2010s-What Happened

SALES DIED

Remember when we were arguing about the cost of cuts on iTunes and whether Apple could sell individual tracks or had to sell the whole album? Funny how the battles of yesterday are meaningless today. Of course I'm talking about file sales, but if you want to talk physical...CDs are great earners, but de minimis in sales numbers. As for vinyl...the statistics are all wrong. They're using a suggested retail price when digital is net. Turns out people want to own things. And if you have something cut analog and are playing it on an expensive stereo system, more power to you, but if the album was recorded digitally and transferred to analog and you're playing it on a cheap system, the joke is on you.

STREAMING TRIUMPHED

Music has it figured out, we live in an on demand culture. The movie business still can't square with the digital age. As for those bitching about streaming, they were the same ones bitching about files, about Napster. The past is never coming back. And in the past, the key was to get a record deal, and then you could live off the tit of the record company. So numerous acts with few sales survived, the company hoping for a breakthrough. Today, record deals are not so rich, and mainly only in hip-hop and pop, and you live or die on your streaming numbers, i.e. demand, and what we found out is that many acts who were loved by the press and tastemakers were not so loved by the public. Furthermore, tastemakers became irrelevant, critics don't matter, it's all about word of mouth. And everything is available and you get paid as long as people keep listening. So, in a business where everybody sells their rights it's best not to, best to hang in there for the payments that will keep you alive down the road.

MAJOR LABELS

The center will not hold. Major labels will decline in market share. You don't need them for distribution and as far as their marketing efforts... Will TV and press make a difference? As for radio, unless you're hip-hop or pop, it's essentially irrelevant. So you've got Glassnote shifting distribution to AWAL, you've got a lot of wannabe rappers and pop stars trying to get signed, but everybody else, who can actually play, has given up on getting a record deal, they're focused on building an audience, primarily on the road.

VIRAL VIDEOS DIED

You can only exhibit the trick once. One Radiohead "In Rainbows," one PSY "Gangnam Style." The public can smell a rat, if it's not organic, they want nothing to do with it. And just like Guitar Hero and Rock Band before it, TikTok will fade as a way of breaking artists. Once everybody knows about it, the early adopters are on to something else, as the johnny-come-latelies try to monetize what is evaporating.

MATURITY

The more mature something becomes, the more there is consolidation. Usually, this is the end of the paradigm. We've got Facebook, Apple, Netflix and Amazon...and Microsoft, and if you try to compete with them you're either put out of business or bought. Same deal if you're a concert promoter. But the consolidation in major labels provides opportunities for outsiders. Watch this space.

CLASSIC ROCK

The biggest audience at the highest price. Most acts today are evanescent. Classic rock had the benefit of careers, built over albums, that the public savored. Now it's flavor of the moment.

CREDIBILITY

Forgotten, anybody with any traction is looking to sell out. Credibility bonds you to your audience, otherwise you're just a mercenary.

TECHNOLOGY

There's nothing wrong with electronic music, sampling, but history tells us there's always a return to basics. Funny how the biggest act in the world plays alone and writes songs you can sing along with, i.e. Ed Sheeran. But just like no one is cloning the Adele paradigm, no one is cloning the Ed Sheeran paradigm. It's just too hard. Adele paid her dues. Ed Sheeran walked into the wilderness and starved before he made it, after a ton of hard work and opening for Taylor Swift. No one wants to put that kind of hard work in today, at least no one in music, which is the land of the unskilled with no portfolio. As for labels, they want it quick, the execs want their bonuses. A backlash will come, eventually.

NO ONE IS THAT BIG

Just like we all read and believe different news, we all listen to different acts. You'd be surprised how many people are ignorant of Drake, never mind Post Malone and the other streaming giants.

MEDIA AND LABELS ARE TRYING TO MAINTAIN THE OLD PARADIGM, ALONG WITH RADIO

That's right, there's a monoculture, of top hits, played on the radio, and they who control radio ultimately win the game, proving what a dumb business music is. Terrestrial radio keeps releasing data saying kids are listening and you can't find a kid who is. Terrestrial radio is network television...a hobbled medium trying to appeal to everybody that is losing its grip on the public, surpassed by more innovative products. But since the labels can't figure out the special sauce of word of mouth, they rely on radio.

MUSIC IS AS TRIBAL AS THE COUNTRY

In the aughts, we all partook of the smorgasbord, people were fans of everything, but today there's much less cross-interest. Don't expect any classic acts to suddenly be embraced by the kids. We are in uncharted territory, where we will end up is unclear, but young people today don't care about music history, they care about themselves, in a world where they're bombarded by messages.

TELEVISION IS IRRELEVANT

Only SNL and CBS "Sunday Morning" can move the needle. Late night gets a ton of ink but few viewers. At best those shows create viral moments. But, interestingly, Jimmy Fallon focuses on entertainment and his ratings sink, and Stephen Colbert focuses on politics and he wins the ratings race. Don't be afraid to be dangerous. That which questions authority, reveals untruths, has credibility, speaks to a core and not everyone, triumphs.

PLAYLISTS DID NOT DELIVER ON THEIR PROMISE

Music discovery is broken, and no one wants to fix it because it doesn't pay. If you're listening to playlists, you're probably not a fan. A fan knows what to listen to...well, they used to, now they oftentimes just listen to the same damn thing.

SKIPPING

It's nearly impossible to get someone to stay involved if they don't want to. You've got to hook them. The concept of repetition driving acceptance...very little gets repetition.

WINNER TAKE ALL

The music business proved this, but in the future it's going to lead the charge out of this. That's right, turns out everybody doesn't want to be on the same page, people are proud of the niche they inhabit, like the vinyl cabal. And media has no way to quantify this so there are no reports. We are going to see a broadening of the types of music people listen to in quantity.

HIP-HOP

The only musical medium in touch with today. Rock is still lost in the last century, country is still controlled by white men who think they matter. Ergo, hip-hop dominates. Hip-hop gave it away for free. Hip-hop delivered multiple releases. Hip-hop focused on features. Hip-hop let anybody play, creating excitement. Meanwhile, a woman can't get on country radio, nor can outlaws. As for rock, talk about a backwater, they've lost the formula, the classics could sing, there was melody, today's rock is so far from the garden as to be laughable.

LATIN

Ignored because the white men in control don't understand it. But the public flocks to it when they hear it. Furthermore, there is a huge Latin population eager for music. Latin will only grow.

CONCLUSION

The 2010s were all about cementing the change in the music business. Acts are built on the internet and streaming dominates. Once again, those who don't accept this are doomed. But now that the infrastructure is in place, the focus is on software, i.e. music, and this is where there's lack of innovation. No one wants to take a risk. The labels or the makers. It's too much effort to push the ball uphill. But those who are anti the present ethos, who go their own way and don't put money first, will start to shine, and that will change the business once again. This is a business where one style comes along and kills what dominated before, just like Seattle killed the hair bands. Now, with terrestrial radio so ineffective and dominance out the window, opportunity arises for new sounds. Let's be clear, there will be acts that develop on the road. And then there will be acts that develop via recordings, online. You have to ask which one you are, because the development process is different. Road dogs need to work 250 nights a year minimum, leveraging their fanbase for growth. Recording stars have to lock themselves up in the studio and experiment until they get it right. As for collaboration...we're looking for the vision of one, not music constructed by committee, which is judged by the labels, tweaked by remixers before it is released to the public. One person and their guitar, or their piano, speaking their truth from the heart, that never goes away. But in an era where it's all about the cash, that's not the path people are taking. People want safety, and there's safety in numbers, but musical breakthroughs are always made by incorruptible outsiders. From John Lennon to Kurt Cobain. It's kinda like the internet in general, if everybody likes you, if you don't offend, if you don't have haters, then you're not doing it correctly. Don't bitch about the naysayers, embrace them, that means you count, that you're on the right road, otherwise they wouldn't bother. Create a one listen hit. Or get out of the way and go on the road and hone your sound. And if you don't fit either of these paradigms, give up, not everyone was made to be an artist. They call it "popular" music. If no one's interested, if it's not popular, it doesn't count. That's your goal, to make your music popular. And you can give up social media promotion completely, the hype is the least important part. Just keep posting your music and informing your fans, if you deliver, expect a conflagration.

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Mailbag-Billionaires and More!

Subject: Re: Billionaires

Hey Bob-

Millennial here. You couldn't be sharper on these points. I was on Britney's management team while she was in Vegas. Over the course of that residency she sold just under a million tickets. We didn't have any scalping issues that I recall.

As it relates to the super-rich, nowhere is their influence more easily felt than Vegas where they live on an entirely different plane of existence. As Liz Warren often points out, we understand they'll have more shoes or cars or houses, but the environmental dystopia my generation faces is both caused by and fixable with the ultra rich.

It's why you see millennial and gen-z voters gravitating towards Warren and Sanders: we need a wealth tax and aggressive policies to combat the existential threat of climate change. The same can be said for the other problems you mention in income inequality, lack of opportunity, etc... are we to accept that the wealthiest nation in the history of civilization cannot provide its citizens economic opportunity? While Betsy DeVos guts public education and hops on one of her family's 10 yachts to vacation? That's a no for me dawg.

Thanks for continuing to show thought leadership on this and so many other issues.

Matt Zeidman

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From: James Spencer
Subject: Re: Billionaires

Yes, the Vegas shows are quite pricey..But you'd be surprised how often the promoters have to "paper" the room..

No star wants to perform for empty seats..Plus, if word were to get out that a venue was only partially filled, it would NOT look good....

So, to fill the pews, there is a hierarchy of comps...High rollers, hotel guests, upgrades,etc..

Then the locals are called in, via House Seats...For an annual fee, one can get free tickets to undersold shows..If you're into magic, comedy, acrobats, etc., you could go every day..The rock/pop shows are offered, too, mainly on weeknights, or towards the end of the run..Tix become available late in the afternoon, so you have to be ready to pounce..

It's hard enough to speculate on ONE concert..Sometimes acts book too many dates, too large a venue, or come back too often..When you see $100 Tix for $20 on Craigslist, something's up..

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From: Melissa Ward
Subject: Re: Billionaires

Thanks for this. So very important for folks to understand that corporations own all of the mainstream media and that's why they bury Bernie. Went to his rally with AOC on Venice Beach. 14000 people or more showed up and next day couldn't find any coverage in media except for yahoo news and a rag in UK!

You may have seen the Times published some letters from people decrying the fact that they have this event no coverage.

I just watched the video. Excellent.

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Subject: Re: Billionaires

Bob

A week or so before Christmas Def Leppard and Motley Crue (along with Poison and Joan Jett) announced a 2020 Stadium Tour. My Facebook feed was polluted with people complaining about ticket prices and I frequently read, "They are ripping off the fans." Now, I think the ticket prices are insane and Wrigley Field isn't a particularly great venue for a concert at any price, so I opted not to buy a ticket. But someone did. The bands are claiming 9 of the shows are sold out (but they aren't of course telling us who bought the tickets) and they are adding more dates. No one is getting ripped off. It's a choice. You can buy a ticket or not, the artists are not forcing you to. If you bought a ticket to Motley Crue's last tour and believed it was their "Final Tour" that was a choice. You bought a ticket to and attended a concert. You weren't ripped off. There is an arc to a band's or artist's career. And once they are approaching retirement age as the rest of us define it their ticket prices start to sky rocket. They want to live as comfortably as they can once people no longer care to see them perform. If you want to hear Vince Neil sing like he did when he was 25 and pay $25 for the ticket, those days are long gone. And if you think it's all about the money, you are absolutely correct. And it always has been. It was for Elvis, it was for The Beatles, it was and still is for The Rolling Stones and it certainly is for any current band or artist. There's no shame in making money from music. Just ask Taylor Swift.

Neil Johnson

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Re: Billionaires

You nailed it Bob. It's all about emotion, and emotions have been flying on social media. It's funny because in our live concert performance business we see both sides of the partisan political spectrum dancing all together in the front row high-giving and passing joints. And what got them all together in the Golden Circle? Emotional commitment. Music is the great unifier. If only we could all come to agreement in the same way over politics.

Kenny Lee Lewis

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It's freezing rain outside, my walk and driveway is a skating rink. and I can't go anywhere; so I read your post and just sat here and watched the whole thing. Yes, Hasan is funny, and there is humor throughout this video that keeps it entertaining, but it's humor like Jon Stewart or John Oliver. And frankly if you really absorb what he's saying, it's yet another thing in our society to be scared of. Thanks for turning me on to this video. I'm passing it around to my friends. I don't know if they will take the time to watch the whole thing, after all it's a whole 25 minute investment [facepalm], but they should!

Al Hospers

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I read Winners Take All by Anand Giridharadas. That's the book/ author that's mentioned/ interviewed in Hasan's episode. I cannot recommend it enough. Please check it out if you can.

Rishabh Bhavnani

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From: Helanie Olen
Subject: A major thank you.

I am a subscriber (and a fan) and I noticed a certain link! Thanks for the shout-out. Best, Helaine
--
Helaine Olen
opinion writer, The Washington Post
author, Pound Foolish
co-author The Index Card
@helaineolen

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Subject: PODCAST

How bigs your podcast audience these days? If it's a solid size I may be able to make a connection to see if Bernie Interview might be possible.

Jared Polin

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Subject: Re: Boris Johnson's Landslide Victory

hi bob,

I am going to be self centred for a second if you don't mind. Re Ireland; there will not be a conflagration, neither from Irish republicans nor from the loyalist paramilitaries who favour the union with Britain if we prepare ourselves for the future. What we have on our sometimes blessed isle is partition, imposed on us almost 100 years ago. This unnatural division has been, undeniably, the root cause of many of the difficulties we have experienced since then. We now have to begin studying and talking about how this island can become one to the benefit of all. We need a forum, a Citizens' Assembly, where one and all, of all different shades and hues, traditionalists and futurists alike, can examine and debate and speculate upon and imagine what our future can be. The majority on the island wants to remain in the EU, with all of its faults and all of its benefits, and yet the north eastern region, known as Northern Ireland, is being forced, by virtue of its link with the UK, to leave the EU. Its crazy; there is an old Irish saying - ni neart go cur le cheile - there is no strength without unity. In general, we are a forward thinking island while still inextricably connected with our deep past. We need to seize control of our future and decide what it will be, what it will 'look' like. If we do not, well, then, yes, there will be confusion and dissension and ultimately maybe even conflagration. In other words, we have no choice, we must talk to each other. An island wide referendum on re-unification is now within sight, the demographics are weighing more and more on the side of those in favour. We need to talk. We can work it out.

As for the UK and its election; boy oh boy, they got what they wished for and its not going to be pretty.

As ever, keep challenging us Bob.
Fachtna O Ceallaigh

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From: Joe Dougan
Subject: Re: Boris Johnson's Landslide Victory

Enjoyed this Bob.

We talked trump in Belfast a few years ago. I'd still take US politics over the U.K. even now. We expected Boris to win - he had no credible opposition, he had a clear message. He was allowed to effortlessly gloss over 10 years of crippling austerity, political turmoil, health care cuts and much more. Corbyns manifesto was admirable but his campaign was pathetic, and yielded the worst labour result since the 1930s.

I don't think there will be a UK in 10 years, certainly not in its current form. That's what Brexit was for a lot of people here - the beginning of the end of the union. I feel were no real winners in this election.

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From: Andrew Lorimer, Jr.
Subject: I worked Bag/coat check at Ariana Grande

Last night.

And I'm doing it again tonight at the Chase Center.

18,000 young women aren't allowed to get in with their wallets/clutches/small purses/anything...that's what was being communicated to security from Ariana's team. All of their belongings that they wanted to keep on them had to be in a ziploc bag...thousands of ziploc bags everywhere with keys, cash, cards and makeup, especially.

Many fans died and were wounded from the explosion in Manchester 2017 when they were leaving her concert, so 99% of the people at Chase were prepared and understood the reasoning.

Eventually, a liaison from Chase security or Grande - idk which -said they could "hide" small wallets in their pockets as if to say if Ariana saw it (and it wasn't made of see-through/clear material) then she'd be very upset.

The lines to coat check/bag check rooms confused many drunks to think that they were at a main entrance to the show.

We charged $5 to store small wallets, $10 for backpacks/purses. Show was delayed a couple hours... on a school night. I think we're calling it a success.

Love reading your letter. I wish you the best of health.

Andrew

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From: WENDY WALDMAN
Subject: Re: Aaron Neville On The Kennedy Center Honors

The glaring omission of Andrew Gold's name and credit for creating that ground breaking version of "You're No Good" renders this film, while interesting, as a historical document, sorely lacking.
We were there, several of us, and it was common knowledge that Andrew, with whom I grew up, and with whom I worked on and off his entire life, recorded all of the parts except the bass (played of course by Kenny Edwards, also deeply uncredited) and drums were Mike Botts. Everything else was Andrew in the course of what for him was a normal night of multi tracking.

It was something not heard before, not only the solo but the entire construction of the piece. Kudos as always to Peter Asher for recognizing that he had no better captains for Linda than Andrew Gold and Kenny Edwards. The film never mentioned Andrew's name, let alone address this particular moment in Linda's history, which caused her to explode.

I love Linda, we are old friends, and I doubt she was much involved here. But I have always, as you know, advocated for Kenny and Andrew, who were my brothers in arms as creators, friends, members of Bryndle, and the absolute creative backbone of those formative years for Linda, stewarded wisely by Peter. I was there, singing on the projects, being a pal, and being amazed and proud of their work. I still am, and I sing their praises to the end. Those two were geniuses, unrecognized, but not unrecognized forever.

(Ps) People do not know that Linda also broke after doing a million miles on the road, a prerequisite back in those days. She already had a deep audience when the big records started coming out, and that's why they were big.

Next, a discussion of the brilliant Aaron Neville, still going strong and proving once again what people in the classical era knew without question: with maturity, your REAL art begins to shine. As I always say, the LATE Beethoven quartets…

Love you, be healthy my friend.

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Subject: Re: Aaron Neville On The Kennedy Center Honors

Bob,

The Linda Ronstadt Post was good. But we all know about Linda. Unless you're 12 years old.

And cool on the shout out to Aaron Neville. I've always been a fan. That fluttery voice of his can at times get a little overwhelming, but he is a terrific artist and certainly you are correct, the Neville Brothers band belongs in the rock 'n' roll Hall of Fame. And a whole lot of other places if they existed.

What really pleased me was your mention of Allen Toussaint. I was always a fan going back to Morher-in-law and working in a coal mine.

I live in South Florida now. no need to discuss the demographics. LOL. My wife and I go out to Snowmass/Aspen with some regularity because she has a little rental condo there that we can use. It's really sweet. I'm looking in the local carbondale paper few years ago and I see this ad for a free concert in the park with Allen Toussaint. I'm figuring, is this real?

So we say the hell with it, get in the car and drive over there about three or four in the afternoon one Saturday. And there's a whole bunch of people in the park and it's free and they're selling beer and barbecue and it looks like there's a band set up on stage. It's a little local town band shell thing, not much.

Then some guy introduces Allen Toussaint. I couldn't believe it. To me, this guy has been a legend my whole life. Sea Saint studios. Oh my God. And here he is.

He comes out in a very conservative tailored suit in a iridescent color, including bowtie, and proceeds to rip through a set where I knew 3/4 of the songs. It was Allen on piano, a drummer, bass player and sax player. That was the whole band. And it was killer.

He did a set and took a break. At the break, we Went around behind the band shell and he's out there hanging out with the band and a few people talking. We wandered up and I did the fanboy thing and told him I loved this stuff forever and he was a legend in my mind blah blah. He smiled and thanked us and seemed genuinely pleased. Nice guy.

Then he came back for the second set, this time dressed in a very elegant looking, all black onesie --for lack of a better word--kinda Vegas looking outfit but cool.

And then he proceeded to hammer a whole bunch More great songs, many of which I Knew. All of which I loved. The band was him on piano and bass, drums n a sax player. It shouldn't work, but it really sounded great. I think mostly because his left hand was so amazing. He made everything sound like an orchestra.

And so he did all the stuff he had written and all the stuff he had produced and so many things you recognized and had no idea he was involved with, although I was, because I was a fan. And the crowd was up dancing and he was smashing it. And then he was gone.

It was just one of those little magical things that happens by accident where you go "holy shit, did I just see Allen Toussaint in a park for free on a summer Saturday afternoon in Colorado and it'll probably never happen again??."
Yup. Somethings are just freaking cool. Thanks for the reminding me of it, bob.

Rik Shafer

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Subject: Re: The Wall Street Journal Article

As an independent event promoter for over 35 years, I never owned a venue or had the good fortune to be offered a buyout by the SFXs of the world in the 1990s, because I worked with artists in multiple markets and my "fifedom" was difficult to quantify. Along the way, the smaller PACs I inevitably worked with wised up and started creating their own ticketing software. Most of it is now on a par with or superior to Ticketmaster. The PACs I work with generally charge the patron an average "service" fee of $3 to $4 for a $50-$75 ticket. For doing EXACTLY the same "service" Ticketmaster offers by charging anywhere from $9 to $15 - yes, $15 - for the same priced ticket. I try and avoid promoting in Ticketmaster venues whenever I can, but sometimes I can't. Those fees are high because they rebate much of it - sometimes as high as 50% - to the venues, who are under no obligation to disclose this to promoters who sign contracts to rent their buildings and don't always share in this rebate.

Do the math. Currently I work with an artist whose nightly fee averages $30k. Venue and advertising line-item expenses generally another $40k, putting break-even at $70k, or roughly 1000 tickets. By the time $70k in tickets have been sold, the patrons have actually paid $85k. At a point when the promoter has only reached break-even, Ticketmaster has already earned a risk-free $15,000 - or almost 20% of the true gross - when the industry standard has the promoter paying the venue 10% of the gross for rent. On my 85-15 deal (if I'm lucky) with the artist, I don't even get to a sniff of a promoter profit of $15k - and I put up 100% of the risk. And you ask why promoters go broke?

I don't have an issue with the groups who have earned the clout to ask for 85-15 deals - they're the ones who sell the tickets, not the promoters. It's not "Bill Graham Presents in San Francisco" anymore, nobody's buying a ticket to a show because "so and so" is the presenter. But the days of allowing a ticketing agency to make a risk-free 20% of the gross - on shows the promoters might even be losing money on - should have been over a long time ago. Nobody's going to shows because Ticketmaster is the ticketing company.

The future for independents like me, most of whom are now roadkill in this business (including a good portion of my own journey), are to align with the acts and promote all of their own shows in-house, bypass the agents and buyers altogether. But I still have too many friends in the agency business to propose this model. After all, they have families to feed, too.

Brian Martin

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From: Mac Clark
Subject: Re: The Chainsmokers At The Forum

Hey Bob,

Finally made it out of the Thanksgiving vortex and was able to give this the time it deserved. We all really appreciate the review, especially after the 6+ years of work leading into this, what many may not know is this is their second arena headline run in North America. As this tour comes to a close Friday in Vancouver, they will have headlined 131 arenas globally in the last 36 months covering Europe, Australia, Asia, North & South America. Something we're all especially proud of. Further to that is the unique nature in which this tour was rehearsed in large part, it was during their third Asian arena headlining run which finished only 11 days prior to the start of this tour! The tour which was originally scheduled for the spring, moved back to the fall, to allow the records with 5SOS & Lennon to materialize fully, and with the stars aligning we were able to bring them all together for this run. Glad you were able to attend the show, thanks again. mc

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Subject: RE: Marriage Story

Dear Bob –

One of your emails, winter of 2015 (?) temporarily saved my marriage years ago. You were talking about a song, recorded by Casting Crowns, "Broken Together." The song is beautiful. My husband and I both read your email, went to counseling and decided to try a hard restart. This was mostly for the sake of our young son, but also in the hopes that we might resurrect a love that was deeper than what had lapsed in friend who were roommates. We were ultimately unsuccessful.

And while I recognize that your letter today is as much about art and film and performance; I do wish our society and your intelligent audience would take a longer look at why divorce is so horrible, and why divorce attorneys are all bloodsuckers, no matter how well-intentioned.

And the answer is marriage. The way marriage is constructed. A master-slave relationship that costs little to enter and everything to leave. Why does it cost ridiculous amounts of money to end a marriage? Why are $$$Billions of dollars spent each year on legally severing this tie? No matter how amicable or little the joint assets? It's ridiculous. It's criminal. It's extortion. It's preying on people when they are most broken.

Who was one of the most zealous advocacy groups for gay marriage? The "Family Law," i.e. divorce bar. Why? Because marriage has a statistically significant failure rate. People shouldn't own each other. People shouldn't belong to each other. People should only belong to themselves. Community is important. Relationships are important. But when you introduce ownership, the relationship is doomed from the start. Relationships only work when they are consensually entered into with the only enforcement mechanism being free will. Once there's a legal ownership status attached to it, and make no mistake, that is EXACTLY what marriage codifies, it's corrupted from the beginning.

Solution – tell your kids, your students, your friends, this audience – anyone who will listen, that marriage is a capitalist institution created for the perpetuation of misogynistic servitude and wealth. If you love someone, tell them, and be kind to them – help them develop and progress as humans. Don't marry them.

Carrie Archie Russell, JD, PhD
Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Education

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Subject: Joe Smith

I had known that Joe Smith was not in "good shape" for sometime, but the news of his passing hit me like a member of my family was gone. I had the honor of working with Joe at Elektra Asylum in the 70's as he supplied the energy, knowledge and belief in the future of the company. To the point: HE SAVED ALL OUR LIVES @ 962 North LaCienega and put "care" back on the daily menu and made us the place to be! He was "one of a kind", my mentor, my coach, my leader and my friend! He had "no act to follow" at E/A and proceeded to guide us HIS WAY. He believed in artist development and made that a priority for the hottest label in the business! Thru the SMITH YEARS we got "a history of making stars of nobody's and millionaires of many!" Working at E/A at that time was like being in the cast of WEST SIDE STORY or CHORUS LINE & every day deserved an encore! It was big time fun and because of Joe, many of us went on to great gigs at other record companies & management firms. There will never be another JOE SMITH…that's for damn sure!! And you can bet your ass, I cried when writing this. Jerry Sharell 12/3/2019

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Subject: Re: Mailbag

So sorry to hear about the great Joe Smith. Growing up in Boston, he was my very favorite deejay, and 4 decades later he
hired me as VP of A&R at Elektra Records. In 1982 we both agreed that Elektra's roster needed revitalizing, but he was kicked upstairs shortly after I arrived.
I spent some special time with Joe at his Beverly Hills home, at Hillcrest CC, and too briefly at the Elektra hq on La Cienega.
Joe was a rarity in the record industry -- an honest, friendly, compassionate man of integrity.
He will always be remembered as a truly creative beacon of light in the glory days of the music biz.
Sadly,
Tom Werman

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Subject: Movie Theaters

Bob,

I am fortunate to live in Colorado where there are several Alamo Drafthouse theaters, a chain out of Austin clearly run by hardcore cinephiles. My teenage daughter and I even went there on Thanksgiving to see "Knives Out" (we loved it). The theater was serving a full Thanksgiving dinner!

I don't think I'd bother with movie theaters if Alamo wasn't around. I always arrive 30 minutes early to see the curated clips they run before the trailers (where do they find these things?). If you arrive late, you can't go in and they are serious about ejecting anyone talking or texting. The food ain't bad and is brought to your seat (where there is a small table) and they have a good draft beer selection. The popcorn comes in a metal bowl with real butter.

I also saw "The Irishman" at Alamo. I was enthralled and will watch it again on Netflix. Pacino has never been better.

Bill Hein

PS: Just reading about Joe Smith. RIP, a real mensch.

___________________________________________

I have developed an "old man" problem with seated shows. I am lucky and my wife has come to love live music but she will not go to clubs and stand (which I still love) and so I spring for a seated show at a grand old venue and...people talk through the opener and then for the headliner, the whole fucking place stands...for the whole show. I don't get it. So I am done with them unless I am upfront or in a box. I would rather see newer acts and less popular acts at clubs anyway but...WTF?

Michael A. Becker

___________________________________________

From: Toby Mamis
Subject: Re: Buttigieg

Much as I loved Rob Tyner, and miss him, here's the info:

Eldridge Cleaver said it first: The correct (full) quote is: 'There is no more neutrality in the world. You either have to be part of the solution, or you're going to be part of the problem.'

___________________________________________

Subject: Re: The Kaepernick Shoe

Bob,
Love your work and attitude and writing.

I agree that it is not business as usual and I also agree that this time it will take fire to fight fire. As in 'we need to get a better billionaire than they have'. Which, true, is setting the bar pretty low.

But there is one besides Oprah, who would be great and might be able to win. FWIIW, I think Oprah would have a chance to win too.

The best candidate for the dems to run next year is......George Clooney. He's rich, smart, educated, a lefty, well connected and an outsider. You said that the TV stuff made people think they knew Trump. Well George's TV and movie career makes people think they know him too.

Anyway, I don't have your platform but wanted to send you the thought.....grass roots starts somewhere!

Happy Hanukkah
Ken Goldfine

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Billionaires

I was going to write about ticketing.

That's what you want to hear from me, music insight, right?

Well, there's a very simple insight the media doesn't want to acknowledge, that the music business includes much more than the Spotify Top 50. While the major labels try to manipulate the "Billboard" chart, so that media will publish that their product is successful, #1, even though next week it's not even in the Top Ten, the truth is the money is made on the road, as are careers, and the public wants to see and hear a vast swath of acts and material, irrelevant of the charts, but this gets little media attention.

Which brings us to the issue of high ticket prices discussed in yesterday's "Wall Street Journal." (https://on.wsj.com/355tp17) Ticket prices are high because people want to pay them! We're selling a desirable item, and it's not like a BMW or Mercedes, where you can calculate the cost of the content, it's an emotional purchase, you either need to go or you don't, and in an age of commoditized possessions, where we all have the same smartphones, going to a show offers a unique experience that makes you unique, and no one is forcing you to go!

Used to be that acts were afraid of overcharging. But today everyone knows the price is the price. And the only people bitching are those who want to sit in the front row for free, because they stream the music at home ad infinitum.

If you desire to keep prices low, there are mechanisms for this. Paperless, rolling bar codes. But then you always get some ignorant wanker who complains to the press... Screw them, your fans know the score and they appreciate what you've done and the truth is the story only adds to the fire of your exploits in an era where everything can be ignored.

Not that there are not consequences of high prices. If you appear greedy, if you need to extract every last dollar, beware of the future, if you don't have another hit, if people don't find a new reason to go, your business may fall off. Taylor Swift boasted about wringing all the money out of a gig, but now she's hitless and the audience has moved on, at least some people.

As far as getting rid of scalpers, it's very easy to do. Just ask Prince, or Garth Brooks. Play enough gigs to satiate desire. And you can keep the price cheap. Frequently, the scalpers' prices give a picture of demand that does not exist. And if all the money is on the road, why not satiate those who want to see you? Which is the essence of Vegas residencies, let them come to you! And they're paying for flights and hotels, why not charge a high price? Why should the most memorable experience be cheap?

As for those seats down front... Platinum. The wealthy will find a way to get them whether the act sells them at a high price or the scalper. The rich get what they want, they can afford it. Also, the truth is the not-so-rich will overpay to see their one and only, and the truth is most concertgoers only go to one or maybe two shows a year, it's like a vacation, the price is worth it.

We live in an era where it's all about the Benjamins, credibility is something from the sixties, we need a sea change in the national ethos to change this.

Which is what Warren and Sanders are providing.

And the mainstream is resisting.

If you read only one article this week, forget the WSJ ticketing one, read this one about centrist bias in the "New York Times": "How 'Centrist Bias' Hurts Sanders and Warren: The Media has a bigger problem than liberal bias.": https://nyti.ms/39gd5y1 I've been wanting to write a similar article for weeks now, how the mainstream media affects perception. The mainstream is even worse than the internet and its Facebook ads and false information. The mainstream says Warren and Sanders are out of touch and have no chance and the hero is Biden, but is that how the voters really feel? It seems like the voters have trouble with income inequality, and every day I hear something about health care costs from friends. Do you really want to go to the emergency room knowing you're gonna be out of pocket 5k? And that's from a friend who can afford it! I'd give more examples, but this is about billionaires.

Actually, Paul Krugman talks about the misperception re billionaires in today's "Times": "Big Money and America's Lost Decade-Yes, the rich have too much political influence.": https://nyti.ms/2Qr8JLQ

And yesterday, the WaPo had an opinion piece: "The decade of the billionaire victim": https://wapo.st/37h1a0W

Yet somehow Michael Bloomberg knows better. Is this what the public really thinks?

Which brings me to Hasan Minhaj. You know, the South Asian comedian with a weekly show on Netflix. Seems you're either in the loop or not. Then again, I really need two other lives, one to read all the books I want to and another to watch all the TV.

So even though I'm a fan, I don't watch every Minhaj show.

But then Jake e-mailed me about the one about billionaire philanthropy.

Now, through the magic of intelligence, which the music business lacks, you can see this Netflix episode on YouTube, because unlike the music business Netflix understands the big issue is obscurity, not getting paid, and if you build a big enough audience, there's plenty of money to be had.

So you need to watch this, yes you do: https://bit.ly/363c76m

But you won't. Because you don't have enough time, you think you know it already and who cares anyway.

But the truth is you do care, it involves your future.

But how come nothing gets traction these days? Stories in the papers? Here today, gone tomorrow. Even a TV show which is available on demand, to stream whenever you want, how do you get people to watch?

The truth is everybody is overwhelmed, to the point where the only thing that matters is their own little life. So stuff they should pay attention to goes ignored, while the perceptions that filter down to them, perpetrated by those who care, are oftentimes wrong.

What the media doesn't understand is we're ready for a reset.

And the DNC still thinks it's the 2016 reset.

But there's a concomitant reset on the left, which the media and the billionaires are missing. The public is pissed. About income inequality, corporations paying no taxes, everybody having a better lifestyle than they do, the lack of opportunity.

But the DNC is letting Trump define the issues. And because 30%+ will vote for Trump even if he shoots someone in the street, this vocal minority has the mainstream cowering, afraid to offend them.

The story of our age isn't a return to the gilded age. That already happened, it's the rebellion against that. The public wants a leader.

The right had Trump, who didn't deliver.

The left is afraid to make a stand, like Trump did in 2016, to appeal to its true base, not the overeducated elite comfortable in their 5,000 square foot homes who don't want to sacrifice a single thing, but those who were left out.

And it starts at the top, with billionaires, because their money influences the debate, and they think they know better.

But they don't.


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Holly George-Warren-This Week's Podcast

Holly George-Warren is the author of a new book on Janis Joplin entitled "Janis: Her Life and Music." Tune in for insights into Janis, along with tales from Ms. George-Warren's career working at "Rolling Stone" and authoring sixteen books on topics as varied as Woodstock, Alex Chilton and country & western music.

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/holly-george-warren/id1316200737?i=1000460804798

https://open.spotify.com/episode/09AGFrfkeP3UfA7zpcTkvJ

https://www.stitcher.com/s?eid=66214233



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The Kaepernick Shoe

What kind of crazy, fucked-up world do we live in where Jay Z makes a deal with the NFL and Nike's Colin Kaepernick shoe sells out?

One in which keeping your mouth shut for money is passe and being a member of the group is less important than being an individual.

It's the sixties all over again. Despite the cries of OK Boomer!, there's been a sea change in the ethos of the populace, and once again the old white men are out of touch.

Aren't the people buying Kap's shoe supposed to be the fans of the NFL?

Well, if that's not true, aren't African-Americans the soul of the NFL?

The NBA realized this and the players gained power. Furthermore, the NBA allowed the game and its penumbra to be fluid, as opposed to being sacrosanct, as it is in the NFL. The players rule the NBA, they're serfs on Maggie's Farm in the NFL.

But doesn't money rule? Aren't the billionaires in control? Don't they know what's best for America?

No.

In the last couple of years, everything we know has flipped. First with tech. The soul of America, its innovation, the luxuriating in products and features instead of being cool is now seen as uncool, too many know-nothing billionaires protecting their riches at the public's expense.

And then there's the anti-environment polluters. Scratch a millennial or a member of Gen-Z and you'll find they're militant about climate change, it's not only Greta Thunberg, whom Trump made fun of.

So you get to decide what side you're on if you're a corporation, and an individual too.

In other words, America is no longer tribal only when it comes to politics. And the young tribe, the tribe on the left, is all about individual superstars while that on the left has closed ranks, circled the wagons, and is positively out of touch with what's going on.

When it comes to corporations...

It's like Europe and Trump. You can now stand up to the man. Especially in an era where TV advertising no longer rules and no one can organize an effective boycott.

And your goal is not to satiate everyone, but your core constituency. Today haters and trolls are de rigueur, to be ignored.

Women stood up with Me Too.

Now everybody is standing up for their rights, and the powers-that-be don't like it.

Hell, the movie companies don't even like that streaming is eating their lunch!

We were so overwhelmed by the tech innovations of the past thirty years that we are now ignoring the cultural changes in our society.

Look at the YouTube/Instagram influencers, it's all about ME! ME! ME! whereas previously millennials refused to speak up for fear of being excoriated and left out of the group.

We are in a new age of the individual. And one person can move mountains, assuming they believe what they say.

As for Colin Kaepernick? He would have been a forgotten quarterback, living on his pension. Now he's a household name never to be forgotten while he profits on shoes and more.

As for Nike?

The company took a risk and it paid off. It ensured its longevity with the younger generation, and they're making new people every day if you haven't noticed, we are here to be replaced.

For the last thirty years, forty, it's been all about being fake to get ahead and be rich. Yup, you went to business school to learn how to get along with people, kiss their butts to get paid.

As for the techie/nerds... They had their era, just like classic rock, but now it's over.

But just like people believe today's music means as much as classic rock, they think that tech continues to rule, that billionaires are entitled to control society, and they're just plain wrong.

This is what the DNC doesn't see. It's no longer 2016, it's 2020, and times are different.

In 2016 we still loved Facebook. Only the left behind were disillusioned, i.e. those without college educations who lost their jobs.

But today, everybody is disillusioned, everybody is questioning whether they're gonna get their piece of the pie. Which is why when you boast in a song how great your life is, how you're a winner, you're out of touch. Furthermore, the hoi polloi know that entertainers earn just a fraction of the money of billionaires, that they're glorified court jesters.

And then you come down to the talent agencies, competing with each other to replace the movie studios even though there's no there there. The writers have rebelled, gone on strike, because they don't like being pawns in the game, and the agencies refuse to settle because it will ruin their whole business model, saying they're representing talent when they're really in the game to build monoliths and get rich.

And today the individual does not need print or TV to get his or her message across.

And stories break online long before they break in the news.

Which is why foreign countries want to control the internet, censor it and occasionally shut it down. And the American tech companies just play along.

But then Tim Apple refuses to give a back door to the government into iPhones. And stands up for privacy. Because we're all upset about being bought and sold, known, even though we can't break our addiction to free services.

Politics is just evidence of what is going on, it's not the main show.

In 2016 Bernie Sanders almost upset the apple cart. He proved that it's no longer business as usual. But what is the DNC trying to do? Institute business as usual. That's what the whole Biden campaign is about. Kap gets excommunicated for standing up for his rights and is a hero to the younger generation and Biden gets another chance by saying let's go back to the past. Young people don't want to go back to a past that they never were the beneficiaries of anyway!

So what we should expect in 2020 is more individuals standing up to power and not backing down.

And savvy corporations will align themselves with these individuals.

And those who take a chance will be lionized while those who hew to the company line, who resist change, will be challenged.

Now is the time to use your brain. Forget the influencers selling products on social media, they're just an interim phase. The next step is using your message to gain power online to effect change.

And one thing's for sure, the wheels are turning and a change is gonna come.


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My History Of The Beatles-Part 3-SiriusXM This Week

We start with "I Feel Fine."

Now once again, this is the American experience, my experience, with the truncated/bastardized LPs. "I Feel Fine" was on the second side of "Beatles '65," which, along with its successor, "Beatles VI," corresponded with the English "Beatles For Sale," now my favorite Beatles album. (Once again, I'm not saying the BEST, but just the one I play MOST! I could listen to "Every Little Thing" every day, and sometimes I do!)

"Beatles '65" cemented the mania. Released for the holiday, Christmas of '64, it had elements of darkness to go along with the short days. And "I Feel Fine" was all over the radio, it was our first exposure to feedback (at least the first we were aware of, save me the e-mails reciting musical history).

"Beatles VI" was neither fish nor fowl, which is why I didn't buy it. With probably the worst cover of any Beatles album, its only hit was "Eight Days A Week," which was a monster, one of my sisters bought the singles, by this time I was purely an album guy. And in the sixties no one could afford everything, so when you went to a friend's house, you played what you did not have, and vice versa.

Now "Beatles VI" is full of covers, evidencing the band's roots in Hamburg and the Cavern Club. But it does contain "Every Little Thing" and..."What You're Doing."

By this point, we all had electric guitars. And most of us had the songbook "The Golden Beatles." We'd taken enough lessons to know the chords, if we were not yet experienced enough to know bar chords. I remember playing "What You're Doing" having never heard it, and stunningly I got the rhythm right!

Now I never cottoned to "Yes It Is" back in the day, but with the appearance of Napster, when everything surfaced, I was exposed to Don Henley's amazing cover, recorded live at a Bridge School Concert. You need to listen to it:

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2rnbAgl
YouTube: https://bit.ly/2Qa30tO

So tune in tomorrow, Tuesday, December 24th, at 7 PM East and 4 PM West.

Or catch it on a replay, or on demand on the SiriusXM app.

We'll relive the history of what once was, Beatlemania, which was not only mania, it contained gravitas, there was no doubt in our minds that this music was gonna last...AND IT HAS!


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