in OneDrive though I don't use that I probably should. So two of my employees are on it, myself and my lady. Well worth it for me. I almost quit gmail except their outlook mail has storage limits even though they advertise "unlimited storage with paid account" and when I was using it a lot of emails bounced. Sucks because outlook.com email, calendar, contacts and tasks are fully syncable with desktop outlook and their interfaces are so much more user friendly and uncluttered than gmails. Microsoft while late to the game clearly put a lot of thought into the office 365 product. Their email product still needs work but it'll come around.
I pay $1.99 a month to google for a terabyte of email and google drive storage which I'm incredibly far away from filling up, but I'm sure a few years from now I'll need to add more...
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Re: We Don't Care
it may be niche, but i don't give a fuck. The new Styx album "the Mission" is the freshest sounding thing I have heard in years. Concept album, progressive, full of great playing and singing, AND filled with hooks and catchy and deep as hell. Getting some pretty great reviews too. I spend a lot of money every year on music still Bob (yes, cd's and dvd's) and it is all on bands both new and old that can still actually play and sing. You need your eyes and ears opened and need to go to some of the big European music festivals and see what is actually popular over there besides pop and hip hop. Big and growing traditional hard rock and progressive rock movement.
David Resch
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Thanks Bob
We're getting the best reviews perhaps ever. Seriously, you remember some of Hilburn's classic zingers back in the day. None of those (of course Rolling Stone has not chimed in yet so there's always that). Hope you'll get the LP and give it a spin. Or listen on line just don't shuffle!
I have to tell ya, it feels pretty damn good. We are playing two songs from The Mission on our current tour and getting a great reaction.
We're loving it all, and will follow wherever it leads.
Thanks again for passing on the cool review
Tommy Shaw
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Subject: Thoughts On Haim/Music Management Today
Hi Bob,
I've found Haim's career choices to be perplexing, at times very circumspect from themselves if that's possible. For example take all the hype leading up to the release of "Days Are Gone; the Forever" EP (Falling and Don't Save Me were great too) brought a lot of attention, I happened to really dig the sound and so did many in the business. But man, when they dropped the full length I was disappointed, it felt anemic and full of time spent "reading" about how to make a great album and what goes into one as opposed to actually doing it, in short it was disconnected from itself. The main producer Ariel Rechtshaid has arguably has done some really great work (Carly Rea Jepsen's album, etc..), his indie cred and the buzz from the fans wasn't enough for an earnest production of work, the album had all the right pieces and still missed the mark.
Taking a broader scope in today's music business needs
Artistic talent (you've touched on this very well)?
Great producers/collaborators, this is especially true in Pop/Indie/Electronic realms
The Music Manager is the missing piece and often undervalued/appreciated ?
As we move forward talent and the right people/pieces will maintain their importance, we currently live in the era of the Producer who have an enigmatic impact on the sound/tonality/success of the final product. Pull any top 100 list today in popular music and 90% really owe success to the sound often crafted by someone other that the artist. However going forward the Manger will play an ever important part in the success of an act. Most personnel involved in making a record only think about themselves, what they are trying to do, and the part they play; but to have someone ideally low key taking all into consideration, how they play off of each other, and what the endgame is in the moment and down the road will be ever more crucial. As you know this is vastly different from A&R.
At the end of the day I want a great album built from expansion not by filling in, start small and start from the heart, not from how you want the audience member to look at you. What you want in others must first be exuded from yourself, communication, a sense of humility (tough in this business), and an unwavering compass with a smile set from determination. This is where management today should start and reaffirm itself.
I digress back to my first paragraph. Haim has a new album coming out and I can only approach it with trepidation because I feel like they haven't learned from prior experience and it misses the mark. Listening to the three pre-release songs I found myself distracted by what could be some good songwriting, it just felt wrong. Here's an analogy, it's like some scruffy kids from Pittsburgh move to LA and instead of saying "Hey LA, let me tell you about Pittsburgh" they are saying "Hey LA, what sound will you be most receptive to?"
Yeah pretty negative on Haim, and I really don't mean to be, it's just the truth. They just don't seem to have anyone tying their own pieces together and it shows.
John
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Subject: Re: Kid Rock For Senate
I went to Rock's show last year... I was dragged by my ex wife. He's a twat! Have you gone to one of his abysmal shows?!
Hear me out, everything you say above regarding the business being a game is spot on. Because that's exactly the hand he showed in full force!
Remember his $20 dollar per ticket jive? That's what we paid. But lest anyone think that douche took a hit for them they're as dumb as... well, as dumb as a Kid Rock fan!
He played that godforsaken Born Free song and it broke into a 4 minute add for Chevy. It was sponsored out the ass. His biggest (and heaviest) hits were consolidated into a goddamn medley like he was Kenny Rodgers, only 30 years younger (maybe more).
He may sell cheap to fill the seats (while dragging along Foreigner for good measure) but he was paid!
His moronic fan base not realize they got a show with an enormous coast to coast add campaign for Chevy. But anyone there with a brain knew full well how he covered his cost!
I agree with everything you said above about Dems taking the bait; sort of like every Trump tweet. But for crying out loud, don't pay his back! He's in it for the money. Like every other Rock asshole is anymore. He got paid! Trust me! It might not have come totally from the fans but it certainly was covered by his coast to coast commercial for Chevy that ran at every show and on TV ALL YEAR LONG!
This is why I dumped the stupid ass I was married to! She wasn't bright enough to recognize ANY of this sham, has-been asshole's scam!
Eric
Subject: Re: The Defiant Ones-Episode Four
"You can't as a businessman"
Don't forget my dad! Bono once came to the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting to see "how two guys over 80 could hold an audience of 40,000 for six hours without a light show"
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From: Marty Winsch
Subject: Re: Kid Rock For Senate
This reminds me of the madness over the Chick-fil-a same sex marriage hub hub back in June of 2012. The more the left hammered, the longer the lines got at local CFAs thanks to the right coming out to counter support. We were on our way to the South Carolina coast for vacation, decided to stop for lunch and couldn't believe the swarm of people descending on the CFA off the exit! I remember sitting in my car striking up a conversation with an older gentleman from PA about all the commotion. He said he'd never even heard about CFA until everything in the news. So, be conservative, they decided to show their support by eating there...no matter how long it look.
Think about how golden the silence would be worth to the left both with respect to Rock & Fil-A. Before all this technology, used to be about standing up and being counted, heard, physically. Now, it feels like in some cases, being heard requires being disciplined enough to be quiet via certain mediums.
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From: Sepp Donahower
Subject: Re: Travis Kalanick
the company will crumble now….look at american apparel and dov charney….who i know well…he came to LA sleeping on friends couches and selling fashon t shirt blanks when there were none has a dream and built an empire providing thousands of jobs…the board and private equity partners drove him out just like travis….and the company crumbled and is gone.
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From: Ryan Booth
Subject: Re: RapCaviar
I'm a filmmaker and have recently been making some of those videos for RapCaviar. Not massive budget and getting the artists to give you time is complex, but there isn't anything I make that gets more views than the RapCaviar videos. We shot Young M.A. going to hang with a youth football team in Brownsville. She played on the boys team growing up and she went specifically to hang out with a young girl who is playing on the boys team. They sat and talked for a few minutes. Took a ton to make it happen. But I really think it's a moment that girl will never forget. Massively successful artist showing her a photo of playing on the boys team as a little girl. Just like her. M.A. said, "what happens after the game...when you're shaking hands and you take your helmet off..." The little girl finished her sentence, "whoa, it's a girl?!" M.A. lit up and started laughing. "That same thing happened to me."
It was a moment.
And they're trying to facilitate those moments a couple of times a week, in the middle of that massive playlist. Pretty interesting.
Cheers.
r
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From: Ken Kragen
Subject: I've Had The Time Of My Life
Bob: I'm older than you so I was already managing musical artists by the time "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" came out and I loved it. For one of the few times in my life I ran after an act. I pitched Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but they didn't sign with me. Years later Bill became a client. What a wonderful human being. He and another former client of mine, Jennifer Warren had a huge hit with "I've Had The Time Of My Life." You were just too young to appreciate how special the Righteous Brothers were at the time.
By the way congratulations on the terrific piece in Sunday's LA Times. Loved seeing you get that kind of coverage.
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From: Walter Sabo
Subject: Re: Manufacturing Authenticity
The culture for innovation.
You are correct and it has always been so. Nothing that exists can easily embrace new or change.
That's because it exists because of what already is.
When I started at NBC as the person in charge of their FM stations, I spent most of my time with "corporate" convincing them of the viability of the FM Band. This was the company, RCA, that funded and housed the invention of FM. But, shocking, I wanted to scrap the automation, build physical plants and hire 200 people to make it work. And I did. But that only happened when the CEO cut off the bureacrats and said, "Let Walter do what he wants." It was an order to innovate, not a logical path. We launched two new formats: AC, which I was ASSURED would never work on FM, and Urban at WKYS.
When I launched the first FM talk station aimed at people under 50, New Jersey 101.5 and again at KLSX LA and WTKS Orlando I was assured it would never work. "FM is for music." This year NJ 101.5 will be 27, and grosses more than any Philly station. The local management of all those stations thought it was a bad idea. A CEO had to cut them off and declare the innovation. Those are real innovations that now seem the norm, but they were not. They were incredibly hard to get on the air and keep on the air long enough to realize success. If I had had a mortgage and kids I probably would not have hung out there that far for that long. Never one kind word about being innovative from anyone. Except the owners.
At Sirius, when I got there Pre-launch, my biggest challenge was compelling new ingredients between the songs. No, I never used music research. Never monitored adds and deletes. I really didn't pay much attention to the music because I knew our opportunity was in a different place: What I tried very hard to get on the air was a fresh approach to what the talent says. If you hate a song, say it. If you know a lot about a song share it. No clocks, rules about how long they could talk or what to say---just say something! My favorite break ever was HUMAN NEWMAN on HITS ONE snoring through the entire break. I challenged the talent to scare me.
Howard Stern--nope they didn't want THAT! But I made the first call to recruit him with the blessing of the majority shareholder, not the blessings of the programmers.. Quite the opposite.
And when I arrived all the non-music channels were just airing the audio feeds from cable channels---I got rid of all of them for quite awhile. I said we are going to make original, dangerous, different uncensored talk. The first one I put on was OutQ. It doesn't all work--but I TRY STUFF every day. I am too proud to copy. I've never gone around the country handing out photocopies of a format. I bake from scratch. My work is often messy, never duplicable.
People get confused. I don't drink, have never seen cocaine, don't know any indies and I wear Brooks Brothers. I wear Brooks Brothers because that's my bodytype! and it gets me in the room with the CEO's who will then give me permission to trash the place and let a new crop grow. If you want the music industry to change, and it must, it's not going to happen with the staff or A&R people. It's going to happen when crazed, impatient CEOS (the Yetnikoffs) say "do it." I've NEVER had a staffer say, hey we want to do something different. It always comes from the owner/CEO. The ones who seem most conservative, rarely are.
Top 40 was created by two OWNERS. Desperate owners!
I do a talk show on WPHT Philadelphia every week and hopefully I can talk to you on it soon! Your work is outstanding. Walter
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Subject: Re: Forgiveness
Bob,
There's a family story that my great grandfather stole a firetruck as a young boy and drove it around town. He went on to be an OBGYN delivered hundreds, maybe thousands of kids.
Can you imagine if a kid stole a firetruck today? DHS would be called. He might go to jail. I doubt he'd get into medical school.
Different times, and I know we have to be more careful these days, but we should also lighten up.
Jack Pratt
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From: Beau Willimon
Subject: Re: Beau Willimon Responds
Thanks for sharing these replies, Bob, and for posting my response. The support the Public has been getting has been strong and inspiring, due in no small part to folks such as yourself getting the word out and bringing it into the collective conversation. These are the sort of conversations that we've been having for centuries - what is art? what is its role? who does it serve? And I'm encouraged that this ongoing debate is still alive and well in America (for now!).
B
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Re: The Classic-Day One
Bob,
I just finished reading this out loud, and my wife and I have great, big lumps in our throats. By the time I got to the end of the piece, I could barely
continue speaking. That's how well you captured the concert, the moment and all of our lives. Thanks for the second or third great essay this week.
I only wish I could have been there. And you're absolutely right......It's ALL about the songs.
Best always,
Eric Carmen
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From: Willem Van Maele
Subject: Re: TheFatRat
I'm only 24 and work in the music industry, but I've never heard the name 'TheFatRad' nor 'Animal Jam'. You made even me feel old. Damnit!
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Subject: Re: TheFatRat
Bob,
This one truly hits "home" today. As a musician (of decades ) and middle school music teacher, I had never heard of Thefatrat until the beginning of this past school year when a student shared them as his favorite group. The class searched him on YouTube using our smart board and I couldn't believe the number of views on top of the fact that I had never heard of the group before. "Unity" has a perfect melody for students to remember and I now use that song to teach my 6th and 7th graders about songwriting/composing, the music industry; as we do the "math" on the monetary value of "views" and advertising and yes, beat-making.
Thanks for your words Bob.
Seth
www.picklepieproductions.com
www.facebook.com/sethandthemoodymelix
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From: Claire Cameron
Subject: Re: TheFatRat
I have an eight year old in the room and decided I'd test The Fat Rat without any introduction. I hit the first link to hilarious results. His eyes started to spin, he chucked aside the xbox controller, and started dancing like a maniac -- only Jennifer Beals has hit the floor harder. What?!
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From: Joshua Freni
Subject: Re: TheFatRat
My 11 year old son fell in love with Marshmello after seeing him on one of his favorite YouTube channels, WHAT'S INSIDE (4.7mil subscribers). Now that Marshmello remixed Future's "Mask Off", I have an 11 year old walking around the house chanting "Percocets, molly, percocets, rep the set, gotta rep the set".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQozKx5dLr4&t=282s&utm_source=phplist5937&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Mailbag
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From: Joshua Malinsky
Subject: Re: TheFatRat
Crazy right?
I have a 9-year-old son with a true gift for music. He found TheFatRat
through his favourite video game as well and using my Spotify account.
And of course, once you like a few things on Spotify, a whole path of
music opens up via it's suggestions. I used to worry about how my kids
would discover music beyond pop radio, without a physical library of
music in the house to explore (ie: CDs, which have long since left my
home). It turns out Spotify is doing a better job than I could have
hoped for in terms of giving kids access to non-pop-radio music in the
genres he likes already.
He now plays TheFatRat constantly on piano to the delight of other kids,
and we all have fun making up goofy lyrics to go along.
Until this email I was pretty sure I was living this existence in isolation!
Best
Joshua
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From: Patrick Charles
Subject: Re: TheFatRat
Bob;
My son knows TheFatRat from playing Geometry Dash on the iPad, he's 7.
I used to work in radio so I never play radio in the car. He's only ever heard the music I stream, so his favourites up to now were The Beatles, Weezer, Ben Folds, Weird Al.
Since he's started playing Geometry Dash and finding the videos and music on YouTube, I've had to make him a GeometryJamz playlist for the drive to camp. He now says his favourite music is EDM!
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Subject: RE: TheFatRat
Hi Bob, so smart to talk to kids about music. All music execs should sit w 10-17 year olds STAT!. The parents will buy them everything they ask for. My kids are 10 and 15. For the past two years they have found all (100%) of their music on youtube and word of mouth of their school friends. They discover bands and songs through either the video game posted on YouTube or the youtube star or an ad. On YT my 15 yr old son discovered Twenty One Pilots , his obssession, and then...Hot Topic clothing store takes it from there. They are in every mall. If he likes a band -they have the tshirt, then you see all of the other band tshirts displayed on their walls and the names get branded in your mind. Then if you Google the random band you saw on the tshirt wall of HT, Google sends you spam of all of the related bands. That is how they suck the kids in. I've witnessed it first hand. The kids discover the music online and the merch pushes it to the next level and there starts the domino effect. I came from a film music background at MCA records and music supervisor at MTV. Both of those brands do not exist to my kids. My 10 yr. old daughter watches you tube stars- now it's all about Jake Paul and his new single...she begs for his tshirt..
Bottom line. It's youtube, HT, and Spotify gifts cards they want. Trust me execs need to know this or get out.
Kris Long
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TheFatRat @ThisIsTheFatRat
@Lefsetz thanks so much for your letter. And say hello to Luke and Annabelle
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Subject: Festivals
Hi Bob —
My partner, Sean, and I started Wanderlust 8 years ago, a wellness festival focused on yoga, organic food, inspirational lectures, outdoor activities and wine and music at night. Now we've got 70 of them running in 16 countries. They are not behemoths like Coachella. We'll four-wall big ski resorts in the summer like Squaw Valley and do 3,000 - 4,000 people per day for 4 days. It's a premium experience where everyone is a VIP. People can sweat, think, dance and be merry and stay in a ski condo and get a shower.
For us, it was always about creating intentional community, a experience where people could gather around shared beliefs and practices. We tap into these bubbling little wellness communities everywhere we go. I can't believe 2,500 people come out in Santiago, Chile to do yoga with a DJ, but they do.
We found our little corner of the universe. We don't need headliners. People are just coming for the experience and to be with their community. Right now, there are so many different niche experiences that pull people together that share a common passion — be it food & wine, mountain biking, surfing or God.
It's not that different than recorded music. It used to be that plenty of bands went platinum. It's not that less music is being consumed or made. It's just a mile wide and an inch deep. You can make a record in your bedroom and anyone that shares your esoteric passion can find it. There is a downside to this fragmentation. Because recorded music doesn't generate revenues like it once did, we've lost the ability to do big things - like record orchestras or big horn sections or even real drums.
Similarly, the era of the big festival may be waning (the blue chips notwithstanding). It may become more difficult to launch huge productions and pay the big headliners seven figures. A new era of creative, scrappy experience-focused promoters will need to figure out how to make smaller niche events work financially.
Best -
Jeff Krasno
Co-Founder, Wanderlust
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Subject: Re: Peak Festival
Hi Bob,
Thanks for this. I've been following you for many years, however, this will be my first ever 'reply' back..
I work in the festival industry, where I began as a free-lancer, traveling the country working some of the largest-festivals in North America (Bonnaroo, Coachella, Jazzfest... even Pemberton). As somebody in their 20's - it was a dream come true, the best job you could ask for. You felt like a rock-star, being out on-the-road and meeting cool people and experiencing cool shit along the way, I have some of the best experiences and memories from those days.
I then went on to work for CID Entertainment, leaders in 'VIP' packaging and crafters of 'boutique' experiences for many of these festivals. It was an interesting time in the festival space, where people were demanding more and more amenities - VIP lounges, Super VIP lounges, catered food, air-conditioned bathrooms -- essentially, trying to build a Ritz Carlton at a festival venue in the middle of nowhere, and making sure those folks dishing out thousands, and tens of thousands of dollars, got their moneys worth. It was no longer about just providing 'comforts', but about excess luxury. Despite all of the critics (then and now) who talk about how VIP has ruined these events, I never really saw the downside to it, or saw it as a 'exclusivity' thing, but more about how certain people (typically older) don't want to schlep in the mud, pitch a tent, wait in long porta potty lines, etc. - who does? They want certain comforts that will still allow them to enjoy their experience, check out the bands they like, eat well, drink well, and sleep well, and...they have the money to do it, so why not? They're happy, and the college kids camping in the mud with their best friends, wandering around on psychedelics and eating heady grilled cheeses are happy too, so it all works.
I couldn't agree with you more about how we don't need any more festivals. I've already started to become jaded towards festivals and they've slowly been losing the same magic and excitement that they once had (of course, the High Sierras, Lockns and other special few have managed to retain it), but overall... its over. I think the new shift will be towards 'travel' or 'destination' festivals. Travel is extremely important to my generation (yes, we may desire Instagram pics, but it's also Instagram that helped sparked our wanderlust). Travel is also an industry that is growing rapidly, across all ages. I truly think that people are beginning to crave 'experiences' over stuff - which is a good thing, and I am all for it. Many of my friends who used to travel to 5-10 festivals in a summer are now saving their money, and splurging on a 1 or 2 'destination' festivals, where they get so much more out of the experiences, instead of seeing a favorite band a knocking one thing off of their bucket list, they get to knock of 3 or 4 things off. I know work for a company called Everfest - a platform for discovering 'festivals' from all around the world, and we get an amazing amount of traffic, because people want to learn about what's out there.
There is a festival in Iceland called Secret Solstice, and there entire marketing strategy was to push an 'exotic destination' that just so HAPPENED to be having a festival. The festival was secondary, but they were able to entice young people to come out to the event through images and highlighting the beautiful landscape of Iceland and incorporating that beauty into their events (performances and parties were held on glaciers, in caves, etc). I think its genius, and its where I see the 'festival' industry heading.
I love your articles and insights, thanks so much for always providing unique perspectives on the entertainment industry.
Andrew Goodwin
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From: Jason Flom
Subject: Why Rock Died
Bob-??As someone who grew up watching and worshipping (and then working with) many of the greatest rock bands and rock stars of all time (I even lost my virginity at a YES concert at Madison Square Garden!) this is a subject to which I have devoted a great deal of thought. My thesis is that the 60s and 70s were basically a period of counterculture renaissance and from this era emerged not only the most important music since probably Beethoven but also some of the greatest pop art and film of all time (Warhol, Picasso, The Godfather, etc.). And it wasn't just the music that reigned, it was the magical, mystical, iconic and sometimes even dangerous characters who were making it. Back then it mattered, a lot, who each band member was and whether or not each or all of them contributed to the writing/creative process: the artwork mattered, the liner notes mattered, fuck…..everything mattered! And when Led Zeppelin came to town you knew some left field kinda shit was going to go down. Back then I could (and did) go see a true genius live onstage at MSG at least once a week-if it wasn't the Beatles or the Stones it was Queen or Sly and the Family Stone (who, btw was the definition of a rock star) or Pink Floyd or The Who or Elton John or Aerosmith or Bob Dylan or Stevie Wonder or Alice Cooper-the list goes on and on!??
My theory is that musical trends are dictated by shifts in musical creativity-the artists making the best music always win and the trends follow them which explains why disco had it's heyday and then there was grunge and ultimately hip hop took over-it's because each of those genres was the best music of it's time! And while perhaps the last true genius to emerge in rock was Jack White there have been some amazing records and artists-Kid Rock's talent must be recognized. But there is no doubt that there is now and there will always be incredible new music being made and I would argue that today we have genius in the form of Drake, Jay-Z, Kendrick and many other rappers who not only create music that will stand the test of time but who also take principled stands on issues that matter-just as the rock legends of the past did!
??I am committed to helping bring back the ethos of rock and the sound of guitars so here's my pitch: I recently founded the Church of Rock and Roll which is a life style brand devoted to the values I believe in: the first "commandment" is "Be kind to yourself, to other people, to animals and the earth" and it kind of flows from there but in a nutshell it stands for personal freedom and social consciousness. It's my way of connecting people of good will around a shared theme of positivity, togetherness and activism and all are welcome to join-we welcome all!
And the other very exciting news is that we just released the debut record from a band called Greta Van Fleet that I believe is going to awaken this generation to the sounds and the vibes that we all loved so much and that made us want to be a part of this industry that I love.
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Subject: Re: Re-Mike Caren/Why Rock Died
Bob
After reading all the responses to when Rock died, I immediately called my 26 year old millennial self appointed music expert daughter Elisa. I asked her when Rock died. Sounding bored and indifferent she replied. "It started to die years ago when you and mom started to borrow my CD"s. It died when I bumped into my parents on the dance floor at a concert at the Beachland". Just now before she hung up the phone I could hear Link Wray playing in the background.
Terry
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From: Harry/thablackparade
Subject: Re: Re-Mike Caren/Why Rock Died
And you wonder why the younger generation has no interest in rock. I've lost count of the number of posts complaining that the younger generations don't put in the work and everything is fixed. First off, who the fuck are the ones actually signing and funding artists of this decade? It sure as hell isn't millennials. If you have a problem with poorly written, auto-tuned, robotic music - then STOP SIGNING AND PROMOTING IT!
Seriously. At what point will boomers realize that millennials hate their guts? That millennials hate the major labels and have no interest in paying for music because 1. most of them don't have any money and 2. the majors keep putting out crap. Sure, those just looking to 'fit in' will ride the latest fad and listen to the mindless drivel pushed on radio and now Spotify. Maybe some of them even like it. Maybe it serves a purpose - they can get high to it, fuck to it, drive to it.
Define rock in 2017. Define punk in 2017. Define DIY, alternative, electronic, EDM. Is it an attitude? A look? A sound?
Stop looking for the next big thing - the next era - because it's not going to happen. Things move too quickly and music is no longer separated geographically, so music doesn't sound markedly different from region to region, at least in the U.S. It has become an amalgamation and I doubt you'll see enough of a collective shift like that of the 5-10 year waves of the 20th century.
Billy Corgan put it best, to paraphrase, explaining that he used to study a specific subject, style, or technique very deeply, whereas he believes millennials are much more likely to skim a variety of topics or ideas and take what they want, kind of like browsing images on Instagram. As a millennial and a multi-instrumentalist, I don't necessarily disagree. It's unlikely I would spend a year focusing on one technique or style - not because I'm not interested enough in it or don't want to understand it - but because it shouldn't take that long.
You have to understand, we grew up with unlimited access to different types of music. Whereas the boomers were limited to records at home, the radio, and live performances, we've be listening to music constantly through our childhood, teen years, and now, twenties. iPods (and then iPhones) on throughout the school day, and then home to music on laptops, TVs, cars, etc.
So for the millennials who became musicians, if they are genuine fans of music, then they've been exposed to way more music than boomers were at the same age. I can tell you, as an artist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, engineer, whatever - it has been invaluable. It's made me a better musician and a better songwriter and has allowed me to develop as an artist. God knows no one else was going to.
Those who talk about producers. I can't speak for the major label artists, but for the rest of us, it was never a choice. I do everything myself. Why? Because it was either do it yourself or don't bother. Don't you think bands would love to work with Flood, Eno, Lillywhite, Vig, etc. etc. etc.? Of course! But who the fuck is going to pay for that? Labels don't want to develop acts and no one wants to do jack shit until you've developed yourself and are making $$$. It's no wonder artists like Chance and Frank Ocean are giving the industry the finger. The fuck do we owe you? And by the way, good luck trying to use Pro Tools and making a record on your own in a basement with a $100 microphone, motherfuckers. Go on, if you think it's so easy.
What you call the "music industry" is a facade, as Bob has pointed out time and time again. A facade created by you - the boomers - to extend your profits and squeeze whatever else is left out of the catalogue you stole from artists for over half a century. There will always be shitty pop music, just as there will always be sheep who will gladly buy it. The older millennials have turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment in that a fair amount are actually buying into this crap, but perhaps the younger ones will realize what's up.
So the joke is on all of you. We hate you and don't care what you have to say. Fuck your 'rock n' roll' and fuck your 'get off my lawn' mentality. We're not paying for your shit.
Get back to your day job of fucking up the planet why don't ya.
Sincerely,
Every Millennial Ever
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Subject: Re: Re-Paul Anka
Bob,
Following up on my friend Mike Clink's post, I engineered Paul's vocals for a project over the course of a few days in the late 1980's. Over the course of these days, just in general chitchat, he inquired about my life and family. One of the things I mentioned was that I had a daughter just about to start kindergarten. On the last day of our work, as Paul was preparing to leave, I felt a hand go into my pocket from behind. I turned around to see Paul, who had just put a $100 bill into my pocket. I was touched by his gesture and explained that it was neither customary nor necessary to tip the engineer. His response was, "I want you to buy something nice for that daughter of yours". He went on to say that if my wife and I ever came to Vegas, he would have his team set us up with a room at The Golden Nugget, where Paul was performing (as I recall). I've never forgotten his gesture and have remained touched by it over these last many years. I am honored to have worked with him.
John Van Nest
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From: Kevin Shipman
Subject: Re: Re-Paul Anka
I was a friend of both Line Renaud and Lulu Gaste (her composer husband) and I sang with Line at the Casino de Paris in 1966 and '67. Lulu would love to have written the song but the actual composers were Claude Francois and Jacques Reveaux. Paul wrote the english language version of the lyrics.
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From: Richard J. Moylan
Subject: Re: Re-Paul Anka
My Way - Yes. New York, New York - No. That was Kander & Ebb.
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Subject: Re: Re-Stop Selling Files And CDs
Re: Software Subscriptions
As the head of a software development company I want to bring up that while a user may not see the value of the new features and upgrades, the operating systems (OS X and Windows) require constant updates for security and compatibility with the world. These update requirements are pushed to MS and Adobe (and others) and so without a steady income stream, software dies on the vine or becomes so filled with security holes that it is a security risk to all who use it. The "good old days" of running an app for years without update have been killed by the pace of innovation (that we ourselves demand) across the board, as well as bad actors who are constantly exploiting security weaknesses.
Not necessarily defending, just offering that it's not completely arbitrary. Grievous Angel is as good as the day it was released, Photoshop needs constant work.
Bryson Jones
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From: Dan Millen
Subject: RE: Software subscriptions
People complaining about office is crazy. Outlook desktop has always run my life and Microsoft is constantly improving it, especially the windows version.
I subscribe to MS office family plan, which also you five total users of the entire office suite for $9.99 a month mac AND windows. Each account gets a terabyte of document storage in OneDrive though I don't use that I probably should. So two of my employees are on it, myself and my lady. Well worth it for me. I almost quit gmail except their outlook mail has storage limits even though they advertise "unlimited storage with paid account" and when I was using it a lot of emails bounced. Sucks because outlook.com email, calendar, contacts and tasks are fully syncable with desktop outlook and their interfaces are so much more user friendly and uncluttered than gmails. Microsoft while late to the game clearly put a lot of thought into the office 365 product. Their email product still needs work but it'll come around.
I pay $1.99 a month to google for a terabyte of email and google drive storage which I'm incredibly far away from filling up, but I'm sure a few years from now I'll need to add more...
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Re: We Don't Care
it may be niche, but i don't give a fuck. The new Styx album "the Mission" is the freshest sounding thing I have heard in years. Concept album, progressive, full of great playing and singing, AND filled with hooks and catchy and deep as hell. Getting some pretty great reviews too. I spend a lot of money every year on music still Bob (yes, cd's and dvd's) and it is all on bands both new and old that can still actually play and sing. You need your eyes and ears opened and need to go to some of the big European music festivals and see what is actually popular over there besides pop and hip hop. Big and growing traditional hard rock and progressive rock movement.
David Resch
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Thanks Bob
We're getting the best reviews perhaps ever. Seriously, you remember some of Hilburn's classic zingers back in the day. None of those (of course Rolling Stone has not chimed in yet so there's always that). Hope you'll get the LP and give it a spin. Or listen on line just don't shuffle!
I have to tell ya, it feels pretty damn good. We are playing two songs from The Mission on our current tour and getting a great reaction.
We're loving it all, and will follow wherever it leads.
Thanks again for passing on the cool review
Tommy Shaw
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Subject: Thoughts On Haim/Music Management Today
Hi Bob,
I've found Haim's career choices to be perplexing, at times very circumspect from themselves if that's possible. For example take all the hype leading up to the release of "Days Are Gone; the Forever" EP (Falling and Don't Save Me were great too) brought a lot of attention, I happened to really dig the sound and so did many in the business. But man, when they dropped the full length I was disappointed, it felt anemic and full of time spent "reading" about how to make a great album and what goes into one as opposed to actually doing it, in short it was disconnected from itself. The main producer Ariel Rechtshaid has arguably has done some really great work (Carly Rea Jepsen's album, etc..), his indie cred and the buzz from the fans wasn't enough for an earnest production of work, the album had all the right pieces and still missed the mark.
Taking a broader scope in today's music business needs
Artistic talent (you've touched on this very well)?
Great producers/collaborators, this is especially true in Pop/Indie/Electronic realms
The Music Manager is the missing piece and often undervalued/appreciated ?
As we move forward talent and the right people/pieces will maintain their importance, we currently live in the era of the Producer who have an enigmatic impact on the sound/tonality/success of the final product. Pull any top 100 list today in popular music and 90% really owe success to the sound often crafted by someone other that the artist. However going forward the Manger will play an ever important part in the success of an act. Most personnel involved in making a record only think about themselves, what they are trying to do, and the part they play; but to have someone ideally low key taking all into consideration, how they play off of each other, and what the endgame is in the moment and down the road will be ever more crucial. As you know this is vastly different from A&R.
At the end of the day I want a great album built from expansion not by filling in, start small and start from the heart, not from how you want the audience member to look at you. What you want in others must first be exuded from yourself, communication, a sense of humility (tough in this business), and an unwavering compass with a smile set from determination. This is where management today should start and reaffirm itself.
I digress back to my first paragraph. Haim has a new album coming out and I can only approach it with trepidation because I feel like they haven't learned from prior experience and it misses the mark. Listening to the three pre-release songs I found myself distracted by what could be some good songwriting, it just felt wrong. Here's an analogy, it's like some scruffy kids from Pittsburgh move to LA and instead of saying "Hey LA, let me tell you about Pittsburgh" they are saying "Hey LA, what sound will you be most receptive to?"
Yeah pretty negative on Haim, and I really don't mean to be, it's just the truth. They just don't seem to have anyone tying their own pieces together and it shows.
John
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Subject: Re: Kid Rock For Senate
I went to Rock's show last year... I was dragged by my ex wife. He's a twat! Have you gone to one of his abysmal shows?!
Hear me out, everything you say above regarding the business being a game is spot on. Because that's exactly the hand he showed in full force!
Remember his $20 dollar per ticket jive? That's what we paid. But lest anyone think that douche took a hit for them they're as dumb as... well, as dumb as a Kid Rock fan!
He played that godforsaken Born Free song and it broke into a 4 minute add for Chevy. It was sponsored out the ass. His biggest (and heaviest) hits were consolidated into a goddamn medley like he was Kenny Rodgers, only 30 years younger (maybe more).
He may sell cheap to fill the seats (while dragging along Foreigner for good measure) but he was paid!
His moronic fan base not realize they got a show with an enormous coast to coast add campaign for Chevy. But anyone there with a brain knew full well how he covered his cost!
I agree with everything you said above about Dems taking the bait; sort of like every Trump tweet. But for crying out loud, don't pay his back! He's in it for the money. Like every other Rock asshole is anymore. He got paid! Trust me! It might not have come totally from the fans but it certainly was covered by his coast to coast commercial for Chevy that ran at every show and on TV ALL YEAR LONG!
This is why I dumped the stupid ass I was married to! She wasn't bright enough to recognize ANY of this sham, has-been asshole's scam!
Eric
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