Once upon a time, Phil Collins wasn't one of the most hated men in show business, suffering derision uncalled for, his main crime being popularity, but a behind-the-scenes drummer for an art rock band that never broke through, which was dominated by its frontman, who left.
Yes, Gabrielphiles, and they're legion, will point to Peter's leaving of Genesis as the moment the band went downhill. I'll say it's when the band reinvented itself, slimmed down, built upon what once was, and slowly gained popularity.
It took multiple years and multiple albums.
But the initial post-Peter album was a revelation. "A Trick Of The Tail" had the unfortunate uphill climb of following "Selling England By The Pound" and "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway," the apotheosis of the Gabriel era. But not only is "A Trick Of The Tail" timeless, it contains a certifiable classic, "Squonk," which is anything but a Gabriel clone and features the vocal work of one...Phil Collins.
Yup, Phil emerged from behind the kit as the lead singer and the band soldiered on. Building a head of steam, especially in the U.S., losing guitarist Steve Hackett along the way, but on its fourth post-Gabriel long player the band even had a hit, "Misunderstanding." This "Duke" track may not have made it to number one in the U.S., unlike in the U.K., but it did go all the way to number 11. Suddenly, Genesis flew on America's radar, the band was even playing arenas.
But it was a faceless act. It was about the music, not the names. Until...
"Face Value."
Yup, that's just what we were all waiting for. A solo disc by the unknown singer of a faceless band that had just recently broken through.
But if you were a fan, and I was, you bought it. Because you supported your favorite acts. It was your duty. And "Face Value" was quite a surprise.
Now with hindsight, everybody sees this as the disc that contained the gigantic hit "In The Air Tonight." But that track wasn't an immediate smash. You didn't buy the album to hear it. You weren't thinking singles. Sure, it was good.
But the centerpiece of the record was "You Know What I Mean."
"Just as I thought I'd made it
You walk back into my life"
Breaking up is hard to do. I know, it was only months before that I'd called it quits with my live-in girlfriend. No matter how much fighting there is, you miss the companionship, being lonely sucks, you're tempted to go back, it takes all your gumption to stay away.
"Just as I'd learned to be lonely
You call up to tell me
You're not sure if you're ready"
If you haven't gotten this phone call, you haven't been in a relationship. Doesn't matter if you're the leaver or the left. You suddenly realize what you've given up and you reach out...
To someone who might or might not play.
Usually there are a few go-rounds before one person truly calls it quits. But when that happens...
"Oh, leave me alone with my heart
Putting the pieces back together again
Just leave, oh leave me alone with my dreams
I can do without you, you know what I mean"
Yes, he's bitter. Phil's wife left him, and took the kids. This album was his therapy. But the personal is universal.
"Oh, leave me alone with my heart
It's broken in two and I'm not, and I'm thinking too straight
Just leave, oh leave me alone with my dreams
You've taken everything else, you know what I mean"
Settlements are costly. You're out on the road earning, and your wife decides...she doesn't need you anymore.
But it's more than that. Irrelevant of what's being said, the sound of the track is so intimate, so heartfelt, it resonates with all the lonelyhearts sitting at home wondering how their lives got wrecked.
But then it gets even better...
Because "You Know What I Mean" segues into "Thunder And Lightning."
As heavy and depressed, as simple and unproduced as "You Know What I Mean" is, "Thunder And Lightning"'s just the opposite. This is the signature sound that Phil Collins ultimately employed to sell millions of records, with the horns and the exuberance.
"'Cause they say thunder and they say lightning
It would never strike twice
Oh, oh, but if that's true then, why can't you tell me
How come this feels so nice
Oh, it feels all right
Feels all right
All right"
If you just wait long enough, not for the wound to heal, but fade, if you dip your toe in the water...you're surprised. Suddenly, the fireworks explode, that lightning you heard never struck twice...well, they were wrong!
Let's be honest. It doesn't happen immediately. First you get the rebound person. You think it's real, but it's not. You go home broken and depressed and do your best not to drunk dial your ex. But when you're finally convinced that's over, at least twelve months since the breakup, then...you've got a chance, and eventually you meet the next person.
The exuberance in "Thunder And Lightning" is palpable. It's EXCITING!
That's the centerpiece of "Face Value." It's always one or two tracks that hook you, that get you to play a complete album, to devour and become enamored of it.
I always liked "In The Air Tonight," because of is sheer heaviness, the otherworldly quality, the thunderous drums, but it didn't truly resonate until it became a big hit single.
But the piano-playing and the singing in "The Roof Is Leaking" are IRRESISTIBLE! This is album music. That's why we bought our long players. Because what was between the hits was better than what was on the radio. These album cuts weren't filler, but the essence.
And then there's the sheer jauntiness of "I'm Not Moving," which follows "Thunder And Lightning" and is the third song in the trilogy.
"If you feel it do it
You don't need a reason
For all you know it could be good for you"
Love is liberating. You're high on the possibilities. And in this case, via this track, it's CONTAGIOUS!
"I'm not moving, no really
You just try and push me out
No, I'm not moving, no really
No, I'm not going anywhere tonight"
You've been licking your wounds for so long! But out of your shell, you're now ready to commit. And the bedrock of relationships is commitment.
Then comes the remorse.
Even though you're in a new relationship, you cannot forget the past.
After two upbeat tracks, it's time for reflection once again.
"I've kept all the pictures, but I hide my feelings so no one knows
Oh sure my friends all come 'round, but I'm in a crowd on my own
It's 'cause you're gone now, but your heart, heart still remains
And it'll be here if you come again"
The track is entitled "If Leaving Me Is Easy." And it never is. It hurts to be left. But they don't crawl from the wreckage into a brand new car, the leaver has regrets, if you hang in there long enough, he or she testifies, says they had to go, but it was the hardest thing they did in their life.
And then comes "Tomorrow Never Knows."
Because it never does. It's a brand new day. Anything can happen, good or bad.
Give Phil credit for this Beatles cover. No one else would take the risk, of covering a classic, with its atmospheric production. On the surface it seems the easy way out, but in truth it's anything but. It's a statement of Phil's headspace. You know how tracks from the past resonate, how music gets you through, it appears ""Tomorrow Never Knows" was Phil's anthem.
And you never do know what will happen in the future.
Phil became one of the biggest names in music. Rich and famous. A household name.
But his next two marriages failed. The first cut is the deepest, if you break up once, it's so much easier to do so in the future.
And now Phil's hands hurt and he's retired and to a great degree has been forgotten.
But not "Face Value." Not for me.
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/p6HcZ8
Previous Rhinofy playlists: http://www.rhinofy.com/lefsetz
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Friday, 1 February 2013
Thursday, 31 January 2013
Salesmen
One thing I love about Irving Azoff, he'll talk shit about his acts...and himself.
I remember during one of his low periods, when Giant/Revolution/Giant was hitless. Irving was assessing his empire and he said "I've got a record company worth...something." Ha! If you can't laugh at yourself I've got very little time for you. Like the powerful agent who e-mailed me this week to tell me I just wasn't positive enough about his mainstream act which nets him millions in commissions. To be truthful, what I wrote was about as positive as I get. But not enough for this gentleman. I didn't mention every hit this act ever had. It took everything in my power not to send a caustic message back, asking ARE YOU KIDDING? DO YOU KNOW ME? DID YOU REALLY SEND ME THAT E-MAIL?
Or the conversation with the big shot promoter. I thought we were friends. And friendship is based on honesty and truthfulness. But then I realized he couldn't say a negative thing about that disappointing festival bill, or his charges... Talking to him was like reading a press release. From a concert company in Lake Wobegon, where every kid is above average, and every show sells out and makes a profit.
Is it me? Am I just old and jaded? Or is something changing and the hard sell, all positive style is yielding fewer dividends?
Kind of like mainstream hype. Why am I interested in newspaper preview issues. I'll wait for the real thing, then make my judgment. And then there are all the turning point announcements. Apple's earnings. Launch of the BlackBerry 10. Amazon's numbers. The buildup is incredible. And when they're done we've got nothing but emptiness. Unlike a great record, these moments don't last, there's no repeatability.
So it all comes down to relationships. Do you have a relationship with those you're selling to? That's what Amanda Palmer does best.
Hey, want to hear an Amanda Palmer story? She wrote on her blog that I wrote about her and I'm being inundated with newsletter signups. Now she didn't tell people they had to sign up, she didn't hold a gun to their head, she just has an ongoing relationship of trust, if she's into something, so are her fans. Kind of like Howard Stern. I get e-mail every day from people who say they heard about me on Stern. Howard's focused purely on his show. He won't do merch. He's the opposite of every moneygrubbing musician. Granted, he makes millions, but not always.
Palmer and Stern have been doing it for years. And they're not only imploring you to buy stuff to make them rich. They're not only telling you they're winners. Unlike the teflon agent and promoter above, they specialize in expressing their foibles. Stern's a walking bag of neuroses. That's why his audience can relate to him. When I hear this agent and promoter pontificate, my eyes roll into the back of my head.
That's what's wrong with America. The tsunami of selling.
No one leads with their wares, just their mouth.
They believe they deserve your attention and your money.
I'm not playing.
P.S. You've go to hear this interview wherein this BlackBerry exec will not admit the iPhone exists. Talk about living in an alternative universe.
"How not to do PR, 101: BlackBerry exec absolutely refuses to acknowledge iPhone’s existence": http://bit.ly/WzCWGQ
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I remember during one of his low periods, when Giant/Revolution/Giant was hitless. Irving was assessing his empire and he said "I've got a record company worth...something." Ha! If you can't laugh at yourself I've got very little time for you. Like the powerful agent who e-mailed me this week to tell me I just wasn't positive enough about his mainstream act which nets him millions in commissions. To be truthful, what I wrote was about as positive as I get. But not enough for this gentleman. I didn't mention every hit this act ever had. It took everything in my power not to send a caustic message back, asking ARE YOU KIDDING? DO YOU KNOW ME? DID YOU REALLY SEND ME THAT E-MAIL?
Or the conversation with the big shot promoter. I thought we were friends. And friendship is based on honesty and truthfulness. But then I realized he couldn't say a negative thing about that disappointing festival bill, or his charges... Talking to him was like reading a press release. From a concert company in Lake Wobegon, where every kid is above average, and every show sells out and makes a profit.
Is it me? Am I just old and jaded? Or is something changing and the hard sell, all positive style is yielding fewer dividends?
Kind of like mainstream hype. Why am I interested in newspaper preview issues. I'll wait for the real thing, then make my judgment. And then there are all the turning point announcements. Apple's earnings. Launch of the BlackBerry 10. Amazon's numbers. The buildup is incredible. And when they're done we've got nothing but emptiness. Unlike a great record, these moments don't last, there's no repeatability.
So it all comes down to relationships. Do you have a relationship with those you're selling to? That's what Amanda Palmer does best.
Hey, want to hear an Amanda Palmer story? She wrote on her blog that I wrote about her and I'm being inundated with newsletter signups. Now she didn't tell people they had to sign up, she didn't hold a gun to their head, she just has an ongoing relationship of trust, if she's into something, so are her fans. Kind of like Howard Stern. I get e-mail every day from people who say they heard about me on Stern. Howard's focused purely on his show. He won't do merch. He's the opposite of every moneygrubbing musician. Granted, he makes millions, but not always.
Palmer and Stern have been doing it for years. And they're not only imploring you to buy stuff to make them rich. They're not only telling you they're winners. Unlike the teflon agent and promoter above, they specialize in expressing their foibles. Stern's a walking bag of neuroses. That's why his audience can relate to him. When I hear this agent and promoter pontificate, my eyes roll into the back of my head.
That's what's wrong with America. The tsunami of selling.
No one leads with their wares, just their mouth.
They believe they deserve your attention and your money.
I'm not playing.
P.S. You've go to hear this interview wherein this BlackBerry exec will not admit the iPhone exists. Talk about living in an alternative universe.
"How not to do PR, 101: BlackBerry exec absolutely refuses to acknowledge iPhone’s existence": http://bit.ly/WzCWGQ
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Olly Murs At House Of Blues
How did everybody know?
You can't hate Olly Murs. Oh, I know you want to. He's part of the Top Forty juggernaut, another young pip appealing to those who haven't hit puberty.
But let me tell you... Live, there were melodies. Unlike Beyonce, he wasn't singing to track, nothing was on hard drive, the show was totally live...AND THE GIRLS ATE IT UP!
And that's all there were. I didn't see a single dude in the audience.
Now I was shocked it was sold out. When Olly opened for One Direction at the Gibson last year seemingly no one knew him, applause was polite. Now there was sheer MANIA!
Yup, screaming.
But even more, singing along.
I first noticed this at a Taylor Swift show years back. If you think these kids are going to make the scene, you're wrong, they're FANS! They know every lick.
But how?
The album's never come out in the U.S. His previous single only made it to the bottom of the Billboard Hot 100. If something should be dead in the water, completely stiff, it's Olly Murs.
But we're no longer living in the twentieth century. Not even the turn of the century. You see barriers and borders are history. TV and movies...windowing, BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID! You can't keep the audience down.
The girls in attendance literally knew every word, except for the Stevie Wonder medley, when they were curiously silent, even though Olly hit "Superstition" and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" out of the park.
No, Olly's fans are not educated on anything other than him.
They knew not only his age, 28, and middle name, Stanley, but his "Xtra Factor" cohost Caroline Flack. Huh? That show has never aired in the U.S. and never will!
That's how Olly got his start. Finishing number 2 on "X Factor" in 2009. And since then...he's become more than a singer in the U.K., even cohosting the aforementioned "Xtra Factor" TV show. He plays arenas there. He's on his third album. But unlike Robbie Williams, he's not meaningless in the U.S. He's on his way. You just don't know it yet. "Troublemaker" is a stone cold smash.
But not completely representative.
It was more like a ska show from thirty years ago than a scripted Top Forty extravaganza. There was energy, dancing inspired by the music as opposed to choreographed steps. And the audience was completely enthralled.
You see the twenty first century is all about PARTICIPATION!
Sitting down, standing and shoegazing...those days are through. Today's audience is not passive, it's completely active. Everybody's got their hands in the air, singing along... This is a show that's truly worth the money. It's a complete workout, having a fun evening out with your friends.
But how did everybody know?
I leaned over to the girl standing near me and asked her...
And after she told she had a friend...I realized she was not the average attendee. After all, we were upstairs in the exclusive area, you needed a pass to get here. And that's when I realized standing right next to her, inches away from me, was Michael Jackson's daughter Paris.
Yup, the little girls not only know, they understand.
Sure, Olly Murs was broken by TV. But he's developed chops. And like I said, the live show was anything but a studio concoction. It was real music played by real people...
AND WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?
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You can't hate Olly Murs. Oh, I know you want to. He's part of the Top Forty juggernaut, another young pip appealing to those who haven't hit puberty.
But let me tell you... Live, there were melodies. Unlike Beyonce, he wasn't singing to track, nothing was on hard drive, the show was totally live...AND THE GIRLS ATE IT UP!
And that's all there were. I didn't see a single dude in the audience.
Now I was shocked it was sold out. When Olly opened for One Direction at the Gibson last year seemingly no one knew him, applause was polite. Now there was sheer MANIA!
Yup, screaming.
But even more, singing along.
I first noticed this at a Taylor Swift show years back. If you think these kids are going to make the scene, you're wrong, they're FANS! They know every lick.
But how?
The album's never come out in the U.S. His previous single only made it to the bottom of the Billboard Hot 100. If something should be dead in the water, completely stiff, it's Olly Murs.
But we're no longer living in the twentieth century. Not even the turn of the century. You see barriers and borders are history. TV and movies...windowing, BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID! You can't keep the audience down.
The girls in attendance literally knew every word, except for the Stevie Wonder medley, when they were curiously silent, even though Olly hit "Superstition" and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" out of the park.
No, Olly's fans are not educated on anything other than him.
They knew not only his age, 28, and middle name, Stanley, but his "Xtra Factor" cohost Caroline Flack. Huh? That show has never aired in the U.S. and never will!
That's how Olly got his start. Finishing number 2 on "X Factor" in 2009. And since then...he's become more than a singer in the U.K., even cohosting the aforementioned "Xtra Factor" TV show. He plays arenas there. He's on his third album. But unlike Robbie Williams, he's not meaningless in the U.S. He's on his way. You just don't know it yet. "Troublemaker" is a stone cold smash.
But not completely representative.
It was more like a ska show from thirty years ago than a scripted Top Forty extravaganza. There was energy, dancing inspired by the music as opposed to choreographed steps. And the audience was completely enthralled.
You see the twenty first century is all about PARTICIPATION!
Sitting down, standing and shoegazing...those days are through. Today's audience is not passive, it's completely active. Everybody's got their hands in the air, singing along... This is a show that's truly worth the money. It's a complete workout, having a fun evening out with your friends.
But how did everybody know?
I leaned over to the girl standing near me and asked her...
And after she told she had a friend...I realized she was not the average attendee. After all, we were upstairs in the exclusive area, you needed a pass to get here. And that's when I realized standing right next to her, inches away from me, was Michael Jackson's daughter Paris.
Yup, the little girls not only know, they understand.
Sure, Olly Murs was broken by TV. But he's developed chops. And like I said, the live show was anything but a studio concoction. It was real music played by real people...
AND WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?
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Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Zoe & Amanda Respond
From: Amanda Palmer
Subject: Re: Palmer & Gaiman
hey bob
thanks for Getting It.
you know, i had such struggles marrying neil because of just this kind of imagined criticism freaking me out.
love won in the end, and i've actually grown so much as a person getting over all that fear of people judging the f*** out me.
in the beginning of our relationship, i had a really hard time letting him pay for anything because of just this kind of stuff...
the fear that i'd lose my independence, my cred.
you said it in your first email: i had my eyes on the prize. and part of my plan was being finally independent of any man. of anyone.
when my best friend, anthony, went down with cancer a few months ago and i cancelled an entire two legs of tour, i had to face it.
deciding to let my husband totally float me for a while so i could stay home and take care of anthony was the moment that changed me.
and i don't regret it.
would i have been able to cancel my tour if i hadn't had neil to fall back on? i don't know. maybe. but probably not as easily.
did my kickstarter do better because neil and his fanbase boosted the signal? no doubt.
is it ok with me? helllll yeah. thanks, honey! he was there, toasting with me, my fanbase, and everybody else who worked so hard to make it all happen.
he's part of the whole family and the story.
i'm currently cranking on my upcoming TED talk (and freaking out about it) and it's so funny, it's all wrapped up with this.
i'd love to know if there's a married person out there who hasn't worried about the the financial imbalances, the power imbalances, the way people judge your relationship.
so much of my connection with my fans - and now neil - has been about getting to the point where i CAN allow people to help me and receive the help mindfully, carefully.
help comes in a so many forms: money, energy, love, care...it's endless.
a lot of artists i know are terrified to ask for help, for fear it'll make them look weak.
there's a lot of shame around it.
the strongest artists (and people) i know are the ones who know how to ask for help, boldly. and receive help, gracefully.
the ones who don't....look unhappy to me.
and a respectful clarification:
i, for one, didn't ever become a rock star because i wanted to get LAID.
i did it because i wanted to get LOVED.
but looks like it's working out just fine.
i'm getting both :)
xx
afp
_________________________________________
From: Zoe Keating
Subject: Re: New York Times On Streaming
I'm totally asking for it by replying, but how can I resist? Plus my toddler is throwing up every hour, so there is no sleep tonight.
As the artist featured in this NYTimes article, I feel horribly misrepresented and I have to straighten out a few things.
I got into the commenting-on-Spotify business last year when it seemed that no one was questioning all their marvelous marketing materials. I felt like it was my civic duty to point out that:
1) the streaming payouts are stacked against unlabeled artists (ie. majors have a stake and get a share of the ad revenue)
2) Psy-style uber-popularity is not the only model out there. The millions and millions of streams needed to makeup for sales are not ever going to be a reality for non-mainstream music, but that does not mean anyone should throw in the towel.
I decided to go the unlabeled route when my brand of cello music didn't spark much excitement in the people I appealed to (unless I added vocals to it, said one exec). The first year or so without my tech-job-cushion was rocky, but I've found the economics of no-middlemen to be good. I'm not mega direct-to-fan like my friend Amanda Palmer but I'm not struggling by any definition. It takes a lot of work but I can support my family on music, take them with me on tour and don't worry much about money. I don't feel a need to be any larger. Actually, I don't see how I can be much larger.... when I'm not sleeping or being with my son, every second is spent on making and performing music or doing music biz. But I'm truthfully, extremely happy and thankful, exactly where I am right now. (The MUSIC I'm never satisfied with that though....always iterating, tweaking, expanding, iterating, iterating, iterating).
I don't want to be an anomaly. I want others to get into this place too. If you're fringe, do it yourself! I started posting my earnings online not to whine but because I realized that few people, even artists themselves, seem to have any facts about how the money actually works.
Without the internet my unlabeled career would not be possible and I'm very bullish on the future. I'm not against streaming by any means. I've put my music wherever someone might hear it....including onto filesharing sites (gasp). That said, companies do not have our (artists) best interests built into their business plans. Perhaps not maliciously.... they just might not know what our interests are. I feel it my responsibility to educate these companies as to what we need...in order to make the music industry work for everyone, high, mid and low.
If we don't like the world I live in, it's up to us to either change it... or change our perception of it. Beyond contributing music, I feel like can't do much about pointless wars, or climate change, or mass shootings, or all the other huge issues in the news every day, but I feel like I might be able to do something about this tiny little streaming thing. I've been engaging with these issues with the goal of encouraging digital music services to incorporate the needs of artists, not just record labels. What are those needs? Linking of avid listeners with artists for concert tickets, merch, music purchases, etc; crowdsourcing tours; providing listener stats and location data, maybe even emails; your idea here, etc, etc. Lift all the little boats. If this quixotic strategy doesn't work, then I guess I'll have to change my perception instead.
I was disappointed in the NYTimes article....like I'm often disappointed in the press. A 30 minute interview full of nuance squashed down to one sentence taken out of context and used to prove some other point. I know, I know, I'm naive. I'll keep trying.
Thanks much, Zoe
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Subject: Re: Palmer & Gaiman
hey bob
thanks for Getting It.
you know, i had such struggles marrying neil because of just this kind of imagined criticism freaking me out.
love won in the end, and i've actually grown so much as a person getting over all that fear of people judging the f*** out me.
in the beginning of our relationship, i had a really hard time letting him pay for anything because of just this kind of stuff...
the fear that i'd lose my independence, my cred.
you said it in your first email: i had my eyes on the prize. and part of my plan was being finally independent of any man. of anyone.
when my best friend, anthony, went down with cancer a few months ago and i cancelled an entire two legs of tour, i had to face it.
deciding to let my husband totally float me for a while so i could stay home and take care of anthony was the moment that changed me.
and i don't regret it.
would i have been able to cancel my tour if i hadn't had neil to fall back on? i don't know. maybe. but probably not as easily.
did my kickstarter do better because neil and his fanbase boosted the signal? no doubt.
is it ok with me? helllll yeah. thanks, honey! he was there, toasting with me, my fanbase, and everybody else who worked so hard to make it all happen.
he's part of the whole family and the story.
i'm currently cranking on my upcoming TED talk (and freaking out about it) and it's so funny, it's all wrapped up with this.
i'd love to know if there's a married person out there who hasn't worried about the the financial imbalances, the power imbalances, the way people judge your relationship.
so much of my connection with my fans - and now neil - has been about getting to the point where i CAN allow people to help me and receive the help mindfully, carefully.
help comes in a so many forms: money, energy, love, care...it's endless.
a lot of artists i know are terrified to ask for help, for fear it'll make them look weak.
there's a lot of shame around it.
the strongest artists (and people) i know are the ones who know how to ask for help, boldly. and receive help, gracefully.
the ones who don't....look unhappy to me.
and a respectful clarification:
i, for one, didn't ever become a rock star because i wanted to get LAID.
i did it because i wanted to get LOVED.
but looks like it's working out just fine.
i'm getting both :)
xx
afp
_________________________________________
From: Zoe Keating
Subject: Re: New York Times On Streaming
I'm totally asking for it by replying, but how can I resist? Plus my toddler is throwing up every hour, so there is no sleep tonight.
As the artist featured in this NYTimes article, I feel horribly misrepresented and I have to straighten out a few things.
I got into the commenting-on-Spotify business last year when it seemed that no one was questioning all their marvelous marketing materials. I felt like it was my civic duty to point out that:
1) the streaming payouts are stacked against unlabeled artists (ie. majors have a stake and get a share of the ad revenue)
2) Psy-style uber-popularity is not the only model out there. The millions and millions of streams needed to makeup for sales are not ever going to be a reality for non-mainstream music, but that does not mean anyone should throw in the towel.
I decided to go the unlabeled route when my brand of cello music didn't spark much excitement in the people I appealed to (unless I added vocals to it, said one exec). The first year or so without my tech-job-cushion was rocky, but I've found the economics of no-middlemen to be good. I'm not mega direct-to-fan like my friend Amanda Palmer but I'm not struggling by any definition. It takes a lot of work but I can support my family on music, take them with me on tour and don't worry much about money. I don't feel a need to be any larger. Actually, I don't see how I can be much larger.... when I'm not sleeping or being with my son, every second is spent on making and performing music or doing music biz. But I'm truthfully, extremely happy and thankful, exactly where I am right now. (The MUSIC I'm never satisfied with that though....always iterating, tweaking, expanding, iterating, iterating, iterating).
I don't want to be an anomaly. I want others to get into this place too. If you're fringe, do it yourself! I started posting my earnings online not to whine but because I realized that few people, even artists themselves, seem to have any facts about how the money actually works.
Without the internet my unlabeled career would not be possible and I'm very bullish on the future. I'm not against streaming by any means. I've put my music wherever someone might hear it....including onto filesharing sites (gasp). That said, companies do not have our (artists) best interests built into their business plans. Perhaps not maliciously.... they just might not know what our interests are. I feel it my responsibility to educate these companies as to what we need...in order to make the music industry work for everyone, high, mid and low.
If we don't like the world I live in, it's up to us to either change it... or change our perception of it. Beyond contributing music, I feel like can't do much about pointless wars, or climate change, or mass shootings, or all the other huge issues in the news every day, but I feel like I might be able to do something about this tiny little streaming thing. I've been engaging with these issues with the goal of encouraging digital music services to incorporate the needs of artists, not just record labels. What are those needs? Linking of avid listeners with artists for concert tickets, merch, music purchases, etc; crowdsourcing tours; providing listener stats and location data, maybe even emails; your idea here, etc, etc. Lift all the little boats. If this quixotic strategy doesn't work, then I guess I'll have to change my perception instead.
I was disappointed in the NYTimes article....like I'm often disappointed in the press. A 30 minute interview full of nuance squashed down to one sentence taken out of context and used to prove some other point. I know, I know, I'm naive. I'll keep trying.
Thanks much, Zoe
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Alicia Keys To Blackberry
"BlackBerry goes glam, enlists Alicia Keys": http://cnet.co/XiZ8mQ
This is the problem with taking a corporate check. It undermines your CREDIBILITY! And next to your music, credibility is the most important thing you've got.
The manager can get a new client. The salesman can switch products. But the artist is stuck with him or herself. Screw up your image, and you're toast. Neil Young has steered clear of the shenanigans and still does boffo at the b.o. His brethren who sold out, who took the short term money, they're doing a fraction of his business.
Let that be a lesson to you.
If you think BlackBerry is anything but a footnote on its way to expiration, you didn't read today's reviews. Which are uniformly...mediocre. Glitches, no apps, and slow web-surfing... SIGN ME UP FOR THAT!
But no, Ms. Keys had to take the check. You know music sales are tanking and we artists just have to bend over and take it in the tuchas. We've got no choice.
B.S.
First, you can make less money. Especially if you're a star. Wanna make cash? Then tie up with a VC, like Bono.
Second, you can reinvent the wheel, like Amanda Palmer.
Third, you can tell your handlers, all of whom tell you to take the deal, that you've got their number, that they just want their commission, and that you mean less to them than...themselves, their families, so many other people.
An artist has to put him or herself at the pinnacle, the absolute top. He or she must be narcissistic. Because truly, no one else is looking out for him or her. Do poorly on the road and you can lose your agent, manager and accountant. The good old days when you were raining dough? Well, those are the good old days.
And Alicia Keys is just today's example. How about those pop acts shilling for soda water, causing their fans to become obese and stroke out so they can't be paying customers anymore.
First comes the artist.
Second comes the fan.
Everybody else is way down the pike, ESPECIALLY the Fortune 500 company trying to gain some headway on your back. Think about it. Why would they be attracted to you? They need their image burnished. But you're selling out cheap. Your career is tarnished forever and the company shrugs its shoulders and moves on.
Music won't be healthy again until it has self-respect. Until the artists stop being whores and stand for something other than cash and lifestyle.
You want people to believe? BE A ROLE MODEL! Someone with integrity, a fan with more success. Does a fan get these offers? Does a fan sell out to the man? No, the fan relies on you to reflect the human condition. When you have long hair and smoke dope and sing about your trials and tribulations, as opposed to how damn great your life is now that you're rich and famous, then you truly connect, then the riches truly come raining down.
____________
"Alicia Keys Jan 6, 2012 - Public
I've become an iPhone junky! Sad but true. (are u one too?) These are some of my favorite images from my latest download... ;-) http://thekeysofalicia.tumblr.com/ "
http://bit.ly/Wx4NHN
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So she switched to a worse platform because..?
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This is the problem with taking a corporate check. It undermines your CREDIBILITY! And next to your music, credibility is the most important thing you've got.
The manager can get a new client. The salesman can switch products. But the artist is stuck with him or herself. Screw up your image, and you're toast. Neil Young has steered clear of the shenanigans and still does boffo at the b.o. His brethren who sold out, who took the short term money, they're doing a fraction of his business.
Let that be a lesson to you.
If you think BlackBerry is anything but a footnote on its way to expiration, you didn't read today's reviews. Which are uniformly...mediocre. Glitches, no apps, and slow web-surfing... SIGN ME UP FOR THAT!
But no, Ms. Keys had to take the check. You know music sales are tanking and we artists just have to bend over and take it in the tuchas. We've got no choice.
B.S.
First, you can make less money. Especially if you're a star. Wanna make cash? Then tie up with a VC, like Bono.
Second, you can reinvent the wheel, like Amanda Palmer.
Third, you can tell your handlers, all of whom tell you to take the deal, that you've got their number, that they just want their commission, and that you mean less to them than...themselves, their families, so many other people.
An artist has to put him or herself at the pinnacle, the absolute top. He or she must be narcissistic. Because truly, no one else is looking out for him or her. Do poorly on the road and you can lose your agent, manager and accountant. The good old days when you were raining dough? Well, those are the good old days.
And Alicia Keys is just today's example. How about those pop acts shilling for soda water, causing their fans to become obese and stroke out so they can't be paying customers anymore.
First comes the artist.
Second comes the fan.
Everybody else is way down the pike, ESPECIALLY the Fortune 500 company trying to gain some headway on your back. Think about it. Why would they be attracted to you? They need their image burnished. But you're selling out cheap. Your career is tarnished forever and the company shrugs its shoulders and moves on.
Music won't be healthy again until it has self-respect. Until the artists stop being whores and stand for something other than cash and lifestyle.
You want people to believe? BE A ROLE MODEL! Someone with integrity, a fan with more success. Does a fan get these offers? Does a fan sell out to the man? No, the fan relies on you to reflect the human condition. When you have long hair and smoke dope and sing about your trials and tribulations, as opposed to how damn great your life is now that you're rich and famous, then you truly connect, then the riches truly come raining down.
____________
"Alicia Keys Jan 6, 2012 - Public
I've become an iPhone junky! Sad but true. (are u one too?) These are some of my favorite images from my latest download... ;-) http://thekeysofalicia.tumblr.com/ "
http://bit.ly/Wx4NHN
----
So she switched to a worse platform because..?
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Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Palmer & Gaiman
That's a PERK!
My inbox is blowing up with the sour grapes people complaining that Amanda Palmer owes her success to her "millionaire" husband Neil Gaiman. As if she courted him from infancy and rode his coattails to notoriety and riches.
To quote a Who song you probably don't know, and should, "it don't really happen that way at all."
Where should I focus first? Amanda or the hoi polloi?
Let's start with Amanda. She was clueless as to Gaiman for most of her career. It was only by establishing a beachhead that she was able to connect with him. Yes, I hate to disillusion you, but fame/success begets relationships. Hell, that's why many people do it. Like the classic rockers. Just ask 'em. They all did it to get LAID! No one would pay attention to them, being shy art guys. Show me a famous rocker who was popular in high school and I'll tell you you've found the exception. By being "Amanda Palmer," Amanda could bed and wed Gaiman. And if she was really in it for the money, why stop with Gaiman? Go for Lloyd Blankfein, a banker, someone who is truly rich! Then again, artists connect with artists, they're like-minded. Kind of like rock stars connect with models... The lifestyle's the same. Work intermittently but hard when you do and party all hours of the night. People with 9-5 jobs aren't attracted to rock stars. Because they tend to be irresponsible and narcissistic. Unreliable. With poor financial habits to boot.
As for the complainers/naysayers...
I just hope you have some success. Then people you don't know will come out of the woodwork to tell you how it really is, what you're really like even though they've never met you, never mind really know you. They're just pissed you're where they are not.
Yeah, like Neil Gaiman wrote a big check for Amanda Palmer's Kickstarter project. Why? Kickstarter takes a percentage and she'd already blown past her goal.
But the truth never interfered with these pricks' perspective. They see you up where they want to be and figure you had an edge, or are lucky. That they deserve to be where you are. Even though they're marginally talented and unwilling to do the work.
Wanna be rich and famous?
Then give up your personal life. Not only to the audience, but to yourself. You're too busy working all the time. You've got little time for TV, little time for relationships. You're sacrificing all for your art. Burning the candle on both ends. You know why rock stars O.D? Because they take drugs to cope with the hideous life of a creator on the road. Just try to fall asleep after giving it your all at the arena. Busing around the world with people you've spent years in close contact with who you may not even like, whose habits gross you out.
And misinformation rules.
Do you know that I bullied Taylor Swift in high school?
Yup, it's there EVERY DAY in my Twitter feed. Dozens of retweets at a time. Spreading the falsehood. Hell, I'm decades older than she is. A modicum of online research could yield this fact. But no, people would rather complain than deal with the truth. Because it's too much effort and they don't want to look in the mirror and face themselves and their oftentimes miserable little lives.
That's what an artist does best. Give you respite from your horrible life. Hell life can be horrible even if you are rich and famous. Which is why all those bankers are music fans. They want to be touched, they want to be changed.
As for those e-mailing that all this discussion is not about Ms. Palmer's music, IT WASN'T MADE FOR YOU! Palmer didn't work the mainstream media machine, it came to her. And ultimately turned its back on her, with the backup musician kerfuffle.
And her fanbase didn't care. The only people complaining they weren't getting paid were union members and those who never listened to her music. It's like having your party crashed by your parents, complete with invective against your lifestyle, because it's different from theirs.
No one likes negative comments.
But if you raise your head above water, you're gonna get 'em, oftentimes from weasels hiding under the cover of anonymity. Trying to bring you down. Telling you you're too fat, too untalented, too ugly, too connected to be where you are. But isn't it interesting that you're on top and they're on the bottom.
I've got just one piece of advice re the haters...
IGNORE THEM!
P.S. That Who song is "Naked Eye." The definitive take is from their '74 album "Odds & Sods," check it out, it'll be the best five minutes you spend today.
Spotify: http://spoti.fi/VmvaNE
YouTube: http://bit.ly/5AeOol
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My inbox is blowing up with the sour grapes people complaining that Amanda Palmer owes her success to her "millionaire" husband Neil Gaiman. As if she courted him from infancy and rode his coattails to notoriety and riches.
To quote a Who song you probably don't know, and should, "it don't really happen that way at all."
Where should I focus first? Amanda or the hoi polloi?
Let's start with Amanda. She was clueless as to Gaiman for most of her career. It was only by establishing a beachhead that she was able to connect with him. Yes, I hate to disillusion you, but fame/success begets relationships. Hell, that's why many people do it. Like the classic rockers. Just ask 'em. They all did it to get LAID! No one would pay attention to them, being shy art guys. Show me a famous rocker who was popular in high school and I'll tell you you've found the exception. By being "Amanda Palmer," Amanda could bed and wed Gaiman. And if she was really in it for the money, why stop with Gaiman? Go for Lloyd Blankfein, a banker, someone who is truly rich! Then again, artists connect with artists, they're like-minded. Kind of like rock stars connect with models... The lifestyle's the same. Work intermittently but hard when you do and party all hours of the night. People with 9-5 jobs aren't attracted to rock stars. Because they tend to be irresponsible and narcissistic. Unreliable. With poor financial habits to boot.
As for the complainers/naysayers...
I just hope you have some success. Then people you don't know will come out of the woodwork to tell you how it really is, what you're really like even though they've never met you, never mind really know you. They're just pissed you're where they are not.
Yeah, like Neil Gaiman wrote a big check for Amanda Palmer's Kickstarter project. Why? Kickstarter takes a percentage and she'd already blown past her goal.
But the truth never interfered with these pricks' perspective. They see you up where they want to be and figure you had an edge, or are lucky. That they deserve to be where you are. Even though they're marginally talented and unwilling to do the work.
Wanna be rich and famous?
Then give up your personal life. Not only to the audience, but to yourself. You're too busy working all the time. You've got little time for TV, little time for relationships. You're sacrificing all for your art. Burning the candle on both ends. You know why rock stars O.D? Because they take drugs to cope with the hideous life of a creator on the road. Just try to fall asleep after giving it your all at the arena. Busing around the world with people you've spent years in close contact with who you may not even like, whose habits gross you out.
And misinformation rules.
Do you know that I bullied Taylor Swift in high school?
Yup, it's there EVERY DAY in my Twitter feed. Dozens of retweets at a time. Spreading the falsehood. Hell, I'm decades older than she is. A modicum of online research could yield this fact. But no, people would rather complain than deal with the truth. Because it's too much effort and they don't want to look in the mirror and face themselves and their oftentimes miserable little lives.
That's what an artist does best. Give you respite from your horrible life. Hell life can be horrible even if you are rich and famous. Which is why all those bankers are music fans. They want to be touched, they want to be changed.
As for those e-mailing that all this discussion is not about Ms. Palmer's music, IT WASN'T MADE FOR YOU! Palmer didn't work the mainstream media machine, it came to her. And ultimately turned its back on her, with the backup musician kerfuffle.
And her fanbase didn't care. The only people complaining they weren't getting paid were union members and those who never listened to her music. It's like having your party crashed by your parents, complete with invective against your lifestyle, because it's different from theirs.
No one likes negative comments.
But if you raise your head above water, you're gonna get 'em, oftentimes from weasels hiding under the cover of anonymity. Trying to bring you down. Telling you you're too fat, too untalented, too ugly, too connected to be where you are. But isn't it interesting that you're on top and they're on the bottom.
I've got just one piece of advice re the haters...
IGNORE THEM!
P.S. That Who song is "Naked Eye." The definitive take is from their '74 album "Odds & Sods," check it out, it'll be the best five minutes you spend today.
Spotify: http://spoti.fi/VmvaNE
YouTube: http://bit.ly/5AeOol
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Amanda Palmer
Is a modern day star.
How did Amanda Palmer get to where she is now?
By working all the time.
By networking.
By putting her fans first.
By maintaining her fan relationship 24/7.
Amanda Palmer is not for everybody. Just for her fans. But that's enough for her to raise a million dollars on Kickstarter.
There's plenty of money out there. You've just got to find ways to tap it.
Used to be you looked for a record company check. But now the company pays less, because there's less money to be made. And not only do they own the copyrights in perpetuity, but they want a share of everything you make.
Amanda Palmer began as a street performer. After college.
This is the lowest rung of entertainment. And not the choice of almost any college graduate. But this is where the rubber meets the road. Daniel Glass once told me a prerequisite to working at SBK Records, and this was twenty years ago, before he became majordomo of his own independent label, was that you had to work retail. That's where the transaction took place. How big a fan base are you gonna have if you're not a great performer? Probably a tiny one. And if you think someone comes out of the box fully-formed, totally great, you've probably never been to a club gig. Or a high school sock hop. This is where you hone your chops. You've got to be awful before you are great. You've got to learn the tricks. There's a trick to every art form, whether it be performing, recording or selling. And in today's music world you've got to do all three.
Furthermore, Daniel Glass had two more requirements to work at SBK Records. One, you really had to want to work there. Two, you had to graduate from college. Why? Not because you learned anything in school, but a degree demonstrated you could FINISH something!
Amanda Palmer knew the road was long. She had to get good grades to get into Wesleyan, had to endure four years there, so when she started as a street performer she was not about to give up. She was in it for the long haul. She's got a giant footprint now, but she's in her thirties. Recently got married and has no kids. Her eye was on the prize.
And yes, she had a deal with a "major," RoadRunner Records. But more importantly, she was one of the first artists to get off a major label. At her own insistence. She wanted to be free. Bondage was holding her back. She wanted to experiment.
Which included cutting Zeppelin covers on her ukulele, which she'd just recently picked up, and selling the result for six figures to her fans.
You see Amanda was not afraid of the future. She just knew that the past sucked. And not only did she abandon her label, she gave up her moniker. The lead guy in Ohio Players just died...do you know his name? Probably not, but you know "Fire." It was a big risk to go solo. But that's what Amanda felt in her heart. Artists always do what's in their heart. Money comes second. Expedience is not in their lexicon.
So if you're not willing to tweet, work 24/7, try every new platform to engage potential fans, your odds of succeeding in the new world are slim. Sure, the major MIGHT be able to get you on the radio, but that world is collapsing and most acts are not radio-friendly.
No, you're on your own.
Are you up to the challenge?
Then know you and your fans go hand in hand. No one else counts as much. And you can reach your cadre and make new fans via new technologies. This paradigm is only going to expand, it's never going to contract.
With Amanda Palmer it's not about her music, it's about HER!
The cult of personality.
She's her fans' best friend. She's an outcast just like them. With more rough edges than smooth.
Don't look at the recent publicity, look at the two decades before. Working in near-obscurity.
You can do it.
But it's gonna be slow.
And you're gonna have to take chances.
And you'll be playing without a net.
And someone in the band has to be the face.
Used to be the drummer booked the gigs, was the de facto manager.
Now you need a de facto face on the Internet, in social media.
You've got to be interacting and selling 24/7. If you're focusing on the album, you're not only leaving money on the table, you're missing the point.
As did the mainstream media. Amanda's name was all over. Did it make her any additional money? NO! Will this same media care in a year or two? NO! Did this media even listen to the music? NO! It might make you feel good to be in the newspaper, even on TV, but most people aren't paying attention and the impact is nigh near neglible. You're your own barometer. Can you pay your bills? When you tweet do you get responses? Are your fans passionate about you and your music? Then you're on your way.
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How did Amanda Palmer get to where she is now?
By working all the time.
By networking.
By putting her fans first.
By maintaining her fan relationship 24/7.
Amanda Palmer is not for everybody. Just for her fans. But that's enough for her to raise a million dollars on Kickstarter.
There's plenty of money out there. You've just got to find ways to tap it.
Used to be you looked for a record company check. But now the company pays less, because there's less money to be made. And not only do they own the copyrights in perpetuity, but they want a share of everything you make.
Amanda Palmer began as a street performer. After college.
This is the lowest rung of entertainment. And not the choice of almost any college graduate. But this is where the rubber meets the road. Daniel Glass once told me a prerequisite to working at SBK Records, and this was twenty years ago, before he became majordomo of his own independent label, was that you had to work retail. That's where the transaction took place. How big a fan base are you gonna have if you're not a great performer? Probably a tiny one. And if you think someone comes out of the box fully-formed, totally great, you've probably never been to a club gig. Or a high school sock hop. This is where you hone your chops. You've got to be awful before you are great. You've got to learn the tricks. There's a trick to every art form, whether it be performing, recording or selling. And in today's music world you've got to do all three.
Furthermore, Daniel Glass had two more requirements to work at SBK Records. One, you really had to want to work there. Two, you had to graduate from college. Why? Not because you learned anything in school, but a degree demonstrated you could FINISH something!
Amanda Palmer knew the road was long. She had to get good grades to get into Wesleyan, had to endure four years there, so when she started as a street performer she was not about to give up. She was in it for the long haul. She's got a giant footprint now, but she's in her thirties. Recently got married and has no kids. Her eye was on the prize.
And yes, she had a deal with a "major," RoadRunner Records. But more importantly, she was one of the first artists to get off a major label. At her own insistence. She wanted to be free. Bondage was holding her back. She wanted to experiment.
Which included cutting Zeppelin covers on her ukulele, which she'd just recently picked up, and selling the result for six figures to her fans.
You see Amanda was not afraid of the future. She just knew that the past sucked. And not only did she abandon her label, she gave up her moniker. The lead guy in Ohio Players just died...do you know his name? Probably not, but you know "Fire." It was a big risk to go solo. But that's what Amanda felt in her heart. Artists always do what's in their heart. Money comes second. Expedience is not in their lexicon.
So if you're not willing to tweet, work 24/7, try every new platform to engage potential fans, your odds of succeeding in the new world are slim. Sure, the major MIGHT be able to get you on the radio, but that world is collapsing and most acts are not radio-friendly.
No, you're on your own.
Are you up to the challenge?
Then know you and your fans go hand in hand. No one else counts as much. And you can reach your cadre and make new fans via new technologies. This paradigm is only going to expand, it's never going to contract.
With Amanda Palmer it's not about her music, it's about HER!
The cult of personality.
She's her fans' best friend. She's an outcast just like them. With more rough edges than smooth.
Don't look at the recent publicity, look at the two decades before. Working in near-obscurity.
You can do it.
But it's gonna be slow.
And you're gonna have to take chances.
And you'll be playing without a net.
And someone in the band has to be the face.
Used to be the drummer booked the gigs, was the de facto manager.
Now you need a de facto face on the Internet, in social media.
You've got to be interacting and selling 24/7. If you're focusing on the album, you're not only leaving money on the table, you're missing the point.
As did the mainstream media. Amanda's name was all over. Did it make her any additional money? NO! Will this same media care in a year or two? NO! Did this media even listen to the music? NO! It might make you feel good to be in the newspaper, even on TV, but most people aren't paying attention and the impact is nigh near neglible. You're your own barometer. Can you pay your bills? When you tweet do you get responses? Are your fans passionate about you and your music? Then you're on your way.
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New York Times On Streaming
http://nyti.ms/Xbx7h9
No one ever reads to the end. Wherein it is stated, by both Cliff Burnstein and Don Passman, paragons of the old model, that the future's so bright they gotta wear shades.
Isn't it funny that the artists are bitching about Spotify. You didn't hear them bitching and moaning about Napster, except for Metallica, which is now on the Spotify bandwagon. A. Because many of the artists were ignorant. B. Because they saw it as a way to get their music into the hands of potential fans. Artists are still ignorant, but a little knowledge goes a long way. Having been ripped off by record labels forever, having seen their incomes go down, they're fearful of the future. Want to know what's coming down the pike? Don't ask an artist. He'll go on about the glory days of vinyl and recording to tape...and if you think either of these are the future, you're unaware that vinyl, despite the hoopla of its supposed comeback, still makes up less than 1% of total sales. To champion vinyl as the future is to make your arguments about Spotify irrelevant, because Spotify pays so much better. And the Internet is still the best way to expose your music to fans. You used to have to buy it to hear it, or listen endlessly to the radio to hear one track.
But now everything is available on YouTube!
YouTube! It snuck in the back door. Because the labels wouldn't license Spotify. Time truly is money. As well as opportunity. And credit the labels for now knowing this. They all got a piece of Spotify, and they're gearing up for streaming... Hell, Jimmy Iovine, the label titan, is about to blow up MOG/Daisy. If CD and track sales were the future do you think he'd be investing all this time and money? OF COURSE NOT!
What we're seeing is the labels getting smart. Being in front of the customer for the very first time. Credit them. This is how you play. By developing what people don't even know they want. People didn't know they wanted smartphones, but now smartphones own the market. People don't know they want to subscribe to streaming services, but they're gonna sign up in droves.
For portability.
You've got to pay to get the tracks on your handset. And thousands sync like you own them, there's no costly bandwidth involved. But nobody seems to know this. The streaming services can't penetrate the public's perception. But once the acts start to testify, people will get it and spread the word. Yup, expect MOG/Daisy to employ a scorched earth "I Want My MTV" campaign. Spotify? MOG/Daisy is poised to wipe it out. As for big bad Apple... That's the gang that can't shoot straight, right? Selling tracks is like selling CDs. Do you see any Tower Records stores? Do you see ANY record stores?
But you keep complaining you can't get paid.
I've got one word for you...SCALE!
Once everybody has a subscription, there's TONS of money involved.
As for who's gonna get it...
The lion's share of revenue for streaming services is paid to rights holders.
Assuming you own your rights, that will be a lot.
But don't expect the wannabes or the middle class to profit handsomely. Because we live in winner-take-all world. PSY made $8 million from YouTube on "Gangnam Style." You put your video up...and not only did no one see it, you didn't get paid.
Sucks, doesn't it?
Either you're a superstar or you're nothing.
But that's got nothing to do with music.
There's one Amazon. One Google. There's Android and Apple in smartphones. If you think BlackBerry and Microsoft have a chance, you own stock.
Furthermore, you now get paid over the life of the copyright. Talk to any aged musician, the money's all in the PUBLISHING! You get paid forever. The upfront advance was never the size it was with your record deal, but now that you're sixty, you still get paid. Make a record that sticks, you'll get paid by streaming services for the rest of your life.
Which one?
Could be Spotify, MOG/Daisy or Deezer...Rdio's already history. Will only be one. But there will be a ton of bread.
As for getting someone to pay you to create... Mmm...major labels only want hit acts now anyway. They'll always want hit acts. They'll always pay for hit acts. So wannabes can use Kickstarter, which may fade in power now that people are getting burned, paying and getting nothing. But one thing's for sure. You're now in business with your fanbase. Know who each fan is, and sell sell sell and ask ask ask. They'll support you, always have. That's what going on the road is all about, a fan relationship.
Ignore the hysteria about streaming payments. Just concentrate on making great music and building a fanbase. There's plenty of money to be made.
You just don't know it yet.
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No one ever reads to the end. Wherein it is stated, by both Cliff Burnstein and Don Passman, paragons of the old model, that the future's so bright they gotta wear shades.
Isn't it funny that the artists are bitching about Spotify. You didn't hear them bitching and moaning about Napster, except for Metallica, which is now on the Spotify bandwagon. A. Because many of the artists were ignorant. B. Because they saw it as a way to get their music into the hands of potential fans. Artists are still ignorant, but a little knowledge goes a long way. Having been ripped off by record labels forever, having seen their incomes go down, they're fearful of the future. Want to know what's coming down the pike? Don't ask an artist. He'll go on about the glory days of vinyl and recording to tape...and if you think either of these are the future, you're unaware that vinyl, despite the hoopla of its supposed comeback, still makes up less than 1% of total sales. To champion vinyl as the future is to make your arguments about Spotify irrelevant, because Spotify pays so much better. And the Internet is still the best way to expose your music to fans. You used to have to buy it to hear it, or listen endlessly to the radio to hear one track.
But now everything is available on YouTube!
YouTube! It snuck in the back door. Because the labels wouldn't license Spotify. Time truly is money. As well as opportunity. And credit the labels for now knowing this. They all got a piece of Spotify, and they're gearing up for streaming... Hell, Jimmy Iovine, the label titan, is about to blow up MOG/Daisy. If CD and track sales were the future do you think he'd be investing all this time and money? OF COURSE NOT!
What we're seeing is the labels getting smart. Being in front of the customer for the very first time. Credit them. This is how you play. By developing what people don't even know they want. People didn't know they wanted smartphones, but now smartphones own the market. People don't know they want to subscribe to streaming services, but they're gonna sign up in droves.
For portability.
You've got to pay to get the tracks on your handset. And thousands sync like you own them, there's no costly bandwidth involved. But nobody seems to know this. The streaming services can't penetrate the public's perception. But once the acts start to testify, people will get it and spread the word. Yup, expect MOG/Daisy to employ a scorched earth "I Want My MTV" campaign. Spotify? MOG/Daisy is poised to wipe it out. As for big bad Apple... That's the gang that can't shoot straight, right? Selling tracks is like selling CDs. Do you see any Tower Records stores? Do you see ANY record stores?
But you keep complaining you can't get paid.
I've got one word for you...SCALE!
Once everybody has a subscription, there's TONS of money involved.
As for who's gonna get it...
The lion's share of revenue for streaming services is paid to rights holders.
Assuming you own your rights, that will be a lot.
But don't expect the wannabes or the middle class to profit handsomely. Because we live in winner-take-all world. PSY made $8 million from YouTube on "Gangnam Style." You put your video up...and not only did no one see it, you didn't get paid.
Sucks, doesn't it?
Either you're a superstar or you're nothing.
But that's got nothing to do with music.
There's one Amazon. One Google. There's Android and Apple in smartphones. If you think BlackBerry and Microsoft have a chance, you own stock.
Furthermore, you now get paid over the life of the copyright. Talk to any aged musician, the money's all in the PUBLISHING! You get paid forever. The upfront advance was never the size it was with your record deal, but now that you're sixty, you still get paid. Make a record that sticks, you'll get paid by streaming services for the rest of your life.
Which one?
Could be Spotify, MOG/Daisy or Deezer...Rdio's already history. Will only be one. But there will be a ton of bread.
As for getting someone to pay you to create... Mmm...major labels only want hit acts now anyway. They'll always want hit acts. They'll always pay for hit acts. So wannabes can use Kickstarter, which may fade in power now that people are getting burned, paying and getting nothing. But one thing's for sure. You're now in business with your fanbase. Know who each fan is, and sell sell sell and ask ask ask. They'll support you, always have. That's what going on the road is all about, a fan relationship.
Ignore the hysteria about streaming payments. Just concentrate on making great music and building a fanbase. There's plenty of money to be made.
You just don't know it yet.
--
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Monday, 28 January 2013
Mailbag
From: Paul Dean
Subject: Slippery When Wet
Hi Bob
I'm a big fan of yours, you remind me of another great thinker in our field, Bruce Allen. Like you, outspoken, fearless and usually right. I just wanted to say thanks for the mention, and give you a bit of back story regarding Bruce Fairbairn.
Jon Bon Jovi called me one day out on the road. "Hi Paul, got your number from my manager who knows your manager, blah blah. I wanted to ask you about working with Bruce Fairbairn. What's he like, patient, creative, tyrannical, bored, insightful, lazy, deaf?"
I said something like, "His best quality is he's super organized. He has charts and progress graphs, every song is broken into parts - Drums, done. Bass, done. Rhythm guitar, done. Solos, not done. BGs, not started. Lyrics, need work. The part gets done, it gets a star, when it's all stars, we mix."
So he thanked me, wished me well on our tour, and I didn't think much about it.
A year goes by, and I'm back at Little Mountain Sound recording "Loving Every Minute of It" with Tom Allom, and Fairbairn comes across from Studio B, and says, "Hey Dean, got a minute?" "Yeah man, what's up?" "I got something I want your opinion on. Have a listen to this cassette, and pick the best song."
So I'm listening to "You Give Love A Bad Name", and "Wanted Dead Or Alve", and "Living On A Prayer." What would you say? I heard the whole album, and picked those 3, right off. Looking back, I wish I had said, "They're OK I guess. I'd probably use them as filler for our album."
'Cause recently I heard Jon And Richie were writing them for us, they wanted us to record them. If only! Yeah, we would've killed.
Thanks again.
Paul Dean
Loverboy
__________________________________________
From: Glen Phillips
Subject: Blind Pilot-Half Moon
Bob -
Thanks for the kind mention. Toad is back in the studio as we speak.
Hopefully we'll equal the moment this time around….
Best
g
__________________________________________
From: Wayne Jobson
Subject: Volkswagen Commercial featuring Jimmy Cliff's Music
Just saw Jimmy in LA and he was recording this.
----
A Volkswagen commercial featuring Jimmy Cliff's music with the Jamaican accent has been released and will be featured during this Sunday’s Super Bowl. Please click this link to view the commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_697164&feature=iv&src_vid=NfCm9P8naDQ&v=9H0xPWAtaa8.
The downloadable version of the song is included on the VW website: http://www.vw.com/en.html.
----
Bless,
Native Wayne
(Note: Be sure to watch this video. It's got all the creativity most mainstream music does not. It's all about perspective, creativity, the idea. Execution is secondary.)
__________________________________________
From: Jay Sweet
Subject: Newport Folk Festival
The reality is, as a small non-profit, we simply can't go toe to toe with all the new fests backed by the big boys, so we just do our own thing and deliver the best we can to our community. Out entire programming budget is equal to one second or third line headliner on any of the uber-festivals.
We're at 75% sold for Sat & Sun after 14 days on sale (we added a Friday this year too) and we didn't do a press release announcing we were on-sale, haven't announced any artists, or spent a dollar on marketing. We just told our community via social media in hopes that they would have the best shot at grabbing them. Mainstream hasn't even sniffed it yet, and I'm fairly confident Sat & Sun will be clean by the time they do. Not like it really matters anyway.
We are scrubbing all sales for scalpers... and yes some scuzbags have put their tickets on Stub Hub and marked them up 5X, which is truly moronic because, even though they are going fast, you can still get tickets for all days directly from our site. We try and remind people NOT to go to any third party sites for tix because, as we have seen the last two years after selling out, the majority of the time they are bogus. We beg are fans to not feed into it. If no one buys from the scalpers there are only two results a) they will eat their costs and think twice about it next year or b) flood the market right before the date with either face value or below market costs. It's about unifying our community and of course being patient.
Someday I'd love to tell you more about the seemly underbelly of how this festival game is played over coffee... truly the only way to survive is to ignore what anyone else is doing and hope your crowd trusts you. Unless you have the biggest wallet, if you try and play the game the way it's rigged you are DOOMED.
Hope you are getting some turns
Jay
__________________________________________
From: Taylor Raboin
Subject: Re: Django Unchained
Your line, "we want limit-testers, people not beholden to the system...," is brilliant and absolutely true.
As Hugh MacLeod puts it: "the sovereignty you have over your work will inspire far more people than the actual content ever will."
This is the essence of almost everything you write.
It's the fact that Tarantino's films exist in their own UNIVERSE, an alternate reality of life on Earth, 'The Realer Than Real World Universe,' one defined by a ton of violence (Google: "Tarantion film universe"). He CREATED that, and it is uniquely his. That turns his fans on far more than the films themselves, whether they realize it or not.
And anyone who wishes to do anything substantial and unique in their life should read MacLeod's manifesto on 'How To Be Creative' (the above quote is from it). It's the 26 commandments on how to create something and truly inspire people. And it's free: http://changethis.com/manifesto/show/6.HowToBeCreative.
Seriously. Bob. Read it. I know what I'm talking about.
P.S. I bought some Sennheiser 380's (I know they're no 800's, but I'm a Vanderbilt dropout on a budget. have you seen their tuition these days?) and my life has forever been changed. I honestly feel like I'm hearing music for the first time. Thanks for turning me on to the good word. And f*** Beats.
Taylor
Nashville
__________________________________________
From: Darren Templeton
Subject: Re: Django Unchained
Hey Bob. I'm the guy that wrote to you about going to EDM shows in a wheelchair. You should see the things that go on in the handicapped parking areas! You wanna see the worst people on earth?! Camp out in front of a movie or theater lot by the handicapped spots!!
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Subject: Slippery When Wet
Hi Bob
I'm a big fan of yours, you remind me of another great thinker in our field, Bruce Allen. Like you, outspoken, fearless and usually right. I just wanted to say thanks for the mention, and give you a bit of back story regarding Bruce Fairbairn.
Jon Bon Jovi called me one day out on the road. "Hi Paul, got your number from my manager who knows your manager, blah blah. I wanted to ask you about working with Bruce Fairbairn. What's he like, patient, creative, tyrannical, bored, insightful, lazy, deaf?"
I said something like, "His best quality is he's super organized. He has charts and progress graphs, every song is broken into parts - Drums, done. Bass, done. Rhythm guitar, done. Solos, not done. BGs, not started. Lyrics, need work. The part gets done, it gets a star, when it's all stars, we mix."
So he thanked me, wished me well on our tour, and I didn't think much about it.
A year goes by, and I'm back at Little Mountain Sound recording "Loving Every Minute of It" with Tom Allom, and Fairbairn comes across from Studio B, and says, "Hey Dean, got a minute?" "Yeah man, what's up?" "I got something I want your opinion on. Have a listen to this cassette, and pick the best song."
So I'm listening to "You Give Love A Bad Name", and "Wanted Dead Or Alve", and "Living On A Prayer." What would you say? I heard the whole album, and picked those 3, right off. Looking back, I wish I had said, "They're OK I guess. I'd probably use them as filler for our album."
'Cause recently I heard Jon And Richie were writing them for us, they wanted us to record them. If only! Yeah, we would've killed.
Thanks again.
Paul Dean
Loverboy
__________________________________________
From: Glen Phillips
Subject: Blind Pilot-Half Moon
Bob -
Thanks for the kind mention. Toad is back in the studio as we speak.
Hopefully we'll equal the moment this time around….
Best
g
__________________________________________
From: Wayne Jobson
Subject: Volkswagen Commercial featuring Jimmy Cliff's Music
Just saw Jimmy in LA and he was recording this.
----
A Volkswagen commercial featuring Jimmy Cliff's music with the Jamaican accent has been released and will be featured during this Sunday’s Super Bowl. Please click this link to view the commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_697164&feature=iv&src_vid=NfCm9P8naDQ&v=9H0xPWAtaa8.
The downloadable version of the song is included on the VW website: http://www.vw.com/en.html.
----
Bless,
Native Wayne
(Note: Be sure to watch this video. It's got all the creativity most mainstream music does not. It's all about perspective, creativity, the idea. Execution is secondary.)
__________________________________________
From: Jay Sweet
Subject: Newport Folk Festival
The reality is, as a small non-profit, we simply can't go toe to toe with all the new fests backed by the big boys, so we just do our own thing and deliver the best we can to our community. Out entire programming budget is equal to one second or third line headliner on any of the uber-festivals.
We're at 75% sold for Sat & Sun after 14 days on sale (we added a Friday this year too) and we didn't do a press release announcing we were on-sale, haven't announced any artists, or spent a dollar on marketing. We just told our community via social media in hopes that they would have the best shot at grabbing them. Mainstream hasn't even sniffed it yet, and I'm fairly confident Sat & Sun will be clean by the time they do. Not like it really matters anyway.
We are scrubbing all sales for scalpers... and yes some scuzbags have put their tickets on Stub Hub and marked them up 5X, which is truly moronic because, even though they are going fast, you can still get tickets for all days directly from our site. We try and remind people NOT to go to any third party sites for tix because, as we have seen the last two years after selling out, the majority of the time they are bogus. We beg are fans to not feed into it. If no one buys from the scalpers there are only two results a) they will eat their costs and think twice about it next year or b) flood the market right before the date with either face value or below market costs. It's about unifying our community and of course being patient.
Someday I'd love to tell you more about the seemly underbelly of how this festival game is played over coffee... truly the only way to survive is to ignore what anyone else is doing and hope your crowd trusts you. Unless you have the biggest wallet, if you try and play the game the way it's rigged you are DOOMED.
Hope you are getting some turns
Jay
__________________________________________
From: Taylor Raboin
Subject: Re: Django Unchained
Your line, "we want limit-testers, people not beholden to the system...," is brilliant and absolutely true.
As Hugh MacLeod puts it: "the sovereignty you have over your work will inspire far more people than the actual content ever will."
This is the essence of almost everything you write.
It's the fact that Tarantino's films exist in their own UNIVERSE, an alternate reality of life on Earth, 'The Realer Than Real World Universe,' one defined by a ton of violence (Google: "Tarantion film universe"). He CREATED that, and it is uniquely his. That turns his fans on far more than the films themselves, whether they realize it or not.
And anyone who wishes to do anything substantial and unique in their life should read MacLeod's manifesto on 'How To Be Creative' (the above quote is from it). It's the 26 commandments on how to create something and truly inspire people. And it's free: http://changethis.com/manifesto/show/6.HowToBeCreative.
Seriously. Bob. Read it. I know what I'm talking about.
P.S. I bought some Sennheiser 380's (I know they're no 800's, but I'm a Vanderbilt dropout on a budget. have you seen their tuition these days?) and my life has forever been changed. I honestly feel like I'm hearing music for the first time. Thanks for turning me on to the good word. And f*** Beats.
Taylor
Nashville
__________________________________________
From: Darren Templeton
Subject: Re: Django Unchained
Hey Bob. I'm the guy that wrote to you about going to EDM shows in a wheelchair. You should see the things that go on in the handicapped parking areas! You wanna see the worst people on earth?! Camp out in front of a movie or theater lot by the handicapped spots!!
--
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