Saying No

Have you seen that Charli XCX ad for Uber Eats?

I've got no problem with Uber Eats. I get a monthly credit with my Amex card and when I do order delivery, that's the app I use.

Not that Uber has a great future. The question is whether self-driving cars need Uber to be successful. Right now you can book Waymo via Uber, Uber takes 10-20%, but you can also book via Waymo and...

Maybe you haven't seen Waymo yet. They're all over Los Angeles. They're just about to get on the freeway. They're Jaguars with all these attachments and I was behind one at a light, where you had to turn left against traffic, and I figured I'd be there forever, but the Waymo moved right along, I was impressed.

And now BYD is making inroads regarding self-driving. The stock went up because next week the company is going to hold a press conference where they're supposed to announce self-driving in affordable cars.

Now in truth many Chinese industrial companies are on the precipice, but BYD...man, it's a worldwide phenomenon. You do know that it stands for Build Your Dreams, right?

Then again, the U.S. is going backward. Trump just canceled EV charging infrastructure in the states. A great hosanna from the carbon-based industry and its followers only... Turns out the energy companies are moving into alternative energy sources, they can see the handwriting on the wall. And European automakers don't want tariffs on BYD, et al, because they want a fighting chance to compete in the vast China market, where their market share has recently been decimated.

But that's how you lose your power, your influence in the world. Very slowly, then all at once. Tech seems to know this, which is why the market was shaken by DeepSeek the other week.

And I've got to tell you I love my Amex Platinum card. I might not love it as much if I had to pay for it, but we live in a world where we trust brands more than people, where we're invested in our assets. Did you read the news about England and Apple's cloud today? My first reaction is why are you beating up on Apple? Did you see as a result of the EU hectoring Apple to open up its app store there is now a porn app available?

This is just like the U.S. government siding with Apple's iBooks, the end result being the agency model for e-books, and higher prices! I'm not anti-government, but certainly when it comes to tech, the government is always two steps behind, if not more.

So that Amex Platinum card has a ton of perks. I'm not saying I'm a points guy, I don't shop where I get double, it's just that I must admit...it's a club that not everybody can be a member of, and when you whip it out...I've found people treat you differently.

Not like the Centurion card, the so-called "Black Card," I love when someone in jeans, dressed-down, whips one out, but you've got to be a big spender for that, and it's invite only. Not like Soho House, which let everybody in and is now in financial trouble.

So, back to Charli XCX. It was a brat summer, right? Didn't they even call Kamala brat? Charli rode the wave. She had mindshare. She was even on the Grammys.

She appeared to have credibility. She seemed to be doing it her way.

Then again, if you investigate, there are multiple writers on her songs, her albums are made by committee. But compared to the Active Rock graveyard, Charli XCX is happening.

But for how long? I'd bet those Active Rock acts will have longer careers, BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T SELL OUT!

Conventional wisdom is kids no longer care if an act sells out. This is patently untrue. A fiction spread by those who get a percentage on these deals.

Let's go back to Trump. Did you see that USAID paid $100 million to "Politico"?

That's what I read on X.

But in today's "New York Times" I found out differently. I even found out about stuff I missed, like the $100 million for condoms for Hamas.

"6 Inaccurate Claims Trump Has Used to Justify His Flurry of Orders - The president was wrong about birthright citizenship around the world, the Paris climate agreement and federal funding for condoms in Gaza, among other claims."

Free link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/us/politics/trump-executive-orders-fact-check.html?unlocked_article_code=1.vU4.T3Qn.nOrLXipAalDc&smid=url-share

And I have no desire to get political here, other than to say the Democrats are lame. And if you're interested in a great analysis re this, I point you to another "Times" article, which is a must-read for disillusioned Democrats:

"'The Damage to the Party Is Profound': Three Opinion Writers on What Happened to the Democrats"

Free link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/opinion/democratic-party-donald-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.vU4.uRMS.eaaDfoGQhBOl&smid=url-share

But one thing we know for sure, that everyone agrees on, is Trump lies. All the time. Even his supporters know this.

Once again, I don't want to litigate Trump's recent efforts, other than to say I've never felt more disconnected from the government than ever before. And I'm not the only one.

We need something, someone to believe in.

And it's not politicians. And it's not social media influencers.

I don't care if you're making bucks, I know that they're sending you that merch for free and you're telling us how great it is and...you'd better have a Plan B, because every single influencer has burned out. As for the Kardashians triumphing... Radiohead asked its audience to pay what it wanted for "In Rainbows," that paradigm only worked once, even though others tried to repeat it. The Kardashians are famous for nothing, they're rich, they're getting the last laugh, but they were there first (or maybe Paris Hilton, but she didn't have a momager who saw the potential riches in true exploitation of her cultural fame).

So...

This is where the rubber meets the road. If you want to have a long career, you can't do commercial endorsements, because everybody, especially your fans, knows that you're doing it for the money. I mean it's possible there's a product you truly believe in that you want to help spread the word on, but that's not what I see in the marketplace.

In this same basket one must put the multiple physical editions of albums. With different covers, different tracks. Ask people how they feel about their Beanie Babies today. They remember the mania, being collectors, thinking the dolls had value, now most of them are worth nothing, and the people who were invested in this near-scam feel that they were taken.

Life is long. What you do today has repercussions later.

Look at all the products/companies Katy Perry endorsed:

https://startuptalky.com/katy-perry-endorsements/

Now Katy is a joke. Her fans of yore excoriated her new album. Perry tried to get back to the garden after a bunch of missteps and it rang false to the audience, just like all her endorsement deals.

Sure, Katy got paid. But the dirty little secret is not only that acts don't get a hundred cents on the dollar with these deals, they're notoriously bad with money. Did you see that recently departed Garth Hudson declared bankruptcy THREE TIMES?

Now if you're a brand, not a band, if being a musician is just a launching pad, go for it, sell out. But if you're first and foremost an artist, you've got to learn how to say no.

If it doesn't feel right, don't do it. No matter how much money is involved.

When the record company wants you to record a song you don't like, that is not in your wheelhouse, don't say yes, say no.

They try to make you afraid of saying no. It's your one big opportunity. You'll never be able to make this money again. The ship is gonna sail. Think about what you can do with the cash, buy another house, fly private...

You've only got one career. A manager, an agent, a record company can always find someone new to promote. One misstep and you can ensure that no one wants to see you in the future, that your revenue opportunities dry up. People want to believe in you. You sang that song, that got them through their breakup, their depression... They don't want to hear you thank them or God, they just want to know that song exists and they can play it whenever they want and when they go to see you live they feel a direct connection between performer and audience member. They don't want any detritus in between.

Now the truth is the business is being taken over by people who put the music first, who are capable of saying no. Those are the acts selling tickets who are not in the Spotify Top 50. Their fans are truly keeping them alive.

But even a top-line artist's career can have legs if it's managed correctly. You can have hits and still have credibility.

But you must be capable of making wise choices.

You must be able to say no.


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