RULES OF THE ROAD
1. Get the new gear, don't deplore it. Not only every plug-in, but every music service. If you're not exploring the future, you're going to be left behind.
If you don't have an iPhone or Android, if your computer doesn't use the latest operating system, if you don't have a tablet, you're out of touch, you're going to be marginalized.
2. Look for the truth in that which you disagree with. It's easy to reject conflicting opinions, but you're stronger if you extract what works from that which does not.
3. Listen to the music you hate. And listen more than once. You might find something you like. You might still find you hate it. But determine why. Those giving knee-jerk opinions are ignored.
4. Know that everybody can never win, any change begets victors and losers. Digital killed CD manufacturing. The iPod killed the Walkman. If you're protecting what once was, you'll find yourself in the graveyard. This does not mean companies should jettison the past too early, but they should always have one foot in the future, and know when to jump to the other side.
5. Knowledge is power. We live in the information age. Data is at your fingertips. Uninformed opinions are laughable. Like pundits saying who's going to win the election when geeks like Nate Silver know who's going to win, based on the data. Everything you need to know is online. Spend the time finding it out before you go to the bar or a conference and start bloviating.
6. We live in a singles world. If you listen to the outcries demanding an album you're no different from Karl Rove protesting that Romney won. He who cracks the singles market on a regular basis will win in the future. No one's got time. Stay in their mind constantly and give them what they need, which isn't always what they want.
7. Artists are leaders. Use your power to make change. Only artists can get good tickets in the hands of fans. One could call it a responsibility, but he who leads, who takes a stand, is placed at the center of the future, and will reap rewards for his or her behavior.
8. Corporations rarely change. They usually just protect their turf. Change comes from individuals.
Don't think you can enter the corporation and make change. If you really believe in something different, you've got to do it yourself.
9. Tomorrow's music business is not being built by the usual suspects, but those who are nimble, who utilize the new tools to create something that fits the modern market. You're the future, not Doug Morris.
CHANGING YOUR MIND
"More so than any person I ever met in my life, he had the ability to change his mind, much more so than anyone I've ever met. He could be so sold on a certain direction and in a nanosecond (Cook snaps his fingers) have a completely different view. (Laughs.) I thought in the early days, 'Wow, this is strange.' Then I realized how much of a gift it was. So many people, particularly, I think, CEOs and top executives, they get so planted in their old ideas, and they refuse or don't have the courage to admit that they're now wrong. Maybe the most underappreciated thing about Steve was that he had the courage to change his mind. And you know - it's a talent. It's a talent. So, anyway."
Tim Cook on Steve Jobs: http://buswk.co/VyGYks
I was against Napster before I was for it.
And if I was a politician, that statement would doom my career right there. We live in an era of teams, playing gotcha, whilst the winners refuse to participate, create their own league and search for excellence, changing on a whim. Ever heard of "pivoting"? That's the buzz term in Silicon Valley. That's when you've got something and you take the kernel and turn it into something else. Kind of like a heavy metal band becoming a boy band, or vice versa. And I'm not talking about expedience here, I'm talking about extricating what does work from what doesn't and creating something wholly new, that can be successful and game-changing.
Something big happened this week. Lars made peace with Sean Parker. It was good for both. Metallica's image still suffers from its anti-Napster crusade of yesteryear and Spotify is laboring under the illusion that it is ripping off artists. Now let's not forget that Metallica is doing this deal because they now own all of their masters. But having said that, Lars admitted he was wrong, that he didn't know enough, didn't do enough research back then.
Whew! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Even better about Lars. Because unlike so many in our nation, in the music sphere, he not only admitted he was wrong, but that he could learn something!
And you can learn something too. That Spotify pays 70% of revenue in royalties and it or its "equal" competitor, whether it be Apple or Rdio or whomever, will be good for artists and the business, not bad.
But this breakthrough will depend upon artists joining up, and lobbying for the success of streaming services, instead of sitting on the sidelines uneducated, too afraid to play.
But this is not about streaming so much as a way of life. Do you make a snap judgment and stick to it or do you investigate, changing your mind constantly until you decide what you're going to do? And if it doesn't work, are you willing to tweak it, to change it into something else?
Kind of like all the people e-mailing me that they haven't made it yet, that they haven't broken through. Maybe the onus is on them, not the public or the media, maybe they need to morph into something different. If you're not willing to look at yourself, question absolutely everything, you're going to have a very short tenure in the entertainment business, if you've got one at all.
So learn all you can. And question not only authority, but yourself. If you're inured to the present, you'll get left in the past. CDs are dying and vinyl is never coming back. New computers don't have disk drives and if you think the future of hi-fi is vinyl disks, you're probably driving a Rambler. The future of hi-fi is digital.
Change happens constantly. Once upon a time we were thrilled to be able to make wireless phone calls. Now if our handsets don't send e-mail and texts and surf the web at high speed we laugh. And it's great for consumers. But if you're a player, you must adjust your thinking, you must get yourself in tune with this culture...where everything is up for grabs, where you're willing to change to not only stay afloat, but get ahead.
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Saturday, 8 December 2012
12/12/12 Ticket Fiasco
This is hysterical! They're trying to SHAME scalpers into doing the right thing!
While they're at it, why don't they tell heroin addicts they're despicable parasites and file-traders they're ruining music. The effort would be just as successful.
One thing you've got to know about politicians...they're CLUELESS!
Obama wins the election by employing young 'uns who can slice and dice data and Charles Schumer, a tool of the bankers who are both underwriting this concert and overpaying to attend it, is shocked, positively SHOCKED at the inequity!
Let's start at the beginning. Madison Square Garden is a small hall in America's biggest market. Staples Center has thousands more seats. Stuff sells out at MSG that doesn't do a full house anywhere else. Who in their right mind didn't know this would be a scalper's field day?
This is Christmas, Thanksgiving and your personal birthday wrapped into one. This is the kind of event resellers DREAM about! This is like trying to fight Al Qaeda by telling them they're doing bad things. Huh? Today you fight with technology. You don't go to the media and tell people who don't care and are not paying attention to stop.
Utterly ridiculous.
And do these same politicians ever look themselves in the eye and ask these questions when the scalpers lobby them to ban paperless? Yup, all those grannies bought 12/12/12 tickets for their families, who can't attend, because of soccer games, and now they're forced to get rid of these ducats on StubHub. Please let the eBay company help them out, otherwise they'd be stuck with these tickets and lose money. Thank god there's a resale market!
If this fiasco isn't the number one advertisement for paperless ticketing I don't know what is. But blame the music industry. They like it the way it is. This is how they make a profit. On ticketing fees and scalping your own tickets and...
If we bring in paperless these heritage acts, and it's almost all oldsters on the bill, would have to forfeit seven figures. Yup, these icons of creativity are all about the bucks now. They don't want to leave any money on the table.
So be like the Stones. Overcharge, to try to eliminate the scalping. Then scalp your own tickets too! Ha!
Either sell the tickets at their fair market value or go to paperless. It's an either or situation. Otherwise you've got third parties profiting while the government kicks and screams in ignorance.
"Benefit’s Producers Condemn Scalpers": http://nyti.ms/SH1qvf
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While they're at it, why don't they tell heroin addicts they're despicable parasites and file-traders they're ruining music. The effort would be just as successful.
One thing you've got to know about politicians...they're CLUELESS!
Obama wins the election by employing young 'uns who can slice and dice data and Charles Schumer, a tool of the bankers who are both underwriting this concert and overpaying to attend it, is shocked, positively SHOCKED at the inequity!
Let's start at the beginning. Madison Square Garden is a small hall in America's biggest market. Staples Center has thousands more seats. Stuff sells out at MSG that doesn't do a full house anywhere else. Who in their right mind didn't know this would be a scalper's field day?
This is Christmas, Thanksgiving and your personal birthday wrapped into one. This is the kind of event resellers DREAM about! This is like trying to fight Al Qaeda by telling them they're doing bad things. Huh? Today you fight with technology. You don't go to the media and tell people who don't care and are not paying attention to stop.
Utterly ridiculous.
And do these same politicians ever look themselves in the eye and ask these questions when the scalpers lobby them to ban paperless? Yup, all those grannies bought 12/12/12 tickets for their families, who can't attend, because of soccer games, and now they're forced to get rid of these ducats on StubHub. Please let the eBay company help them out, otherwise they'd be stuck with these tickets and lose money. Thank god there's a resale market!
If this fiasco isn't the number one advertisement for paperless ticketing I don't know what is. But blame the music industry. They like it the way it is. This is how they make a profit. On ticketing fees and scalping your own tickets and...
If we bring in paperless these heritage acts, and it's almost all oldsters on the bill, would have to forfeit seven figures. Yup, these icons of creativity are all about the bucks now. They don't want to leave any money on the table.
So be like the Stones. Overcharge, to try to eliminate the scalping. Then scalp your own tickets too! Ha!
Either sell the tickets at their fair market value or go to paperless. It's an either or situation. Otherwise you've got third parties profiting while the government kicks and screams in ignorance.
"Benefit’s Producers Condemn Scalpers": http://nyti.ms/SH1qvf
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Friday, 7 December 2012
Rhinofy-Unheralded Cheap Trick
1. "Mandocello"
We might as well start at the beginning. With the debut. Which got little traction and I must admit I did not buy first. Produced by Jack Douglas, it's got a different feel from the Tom Werman stuff. It's more raucous, earthier. And to the degree anybody still references it it's because of the opening cut, "ELO Kiddies," which Cheap Trick has continued to play. But if you sit down and play the whole album, which we used to do, you discover this quiet, hypnotic gem.
Once upon a time music wasn't for everybody, just for you. It was your escape. You put on a record and you felt the only people who understood you were the band. "Mandocello" sounds like this. It's not made for the radio, but your bedroom, on headphones, squeezing out all the b.s. of the world. With "Mandocello" playing, your life works.
The riff hooks you. But it's really a compilation of sounds, including Robin Zander's voice. But the piece de resistance is the magical change at 3:09. It's like you've driven through the neighborhood picking up all your friends and now you're cruising. Or better yet, you're riding with your beloved. Only she doesn't know you're in love with her, even though you think about her all the time, fantasize about just being near her, never mind touching her.
Furthermore, most people are completely unaware Concrete Blonde covered "Mandocello," faithfully, on their 1994 album of loose ends entitled "Still In Hollywood." Yup, that's the way it used to be, even the stars were fans, they knew not only the hits, but the album cuts.
2. "So Good To See You"
And then came "In Color," the band's breakthrough. Word started to spread, you heard about it and purchased it and it became your favorite new album, everywhere you went you talked about it, you wanted to share the joy.
"So Good To See You" was the closer. Instead of fading out this was an unexpected encore that FORCED you to drop the needle and hear the whole album again.
How did they get it so right? With enough edge but also Beach Boys harmonies and exquisite changes. By this time bands could vamp over the same chord for the entire verse, whereas "So Good To See You" twists and turns like a roller coaster.
Once upon a time, a band had to have a great singer. You couldn't fix it in the studio. Someone with power, and in Robin Zander Cheap Trick had someone who could do both rough and smooth, he could both prance and entrance.
"So Good To See You" is a tour de force. From an era when album tracks weren't filler, but the main course.
3. "Come On, Come On"
Sure, it was on "Budokan," but the polish of the studio take...it's like someone from the seventies was jetted back to the sixties with everything he now knew but was forced to record in the earlier style. It sounds both dated and current at the same time!
And the chorus has you moving your jaw, singing along with the sweetness with bite.
4. "Clock Strikes Ten"
This was on "Budokan" too, but the best part of the studio version is Zander's vocal, which has got the guttural roughness of early rock and roll, quite a contrast to the sweetness evidenced in songs like "So Good To See You."
"Clock Strikes Ten" is a romp. Under three minutes, you're instantly energized, dancing around the room, burning off all your everyday frustration.
5. "Oh Caroline"
Okay, now I've mentioned four of the five songs on side two of "In Color," and "Southern Girls" is probably better than all of them. Yes, "In Color" is a classic. "Oh Caroline" has got the darkness of an English record translated through a midwest sensibility, it sounds like dancing in front of your TV during "Shindig" or "Shivaree" felt like.
6. "Takin' Me Back"
Sure, "Surrender" had hilarious lyrics, it was a good ditty, but this was always my favorite cut on "Heaven Tonight," the second side opener with the monster riff. You couldn't help but CRANK IT!
This is like an AC/DC monolith, if the Aussie band ever featured any melody. It's veritable wall of sound that single-handedly makes you feel life is worth living.
The elements are spectacular. From the oo's to the break to the whirling synth "Takin' Me Back" is truly a slice of heaven. It keeps going on, keeps twisting and turning, getting louder and softer, it never lets you down, it always surprises you. I never hear anybody talk about it, but "Takin' Me Back" is my absolute favorite Cheap Trick track. It's everything I love about rock and roll.
7. "Tonight It's You"
So after parting ways with Tom Werman, and experimenting with everybody from George Martin to Roy Thomas Baker to Todd Rundgren, all huge hitmakers in their own right, Cheap Trick went back to the well, to their original producer, Jack Douglas.
If "Tonight It's You" had only come out half a decade earlier, it would have been a radio staple. Oh, the track got some traction, even video play, but it was not a hit and is nearly completely forgotten. But "Tonight It's You" is one of those rare tracks that keeps building and building to a towering height that you don't believe can be maintained. Kind of like "White Punks On Dope," it demands more and more energy, more and more focus, and then leaves you high and dry at the mountaintop, stunned.
First it's the sound of the guitars, the picking in one speaker and the distorted echo emphasis in the other. It's like the cavalry's appearing on the horizon.
And then Robin Zander starts telling a story. He's part of the mix. And then...
"So stop what you're doin'
Start on something new"
It's like a choirboy has risen above the troops, a sweetness you thought was impossible in this context.
And then the song swings down...
"I don't know why you mean that much to me
You don't know what it feels like lovin' you
We all know a change is good for you
That's all right, gotta do what you gotta do
Anyway"
Wow, where did all this anger come from? Who's this three dimensional singer who can go from smooth to intense so fast, who can evidence all the emotions of real life?
And then this angry pissed off person sings...
"All I want is a place in your heart to fall into
All I need is someone to love
And tonight it's you, tonight it's you"
He's gone from pissed off to cunning enticement just that fast.
And then we're back to that spacy intro dynamic once again. Whew! It's like reading a book and suddenly finding yourself back at the beginning. Wiser, with another chance.
Then there's a spooky interlude!
"Come to my world
Come away with me"
Huh? It's like they stopped the action and the lead broke character and spoke directly to the audience. It's unnerving...and so right.
And then finally, after four minutes, they settle into the groove, endlessly repeating, imploring you, and you can't resist, because...
TONIGHT IT'S YOU!
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/p6HcZ8
Previous Rhinofy playlists: http://www.rhinofy.com/lefsetz
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We might as well start at the beginning. With the debut. Which got little traction and I must admit I did not buy first. Produced by Jack Douglas, it's got a different feel from the Tom Werman stuff. It's more raucous, earthier. And to the degree anybody still references it it's because of the opening cut, "ELO Kiddies," which Cheap Trick has continued to play. But if you sit down and play the whole album, which we used to do, you discover this quiet, hypnotic gem.
Once upon a time music wasn't for everybody, just for you. It was your escape. You put on a record and you felt the only people who understood you were the band. "Mandocello" sounds like this. It's not made for the radio, but your bedroom, on headphones, squeezing out all the b.s. of the world. With "Mandocello" playing, your life works.
The riff hooks you. But it's really a compilation of sounds, including Robin Zander's voice. But the piece de resistance is the magical change at 3:09. It's like you've driven through the neighborhood picking up all your friends and now you're cruising. Or better yet, you're riding with your beloved. Only she doesn't know you're in love with her, even though you think about her all the time, fantasize about just being near her, never mind touching her.
Furthermore, most people are completely unaware Concrete Blonde covered "Mandocello," faithfully, on their 1994 album of loose ends entitled "Still In Hollywood." Yup, that's the way it used to be, even the stars were fans, they knew not only the hits, but the album cuts.
2. "So Good To See You"
And then came "In Color," the band's breakthrough. Word started to spread, you heard about it and purchased it and it became your favorite new album, everywhere you went you talked about it, you wanted to share the joy.
"So Good To See You" was the closer. Instead of fading out this was an unexpected encore that FORCED you to drop the needle and hear the whole album again.
How did they get it so right? With enough edge but also Beach Boys harmonies and exquisite changes. By this time bands could vamp over the same chord for the entire verse, whereas "So Good To See You" twists and turns like a roller coaster.
Once upon a time, a band had to have a great singer. You couldn't fix it in the studio. Someone with power, and in Robin Zander Cheap Trick had someone who could do both rough and smooth, he could both prance and entrance.
"So Good To See You" is a tour de force. From an era when album tracks weren't filler, but the main course.
3. "Come On, Come On"
Sure, it was on "Budokan," but the polish of the studio take...it's like someone from the seventies was jetted back to the sixties with everything he now knew but was forced to record in the earlier style. It sounds both dated and current at the same time!
And the chorus has you moving your jaw, singing along with the sweetness with bite.
4. "Clock Strikes Ten"
This was on "Budokan" too, but the best part of the studio version is Zander's vocal, which has got the guttural roughness of early rock and roll, quite a contrast to the sweetness evidenced in songs like "So Good To See You."
"Clock Strikes Ten" is a romp. Under three minutes, you're instantly energized, dancing around the room, burning off all your everyday frustration.
5. "Oh Caroline"
Okay, now I've mentioned four of the five songs on side two of "In Color," and "Southern Girls" is probably better than all of them. Yes, "In Color" is a classic. "Oh Caroline" has got the darkness of an English record translated through a midwest sensibility, it sounds like dancing in front of your TV during "Shindig" or "Shivaree" felt like.
6. "Takin' Me Back"
Sure, "Surrender" had hilarious lyrics, it was a good ditty, but this was always my favorite cut on "Heaven Tonight," the second side opener with the monster riff. You couldn't help but CRANK IT!
This is like an AC/DC monolith, if the Aussie band ever featured any melody. It's veritable wall of sound that single-handedly makes you feel life is worth living.
The elements are spectacular. From the oo's to the break to the whirling synth "Takin' Me Back" is truly a slice of heaven. It keeps going on, keeps twisting and turning, getting louder and softer, it never lets you down, it always surprises you. I never hear anybody talk about it, but "Takin' Me Back" is my absolute favorite Cheap Trick track. It's everything I love about rock and roll.
7. "Tonight It's You"
So after parting ways with Tom Werman, and experimenting with everybody from George Martin to Roy Thomas Baker to Todd Rundgren, all huge hitmakers in their own right, Cheap Trick went back to the well, to their original producer, Jack Douglas.
If "Tonight It's You" had only come out half a decade earlier, it would have been a radio staple. Oh, the track got some traction, even video play, but it was not a hit and is nearly completely forgotten. But "Tonight It's You" is one of those rare tracks that keeps building and building to a towering height that you don't believe can be maintained. Kind of like "White Punks On Dope," it demands more and more energy, more and more focus, and then leaves you high and dry at the mountaintop, stunned.
First it's the sound of the guitars, the picking in one speaker and the distorted echo emphasis in the other. It's like the cavalry's appearing on the horizon.
And then Robin Zander starts telling a story. He's part of the mix. And then...
"So stop what you're doin'
Start on something new"
It's like a choirboy has risen above the troops, a sweetness you thought was impossible in this context.
And then the song swings down...
"I don't know why you mean that much to me
You don't know what it feels like lovin' you
We all know a change is good for you
That's all right, gotta do what you gotta do
Anyway"
Wow, where did all this anger come from? Who's this three dimensional singer who can go from smooth to intense so fast, who can evidence all the emotions of real life?
And then this angry pissed off person sings...
"All I want is a place in your heart to fall into
All I need is someone to love
And tonight it's you, tonight it's you"
He's gone from pissed off to cunning enticement just that fast.
And then we're back to that spacy intro dynamic once again. Whew! It's like reading a book and suddenly finding yourself back at the beginning. Wiser, with another chance.
Then there's a spooky interlude!
"Come to my world
Come away with me"
Huh? It's like they stopped the action and the lead broke character and spoke directly to the audience. It's unnerving...and so right.
And then finally, after four minutes, they settle into the groove, endlessly repeating, imploring you, and you can't resist, because...
TONIGHT IT'S YOU!
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/p6HcZ8
Previous Rhinofy playlists: http://www.rhinofy.com/lefsetz
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DHH
He's my trusted source.
Ever notice how there's no tech help? I think it started with video games, which came without instructions, you were just supposed to figure it out by yourself. Then came the Internet, where everything was FREE! Well, not exactly, you gave up your data in return, but these companies started off with no business model and were making no money and if you thought you could get an answer, you were sorely mistaken.
So who do you turn to?
I don't like Twitter's iPhone app.
I'm overstating the case. You see Twitter's official iPhone app doesn't give me everything I want, and what I want isn't so exotic, I just want a search function that lists each and every mention of me. And if you think I'm trolling for compliments, you're not privy to my feed. That's where the haters say all the nasty things about me. It's like eavesdropping on a party you were not invited to. And it's astounding how many are "journalists." I chalk up their constant stream of put-downs and vitriol to jealousy, but it's never fun to read. But if you're not willing to embrace all feedback, you've got no idea what's really going on.
But Twitter's app doesn't give all this data. It seems if something is mentioned once, the retweets don't appear. And that's when you know they've really got it in for you, when this cabal of "journalists" keeps retweeting the hate, patting each other on the back, proving what a complete idiot I am.
But where do I turn? How do I solve my problem?
At first I just kept dealing with the settings in the official Twitter app. That didn't work out. So I did a bit of research, but was overwhelmed with the input, I don't want to spend a few days testing out Twitter apps, but I do want my problem solved.
And then DHH started to tweet.
DHH... Who's that?
David Heinemeier Hansson. You know, the mainstream media's go-to guy.
Not.
You know the mainstream media. That critical enterprise that always reveals the truth. Like how stocks are overvalued and make no sense to buy...
You don't even read that in the "Wall Street Journal." It's all go, all the time.
But not in DHH's world. All the tech companies...he analyzes the numbers, their future, and he's always right. Because that's the world he lives in. He's the creator of Ruby on Rails... Then again, you probably don't know what that is, and I never use it either, but Ian at Topspin does, it's a web development tool. And DHH wrote "Rework," which I wrote about here: http://bit.ly/91dPVn The money quote being if you're in it to cash out, stay out.
And suddenly, DHH starts tweeting about Twitter apps. Early in the morning of December 6th, he's reviewing Twitterific. And in a series of posts he reveals...
"Of all Twitter apps, though, Echophone for the iPhone is by far my favorite. Good balance between looks and functionality."
So I immediately go to the App Store to check it out. Turns out it's called Echofon and the reviews are stellar! And unlike Amazon, not everything worth checking out gets four and five star reviews in the App Store.
So I download it and...I LOVE IT!
Not only does it solve my problem, revealing each and every mention of me on Twitter, it tells me on the home screen how many new mentions I've got. Even tells me how many new tweets I've got. It's got all the info I thought was gone forever. Voila!
I'm even thinking of upgrading to the paid version, for $4.99. Then again, I'd only get rid of the ad. Meanwhile, the ad is so minor and unobtrusive and there's only one...I'd buy an ad on Echofon in a minute, because you see it!
And now I'm telling you.
Turns out we don't want to hear everybody's opinion. Just that of a couple of people. Who we invest in and trust.
And even though the Internet has decimated help, it's also enabled us to hook up with gurus, in every field, who are trustworthy filters.
And DHH is not trying to build anything on Twitter. His tweets run the gamut from reviews to stock analysis to corporate policy to auto racing. It's like having a best friend you never talk to.
DHH is my trusted filter. And he's the future.
https://twitter.com/dhh
http://david.heinemeierhansson.com
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Ever notice how there's no tech help? I think it started with video games, which came without instructions, you were just supposed to figure it out by yourself. Then came the Internet, where everything was FREE! Well, not exactly, you gave up your data in return, but these companies started off with no business model and were making no money and if you thought you could get an answer, you were sorely mistaken.
So who do you turn to?
I don't like Twitter's iPhone app.
I'm overstating the case. You see Twitter's official iPhone app doesn't give me everything I want, and what I want isn't so exotic, I just want a search function that lists each and every mention of me. And if you think I'm trolling for compliments, you're not privy to my feed. That's where the haters say all the nasty things about me. It's like eavesdropping on a party you were not invited to. And it's astounding how many are "journalists." I chalk up their constant stream of put-downs and vitriol to jealousy, but it's never fun to read. But if you're not willing to embrace all feedback, you've got no idea what's really going on.
But Twitter's app doesn't give all this data. It seems if something is mentioned once, the retweets don't appear. And that's when you know they've really got it in for you, when this cabal of "journalists" keeps retweeting the hate, patting each other on the back, proving what a complete idiot I am.
But where do I turn? How do I solve my problem?
At first I just kept dealing with the settings in the official Twitter app. That didn't work out. So I did a bit of research, but was overwhelmed with the input, I don't want to spend a few days testing out Twitter apps, but I do want my problem solved.
And then DHH started to tweet.
DHH... Who's that?
David Heinemeier Hansson. You know, the mainstream media's go-to guy.
Not.
You know the mainstream media. That critical enterprise that always reveals the truth. Like how stocks are overvalued and make no sense to buy...
You don't even read that in the "Wall Street Journal." It's all go, all the time.
But not in DHH's world. All the tech companies...he analyzes the numbers, their future, and he's always right. Because that's the world he lives in. He's the creator of Ruby on Rails... Then again, you probably don't know what that is, and I never use it either, but Ian at Topspin does, it's a web development tool. And DHH wrote "Rework," which I wrote about here: http://bit.ly/91dPVn The money quote being if you're in it to cash out, stay out.
And suddenly, DHH starts tweeting about Twitter apps. Early in the morning of December 6th, he's reviewing Twitterific. And in a series of posts he reveals...
"Of all Twitter apps, though, Echophone for the iPhone is by far my favorite. Good balance between looks and functionality."
So I immediately go to the App Store to check it out. Turns out it's called Echofon and the reviews are stellar! And unlike Amazon, not everything worth checking out gets four and five star reviews in the App Store.
So I download it and...I LOVE IT!
Not only does it solve my problem, revealing each and every mention of me on Twitter, it tells me on the home screen how many new mentions I've got. Even tells me how many new tweets I've got. It's got all the info I thought was gone forever. Voila!
I'm even thinking of upgrading to the paid version, for $4.99. Then again, I'd only get rid of the ad. Meanwhile, the ad is so minor and unobtrusive and there's only one...I'd buy an ad on Echofon in a minute, because you see it!
And now I'm telling you.
Turns out we don't want to hear everybody's opinion. Just that of a couple of people. Who we invest in and trust.
And even though the Internet has decimated help, it's also enabled us to hook up with gurus, in every field, who are trustworthy filters.
And DHH is not trying to build anything on Twitter. His tweets run the gamut from reviews to stock analysis to corporate policy to auto racing. It's like having a best friend you never talk to.
DHH is my trusted filter. And he's the future.
https://twitter.com/dhh
http://david.heinemeierhansson.com
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Thursday, 6 December 2012
Roundup
1. Hard Day Of The Dead
http://bit.ly/RB7t7I
Watch this video and tell me you don't feel like you missed it!
But that's not why I'm writing about it. Then again, match music with images and you can end up with something greater than the sum of its parts.
But the bottom line is I LOVE this track!
Music, when done right, jolts you right out of your seat, inspires you, makes you come alive. There's no way I can listen to "MYB" by Oliver without twisting my body, shaking my head and pounding the desk. My inhibitions fall away. I can't help but dance to the music.
Come on, put your hands in the air. Don't be afraid. There's nothing wrong with partying.
2. Striking Matches
Got an e-mail about their song "When The Right One Comes Along," featured in last night's "Nashville."
The show has not met expectations, but you've got to laud anything that features brand new music instead of airheads singing yesteryear's hits. This is pretty good. Especially the cover in the show.
There's hope.
3. The Grammy Fiasco
"Who the Hell Is Al Walser and How Did He Get an EDM Grammy Nomination?": http://bit.ly/YEz0Iu
This is what happens when you try to be all things to all people.
I actually thought this year's Grammy noms were good. Finally, the younger generation is wresting this antique giant from the clutches of the oldsters who think they know better. Black Keys, Mumford...one thing you can say, it's not the usual suspects!
Then you've got something like this.
For this to slip through demonstrates that systems are inadequate. Any EDM fan could tell you this was a nonstarter. But no EDM fan was called to vet the nominations.
The real story will come out.
But the point is, they should cancel all those Grammy nominations. You know, the ones that don't make the telecast. Leave the big awards and forget the rest.
I know, I know, the musos will bitch. But if you really think a Grammy will change your life you've probably still got your swim team ribbons. This is America at its worst. Where everybody gets a trophy, where everybody deserves to get into the Hall of Fame, where everybody is a winner.
Acknowledging you in your tiny sliced up category is something for your local group to do, not a national organization. The Grammys make all their money from CBS, not the dues-paying members. If the Grammys were smart, and they're not, they'd put the knife in the back of all these losers who are not known outside their backyard but believe they're entitled to national recognition.
The point is the Grammys are now bigger than the Oscars. The Oscars have lost touch. TV has eclipsed the movies. There's no there there. Whereas music is fresh and direct and if you don't like what we're making today, just wait until tomorrow...
That's the power of institutions. Wait around long enough, and you become relevant.
The Grammys mean more than they ever have before. Credit longevity, credit social media, but don't credit the besuited players who think they're part of a big tent. No, you're not. Grammy is for those who impact everybody. Not Herbie Hancock doing lame covers of Joni Mitchell songs or Steely Dan putting out an album notches below its greatest work. The Grammys are today. Thank god.
4. "The 'Mad Men' Economic Miracle"
http://nyti.ms/YG6XZ2
This is why your cable bill is so high:
"Cable TV has developed one of the most clever business models in our modern economy. Until recently, AMC was a basic-cable backwater known for 'Threes Stooges' marathons. But a few years ago, it tweaked its business and began offering two or three hours of original programming on a few dozen nights a year. Starting with 'Mad Men' in 2007, the network landed hit shows that developed small but obsessive followings. Soon after, it began making larger financial demands of the cable and satellite providers, like Comcast and DirectTV, that carry the network. AMC now charges these providers about 40 cents a month for each subscriber, including the millions who will never watch 'Mad Men' or 'Breaking Bad.' These providers can refuse to pay up, but doing so would infuriate legions of vocal viewers. (Last summer, the Dish Network played chicken with AMC and lost.) AMC collects $30 million a month in fees alone on a base of 80 million subscribers, which is pretty good considering that the last episode of “Breaking Bad†had fewer than three million viewers."
In other words, cable TV is heading for the cliff. This monopoly has such sky high fees they're going to break the model. If you're not thinking of canceling at least part of your cable, you're not a subscriber. It's truly getting cheaper to buy a la carte. Or wait and watch it on Netflix. This is the record business charging $14 for a CD with one good track. Works for a while, then the public revolts.
5. Zappa Scheme
Roxy By Proxy-http://bit.ly/SfJxDw
This is so wrongheaded, thank god it didn't get any traction.
The problem has been solved, they call it Kickstarter. Who in the Zappa camp is so ignorant that they think this is a good idea?
6. Out of Reach: If the Media Covers You, You’d Better Bring an Audience - If an item runs and no one reads it, does it make a sound?
http://bit.ly/SsLTQO
Things are so bad in mainstream media that they want to piggyback on your Twitter feed!
Build your audience, it's all you can depend on. Those reading (or not reading!) about you in mainstream media are grazers, who probably won't become fans anyway.
7. "Tim Cook's Freshman Year"
http://buswk.co/VyGYks
"That's a part of our base principle, that we will only do a few things. And we'll only do things where we can make a significant contribution. I don't mean financially. I mean some significant contribution to the society at large. You know, we want to really enrich people's lives at the end of the day, not just make money. Making money might be a byproduct, but it's not our North Star."
Are you making a difference?
Or is it just about piles of cash.
You want to wake up not only refreshed, but eager to head to work, to continue your mission. Don't be me-too, be cutting edge, that will inspire you and keep you going.
And remember, you can't do everything, be content to do just a few things, well.
8. "'Walking Dead' becomes first cable series to top fall TV ratings"
http://lat.ms/WHi9OK
This is why the major labels have to be very afraid...
While they're chasing trends, the indies are creating them.
And now with distribution flattened, with anybody able to play, we're going to experience even more left field hits.
To the cable subscriber it doesn't matter what channel a show is on, just that it's good.
Remember when you bought the record based on its major label imprimatur?
Neither do I.
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http://bit.ly/RB7t7I
Watch this video and tell me you don't feel like you missed it!
But that's not why I'm writing about it. Then again, match music with images and you can end up with something greater than the sum of its parts.
But the bottom line is I LOVE this track!
Music, when done right, jolts you right out of your seat, inspires you, makes you come alive. There's no way I can listen to "MYB" by Oliver without twisting my body, shaking my head and pounding the desk. My inhibitions fall away. I can't help but dance to the music.
Come on, put your hands in the air. Don't be afraid. There's nothing wrong with partying.
2. Striking Matches
Got an e-mail about their song "When The Right One Comes Along," featured in last night's "Nashville."
The show has not met expectations, but you've got to laud anything that features brand new music instead of airheads singing yesteryear's hits. This is pretty good. Especially the cover in the show.
There's hope.
3. The Grammy Fiasco
"Who the Hell Is Al Walser and How Did He Get an EDM Grammy Nomination?": http://bit.ly/YEz0Iu
This is what happens when you try to be all things to all people.
I actually thought this year's Grammy noms were good. Finally, the younger generation is wresting this antique giant from the clutches of the oldsters who think they know better. Black Keys, Mumford...one thing you can say, it's not the usual suspects!
Then you've got something like this.
For this to slip through demonstrates that systems are inadequate. Any EDM fan could tell you this was a nonstarter. But no EDM fan was called to vet the nominations.
The real story will come out.
But the point is, they should cancel all those Grammy nominations. You know, the ones that don't make the telecast. Leave the big awards and forget the rest.
I know, I know, the musos will bitch. But if you really think a Grammy will change your life you've probably still got your swim team ribbons. This is America at its worst. Where everybody gets a trophy, where everybody deserves to get into the Hall of Fame, where everybody is a winner.
Acknowledging you in your tiny sliced up category is something for your local group to do, not a national organization. The Grammys make all their money from CBS, not the dues-paying members. If the Grammys were smart, and they're not, they'd put the knife in the back of all these losers who are not known outside their backyard but believe they're entitled to national recognition.
The point is the Grammys are now bigger than the Oscars. The Oscars have lost touch. TV has eclipsed the movies. There's no there there. Whereas music is fresh and direct and if you don't like what we're making today, just wait until tomorrow...
That's the power of institutions. Wait around long enough, and you become relevant.
The Grammys mean more than they ever have before. Credit longevity, credit social media, but don't credit the besuited players who think they're part of a big tent. No, you're not. Grammy is for those who impact everybody. Not Herbie Hancock doing lame covers of Joni Mitchell songs or Steely Dan putting out an album notches below its greatest work. The Grammys are today. Thank god.
4. "The 'Mad Men' Economic Miracle"
http://nyti.ms/YG6XZ2
This is why your cable bill is so high:
"Cable TV has developed one of the most clever business models in our modern economy. Until recently, AMC was a basic-cable backwater known for 'Threes Stooges' marathons. But a few years ago, it tweaked its business and began offering two or three hours of original programming on a few dozen nights a year. Starting with 'Mad Men' in 2007, the network landed hit shows that developed small but obsessive followings. Soon after, it began making larger financial demands of the cable and satellite providers, like Comcast and DirectTV, that carry the network. AMC now charges these providers about 40 cents a month for each subscriber, including the millions who will never watch 'Mad Men' or 'Breaking Bad.' These providers can refuse to pay up, but doing so would infuriate legions of vocal viewers. (Last summer, the Dish Network played chicken with AMC and lost.) AMC collects $30 million a month in fees alone on a base of 80 million subscribers, which is pretty good considering that the last episode of “Breaking Bad†had fewer than three million viewers."
In other words, cable TV is heading for the cliff. This monopoly has such sky high fees they're going to break the model. If you're not thinking of canceling at least part of your cable, you're not a subscriber. It's truly getting cheaper to buy a la carte. Or wait and watch it on Netflix. This is the record business charging $14 for a CD with one good track. Works for a while, then the public revolts.
5. Zappa Scheme
Roxy By Proxy-http://bit.ly/SfJxDw
This is so wrongheaded, thank god it didn't get any traction.
The problem has been solved, they call it Kickstarter. Who in the Zappa camp is so ignorant that they think this is a good idea?
6. Out of Reach: If the Media Covers You, You’d Better Bring an Audience - If an item runs and no one reads it, does it make a sound?
http://bit.ly/SsLTQO
Things are so bad in mainstream media that they want to piggyback on your Twitter feed!
Build your audience, it's all you can depend on. Those reading (or not reading!) about you in mainstream media are grazers, who probably won't become fans anyway.
7. "Tim Cook's Freshman Year"
http://buswk.co/VyGYks
"That's a part of our base principle, that we will only do a few things. And we'll only do things where we can make a significant contribution. I don't mean financially. I mean some significant contribution to the society at large. You know, we want to really enrich people's lives at the end of the day, not just make money. Making money might be a byproduct, but it's not our North Star."
Are you making a difference?
Or is it just about piles of cash.
You want to wake up not only refreshed, but eager to head to work, to continue your mission. Don't be me-too, be cutting edge, that will inspire you and keep you going.
And remember, you can't do everything, be content to do just a few things, well.
8. "'Walking Dead' becomes first cable series to top fall TV ratings"
http://lat.ms/WHi9OK
This is why the major labels have to be very afraid...
While they're chasing trends, the indies are creating them.
And now with distribution flattened, with anybody able to play, we're going to experience even more left field hits.
To the cable subscriber it doesn't matter what channel a show is on, just that it's good.
Remember when you bought the record based on its major label imprimatur?
Neither do I.
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Wednesday, 5 December 2012
Passion
We need to believe you believe. That you're just not doing it as a stepping stone. That this is all there is. And you're gonna keep on doing it whether anybody pays attention or not.
Steve Jobs was a prick. But he had a quest for excellence nonpareil. That's what we love about Apple, that's what we love about BMW, the refusal to compromise, the desire to get it right, even when it doesn't count.
You see it's the little things that matter. The features we rarely use but are thrilled you included. The way you not only thank your fans, but the way you do it that evidences your personality.
Passion has to be in your recorded music, in your live presentation. Passion is the key to making fans who will fund your projects on Kickstarter, who will come and see you. They're attracted to that white hot heat, your burning desire to express yourself.
Start there. There's no passion in marketing. That's selling. It can be done well, but ever since Josh Freese broke the paradigm, people think the more innovative the marketing, the greater success you're gonna have. No, the more we can see you having fun, testing limits, the more we're interested, the more we're drawn to you.
Like PSY. It's when he does that dance. You know, when he's fake riding a horse. It's the only thing I can remember about that video and I've seen it a zillion times. Here you've got a chubby man willing to hang it all out there, to do it completely different, risk it all. Yes, there's a thin line between success and failure. So most people play it safe, looking for insurance. But that limits you. We're drawn to the mold breakers.
It's when the original rockers grimaced when they hit the note. The way the drummer bangs the heads so hard they break. The way the bassist nods his noggin like he's pushing a rock up a hill. We can feel it.
Most people are playing by the rules, doing what they don't want to. They're afraid to be themselves, to challenge authority. They're looking to artists for leadership. Sure, John Lennon was a great musician, but we loved him because he was completely uncompromised, he spoke his mind, he could have gotten a girlfriend you liked, who looked like she was out of a magazine, but he picked Yoko Ono because of her mind, because of her passion. Whew!
And we felt it in the early hip-hop hits. Straight outta Compton. They wanted to prove it. And if you didn't pay attention and they had to go back to the ghetto, so be it. But they were gonna give it a fighting chance. Listen to N.W.A. or Public Enemy...
And there's nothing inherently wrong with posing and partying. Just as long as that's not what you're known for.
Bruce Springsteen is an above average songwriter with a serviceable voice but his delivery on stage makes converts to the point where he does great business years on. People believe in him.
Do they believe in you?
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Steve Jobs was a prick. But he had a quest for excellence nonpareil. That's what we love about Apple, that's what we love about BMW, the refusal to compromise, the desire to get it right, even when it doesn't count.
You see it's the little things that matter. The features we rarely use but are thrilled you included. The way you not only thank your fans, but the way you do it that evidences your personality.
Passion has to be in your recorded music, in your live presentation. Passion is the key to making fans who will fund your projects on Kickstarter, who will come and see you. They're attracted to that white hot heat, your burning desire to express yourself.
Start there. There's no passion in marketing. That's selling. It can be done well, but ever since Josh Freese broke the paradigm, people think the more innovative the marketing, the greater success you're gonna have. No, the more we can see you having fun, testing limits, the more we're interested, the more we're drawn to you.
Like PSY. It's when he does that dance. You know, when he's fake riding a horse. It's the only thing I can remember about that video and I've seen it a zillion times. Here you've got a chubby man willing to hang it all out there, to do it completely different, risk it all. Yes, there's a thin line between success and failure. So most people play it safe, looking for insurance. But that limits you. We're drawn to the mold breakers.
It's when the original rockers grimaced when they hit the note. The way the drummer bangs the heads so hard they break. The way the bassist nods his noggin like he's pushing a rock up a hill. We can feel it.
Most people are playing by the rules, doing what they don't want to. They're afraid to be themselves, to challenge authority. They're looking to artists for leadership. Sure, John Lennon was a great musician, but we loved him because he was completely uncompromised, he spoke his mind, he could have gotten a girlfriend you liked, who looked like she was out of a magazine, but he picked Yoko Ono because of her mind, because of her passion. Whew!
And we felt it in the early hip-hop hits. Straight outta Compton. They wanted to prove it. And if you didn't pay attention and they had to go back to the ghetto, so be it. But they were gonna give it a fighting chance. Listen to N.W.A. or Public Enemy...
And there's nothing inherently wrong with posing and partying. Just as long as that's not what you're known for.
Bruce Springsteen is an above average songwriter with a serviceable voice but his delivery on stage makes converts to the point where he does great business years on. People believe in him.
Do they believe in you?
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Why You Can't Get A Good Seat At A Fair Price
Concert tickets are so expensive because of income inequality.
Yes, the Internet allows scalpers and StubHub (the same thing?) to reach a national audience, but in the old days supply exceeded demand to an even greater extent and despite the presence of scalpers, prices were never this high.
The difference is now there's a whole class of people who can afford these high prices. Kind of like professional sports. Used to be you went to the game on a regular basis, now you go once or twice a year, when someone offers you tickets or you splurge or you sit in the cheap seats.
Corporations have luxury boxes and individuals have senate seats. They don't really care what the price is, they just want to be inside. Furthermore, access gives them bragging rights, separating themselves from the hoi polloi. Not just anybody can be inside!
So we've got a dividing line. Between rich and poor. And there's not much territory in between. Which is why everybody's fighting to be on the right side, the wealthy side, like the artists.
It's not so much that the Internet ruined the musician's business model than it takes a whole hell of a lot more money to be rich in today's world. And that's where the artists want to be. Flying private, staying in the best hotels, leasing exotic European cars. Check the price of a NetJet share and then get back to me. The rich execs all fly private. Do you expect any self-respecting rock star to fly commercial?
Of course not, so who pays?
You do.
And American Express. Subsidizing the tour along with the rest of the Fortune 500. The hoi polloi don't even have AmEx cards. They don't even know what they're missing. They never get the e-mail. They sit in their bathrobes on Saturday morning clicking to buy seats unaware that in many cases ninety percent have already been sold. Yes, the acts are about as honest as the CEOs. Exactly how much did Mitt Romney pay in taxes the last ten years? You don't need to know that.
And the acts could get better tickets in the hands of the punters but then they'd make less. And, as we can see above, they don't want to do this. Paperless allows true fans to go. But it's hard to overcharge. And then there's the fees. Which if you think all go to Ticketmaster you probably believe Obama was born in Kenya and was educated in a madrassa.
And then there's the music itself. When I went to college, no one was planning for the future, an education was an end unto itself. You smoked dope and listened to records, which is why boomers are so music-savvy. But today people think about a career before they enter the hallowed halls. They're overpaying, far beyond the rate of inflation, for a ticket to a better way of life. Like the acts, college students don't want to be left behind, kind of like the administration and the coaches, who can make millions a year. No one's gonna take a risk being a musician. No one wants to get off track. So the only people making music are the lower classes who'll do anything for a buck. And are uneducated to boot. Show me an intellectual playing music and if you scratch the surface I guarantee you'll find a plan B, professional school or tech development or...anything but doubling down and starving until you make it.
And when you complain about all this, no one's listening. No one's changing operations. Ticket prices have only gone up. Label execs need their salaries. No one's going to admit there's a problem, they're too busy chasing the big money.
So all you're left with is the records. Which are free. You can steal 'em or listen on YouTube. And the musicians bitch to high heaven. Saying you're ripping them off. But who's at fault here? Should you really pay in excess of ten bucks for an album you don't want to hear in order to get the one single you do?
You can watch the game at home on TV. You can listen to the music.
But getting inside is a whole 'nother matter. Especially sitting up close. Either you have to give up your vacation or say no.
So you go to fewer shows.
And the developing acts complain you won't take a risk.
But at these prices, who would?
P.S. So you see what we've got here is a societal problem. If anything, concert tickets are the leading edge, where the rubber meets the road, but you can take this paradigm and extend it throughout society. Hell, poor people can't afford to go to college. Meanwhile, we're fighting amongst ourselves while those in charge are laughing behind the scenes. And since it all comes down to money, the rich have been embellished with all kinds of characteristics that are in many cases inaccurate. Rich doesn't always mean intelligent and insightful, oftentimes it just means lucky. So, I ask you, how does it feel, to get such a raw deal? Only you can change it, because no one else cares, they don't want to lose their place in line, they're gonna kick and scream and refuse to fall back. America is not the land of giving, but taking. And you can't take away that which someone already has. They're protecting that turf, while they're trying to take even more.
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Yes, the Internet allows scalpers and StubHub (the same thing?) to reach a national audience, but in the old days supply exceeded demand to an even greater extent and despite the presence of scalpers, prices were never this high.
The difference is now there's a whole class of people who can afford these high prices. Kind of like professional sports. Used to be you went to the game on a regular basis, now you go once or twice a year, when someone offers you tickets or you splurge or you sit in the cheap seats.
Corporations have luxury boxes and individuals have senate seats. They don't really care what the price is, they just want to be inside. Furthermore, access gives them bragging rights, separating themselves from the hoi polloi. Not just anybody can be inside!
So we've got a dividing line. Between rich and poor. And there's not much territory in between. Which is why everybody's fighting to be on the right side, the wealthy side, like the artists.
It's not so much that the Internet ruined the musician's business model than it takes a whole hell of a lot more money to be rich in today's world. And that's where the artists want to be. Flying private, staying in the best hotels, leasing exotic European cars. Check the price of a NetJet share and then get back to me. The rich execs all fly private. Do you expect any self-respecting rock star to fly commercial?
Of course not, so who pays?
You do.
And American Express. Subsidizing the tour along with the rest of the Fortune 500. The hoi polloi don't even have AmEx cards. They don't even know what they're missing. They never get the e-mail. They sit in their bathrobes on Saturday morning clicking to buy seats unaware that in many cases ninety percent have already been sold. Yes, the acts are about as honest as the CEOs. Exactly how much did Mitt Romney pay in taxes the last ten years? You don't need to know that.
And the acts could get better tickets in the hands of the punters but then they'd make less. And, as we can see above, they don't want to do this. Paperless allows true fans to go. But it's hard to overcharge. And then there's the fees. Which if you think all go to Ticketmaster you probably believe Obama was born in Kenya and was educated in a madrassa.
And then there's the music itself. When I went to college, no one was planning for the future, an education was an end unto itself. You smoked dope and listened to records, which is why boomers are so music-savvy. But today people think about a career before they enter the hallowed halls. They're overpaying, far beyond the rate of inflation, for a ticket to a better way of life. Like the acts, college students don't want to be left behind, kind of like the administration and the coaches, who can make millions a year. No one's gonna take a risk being a musician. No one wants to get off track. So the only people making music are the lower classes who'll do anything for a buck. And are uneducated to boot. Show me an intellectual playing music and if you scratch the surface I guarantee you'll find a plan B, professional school or tech development or...anything but doubling down and starving until you make it.
And when you complain about all this, no one's listening. No one's changing operations. Ticket prices have only gone up. Label execs need their salaries. No one's going to admit there's a problem, they're too busy chasing the big money.
So all you're left with is the records. Which are free. You can steal 'em or listen on YouTube. And the musicians bitch to high heaven. Saying you're ripping them off. But who's at fault here? Should you really pay in excess of ten bucks for an album you don't want to hear in order to get the one single you do?
You can watch the game at home on TV. You can listen to the music.
But getting inside is a whole 'nother matter. Especially sitting up close. Either you have to give up your vacation or say no.
So you go to fewer shows.
And the developing acts complain you won't take a risk.
But at these prices, who would?
P.S. So you see what we've got here is a societal problem. If anything, concert tickets are the leading edge, where the rubber meets the road, but you can take this paradigm and extend it throughout society. Hell, poor people can't afford to go to college. Meanwhile, we're fighting amongst ourselves while those in charge are laughing behind the scenes. And since it all comes down to money, the rich have been embellished with all kinds of characteristics that are in many cases inaccurate. Rich doesn't always mean intelligent and insightful, oftentimes it just means lucky. So, I ask you, how does it feel, to get such a raw deal? Only you can change it, because no one else cares, they don't want to lose their place in line, they're gonna kick and scream and refuse to fall back. America is not the land of giving, but taking. And you can't take away that which someone already has. They're protecting that turf, while they're trying to take even more.
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Tuesday, 4 December 2012
Mailbag
Subject: Priceless Video
Dear Mr. Lefsetz,
We have read your recent blog about our son, Joshua, and we are honored that you chose him and his Ryan Adam's review as your topic. Thank you so much for your kind words and inspiring statements. Joshua was very excited to read it and equally thrilled with all the positive feedback he received on his YouTube as a result. You will be happy to know that in spite of all the attention he is otherwise unaffected. He will continue to review the music that moves him and only when he wants to because he does this for fun:)
What is most impressive is that you really "get it" and your understanding of what his reviews are all about were on the mark. As parents many of your words brought us to tears. It is one thing to know how special your kid is but it is quite another to have others notice and share it with the world.
It is obvious that you realize that there is more to his story than his video shows and we feel that you might be interested in the rest of the story (which we share only because we feel a connection - we are a "no agenda" family:). Joshua is our only child and he was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy when he was 2 years old and then autism when he was 5 years old. We have always known that we had a "special" kid in a good way. Often when we tell people about his obstacles they are saddened but we say he is the happiest kid in the world and it is true. We agree that the internet is wonderful thing because it has connected him to people and things that interest him. It has truly been a tool to bring out the best in a boy that did not talk until he was 4 years old.
He is now 11 years old and he is passionate about music, cooking, and movies. One day he hopes to be chef and own a restaurant called Cafe Kirk and he already has a menu for it. He also plans to be a singer/songwriter and he has already written lyrics to about 10 songs. We have received offers for him to review music for online magazines and to have his videos previewed on other media outlets before they go on YouTube. Quite frankly we are overwhelmed by all of this and don't want deny him an opportunity that might help him in his future but at the same time we don't want to ruin it for him. Any thoughts you have on this issue would be appreciated since we are quite naive in this arena.
Thank you for taking an interest in Joshua,
Sincerely,
Diane and Steve Kirk
______
My note back:
My audience LOVED Joshua! Got a ton of e-mail about his videos.
As for accepting the offers below…
1. I am not a parent.
2. The entertainment business is sleazy and treats people badly. They want your child today, for the novelty effect, and there's a good chance they will be done with him tomorrow. Can your child handle the disappointment? See the documentary on HBO about Chris Crocker:
http://connect.hbo.com/events/documentaries/chris-crocker-chat/
He got famous on the Net for a YouTube clip saying "Leave Britney Alone" (after she shaved her head), got flown to L.A., did all kinds of deals, then was forgotten and is now doing porn.
Or Rebecca Black. Who had a gigantic YouTube video and then was ridiculed and dropped out of school only to find she had no career.
Then again, Joshua is already on YouTube…
I dreamed of being a child actor (delusionally, I lived in a suburb in CT), but if I had a kid today I would never let him be one, or chase fame, because it's almost always fleeting. Get an education, reach your twenties…then, when you're more experienced and emotionally mature, take a chance.
Really, you have a special kid. Warms my heart just to watch him online.
Bob Lefsetz
______________________________________
Subject: Re: Re-Heart Like A Wheel
Bob,
I totally agree with Peter, Linda is a benchmark for sure and raised the bar for everyone!
She should be in the R & R hall of Fame without a doubt.
Val Garay
PS As for Andy Gold he will be missed!
______________________________________
Subject: Re: Re-Heart Like A Wheel
Bob
I had the pleasure of working with Linda on Silk Purse album. To me, aside from being a fantastic singer, she had an amazing song sense. She knew how to pick songs that would flatter her. The musicians loved working with her and I was thrilled that a few songs on that album had live vocals. She surrounded herself with talented people such as Peter Asher and John Boylan.
Elliot Mazer
______________________________________
Subject: Re: Re-Heart Like A Wheel
Bob,
I'm with all of you; I sang two or three thing eye to eye, live, on one mike with Linda, (with George M. engineering on one occasion, and JD singing on another), and they were without exception exceptionally thrilling,
Craig Fuller
______________________________________
From: John Boylan
Subject: Re: Re-Heart Like A Wheel
Hey Bob,
Thanks for the kind words about Linda Ronstadt. You've articulated a feeling that runs throughout the music community: why, indeed, is she not in the Hall of Fame?
Just a small addendum to your piece on "Heart Like A Wheel." I was fortunate enough to play on the session for "You Can Close Your Eyes," which took place at the old Clover Studio in Hollywood. As usual, Linda sang along with the musicians, a tremendous plus when you're trying to find the perfect feel for a song. I remember many sessions in the 70s where the singer wasn't even at the studio when we cut the track.
The band was a group of players that Peter and Linda had chosen that was certainly one of the most stellar assemblages I was ever part of: Andrew Gold on piano, Timothy B. Schmit on bass, Don Henley on drums, Glenn Frey and I on acoustic guitars. I learned a lot about producing records from Peter that night - he seemed to know exactly what was needed to pull the players together.
When I listen back to it now, I can recall the session as if it were yesterday. Yes, it's James Taylor's song, and yes, I love his version of it, but Linda's is just as good in a different way. That happens more often than you think, two versions of a song that both work in their own way. Think "I Heard It Through The Grapevine," originally done by Gladys Knight and then in a different way by Marvin Gaye. Both valid. Or "Respect" by Aretha and Otis.
There's a recent re-issue of "Heart Like A Wheel" that's about to come out. It's been re-mastered from a high-definition digital transfer of the original analog master tape, much closer to the vinyl record than the first CD issue. You should check it out.
Best,
JB
______________________________________
From: Arny Schorr
Subject: RE: Rhinofy-Heart Like A Wheel
Bob,
As part of the major labels ceasing to offer deep catalog titles, RockBeat Records was able to license "Heart Like A Wheel" from Capitol. We were quite frankly amazed that this gem would be available and decided we wanted to do something special with the re-release.
Linda has very strong feelings about her recordings so we were thrilled she felt strongly enough about "Heart Like A Wheel" to be involved in the re-issue. We had Linda's manager, John Boylan, re-master the CD/LP from High Def masters obtained from Capitol and we added bonus tracks of the original mono singles of "You're No Good" and "When Will I Be Loved"...everything sounds better than the original mix.
We're proud of the new mix, it sounds much better than the original and it's a fitting tribute to Linda's brilliance.
Arny
______________________________________
Subject: RE: Rhinofy-Heart Like A Wheel
I'll try to help frame this stream with a slightly different sheen. Linda had/has an incredible voice...an instrument like almost no other singer, yes, but she also was to me a living band instrument without ever "showing off" her chops. In 1968 Chris Darrow came to my house in Claremont (where he also lived) and suggested I call "this girl singer" he'd heard at the Troubadour. He was in the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band at the time and knew me as a guitar player, but he guessed I was still a drummer, and a drummer from Oklahoma at that. Armed with an invitation to come to her house in Santa Monica, I knocked on her door with an audition ahead. She opened and said "hey, I know you!" Indeed we met a couple of years earlier when I was in a short lived group with Levon Helm, Jesse Ed Davis, and Junior Markham that rehearsed in the house in which she lived. Somehow I never auditioned that day. For the next few years on and off I was a permanent student in the Roundie Grad School of Country Rock. She thought I was the answer to the question "where do the best country rock drummers come from?" True or not, her belief in my playing put me on a serious pathway that led to Michael Nesmith (who wrote her first radio hit) and to Emmylou Harris (who I met with Linda ), and both of those doors opened to big personal career steps. Linda is the dean of the school. Her absolutely spot-on taste made the LA music scene of the early '70's what it was. One more aside - I've always had the same mixes in my monitor onstage: kick, snare, bass guitar...except with Linda. I ALWAYS had her voice beside me. I so looked forward to every show we played...to hear that voice...truly inspirational...THE sound of LA country rock.
John Ware
______________________________________
Subject: Re: Rhinofy-Heart Like A Wheel
Hi Bob,
I'd like to add to those proposing that Linda be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. That's a no-brainer! When my band Shiloh (me, Don Henley, Al Perkins, Jim Ed Norman & Mike Bowden) broke up, Don, Mike and I joined Linda's band along with Glenn Frey in late 1970. When Don and Glenn left to form the Eagles, Mike and I stayed with Linda and she added Mickey McGee on drums and Ed Black on steel guitar. Gib Gilbeau (fiddle) and Herb Pedersen (banjo/guitar) would also tour with us frequently. We all left Linda's band during the recording of Don't Cry Now when Linda decided to take a hiatus.
We are the band that got her to learn You're No Good, Respect and some other great cover songs, on which she ALWAYS topped the original recordings with her version. When she came out of hiatus, we all had gone on to other gigs and I was replaced by Andrew Gold. She also changed producers from John Boylan and J.D. Souther to Peter Asher. Peter picked up the pieces and used several tracks that we had recorded under Boylan, one or two that J.D. produced and then Peter produced the rest of the album. Certainly You're No Good really put her on the map.
I did go back and tour with Linda on the Ronstadt/Jackson Browne tour when Andrew Gold couldn't make it. I just corresponded with Linda a couple of days ago to see if she would participate on a Jackson Browne tribute album that is being recorded soon in Austin (the producer contacted me in trying to reach Linda). Much to my dismay, Linda said she was "having a severe case of being 66 and had retired completely from singing." What a loss to the world of music. If there's any way I can help make sure Linda makes it into the Hall of Fame, please let me know.
Regards,
Richard Bowden
______________________________________
From: Jeff Laufer
Subject: Re: Rhinofy-Heart Like A Wheel
Dear Bob,
The Stones were playing in Tucson and I was told to bring country radio programmers to the show and have a "sit down" with Mick regarding the track, "Far Away Eyes".
I had about 4 P.D's accept the invitation.
When it came to the actual meeting time Keith Richards walks into the dressing room with Linda Ronstadt. Tucson is her home town. Linda, in a very loquacious fashion, told them directly they better add the record if they ever wanted her to do promos anymore.
I was stunned!
As it turned out, they all added the record, giving it minimal spins.
But I will never forget their faces when Linda walked in!
As we all know Mick is very shrewd and he pulled me to the side and asked me why the station in Bakersfield didn't show.
The station, KUZZ, in Bakersfield was owned by Buck Owens and his son, Buddy, ran the place. My relationship with Buddy was friendly because I helped their F.M. rock station, KKXX with many favors. Buddy came with his family to see Foreigner when they played in town and his kids met the band.
Anyway, Buddy said, "No Way!, I don't care if it's the pope asking me to play a Rolling Stones song!"
Now, I was the lackey that had to tell Mick that Bakersfield was a "no go."
Mick's assistant asked me for Buddy's phone number so that he could call and get Linda on the phone with him.
As the story ended, KUZZ never would play the record but Mick told Buddy that he was a big Buck Owens fan.
Jeff
______________________________________
Subject: Re: Fleetwood Mac On The Road
Hi Bob;
It's sad about Fleetwood Mac.
The last several tours were primarily to bail out MIck, who gets rid of money like nobody else. Christine went along twice for that reason, but she doesn't need the money, and she doesn't want to hang out with John, so she's not going.
Lindsey and Stevie have tried solo albums, but they came around too late for the real music fans of the late '60s - early '70s. By 1980 most of us had put flower power aside in order to earn a living, and our heroes were already cast.
Peter, Mick and John were among them, and Christine came along in '71, in time to be a part of the rock 'n roll heyday. It's over, and not likely to happen again, in my opinion.
Regards,
_____ ______
______________________________________
From: Danny Zelisko
Subject: RE: Fleetwood Mac On The Road
FM will always tour. As long as someone puts up the dough, people will buy the tickets, and they will tour. This is what they do. And they are used to huge numbers. Overall, they make money.
Their same old thing is better than most, we just get used to it and expect fireworks like when we were kids. Bottom line, people love the music of these acts that have gotten along in life, with us, and good for them. That’s the fireworks. They are still a huge band/name/draw.
Christine McVie is old news, no one cares if she is there or not, but for only a few purists, like you or me. She is a great part of the band’s history, but all people care about is that it is FLEETWOOD MAC. I booked Christine on her solo tour in ‘84 or 85 when Tom Ross opened a new agency called CAA. It was one of the new agency’s first bookings. It stiffed so bad I had to cancel all 3 dates and pay her in full (and save money), due to her budget, expenses and a mercenary manager, what was that guy’s name? Prick. He was such a jerk about it. It’s not how much you make sometimes, but how much you avoid losing. I lost less paying her $50000 including her production to NOT sing a note. Never saw her or heard her sing on that tour, for 50k. Makes me kind of ill when I think about it.
You are right about the ticket prices. They are always out of control which explains why a lot of bands who are HUGE in our world do less than great numbers, not because people don’t care. It just gets to be “Enough already guys! We saw you when you were truly an item and paid less.†No one considers inflation because it has been somewhat of a cash grab along, hasn’t it.
Bottom line, it is a value to see these people who still come to visit with these mighty bands. Some of us have died, are broke, no longer care, whatever, but for those who are lucky enough to again go see someone do their thing in concert, for the umpteenth time, they are happy and I continue to be happy to help them see their favorites.
I hope they do a tribute to Bob Welch in the show. He deserves it. And he deserves to be in the hall of fame with FM. His albums were every bit as good/better, just not as big of sellers, as FM’s best. Without question. Bare trees? Future games? Come on!!! Heroes are hard to find, indeed!!!
______________________________________
From: Kevin Donnelly
Subject: RE: Paperless In Little Rock
Bob-- further tidbit for you. I too was approached by Ticketmaster about employing paperless ticket sales, at my Arena (MTS Centre) in Winnipeg, Canada. I jumped at the chance, and independently came up with virtually the exact same application of paperless as Michael-- about 25-33% of the house, regardless of the setting. In Feb 2009, with the blessing of the management at Q Prime, a Metallica show went on sale as our 1st "paperless event".
We've hosted probably 250 shows since then-- names like Bieber, Petty, Elton, KISS, Motley, McGraw, Swift, Chesney, Lady A, Pearl Jam, Waters and many, many others... all of them with 25-30% of the house as paperless. I know the detractors will say "it's only Winnipeg" or "it's only Little Rock", but at the end of the day, it's hundreds of thousands of tickets annually, it's a real slice of the business and it works. We are able to curtail the scalping, and suppress the resale prices. They can't inflate the farther seats to the same degree as our "protected zone" of paperless seats... and no grandma has ever been unable to find a way for us to get her granddaughter in...the fact that the grand daughter is able to get the ticket at face value is the achievement we strive for.
The scalper/ Stubhub fuelled lobby that is trying is suppress the expansion of paperless by claiming that grandma's can't get tickets to their grandkids, or confusing the issue by demanding to see the inventory of available seats before they go on sale, are aggressive, and need to be defeated.
Join Michael's Fans First Coalition. Acts and venues need to utilize paperless in your prime seats. It's never cost me a show, it 's never cost any of our incoming artists a single ticket sold.
The scalpers HATE it, the fans LOVE it.
Kevin Donnelly, Sr VP, General Manager, MTS Centre
P.S. Every show (like Michael's venue) has an allocation of paperless seats since February, 2009-- always the prime seats-- 1st couple sections near the stage and first 10-15 rows on the floor, depending on overall capacity of the show. Try to hit the 25% mark for all shows. NO ISSUES.
______________________________________
Subject: FW: Paperless In Little Rock
Who know it would take Arkansas to show the NY and Chicago and Hollywood titans how the business should be run. I applaud Michael and I applaud you for writing this. I am sending it to every Front Line artist. Thanks Bob. Irving. Yes you can print this.
______________________________________
From: Paul Brady
Subject: Paul Brady
Hi Bob,
Thanks for the recent article on my songs and I'm glad they still hit the spot. I couldn't connect to the Spotify link as Ireland only let them in a couple of days ago, one of the last countries to do so. No one in the Irish musical fraternity is jumping around with delight, however, for the obvious reasons which you've often highlighted.
Life is good. I'm writing to you from a diving holiday in Cabo Verde islands somewhere between Senegal and Brazil. Still writing songs, recording and playing live. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. I built an audience many years ago which has kept steadily growing and I can play much anywhere on the planet where there is an Irish presence...which, since the current global financial farce, is pretty much everywhere...though I don't get over your way much these days, except for a few gigs on the east coast once every year or two or an occasional trip to Nashville. It doesn't make a lot of sense budget-wise at the level I've remained at in USA...and that won't increase hugely unless I spend months there gigging every year, which I don't want to do.
Anyway, I really enjoy your output....don't agree with everything!...but that's ok. Keep her lit, as we say in Ireland..
Best wishes
Paul Brady
http://www.facebook.com/paulbradymusic
http://www.paulbrady.com
https://twitter.com/hoobadooba
______________________________________
Subject: Artist fee quote absurdity - Jackson Browne
Hey Bob,
Here's some insider info for you. Please keep my name off it. I'm the talent buyer a 2000-cap east coast room. Jackson Browne's acoustic tour just quoted me $60k for a show plus $10k for artist-carted production. All of that is bad enough b/c it means Mr. Occupy Movement's monetary needs will force us to charge patrons $50-$100.
$10k production for an acoustic show?? For what, two dozen moving lights? An LED Backdrop?? A leslie cabinet and hammond organ?? What the fuck are they talking about?
Oh, but wait, there's more! There's the $2500 catering request. And the $1500 for opening act. And the 30 comp tickets. And the request to waive any house commission on cd sales (what, are we a fucking CHARITY??), and the 200 tickets set aside for VIP sales (god only know what those tickets will cost), and best of all - they want us to pay a buyout fee on his two buses!!! Are you fucking joking? Since when did a physical cost of touring become MY expense? Haul your sorry asses here on your own dime, you cheapskate. Oh, and also the tour wants us to add $1/ticket (patron pays this) for an artist-selected charity. How about you open up your fucking wallet and pay for it yourself, douchebag?
Does anyone care about the fan anymore at all?
______________________________________
From: Samuel H. Jones
Subject: RE: Advice
I played on a couple of TV shows when I was a gigging musician. A couple of local news shows. I remember after we performed for a morning show, the singer was thinking we had it made. We got some mentions from friends and acquaintances, but that was it. No increase in album sales or song downloads, no increase in audience numbers, etc. (as far as I know anyway). This was all three-four years ago. The one band I played with is now defunct and the other singer is still slogging it out.
The traditional methods of publicity don't work and they don't work because most people who play on those shows suck or the shows just don't have enough penetration. Most people with serious taste in music (at least the ones I know) don't watch these shows, and the ones who do watch them generally are not avid music followers. They're not going to spend money and travel to a show to see a band in a crappy club just because they heard them on some TV morning news show, even if the band was better than average. Gotta make great music and play it to the right people. Until then, doesn't matter how much people see your face on TV.
______________________________________
Subject: Re: Everybody Knows - Some Interesting Facts
Bob,
I am sure someone has sent you some of these links, but having started doing some work in a mobile technology startup in addition to the music management stuff I do I found your post today very interesting. Some of the stats are pretty interesting when you dig down into the data, and I have included source data as some of the facts when read aloud can seem unreal.
As always, thanks for the interesting discussion.
Shawn
___
TWITTER
.05% (about 20k users) of the Twitter population accounts for almost 50% of site traffic.
From Cornell / Yahoo Research Paper - http://research.yahoo.com/pub/3386
25% of users have never Tweeted (that's 50 million accounts)
81% of users have under 50 followers
6% have zero followers
10% don't follow anyone
From Another study by Beevolve
From Blog at 140 Conference in New York. "According to Betaworks CEO John Borthwick, the half-life of a tweet is four minutes. What that means is that half of the total clicks of a link within a tweet come in the first four minutes of when it is posted on Twitter. Yikes!"
EMAIL
Most studies put open rates somewhere between 11% and 19% so in a best case scenario 80 of every 100 emails go into space….
http://www.mailermailer.com/resources/metrics/2012/open-rates.rwp
http://mailchimp.com/resources/research/email-marketing-benchmarks-by-industry/ - 2010 study
In September 2012 75% of all email sent was Spam, which explains why most of it is tuned out.
http://www.symantec.com/security_response/landing/spam/
APPS
According to most sources about 35% of Apps are used 2 or less times then discarded.
http://www.localytics.com/blog/2011/26percent-of-mobile-app-users-are-either-fickle-or-loyal/
Take a look at 90 day retention rates for Music and Entertainment apps. Somewhat Low Frequency of Use, and under 35% retention for entertainment, and 20% for music.
But Streaming shoots up to 8+ uses per week, but also with a low retention rate
http://blog.flurry.com/bid/90743/App-Engagement-The-Matrix-Reloaded
MOBILE
With people 25 and under Texting has become Primary Communication mode. Email as those under 25 tend to say "is for old people" and in a recent study College students viewed texting as their "#1 form of writing and cell phones as their "primary writing tools"
http://wide.msu.edu/special/writinglives/
18-24 year olds average 3,200 texts per month
According to Pew Internet Study http://pewinternet.org/Commentary/2012/February/Pew-Internet-Mobile.aspx
14 year old girls shoot up to 4,700
In the US we send almost as many texts per month in 2012 as we did for the entire year of 2007, about 200 BILLION and in 2013 Text messages sent will likely eclipse voice minutes used in the US in 2013 at about 2.35 TRILLION
___
Shawn Radley
Developing Artist Management and Booking
______________________________________
Subject: Re: Jimmie Walker On Maron
Bob -
Jimmie and I went to DeWitt Clinton HS in the Bronx in the early 60's, although he graduated from another one because of too many absences. He was fast friends with a neighborhood buddy, Marty Nadler, who later became a writer, stand up comic and executive story editor for Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days and Mork & Mindy. We all grew up in Garry and Penny Marshall's neighborhood, so Marty was introduced to Garry by a mutual friend, Richie LeBost ,who was Garry and Penny's first cousin.
Jimmie was at his funniest in those days as he was already honing his skills in Manhattan doing standup at 16 when we were chasing girls (Clinton was all boys). A truly nice guy, with a big heart, Jimmie endeared himself to anyone who ever met him, including the teachers who had to give him bad grades.
Many years later, during my time with PolyGram and BoardWalk, Marty would come visit the office when in from LA and Jimmie would sometimes tag along. Through Marty, one of the funniest people on earth, I secured a deal for Casablanca (which I was in the midst of acquiring) for Robin Williams first album..."Reality, what a Concept".
By the way, aside from the Marshall's and Marty, the neighborhood spawned Calvin Klein, Robert Klein, Ralph Lifshitz (Lauren) and Roy Drillick....the real "Fonz".
Happy Days indeed.
Regards,
Rick Pardo
______________________________________
From: Raj Bahadur
Subject: Re: Jimmie Walker On Maron
"...Lou Adler. Who is now known as the guy who sits next to Jack Nicholson at Laker games, but once was the arbiter of what was cool and hip, who not only worked with Jan & Dean, the Mamas and the Papas, Monterey Pop and ultimately Carole King, but signed Cheech & Chong..."
SO WHY ISN'T LOU ADLER IN THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME???!!! This is a travesty. I've been trumpeting Adler's absence for years to anyone who'd listen, including a couple of voters whom I know on the nominating committee. I get no argument from them. But it takes more than just a couple of voters. Peruse the list of non-performers in the Hall. Arguably, they have the credentials. But how many of them have Lou Adler's credentials? When you read his Wikipedia résumé, it makes his absence all the more ridiculous. Maybe you can highlight the situation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Adler
______________________________________
From: Seymour Stein
Subject: RE: Rhinofy-Heart Like A Wheel
I could not agree more that Linda Ronstadt belongs in the Rock and Roll of Fame. I do believe her admission is inevitable, too bad it's so long overdue.
Feel the same about the Moody Blues, Chuck Willis, Joe Tex, The Searchers, Carly Simon, Chicago and many others.
Thanks for your mention of "Tainted Love". So proud to have had Soft Cell on Sire. Thought it was a natural, took so long to work its way up the chart and it spent a total of 43 weeks on the hot 100 as it broke from city to city. "Tainted Love" was written by Ed Cobb, leader of the 1950's group, the Four Preps; most famous for hits "Twenty Six Miles" and "Big Man". I loved their spoof on groups "More Money for You and Me", not quite as big a hit but memorable.
In your discussion of songwriters who are also artists. Please remember that Bobby Darin wrote "Early in the Morning", recorded under the name the Rinkidinks on ATCO which was also a hit for Buddy Holly.
Hall of Famer, Gene Pitney actually started as a songwriter, writing hits like "Hello Mary Lou" for Ricky Nelson, "Rubber Ball" for Bobby Vee and "He's a Rebel" for the Crystals. All this came before his first
solo hit, "The Man who Shot Liberty Valance". Gene is best remembered for "Only Love can Break a Heart" and "It Hurts to be in Love".
Country great Don Gibson wrote "I Can't Stop Loving You" and stuck it on the b side of his country/pop smash "Oh Lonesome Me". He actually wrote it for Kitty Wells, "Queen of country music" who took it to number three on the country charts in 1958. Other versions in country included Faron Young in 1956, Patsy Cline in 1963 and Emmy Lou Harris in 1976.
"Oh Lonesome Me" was recorded by Neil Young on "After the Gold Rush" LP.
"I Can't Stop Loving You" changed the life and career of Ray Charles as it was the prime track on his "Modern Sounds" in Country and Western music. The single was Ray Charles biggest ever, same with the album.
Joe South, country singer songwriter most famous for "Games People Play" back in 1969 is also the writer of "Down in the Boondocks" by Billie Joe Royal. "Hush" by Deep Purple and Billie Joe Royal, "I never Promised You a Rose Garden" by Lynn Anderson and "Birds of a feather" by Paul Revere and the Raiders.
The great Ivory Joe Hunter who surely belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is perhaps best known for "Since I Met You Baby" which he wrote and recorded for Atlantic back in 1956. The song became a number one country hit years later by Sonny James. Hunter also wrote, "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" for doo wop group, the 5 Keys and three Elvis Presley songs "Ain't That Loving You Baby", "My Wish Came True" and "I Need You So".
When I first heard Tim Hardin, I thought he would have an incredible career as singer songwriter. Tragically, his life was cut short but not before writing some of the great songs of the 1960's and 70's including, "Reasons to Believe", "If I Were a Carpenter", "The Lady Came from Baltimore", "Misty Roses", "Don't Make Promises" and also "How Nice We Hang on to a Dream", recorded by Echo and the Bunnymen on Sire.
The songwriter is the key to everything. So great you spent so much
time outlining this in your recent blog post.
Glad you made mention of Hank Williams, my all-time favorite. I'm sure you're familiar with songs he wrote and recorded under the name Luke the Drifter like "Pictures from Life's other Side" and "Be Careful of the Stones That you Throw", a hit years later for Dion (DiMucci)
Pat Boone who I feel is somewhat underrated because of his pop cover versions of songs by Fats Domino, Little Richard and others recorded "I Almost Lost My Mind", in my opinion Hunter's best ever song and Boone's best ever recording. Was not technically a cover because Hunter's recording was from 1950, Boone's from 1956 when it spent four weeks at number one. . . . . . same year Elvis was at number 1 with "Heartbreak Hotel", "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You", "Don't be Cruel"/"Hound Dog" and "Love Me Tender".
Dion, who gave up his seat to Buddy Holly on that an ill-fated plane. Buddy was anxious to get back to his bride, Maria Elena.
Finally, can't leave out of the list J.D Souther, whose songs like "New
Kid in Town" and "Best of my Love" are classics, but was a damn good artist as well.
All the best,
Seymour
P.S Hardly ever write responses although I am an avid reader. Feeling quite sentimental this past week. The passing of several friends, some unexpected like Pete Bennett and Mickey 'Guitar' Baker. Others who have been sick for a very long time like legendary live agent Frank Barsalona and Broadway producer, Marty Richards. Please see link below and attached email.
http://bit.ly/Y1JFNa
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Dear Mr. Lefsetz,
We have read your recent blog about our son, Joshua, and we are honored that you chose him and his Ryan Adam's review as your topic. Thank you so much for your kind words and inspiring statements. Joshua was very excited to read it and equally thrilled with all the positive feedback he received on his YouTube as a result. You will be happy to know that in spite of all the attention he is otherwise unaffected. He will continue to review the music that moves him and only when he wants to because he does this for fun:)
What is most impressive is that you really "get it" and your understanding of what his reviews are all about were on the mark. As parents many of your words brought us to tears. It is one thing to know how special your kid is but it is quite another to have others notice and share it with the world.
It is obvious that you realize that there is more to his story than his video shows and we feel that you might be interested in the rest of the story (which we share only because we feel a connection - we are a "no agenda" family:). Joshua is our only child and he was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy when he was 2 years old and then autism when he was 5 years old. We have always known that we had a "special" kid in a good way. Often when we tell people about his obstacles they are saddened but we say he is the happiest kid in the world and it is true. We agree that the internet is wonderful thing because it has connected him to people and things that interest him. It has truly been a tool to bring out the best in a boy that did not talk until he was 4 years old.
He is now 11 years old and he is passionate about music, cooking, and movies. One day he hopes to be chef and own a restaurant called Cafe Kirk and he already has a menu for it. He also plans to be a singer/songwriter and he has already written lyrics to about 10 songs. We have received offers for him to review music for online magazines and to have his videos previewed on other media outlets before they go on YouTube. Quite frankly we are overwhelmed by all of this and don't want deny him an opportunity that might help him in his future but at the same time we don't want to ruin it for him. Any thoughts you have on this issue would be appreciated since we are quite naive in this arena.
Thank you for taking an interest in Joshua,
Sincerely,
Diane and Steve Kirk
______
My note back:
My audience LOVED Joshua! Got a ton of e-mail about his videos.
As for accepting the offers below…
1. I am not a parent.
2. The entertainment business is sleazy and treats people badly. They want your child today, for the novelty effect, and there's a good chance they will be done with him tomorrow. Can your child handle the disappointment? See the documentary on HBO about Chris Crocker:
http://connect.hbo.com/events/documentaries/chris-crocker-chat/
He got famous on the Net for a YouTube clip saying "Leave Britney Alone" (after she shaved her head), got flown to L.A., did all kinds of deals, then was forgotten and is now doing porn.
Or Rebecca Black. Who had a gigantic YouTube video and then was ridiculed and dropped out of school only to find she had no career.
Then again, Joshua is already on YouTube…
I dreamed of being a child actor (delusionally, I lived in a suburb in CT), but if I had a kid today I would never let him be one, or chase fame, because it's almost always fleeting. Get an education, reach your twenties…then, when you're more experienced and emotionally mature, take a chance.
Really, you have a special kid. Warms my heart just to watch him online.
Bob Lefsetz
______________________________________
Subject: Re: Re-Heart Like A Wheel
Bob,
I totally agree with Peter, Linda is a benchmark for sure and raised the bar for everyone!
She should be in the R & R hall of Fame without a doubt.
Val Garay
PS As for Andy Gold he will be missed!
______________________________________
Subject: Re: Re-Heart Like A Wheel
Bob
I had the pleasure of working with Linda on Silk Purse album. To me, aside from being a fantastic singer, she had an amazing song sense. She knew how to pick songs that would flatter her. The musicians loved working with her and I was thrilled that a few songs on that album had live vocals. She surrounded herself with talented people such as Peter Asher and John Boylan.
Elliot Mazer
______________________________________
Subject: Re: Re-Heart Like A Wheel
Bob,
I'm with all of you; I sang two or three thing eye to eye, live, on one mike with Linda, (with George M. engineering on one occasion, and JD singing on another), and they were without exception exceptionally thrilling,
Craig Fuller
______________________________________
From: John Boylan
Subject: Re: Re-Heart Like A Wheel
Hey Bob,
Thanks for the kind words about Linda Ronstadt. You've articulated a feeling that runs throughout the music community: why, indeed, is she not in the Hall of Fame?
Just a small addendum to your piece on "Heart Like A Wheel." I was fortunate enough to play on the session for "You Can Close Your Eyes," which took place at the old Clover Studio in Hollywood. As usual, Linda sang along with the musicians, a tremendous plus when you're trying to find the perfect feel for a song. I remember many sessions in the 70s where the singer wasn't even at the studio when we cut the track.
The band was a group of players that Peter and Linda had chosen that was certainly one of the most stellar assemblages I was ever part of: Andrew Gold on piano, Timothy B. Schmit on bass, Don Henley on drums, Glenn Frey and I on acoustic guitars. I learned a lot about producing records from Peter that night - he seemed to know exactly what was needed to pull the players together.
When I listen back to it now, I can recall the session as if it were yesterday. Yes, it's James Taylor's song, and yes, I love his version of it, but Linda's is just as good in a different way. That happens more often than you think, two versions of a song that both work in their own way. Think "I Heard It Through The Grapevine," originally done by Gladys Knight and then in a different way by Marvin Gaye. Both valid. Or "Respect" by Aretha and Otis.
There's a recent re-issue of "Heart Like A Wheel" that's about to come out. It's been re-mastered from a high-definition digital transfer of the original analog master tape, much closer to the vinyl record than the first CD issue. You should check it out.
Best,
JB
______________________________________
From: Arny Schorr
Subject: RE: Rhinofy-Heart Like A Wheel
Bob,
As part of the major labels ceasing to offer deep catalog titles, RockBeat Records was able to license "Heart Like A Wheel" from Capitol. We were quite frankly amazed that this gem would be available and decided we wanted to do something special with the re-release.
Linda has very strong feelings about her recordings so we were thrilled she felt strongly enough about "Heart Like A Wheel" to be involved in the re-issue. We had Linda's manager, John Boylan, re-master the CD/LP from High Def masters obtained from Capitol and we added bonus tracks of the original mono singles of "You're No Good" and "When Will I Be Loved"...everything sounds better than the original mix.
We're proud of the new mix, it sounds much better than the original and it's a fitting tribute to Linda's brilliance.
Arny
______________________________________
Subject: RE: Rhinofy-Heart Like A Wheel
I'll try to help frame this stream with a slightly different sheen. Linda had/has an incredible voice...an instrument like almost no other singer, yes, but she also was to me a living band instrument without ever "showing off" her chops. In 1968 Chris Darrow came to my house in Claremont (where he also lived) and suggested I call "this girl singer" he'd heard at the Troubadour. He was in the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band at the time and knew me as a guitar player, but he guessed I was still a drummer, and a drummer from Oklahoma at that. Armed with an invitation to come to her house in Santa Monica, I knocked on her door with an audition ahead. She opened and said "hey, I know you!" Indeed we met a couple of years earlier when I was in a short lived group with Levon Helm, Jesse Ed Davis, and Junior Markham that rehearsed in the house in which she lived. Somehow I never auditioned that day. For the next few years on and off I was a permanent student in the Roundie Grad School of Country Rock. She thought I was the answer to the question "where do the best country rock drummers come from?" True or not, her belief in my playing put me on a serious pathway that led to Michael Nesmith (who wrote her first radio hit) and to Emmylou Harris (who I met with Linda ), and both of those doors opened to big personal career steps. Linda is the dean of the school. Her absolutely spot-on taste made the LA music scene of the early '70's what it was. One more aside - I've always had the same mixes in my monitor onstage: kick, snare, bass guitar...except with Linda. I ALWAYS had her voice beside me. I so looked forward to every show we played...to hear that voice...truly inspirational...THE sound of LA country rock.
John Ware
______________________________________
Subject: Re: Rhinofy-Heart Like A Wheel
Hi Bob,
I'd like to add to those proposing that Linda be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. That's a no-brainer! When my band Shiloh (me, Don Henley, Al Perkins, Jim Ed Norman & Mike Bowden) broke up, Don, Mike and I joined Linda's band along with Glenn Frey in late 1970. When Don and Glenn left to form the Eagles, Mike and I stayed with Linda and she added Mickey McGee on drums and Ed Black on steel guitar. Gib Gilbeau (fiddle) and Herb Pedersen (banjo/guitar) would also tour with us frequently. We all left Linda's band during the recording of Don't Cry Now when Linda decided to take a hiatus.
We are the band that got her to learn You're No Good, Respect and some other great cover songs, on which she ALWAYS topped the original recordings with her version. When she came out of hiatus, we all had gone on to other gigs and I was replaced by Andrew Gold. She also changed producers from John Boylan and J.D. Souther to Peter Asher. Peter picked up the pieces and used several tracks that we had recorded under Boylan, one or two that J.D. produced and then Peter produced the rest of the album. Certainly You're No Good really put her on the map.
I did go back and tour with Linda on the Ronstadt/Jackson Browne tour when Andrew Gold couldn't make it. I just corresponded with Linda a couple of days ago to see if she would participate on a Jackson Browne tribute album that is being recorded soon in Austin (the producer contacted me in trying to reach Linda). Much to my dismay, Linda said she was "having a severe case of being 66 and had retired completely from singing." What a loss to the world of music. If there's any way I can help make sure Linda makes it into the Hall of Fame, please let me know.
Regards,
Richard Bowden
______________________________________
From: Jeff Laufer
Subject: Re: Rhinofy-Heart Like A Wheel
Dear Bob,
The Stones were playing in Tucson and I was told to bring country radio programmers to the show and have a "sit down" with Mick regarding the track, "Far Away Eyes".
I had about 4 P.D's accept the invitation.
When it came to the actual meeting time Keith Richards walks into the dressing room with Linda Ronstadt. Tucson is her home town. Linda, in a very loquacious fashion, told them directly they better add the record if they ever wanted her to do promos anymore.
I was stunned!
As it turned out, they all added the record, giving it minimal spins.
But I will never forget their faces when Linda walked in!
As we all know Mick is very shrewd and he pulled me to the side and asked me why the station in Bakersfield didn't show.
The station, KUZZ, in Bakersfield was owned by Buck Owens and his son, Buddy, ran the place. My relationship with Buddy was friendly because I helped their F.M. rock station, KKXX with many favors. Buddy came with his family to see Foreigner when they played in town and his kids met the band.
Anyway, Buddy said, "No Way!, I don't care if it's the pope asking me to play a Rolling Stones song!"
Now, I was the lackey that had to tell Mick that Bakersfield was a "no go."
Mick's assistant asked me for Buddy's phone number so that he could call and get Linda on the phone with him.
As the story ended, KUZZ never would play the record but Mick told Buddy that he was a big Buck Owens fan.
Jeff
______________________________________
Subject: Re: Fleetwood Mac On The Road
Hi Bob;
It's sad about Fleetwood Mac.
The last several tours were primarily to bail out MIck, who gets rid of money like nobody else. Christine went along twice for that reason, but she doesn't need the money, and she doesn't want to hang out with John, so she's not going.
Lindsey and Stevie have tried solo albums, but they came around too late for the real music fans of the late '60s - early '70s. By 1980 most of us had put flower power aside in order to earn a living, and our heroes were already cast.
Peter, Mick and John were among them, and Christine came along in '71, in time to be a part of the rock 'n roll heyday. It's over, and not likely to happen again, in my opinion.
Regards,
_____ ______
______________________________________
From: Danny Zelisko
Subject: RE: Fleetwood Mac On The Road
FM will always tour. As long as someone puts up the dough, people will buy the tickets, and they will tour. This is what they do. And they are used to huge numbers. Overall, they make money.
Their same old thing is better than most, we just get used to it and expect fireworks like when we were kids. Bottom line, people love the music of these acts that have gotten along in life, with us, and good for them. That’s the fireworks. They are still a huge band/name/draw.
Christine McVie is old news, no one cares if she is there or not, but for only a few purists, like you or me. She is a great part of the band’s history, but all people care about is that it is FLEETWOOD MAC. I booked Christine on her solo tour in ‘84 or 85 when Tom Ross opened a new agency called CAA. It was one of the new agency’s first bookings. It stiffed so bad I had to cancel all 3 dates and pay her in full (and save money), due to her budget, expenses and a mercenary manager, what was that guy’s name? Prick. He was such a jerk about it. It’s not how much you make sometimes, but how much you avoid losing. I lost less paying her $50000 including her production to NOT sing a note. Never saw her or heard her sing on that tour, for 50k. Makes me kind of ill when I think about it.
You are right about the ticket prices. They are always out of control which explains why a lot of bands who are HUGE in our world do less than great numbers, not because people don’t care. It just gets to be “Enough already guys! We saw you when you were truly an item and paid less.†No one considers inflation because it has been somewhat of a cash grab along, hasn’t it.
Bottom line, it is a value to see these people who still come to visit with these mighty bands. Some of us have died, are broke, no longer care, whatever, but for those who are lucky enough to again go see someone do their thing in concert, for the umpteenth time, they are happy and I continue to be happy to help them see their favorites.
I hope they do a tribute to Bob Welch in the show. He deserves it. And he deserves to be in the hall of fame with FM. His albums were every bit as good/better, just not as big of sellers, as FM’s best. Without question. Bare trees? Future games? Come on!!! Heroes are hard to find, indeed!!!
______________________________________
From: Kevin Donnelly
Subject: RE: Paperless In Little Rock
Bob-- further tidbit for you. I too was approached by Ticketmaster about employing paperless ticket sales, at my Arena (MTS Centre) in Winnipeg, Canada. I jumped at the chance, and independently came up with virtually the exact same application of paperless as Michael-- about 25-33% of the house, regardless of the setting. In Feb 2009, with the blessing of the management at Q Prime, a Metallica show went on sale as our 1st "paperless event".
We've hosted probably 250 shows since then-- names like Bieber, Petty, Elton, KISS, Motley, McGraw, Swift, Chesney, Lady A, Pearl Jam, Waters and many, many others... all of them with 25-30% of the house as paperless. I know the detractors will say "it's only Winnipeg" or "it's only Little Rock", but at the end of the day, it's hundreds of thousands of tickets annually, it's a real slice of the business and it works. We are able to curtail the scalping, and suppress the resale prices. They can't inflate the farther seats to the same degree as our "protected zone" of paperless seats... and no grandma has ever been unable to find a way for us to get her granddaughter in...the fact that the grand daughter is able to get the ticket at face value is the achievement we strive for.
The scalper/ Stubhub fuelled lobby that is trying is suppress the expansion of paperless by claiming that grandma's can't get tickets to their grandkids, or confusing the issue by demanding to see the inventory of available seats before they go on sale, are aggressive, and need to be defeated.
Join Michael's Fans First Coalition. Acts and venues need to utilize paperless in your prime seats. It's never cost me a show, it 's never cost any of our incoming artists a single ticket sold.
The scalpers HATE it, the fans LOVE it.
Kevin Donnelly, Sr VP, General Manager, MTS Centre
P.S. Every show (like Michael's venue) has an allocation of paperless seats since February, 2009-- always the prime seats-- 1st couple sections near the stage and first 10-15 rows on the floor, depending on overall capacity of the show. Try to hit the 25% mark for all shows. NO ISSUES.
______________________________________
Subject: FW: Paperless In Little Rock
Who know it would take Arkansas to show the NY and Chicago and Hollywood titans how the business should be run. I applaud Michael and I applaud you for writing this. I am sending it to every Front Line artist. Thanks Bob. Irving. Yes you can print this.
______________________________________
From: Paul Brady
Subject: Paul Brady
Hi Bob,
Thanks for the recent article on my songs and I'm glad they still hit the spot. I couldn't connect to the Spotify link as Ireland only let them in a couple of days ago, one of the last countries to do so. No one in the Irish musical fraternity is jumping around with delight, however, for the obvious reasons which you've often highlighted.
Life is good. I'm writing to you from a diving holiday in Cabo Verde islands somewhere between Senegal and Brazil. Still writing songs, recording and playing live. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. I built an audience many years ago which has kept steadily growing and I can play much anywhere on the planet where there is an Irish presence...which, since the current global financial farce, is pretty much everywhere...though I don't get over your way much these days, except for a few gigs on the east coast once every year or two or an occasional trip to Nashville. It doesn't make a lot of sense budget-wise at the level I've remained at in USA...and that won't increase hugely unless I spend months there gigging every year, which I don't want to do.
Anyway, I really enjoy your output....don't agree with everything!...but that's ok. Keep her lit, as we say in Ireland..
Best wishes
Paul Brady
http://www.facebook.com/paulbradymusic
http://www.paulbrady.com
https://twitter.com/hoobadooba
______________________________________
Subject: Artist fee quote absurdity - Jackson Browne
Hey Bob,
Here's some insider info for you. Please keep my name off it. I'm the talent buyer a 2000-cap east coast room. Jackson Browne's acoustic tour just quoted me $60k for a show plus $10k for artist-carted production. All of that is bad enough b/c it means Mr. Occupy Movement's monetary needs will force us to charge patrons $50-$100.
$10k production for an acoustic show?? For what, two dozen moving lights? An LED Backdrop?? A leslie cabinet and hammond organ?? What the fuck are they talking about?
Oh, but wait, there's more! There's the $2500 catering request. And the $1500 for opening act. And the 30 comp tickets. And the request to waive any house commission on cd sales (what, are we a fucking CHARITY??), and the 200 tickets set aside for VIP sales (god only know what those tickets will cost), and best of all - they want us to pay a buyout fee on his two buses!!! Are you fucking joking? Since when did a physical cost of touring become MY expense? Haul your sorry asses here on your own dime, you cheapskate. Oh, and also the tour wants us to add $1/ticket (patron pays this) for an artist-selected charity. How about you open up your fucking wallet and pay for it yourself, douchebag?
Does anyone care about the fan anymore at all?
______________________________________
From: Samuel H. Jones
Subject: RE: Advice
I played on a couple of TV shows when I was a gigging musician. A couple of local news shows. I remember after we performed for a morning show, the singer was thinking we had it made. We got some mentions from friends and acquaintances, but that was it. No increase in album sales or song downloads, no increase in audience numbers, etc. (as far as I know anyway). This was all three-four years ago. The one band I played with is now defunct and the other singer is still slogging it out.
The traditional methods of publicity don't work and they don't work because most people who play on those shows suck or the shows just don't have enough penetration. Most people with serious taste in music (at least the ones I know) don't watch these shows, and the ones who do watch them generally are not avid music followers. They're not going to spend money and travel to a show to see a band in a crappy club just because they heard them on some TV morning news show, even if the band was better than average. Gotta make great music and play it to the right people. Until then, doesn't matter how much people see your face on TV.
______________________________________
Subject: Re: Everybody Knows - Some Interesting Facts
Bob,
I am sure someone has sent you some of these links, but having started doing some work in a mobile technology startup in addition to the music management stuff I do I found your post today very interesting. Some of the stats are pretty interesting when you dig down into the data, and I have included source data as some of the facts when read aloud can seem unreal.
As always, thanks for the interesting discussion.
Shawn
___
.05% (about 20k users) of the Twitter population accounts for almost 50% of site traffic.
From Cornell / Yahoo Research Paper - http://research.yahoo.com/pub/3386
25% of users have never Tweeted (that's 50 million accounts)
81% of users have under 50 followers
6% have zero followers
10% don't follow anyone
From Another study by Beevolve
From Blog at 140 Conference in New York. "According to Betaworks CEO John Borthwick, the half-life of a tweet is four minutes. What that means is that half of the total clicks of a link within a tweet come in the first four minutes of when it is posted on Twitter. Yikes!"
Most studies put open rates somewhere between 11% and 19% so in a best case scenario 80 of every 100 emails go into space….
http://www.mailermailer.com/resources/metrics/2012/open-rates.rwp
http://mailchimp.com/resources/research/email-marketing-benchmarks-by-industry/ - 2010 study
In September 2012 75% of all email sent was Spam, which explains why most of it is tuned out.
http://www.symantec.com/security_response/landing/spam/
APPS
According to most sources about 35% of Apps are used 2 or less times then discarded.
http://www.localytics.com/blog/2011/26percent-of-mobile-app-users-are-either-fickle-or-loyal/
Take a look at 90 day retention rates for Music and Entertainment apps. Somewhat Low Frequency of Use, and under 35% retention for entertainment, and 20% for music.
But Streaming shoots up to 8+ uses per week, but also with a low retention rate
http://blog.flurry.com/bid/90743/App-Engagement-The-Matrix-Reloaded
MOBILE
With people 25 and under Texting has become Primary Communication mode. Email as those under 25 tend to say "is for old people" and in a recent study College students viewed texting as their "#1 form of writing and cell phones as their "primary writing tools"
http://wide.msu.edu/special/writinglives/
18-24 year olds average 3,200 texts per month
According to Pew Internet Study http://pewinternet.org/Commentary/2012/February/Pew-Internet-Mobile.aspx
14 year old girls shoot up to 4,700
In the US we send almost as many texts per month in 2012 as we did for the entire year of 2007, about 200 BILLION and in 2013 Text messages sent will likely eclipse voice minutes used in the US in 2013 at about 2.35 TRILLION
___
Shawn Radley
Developing Artist Management and Booking
______________________________________
Subject: Re: Jimmie Walker On Maron
Bob -
Jimmie and I went to DeWitt Clinton HS in the Bronx in the early 60's, although he graduated from another one because of too many absences. He was fast friends with a neighborhood buddy, Marty Nadler, who later became a writer, stand up comic and executive story editor for Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days and Mork & Mindy. We all grew up in Garry and Penny Marshall's neighborhood, so Marty was introduced to Garry by a mutual friend, Richie LeBost ,who was Garry and Penny's first cousin.
Jimmie was at his funniest in those days as he was already honing his skills in Manhattan doing standup at 16 when we were chasing girls (Clinton was all boys). A truly nice guy, with a big heart, Jimmie endeared himself to anyone who ever met him, including the teachers who had to give him bad grades.
Many years later, during my time with PolyGram and BoardWalk, Marty would come visit the office when in from LA and Jimmie would sometimes tag along. Through Marty, one of the funniest people on earth, I secured a deal for Casablanca (which I was in the midst of acquiring) for Robin Williams first album..."Reality, what a Concept".
By the way, aside from the Marshall's and Marty, the neighborhood spawned Calvin Klein, Robert Klein, Ralph Lifshitz (Lauren) and Roy Drillick....the real "Fonz".
Happy Days indeed.
Regards,
Rick Pardo
______________________________________
From: Raj Bahadur
Subject: Re: Jimmie Walker On Maron
"...Lou Adler. Who is now known as the guy who sits next to Jack Nicholson at Laker games, but once was the arbiter of what was cool and hip, who not only worked with Jan & Dean, the Mamas and the Papas, Monterey Pop and ultimately Carole King, but signed Cheech & Chong..."
SO WHY ISN'T LOU ADLER IN THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME???!!! This is a travesty. I've been trumpeting Adler's absence for years to anyone who'd listen, including a couple of voters whom I know on the nominating committee. I get no argument from them. But it takes more than just a couple of voters. Peruse the list of non-performers in the Hall. Arguably, they have the credentials. But how many of them have Lou Adler's credentials? When you read his Wikipedia résumé, it makes his absence all the more ridiculous. Maybe you can highlight the situation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Adler
______________________________________
From: Seymour Stein
Subject: RE: Rhinofy-Heart Like A Wheel
I could not agree more that Linda Ronstadt belongs in the Rock and Roll of Fame. I do believe her admission is inevitable, too bad it's so long overdue.
Feel the same about the Moody Blues, Chuck Willis, Joe Tex, The Searchers, Carly Simon, Chicago and many others.
Thanks for your mention of "Tainted Love". So proud to have had Soft Cell on Sire. Thought it was a natural, took so long to work its way up the chart and it spent a total of 43 weeks on the hot 100 as it broke from city to city. "Tainted Love" was written by Ed Cobb, leader of the 1950's group, the Four Preps; most famous for hits "Twenty Six Miles" and "Big Man". I loved their spoof on groups "More Money for You and Me", not quite as big a hit but memorable.
In your discussion of songwriters who are also artists. Please remember that Bobby Darin wrote "Early in the Morning", recorded under the name the Rinkidinks on ATCO which was also a hit for Buddy Holly.
Hall of Famer, Gene Pitney actually started as a songwriter, writing hits like "Hello Mary Lou" for Ricky Nelson, "Rubber Ball" for Bobby Vee and "He's a Rebel" for the Crystals. All this came before his first
solo hit, "The Man who Shot Liberty Valance". Gene is best remembered for "Only Love can Break a Heart" and "It Hurts to be in Love".
Country great Don Gibson wrote "I Can't Stop Loving You" and stuck it on the b side of his country/pop smash "Oh Lonesome Me". He actually wrote it for Kitty Wells, "Queen of country music" who took it to number three on the country charts in 1958. Other versions in country included Faron Young in 1956, Patsy Cline in 1963 and Emmy Lou Harris in 1976.
"Oh Lonesome Me" was recorded by Neil Young on "After the Gold Rush" LP.
"I Can't Stop Loving You" changed the life and career of Ray Charles as it was the prime track on his "Modern Sounds" in Country and Western music. The single was Ray Charles biggest ever, same with the album.
Joe South, country singer songwriter most famous for "Games People Play" back in 1969 is also the writer of "Down in the Boondocks" by Billie Joe Royal. "Hush" by Deep Purple and Billie Joe Royal, "I never Promised You a Rose Garden" by Lynn Anderson and "Birds of a feather" by Paul Revere and the Raiders.
The great Ivory Joe Hunter who surely belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is perhaps best known for "Since I Met You Baby" which he wrote and recorded for Atlantic back in 1956. The song became a number one country hit years later by Sonny James. Hunter also wrote, "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" for doo wop group, the 5 Keys and three Elvis Presley songs "Ain't That Loving You Baby", "My Wish Came True" and "I Need You So".
When I first heard Tim Hardin, I thought he would have an incredible career as singer songwriter. Tragically, his life was cut short but not before writing some of the great songs of the 1960's and 70's including, "Reasons to Believe", "If I Were a Carpenter", "The Lady Came from Baltimore", "Misty Roses", "Don't Make Promises" and also "How Nice We Hang on to a Dream", recorded by Echo and the Bunnymen on Sire.
The songwriter is the key to everything. So great you spent so much
time outlining this in your recent blog post.
Glad you made mention of Hank Williams, my all-time favorite. I'm sure you're familiar with songs he wrote and recorded under the name Luke the Drifter like "Pictures from Life's other Side" and "Be Careful of the Stones That you Throw", a hit years later for Dion (DiMucci)
Pat Boone who I feel is somewhat underrated because of his pop cover versions of songs by Fats Domino, Little Richard and others recorded "I Almost Lost My Mind", in my opinion Hunter's best ever song and Boone's best ever recording. Was not technically a cover because Hunter's recording was from 1950, Boone's from 1956 when it spent four weeks at number one. . . . . . same year Elvis was at number 1 with "Heartbreak Hotel", "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You", "Don't be Cruel"/"Hound Dog" and "Love Me Tender".
Dion, who gave up his seat to Buddy Holly on that an ill-fated plane. Buddy was anxious to get back to his bride, Maria Elena.
Finally, can't leave out of the list J.D Souther, whose songs like "New
Kid in Town" and "Best of my Love" are classics, but was a damn good artist as well.
All the best,
Seymour
P.S Hardly ever write responses although I am an avid reader. Feeling quite sentimental this past week. The passing of several friends, some unexpected like Pete Bennett and Mickey 'Guitar' Baker. Others who have been sick for a very long time like legendary live agent Frank Barsalona and Broadway producer, Marty Richards. Please see link below and attached email.
http://bit.ly/Y1JFNa
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Fleetwood Mac On The Road
What if they toured and no one cared?
They've gone back to the well so many times, burned out so many markets, that to think they're just gonna put tickets up for sale and sell out is to believe the Democrats and Republicans are gonna settle their financial disagreements by the end of the day.
They charge too much and deliver the same old thing, but without Christine McVie, it's a cash grab and the only people who can't see it are the rich too blind to know the tickets they're overpaying for will not make them look good when they show up the next day and say they were in attendance.
Yup, that's what sells the expensive ducats. Pricks who just want to say they were there. Who come late, talk through the show and leave early. Who probably weren't even fans in the seventies.
At least the Stones had a hook. The fiftieth anniversary.
Then again, Stones sales were weak at the end of the last tour, and Fleetwood Mac has been far from an instant sellout for years.
No one cared about Lindsey Buckingham's solo album, and although stellar, Stevie Nicks's solo didn't do gangbusters. The group is more than the sum of its parts. Then again, where's Christine? It's not that people know her, but they know her songs, which she won't sing. As for Lindsey's guitar pyrotechnics, the modern Fleetwood Mac audience is turned off as opposed to turned on. Like I said, the audience is not the stoners of yore, but the matrons and He-Men of the Universe of today.
But the press just parrots the story. As if people care.
They don't.
And the fact that the band doesn't realize this amazes me.
The Who are doing terrible numbers. Not even filling half an arena in some cases. We got it. You need the money. You're missing half the band and we've seen you ad infinitum. Furthermore, Roger's pipes are now substandard, kind of like Lindsey's.
I'm not saying the Mac doesn't have a right to go on the road.
But I am saying that when you put money in front of music, we get to point out the emperor has no clothes, that you're living in the wrong decade, that you're representative of everything that's wrong with our country, where concerts are not life-changing events but financial affairs wherein you pay your multiple mortgages and the only people who get a good seat are the ones who employ subterfuge or overpay or both.
We thought classic rock would rule until the end. But what we find out is these greedy people end up exposing their mercenary ways and become positively creepy, turning us off.
Thank god the records are perfect. They can't be changed.
As for new music, put out one song as good as "Rhiannon" or "Dreams" and that'll give you a reason to tour. Just one, I dare you.
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They've gone back to the well so many times, burned out so many markets, that to think they're just gonna put tickets up for sale and sell out is to believe the Democrats and Republicans are gonna settle their financial disagreements by the end of the day.
They charge too much and deliver the same old thing, but without Christine McVie, it's a cash grab and the only people who can't see it are the rich too blind to know the tickets they're overpaying for will not make them look good when they show up the next day and say they were in attendance.
Yup, that's what sells the expensive ducats. Pricks who just want to say they were there. Who come late, talk through the show and leave early. Who probably weren't even fans in the seventies.
At least the Stones had a hook. The fiftieth anniversary.
Then again, Stones sales were weak at the end of the last tour, and Fleetwood Mac has been far from an instant sellout for years.
No one cared about Lindsey Buckingham's solo album, and although stellar, Stevie Nicks's solo didn't do gangbusters. The group is more than the sum of its parts. Then again, where's Christine? It's not that people know her, but they know her songs, which she won't sing. As for Lindsey's guitar pyrotechnics, the modern Fleetwood Mac audience is turned off as opposed to turned on. Like I said, the audience is not the stoners of yore, but the matrons and He-Men of the Universe of today.
But the press just parrots the story. As if people care.
They don't.
And the fact that the band doesn't realize this amazes me.
The Who are doing terrible numbers. Not even filling half an arena in some cases. We got it. You need the money. You're missing half the band and we've seen you ad infinitum. Furthermore, Roger's pipes are now substandard, kind of like Lindsey's.
I'm not saying the Mac doesn't have a right to go on the road.
But I am saying that when you put money in front of music, we get to point out the emperor has no clothes, that you're living in the wrong decade, that you're representative of everything that's wrong with our country, where concerts are not life-changing events but financial affairs wherein you pay your multiple mortgages and the only people who get a good seat are the ones who employ subterfuge or overpay or both.
We thought classic rock would rule until the end. But what we find out is these greedy people end up exposing their mercenary ways and become positively creepy, turning us off.
Thank god the records are perfect. They can't be changed.
As for new music, put out one song as good as "Rhiannon" or "Dreams" and that'll give you a reason to tour. Just one, I dare you.
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Monday, 3 December 2012
The Future Of Digital (Slide Deck)
http://read.bi/Tj8nky
I would tweet this...
But then almost none of you would see it.
Despite Twitter telling me I've got in excess of 48,000 followers, unless I break news of a tragedy, I don't have the attention/addiction rate of my e-mail list.
So despite being wary of sending you a third e-mail today, I must. Because this slide deck encapsulates everything that's going to happen tomorrow, which you need to know.
1. We're going to mobile.
2. Android might be winning the population war, but most of the surfing and purchasing is being done on the iPhone.
3. Newspaper advertising revenues have plunged so fast that we're nearing a tragedy of the proportion noted above. "The New York Times" and "Wall Street Journal" are not threatened with extinction, but every other newspaper in America is. Because they've lost their business model. Which was delivering eyeballs to advertisers. Newspapers are in a death spiral. Fewer readers beget less advertising begets a smaller news hole which means...people end up getting their news online.
We've been mobile in music long before everybody else. We had dedicated players known as iPods, we've been ahead of the game. Hell, we've even got streaming apps on mobile handsets from Spotify, Rhapsody, MOG, Rdio and...
Storage is suddenly a non-factor. Most people opt for small storage mobile devices, which don't hold their entire music collection, they rely on the cloud. Which augurs well for streaming services. Furthermore, P2P downloading is incredibly inconvenient on the small screen. In other words, if you wait long enough and ignore the hysteria you can see that people are going to pay for music, recorded music revenues will eventually go up, as long as everybody wraps his head around the concept of low access fees that increase the subscriber base generating a giant pool of money. This is how the mobile handset makers profited to begin with. By lowering prices so everybody could afford a handset and service.
The desktop is dying. If you're in tech you must sleep with one eye open.
But if you're in music, nothing's really changed. It all comes down to a great song. Whether that takes you fifteen minutes or fifteen years to compose. The rest is marketing. But unlike the supermarket, you can get on the shelf for free. (You did know there were slotting fees in supermarkets, right? That suppliers paid to have their wares displayed?)
In a crazy, crowded, mixed-up, shook-up world your main weapon is quality. That's how you cut through the b.s.
Not that everybody likes the best thing. But frequently the best is also ear-pleasing.
It might be a wilderness out there, but you've got access to ears.
GO FOR IT!
(And scan through this slide deck while you're at it. Which is almost impossible to do on a mobile handset. You see our medium, music, fits on the handset quite well. But the PowerPoint presentation...not so good.)
P.S. Literally as I wrote this Mary Meeker released her year-end trends report. You can read a summary here: http://tcrn.ch/11uHdh8
You can scroll down the page and click through all 88 slides of her deck yourself, but the content is not as easily digestible as that of the "Business Insider" deck.
Having said that, here are a few jaw-dropping statistics:
"In India, Mobile Traffic Surpassed Desktop Internet Usage in May, 2012"
"Mobiles + Tablets = 24% of Online Shopping on Black Friday in 2012 (vs. 6% Two Years Ago), iOS 4x greater than Android"
"29%+ of USA Adults Own Tablet/eReader, Up from 2% Less Than Three Years Ago"
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I would tweet this...
But then almost none of you would see it.
Despite Twitter telling me I've got in excess of 48,000 followers, unless I break news of a tragedy, I don't have the attention/addiction rate of my e-mail list.
So despite being wary of sending you a third e-mail today, I must. Because this slide deck encapsulates everything that's going to happen tomorrow, which you need to know.
1. We're going to mobile.
2. Android might be winning the population war, but most of the surfing and purchasing is being done on the iPhone.
3. Newspaper advertising revenues have plunged so fast that we're nearing a tragedy of the proportion noted above. "The New York Times" and "Wall Street Journal" are not threatened with extinction, but every other newspaper in America is. Because they've lost their business model. Which was delivering eyeballs to advertisers. Newspapers are in a death spiral. Fewer readers beget less advertising begets a smaller news hole which means...people end up getting their news online.
We've been mobile in music long before everybody else. We had dedicated players known as iPods, we've been ahead of the game. Hell, we've even got streaming apps on mobile handsets from Spotify, Rhapsody, MOG, Rdio and...
Storage is suddenly a non-factor. Most people opt for small storage mobile devices, which don't hold their entire music collection, they rely on the cloud. Which augurs well for streaming services. Furthermore, P2P downloading is incredibly inconvenient on the small screen. In other words, if you wait long enough and ignore the hysteria you can see that people are going to pay for music, recorded music revenues will eventually go up, as long as everybody wraps his head around the concept of low access fees that increase the subscriber base generating a giant pool of money. This is how the mobile handset makers profited to begin with. By lowering prices so everybody could afford a handset and service.
The desktop is dying. If you're in tech you must sleep with one eye open.
But if you're in music, nothing's really changed. It all comes down to a great song. Whether that takes you fifteen minutes or fifteen years to compose. The rest is marketing. But unlike the supermarket, you can get on the shelf for free. (You did know there were slotting fees in supermarkets, right? That suppliers paid to have their wares displayed?)
In a crazy, crowded, mixed-up, shook-up world your main weapon is quality. That's how you cut through the b.s.
Not that everybody likes the best thing. But frequently the best is also ear-pleasing.
It might be a wilderness out there, but you've got access to ears.
GO FOR IT!
(And scan through this slide deck while you're at it. Which is almost impossible to do on a mobile handset. You see our medium, music, fits on the handset quite well. But the PowerPoint presentation...not so good.)
P.S. Literally as I wrote this Mary Meeker released her year-end trends report. You can read a summary here: http://tcrn.ch/11uHdh8
You can scroll down the page and click through all 88 slides of her deck yourself, but the content is not as easily digestible as that of the "Business Insider" deck.
Having said that, here are a few jaw-dropping statistics:
"In India, Mobile Traffic Surpassed Desktop Internet Usage in May, 2012"
"Mobiles + Tablets = 24% of Online Shopping on Black Friday in 2012 (vs. 6% Two Years Ago), iOS 4x greater than Android"
"29%+ of USA Adults Own Tablet/eReader, Up from 2% Less Than Three Years Ago"
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Everybody Knows
EVERYBODY KNOWS
1. Most tweets go unread.
Just because you tweet, don't expect your followers to see it. Few view their feed comprehensively. They check in and check out. Catching only bits and pieces. Even forgetting your fake and dormant followers, which are voluminous, far fewer than fifty percent of your followers see one of your tweets. Actually, I'd be stunned if 10-15% of your active followers see one of your tweets.
So, natural reaction would be to repeat your tweet. But this only pisses off those who are truly paying attention.
People use Twitter as a snapshot of what's going on, they check in when they've got time to waste and when really important stuff is going on.
Tweet, but don't expect it to pay dividends. It's a gift to your loyal fanbase, which is a far cry from your total fanbase.
As for driving your follower count up... Shy of buying or begging for followers, you can't. Something else has to drive adoption.
Twitter is just like everything else online. A minor piece of the puzzle. I know it's overwhelming, trying to get traction. But have sympathy for the public, which is bombarded with more information than it's got time to pay attention to. And when you sneak into their feed, through subterfuge or sheer attack, you only piss people off. People trust their friends. And they're constantly checking the momentum online, what's trending, they don't want to be left out of the discussion. You can't create mo by inundating people who don't care with junk.
2. Unsolicited e-mail is ignored.
It makes you feel good to send a link to your music, or god forbid attach an MP3. Everybody who gets this e-mail instantly deletes it. If anything, it works against you.
So you send a bunch of e-mails from a list you acquired and expect something to happen. It won't.
3. Creating an app is a waste of time.
It's kind of like CDs. When they were rare, when manufacturing couldn't keep up with demand, you could sell anything on disc. Back in '82-84. But then AOL spammed the world with discs and devalued CDs and it became about what was on them more than the format.
The app gold rush is over. An app is a service. If people are going online constantly for updates, maybe an app is worth developing. But don't view it as a profit center.
Of course, there will be new, successful apps in the future. But their financial success will be like winning Powerball. If you like those odds, go for it. Otherwise, keep practicing your music.
4. You can't get a good seat at fair value.
It's just that simple.
Blame the acts, blame Ticketmaster, blame promoters, blame StubHub and the scalpers, but don't blame the public.
5. The sound of MP3s suck.
People just don't care. They don't want to sacrifice portability. A higher res format will not succeed by telling people what they've got is bad, but by creating something so incredible people flock to it.
6. The success of EDM is about the scene.
Once upon a time this was the same with rock music. Going to the show was like going to a party. Now it's like going to a prison that you have to pay to escape from.
7. The bankers don't create anything.
Instead of whining about higher taxes, they should work on transparency, showing their worth, their help in building new businesses. But you can't illustrate that which does not exist.
8. Most Android owners use few apps.
The phone is free, the knowledge is not. They can check their e-mail, text and possibly shoot photos, but beyond that, they're clueless.
9. Record companies rip off acts.
Their plan is to just sign up the ignorant and rape them. Not a long term strategy.
WHAT EVERYBODY SHOULD KNOW
1. The American Dream is dead.
Your odds of going from poor to rich are worse than in most European nations, including German, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands.
2. You can't make any money in music.
Your odds of getting rich are infinitesimal. Like winning the aforementioned Powerball. If you're in it for the wealth, give up, there are easier ways to get rich.
You can use music as a springboard to other opportunities, you can gain notoriety and try to profit on that, then again, most reality TV stars are poor.
3. Radio is about advertising.
Expecting music radio to come back is expecting today's kids to carry Partridge Family lunch boxes to school. Music is an on demand item. The only thing missing is the filter/recommendation engine. Which is not an algorithm. To use the parlance of the techies, radio is too inefficient.
4. Streaming is the future.
We live in an on demand world. Bitching about today's payouts is like complaining your phone bill is too high because you were charged by the hour on AOL.
5. Songs are king.
Write a great one. Then you'll get traction.
6. Success is not instant
Look at Rod Stewart. He auditioned for Joe Meek in 1961. He didn't break through until 1971.
7. Disinformation is the American way.
Every group has a full time lobbyist trying to protect its turf. From the Koch Brothers to the record labels. In other words, never believe a single thing the RIAA says. It's a lobbying organization for the labels, that's it. It's like paying your mother to say good things about you.
8. Practice makes perfect.
With so much stimulation at hand, few want to be outsiders, alone in their bedroom honing their chops. Everybody wants to be famous. Music has become about marketing as opposed to talent, and the public can tell the difference.
9. First week sales are irrelevant.
They get you mainstream press, which people might nod at and then instantly forget.
Quick, tell me, what was the number one movie the second week of September? Even better, what was the number one SoundScan album the third week of August?
It's not about individual triumphs, it's about an accumulation of mindshare.
10. Albums have shorter shelf lives than singles.
I know, it's counterintuitive. Call it the paradox of choice. You'll check out a track, you can ignore a complete album, it takes up too much time. Forget all the b.s. from the musos about albums. People want more music from those they are fans of. But most people are not hard core fans. Your job is to make them so. Not by appearing in "People," but by constantly being in their mind. Which is difficult if you've got zero traction. But once you hit the tipping point, a steady stream of new stuff, i.e. singles, will pay more dividends for your career than an album. Don't be beholden to old formats. Do you refuse to use your DVR and love commercials?
11. Executives make more money than acts.
Why? They didn't even start the company!
Music executives are chasing the Forbes 400, they should be playing to the acts. Then again, like the rest of the CEOs at public companies, they're interested in instant results and quick payouts, the future is irrelevant to them, they won't be there.
THE SILVER LINING
1. The history of recorded music is at your fingertips, for free.
If you don't think this is good for listeners/fans, you don't have ears.
2. If something is good, it can be spread by the alternative network known as the Internet, which is word of mouth on steroids.
3. Even oldsters are tech savvy. They too can participate in word of mouth. It's just about getting them started. Oftentimes, at NPR. Which you might call radio, but I call a hipster club.
4. It's cheap to make recordings and distribution is free.
Yup, record in GarageBand and put it up on YouTube. The fact that anybody can do this means there's more need for a filter.
5. You no longer have to tolerate crap.
Used to be you had to wait for your song to come on the radio or MTV. No longer.
6. You can have a direct connection with your favorites online.
If an act is not doing this, it's operating with one hand behind its back. People want to know everything about you. Fire your publicist, pitching bland information in mainstream publications no one is reading, and go straight to your fans in an unvarnished fashion.
7. Innovation is constant.
We see this in tech, one breakthrough after another. The only reason we haven't seen this in music is too many are chasing the major label/radio paradigm. However, that's where too many of the few riches in this business presently reside. Music would be better if you could earn more money making and performing it. But if you want this to happen, don't get angry with fans for stealing, get angry at an economy which gives untold riches to those who create nothing, like the bankers, or are overpaid, like the CEOs. Once upon a time, musicians were rich and beholden to nobody. Now they're clowns in the circus kissing the butt of the elephants crapping on them.
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1. Most tweets go unread.
Just because you tweet, don't expect your followers to see it. Few view their feed comprehensively. They check in and check out. Catching only bits and pieces. Even forgetting your fake and dormant followers, which are voluminous, far fewer than fifty percent of your followers see one of your tweets. Actually, I'd be stunned if 10-15% of your active followers see one of your tweets.
So, natural reaction would be to repeat your tweet. But this only pisses off those who are truly paying attention.
People use Twitter as a snapshot of what's going on, they check in when they've got time to waste and when really important stuff is going on.
Tweet, but don't expect it to pay dividends. It's a gift to your loyal fanbase, which is a far cry from your total fanbase.
As for driving your follower count up... Shy of buying or begging for followers, you can't. Something else has to drive adoption.
Twitter is just like everything else online. A minor piece of the puzzle. I know it's overwhelming, trying to get traction. But have sympathy for the public, which is bombarded with more information than it's got time to pay attention to. And when you sneak into their feed, through subterfuge or sheer attack, you only piss people off. People trust their friends. And they're constantly checking the momentum online, what's trending, they don't want to be left out of the discussion. You can't create mo by inundating people who don't care with junk.
2. Unsolicited e-mail is ignored.
It makes you feel good to send a link to your music, or god forbid attach an MP3. Everybody who gets this e-mail instantly deletes it. If anything, it works against you.
So you send a bunch of e-mails from a list you acquired and expect something to happen. It won't.
3. Creating an app is a waste of time.
It's kind of like CDs. When they were rare, when manufacturing couldn't keep up with demand, you could sell anything on disc. Back in '82-84. But then AOL spammed the world with discs and devalued CDs and it became about what was on them more than the format.
The app gold rush is over. An app is a service. If people are going online constantly for updates, maybe an app is worth developing. But don't view it as a profit center.
Of course, there will be new, successful apps in the future. But their financial success will be like winning Powerball. If you like those odds, go for it. Otherwise, keep practicing your music.
4. You can't get a good seat at fair value.
It's just that simple.
Blame the acts, blame Ticketmaster, blame promoters, blame StubHub and the scalpers, but don't blame the public.
5. The sound of MP3s suck.
People just don't care. They don't want to sacrifice portability. A higher res format will not succeed by telling people what they've got is bad, but by creating something so incredible people flock to it.
6. The success of EDM is about the scene.
Once upon a time this was the same with rock music. Going to the show was like going to a party. Now it's like going to a prison that you have to pay to escape from.
7. The bankers don't create anything.
Instead of whining about higher taxes, they should work on transparency, showing their worth, their help in building new businesses. But you can't illustrate that which does not exist.
8. Most Android owners use few apps.
The phone is free, the knowledge is not. They can check their e-mail, text and possibly shoot photos, but beyond that, they're clueless.
9. Record companies rip off acts.
Their plan is to just sign up the ignorant and rape them. Not a long term strategy.
WHAT EVERYBODY SHOULD KNOW
1. The American Dream is dead.
Your odds of going from poor to rich are worse than in most European nations, including German, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands.
2. You can't make any money in music.
Your odds of getting rich are infinitesimal. Like winning the aforementioned Powerball. If you're in it for the wealth, give up, there are easier ways to get rich.
You can use music as a springboard to other opportunities, you can gain notoriety and try to profit on that, then again, most reality TV stars are poor.
3. Radio is about advertising.
Expecting music radio to come back is expecting today's kids to carry Partridge Family lunch boxes to school. Music is an on demand item. The only thing missing is the filter/recommendation engine. Which is not an algorithm. To use the parlance of the techies, radio is too inefficient.
4. Streaming is the future.
We live in an on demand world. Bitching about today's payouts is like complaining your phone bill is too high because you were charged by the hour on AOL.
5. Songs are king.
Write a great one. Then you'll get traction.
6. Success is not instant
Look at Rod Stewart. He auditioned for Joe Meek in 1961. He didn't break through until 1971.
7. Disinformation is the American way.
Every group has a full time lobbyist trying to protect its turf. From the Koch Brothers to the record labels. In other words, never believe a single thing the RIAA says. It's a lobbying organization for the labels, that's it. It's like paying your mother to say good things about you.
8. Practice makes perfect.
With so much stimulation at hand, few want to be outsiders, alone in their bedroom honing their chops. Everybody wants to be famous. Music has become about marketing as opposed to talent, and the public can tell the difference.
9. First week sales are irrelevant.
They get you mainstream press, which people might nod at and then instantly forget.
Quick, tell me, what was the number one movie the second week of September? Even better, what was the number one SoundScan album the third week of August?
It's not about individual triumphs, it's about an accumulation of mindshare.
10. Albums have shorter shelf lives than singles.
I know, it's counterintuitive. Call it the paradox of choice. You'll check out a track, you can ignore a complete album, it takes up too much time. Forget all the b.s. from the musos about albums. People want more music from those they are fans of. But most people are not hard core fans. Your job is to make them so. Not by appearing in "People," but by constantly being in their mind. Which is difficult if you've got zero traction. But once you hit the tipping point, a steady stream of new stuff, i.e. singles, will pay more dividends for your career than an album. Don't be beholden to old formats. Do you refuse to use your DVR and love commercials?
11. Executives make more money than acts.
Why? They didn't even start the company!
Music executives are chasing the Forbes 400, they should be playing to the acts. Then again, like the rest of the CEOs at public companies, they're interested in instant results and quick payouts, the future is irrelevant to them, they won't be there.
THE SILVER LINING
1. The history of recorded music is at your fingertips, for free.
If you don't think this is good for listeners/fans, you don't have ears.
2. If something is good, it can be spread by the alternative network known as the Internet, which is word of mouth on steroids.
3. Even oldsters are tech savvy. They too can participate in word of mouth. It's just about getting them started. Oftentimes, at NPR. Which you might call radio, but I call a hipster club.
4. It's cheap to make recordings and distribution is free.
Yup, record in GarageBand and put it up on YouTube. The fact that anybody can do this means there's more need for a filter.
5. You no longer have to tolerate crap.
Used to be you had to wait for your song to come on the radio or MTV. No longer.
6. You can have a direct connection with your favorites online.
If an act is not doing this, it's operating with one hand behind its back. People want to know everything about you. Fire your publicist, pitching bland information in mainstream publications no one is reading, and go straight to your fans in an unvarnished fashion.
7. Innovation is constant.
We see this in tech, one breakthrough after another. The only reason we haven't seen this in music is too many are chasing the major label/radio paradigm. However, that's where too many of the few riches in this business presently reside. Music would be better if you could earn more money making and performing it. But if you want this to happen, don't get angry with fans for stealing, get angry at an economy which gives untold riches to those who create nothing, like the bankers, or are overpaid, like the CEOs. Once upon a time, musicians were rich and beholden to nobody. Now they're clowns in the circus kissing the butt of the elephants crapping on them.
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