Truth

This is an individual project.

I just finished reading "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From The Twentieth Century," by Timothy Snyder (http://amzn.to/2lMh1gS).

Be afraid, be very afraid.

Because sooner if not later there's going to be a terrorist event and you're gonna lose all your personal rights. That's how they do it, especially Putin. Under the guise of keeping you safe, you sacrifice the freedom you think you're fighting for. Like when the Reichstag burned up and Hitler used that as an excuse to declare a governmental emergency, which lasted for twelve years, until the end of World War II. It can happen here. It's happened in Russia. Where Putin blew up/burned up his own establishments and then under the guise of keeping people safe got a stranglehold on power. Because never underestimate people's fear.

It's making them act like sheep today.

Most people are afraid to speak up, for fear of standing out, for fear of being ridiculed, they just want to get along. And Victor Klemperer's friends slowly became Nazis, one by one, because it felt right, kinda like the internet bubble back in the year 2000. Remember when we heard it was a new economy and the old rules just did not apply? But they still do, they always do, the bubble burst and it turns out managed funds do worse than index funds, did you see Warren Buffett's pronouncement the other week? He said that rich people don't want to put their money in index funds, which outperform hedge funds, because they believe they're special and entitled to special treatment, what the hoi polloi uses they can't, they're entitled to something better.

But the point is less about elites than conventional wisdom. Which has been wrong time and again. Even the pollsters. What bugs me about all of them, including Nate Silver, is they just can't admit they're wrong. They point to statistics saying that Hillary still won the popular vote as justification for their veracity and sanity, but they missed the major point. It was about who won the election, not statistics. But ain't that America, where no one wants to admit they're wrong and take another path.

Now the reason I read "On Tyranny" is because I got an e-mail from Jesse Kornbluth. We all have sources we trust implicitly, whose advice we take, or at least check out and judge for ourselves. You can see what Jesse had to say about Snyder's book here: http://bit.ly/2mrnbXl

And Snyder can't write and he hates the internet but he's a cogent thinker and a Yale professor and his twenty lessons are good starting points.

But let's go to the internet.

Because it parallels what's going on in our society today.

When people decry Spotify/streaming, are they any different from the white working men and women who were left behind in the new economy? Hell, they hate Daniel Ek more than they hate Spotify, they consider Ek an interloper, who became a billionaire on their backs.

Forget that theft was rampant before Spotify.

But we've got endless reports of acts saying they got puny royalties from streaming services. Old paragons of truth like David Crosby decry streaming, which is just plain sad. Because we live in a global economy and if you want to shut the doors and make America great again, you're denying the fact that it wasn't so great to begin with. You needed a record company to be in the game, only a few could compete. Do we live in an era of chaos? Absolutely! But you must march into the future, you cannot live in the past.

But the point is the whole music industry doesn't want to believe in facts, wants to jet back to the past, and do you think it's any different in government? Look at yourself first, question your own principles. Then see the world through a different lens.

And the power of the individual cannot be underestimated. And artists can reach more people than politicians, especially musicians, who rule the social media our world runs upon. But rather than speak truth, they'd rather collaborate with established hitmakers and churn out stuff that's indecipherable from what came before.

Snyder says we must be students of history. Knowing that the future is gonna come.

But no one wants to remember yesterday, unless they're looking through rose-colored glasses.

Yesterday was an era where artists said no. They left money on the table, their credibility was key. Now they want to be brands, and to tell you the truth I trust BMW and Amazon more than any artist, a whole bunch of corporations, they do their job better. I mean what is the job of an artist? To make money? To anesthetize the public?

So I vacillate between thinking it's business as usual and believing we're at a tipping point and everything's up for grabs.

And I know you do too, unless you're e-mailing me fake Breitbart stories accusing me of not covering the other side.

My e-mail was blowing up on Friday wondering when I was gonna write about Obama's conspiracy. Huh? I checked the NYT and the WSJ...nothing. But on Breitbart, those pesky Democrats were wreaking havoc, we have to be saved from their ineptitude that pushed our nation to the brink.

Huh?

While you're at it, read Tony Blair's piece in the NYT today, quite cogent and reasonably insightful: http://nyti.ms/2mV9kVZ

But the point is it comes down to you and me.

Snyder tells us to turn off the screens and read books, fat chance, but his point that TV news is a reality show bouncing from one headline to the next, with no investigation beneath the surface, is true.

But he asks us to be members of society, to forge tight-knit bonds that will help us endure the coming shocks.

I just don't feel like anybody in the arts is doing anything. Other than making statements at awards shows.

Hell, there's no truth in the Oscars themselves. Asking us who didn't see the movies to tune in and watch the film industry laud the flicks.

But where is the movie with truth? Certainly not in a special effects comic book show.

As for records... Music is the most truthful medium of all. But we've abdicated that power in search of the almighty dollar.

Interesting times we live in.

But one thing's for sure, if we sleep we're gonna lose.

And right now, despite all the hoopla, too many people are sleeping.


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Music Media Summit

http://www.musicmediasummit.com?utm_source=phplist5761&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Music+Media+Summit

It's about the hang. We're gonna have a bonding experience. The panels will be good, but it's about you connecting with me and the other attendees to build relationships that pay dividends in the future.

Lofty goal? You bet! Let's see what happens!

Every year, for the past 21, in fact, I've gone to Aspen, Colorado for Jim Lewi's Aspen Live conference. Many see it as a boondoggle, a ski trip, but they've never been. Spend time on the hill with someone and you get to know them. Most of my social life and a lot of my business life derives from the relationships I've made at Aspen Live, and I wasn't even working it! But when you know someone, they love to reach out and help you, it's part of being human.

So over Christmas Lewi hit me up to do another ski conference. I wanted to do it in Mammoth, in California, in April. Have you seen how much snow they've got there? Most people have never been to the Sierras. They're staggering. Maybe not as visually impactful as the Tetons, but there are more of them. Mammoth is right on the backside of Yosemite, and if you haven't been there, that requires a trip too, but Lewi got anxious that people didn't want to ski in April and he felt it would be better to do it closer to town, so we're doing it in Santa Barbara.

He's Mr. Logistics. He's the one who put it together.

I'm the one responsible for the talent and the interviewing.

So who do we have so far?

Chris Moore. Dedicated cable television watchers might know him from "Project Greenlight," but in any event, he's a Harvard-educated movie producer whose latest production is "Manchester By The Sea." Do you like a depressing movie? I certainly do. Especially when it's done by Kenneth Lonergan, who made my favorite flick of the twenty first century, "You Can Count On Me." Lonergan just won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and Casey Affleck won the Oscar for Best Actor and "Manchester By The Sea" was bought by Amazon and Chris told me how hard it is to find material this good and that when he does he has to make it and he's gonna fill us in on all that.

Second, we've got Neil Jacobson. Heard "Blurred Lines"? How about "Uptown Funk"? Neil was the A&R guy responsible for those at Interscope and as a result of this success he's just been made the new head of Geffen Records. When I sit with Neil it's so stimulating because he's not an old fart baby boomer who yearns for the days of yore, he knows how to make hit records today, I can learn something, and he can learn something from me! Our dinners are endless and stimulating and I know Neil will impart wisdom.

And then there's Jonathan Prince. Global Head of Communications and Public Policy for Spotify. Jonathan's a bit different from the average streaming music service honcho, you see he comes from politics, not a record label, who knows, it's he who might someday occupy the White House. But Jonathan is fully versed in the licensing issues and mumbo-jumbo spread about Spotify. He'll give us the real story re the deals, re the steel wool covering up the truth. He's a smart guy who sings it straight and you'll be edified.

The above three are confirmed. There are others in the works, but until they confirm, I'm not gonna mention their names.

And, to tell you the truth, sometimes people cancel. So if you're gonna sign up wanting a guarantee everybody appears maybe you shouldn't come. Because maybe you don't get it. Which is the conference is all about us. The exchange of ideas between the attendees. Working out the issues and getting to know each other, the speakers are just the icing on the cake, although there will be plenty of them and they will be good.

It's Lewi's conference, but I'm gonna interview these subjects. My goal is to find out where they came from, which defines where they are now and where they are going to. Where you come from is oh-so-important. It shapes your vision and direction. My goal is to not only find out about the speakers' business, but what makes them so special as individuals that they've had success.

So, if you want to know more, feel free to e-mail Jim Lewi at jim@liveworksevents.com

And, of course, you can reach me at the above address.

This is an experiment, we're hanging it out there. And when you push the envelope.

Good things can happen.

P.S. Roger McNamee just confirmed he will be a speaker. We'll dig deep into how he snared Bono to be his partner in Elevation Partners, as well as his friendships with Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg and his tenure in the band Moonalice...and those years teaching skiing at Killington!


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Twiddle

I'd never heard of them.

But the guy in Blue Sky said they were from Vermont and they were really good. I could tell by his enthusiasm he meant it. But he lived in Vermont, he was a ski instructor at Okemo. Was he trustworthy?

You know a band is good when you like their music without hearing it on record first.

And do records really matter anyway?

Our music scene has bifurcated, there are recordings and live and they're two separate worlds. Used to be you wanted to work at the record label, now you want to be a promoter or an agent, because live is everything. The labels are puffed up, saying they're responsible for the sound, but how to account for a band like Twiddle?

Today Lorde dropped her new single. And believe me, it wasn't a bolt of inspiration, she wasn't lying in bed, hearing a sound and then running to her Pro Tools rig. No, there's a lot on the line, so you bring in the big cats, in this case Jack Antonoff, to build the track into a superstar production that we can all bop our heads to at the supermarket. Even though there's little humanity evidenced. At first listen I didn't quite get it, not until the end, the second time through I realized "Green Light" was gonna make it, but it could have been anybody, it didn't have to be Lorde, there's so much at stake, and what we end up with is...

Cotton candy.

Now the music scene used to be much smaller. You could comprehend it. You could know the hit parade and the deep tracks, have an opinion on everything. But today we're all foraging in the wilderness, hoping for a guide, hell, Don Strasburg iMessaged me a few hours back and asked me if I'd heard Hiss Golden Messenger, not only had I not heard them, I'd never HEARD OF THEM! But Don was looking for what's new and he pushed agent Adam Voith, who has amazing taste, and Adam came up with the band and Don listened and loved it and he told me about two tracks, "Biloxi" and "As The Crow Flies," and I pulled them up on Spotify and damned if they weren't good.

Not so good that they'd play on Top 40 radio.

Then again, "good" is not the accurate term. In this case, Hiss Golden Messenger is not obviously commercial, not by the standards shoved in our face, but like Twiddle they have a place in the firmament, they have fans, well, it's really one guy, but that's not important, the important point is these acts survive, because they're supported by their fans!

Now tonight's show was a soft ticket affair. And middle of the week shows don't do well, even when they're attached to Burton's U.S. Open of snowboarding, which made a bigger splash when it was back in Vermont, with the whole eastern seaboard within driving distance, and I wasn't expecting much but on the way back from dinner I heard that reggae beat interwoven with electronic elements and damned if I didn't get it.

I had to stop and listen.

On one hand it's the Phish configuration. Even down to the drummer on the side.

But the first time I saw Phish was back in 1992, and that's twenty five years ago. They keep making new people, and these people need new music.

So they're off on an aural journey, the bass bleating and the lead guitarist dancing atop the beat and I hear no obvious hooks and my jaded outlook doesn't get it and then...

I find myself bopping to the beat. Not quite noodling like at a Dead show, but the music got inside me and hooked me and made me feel good.

Used to be you went to the show to unite with the songs on the radio, on the turntable, the tracks you knew by heart. But now, many people go to the show for the feeling, the environment, in a digital world it's great to interact with humanity, the music is the special sauce.

And I'm bringing the band up on my phone and I learn that they just announced their own festival, in Burlington, they're gonna do four sets. And yes, Phish did this first, but the point is Twiddle has fans, they're being supported. They're MUSICIANS!

Remember when musicians ruled the world as opposed to pop stars? People who practiced and could play? And believe me, this guitarist could play, he was tapping, everybody pays fealty to Eddie Van Halen.

And there are no hard drives and the keyboard player is tickling the ivories and I'm starting to feel warm all over, that this scene survives.

And it does. Twiddle are part of the firmament on JamBase. And they have a live recording from Peter Shapiro's Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, and I know that many readers are wincing right now, not believing I'm out of the loop, but we're all out of the loop on some things, it's the modern condition!

Then again, people aren't so rigid in their listening. They'll listen to Lorde and Twiddle. Katy Perry and Led Zeppelin. They're consumers at the smorgasbord of music. Which sometimes cross-pollinates itself, hell, they rap in country music now.

And every band wants more. More audience, more fame, more money, more impact. But it's a long hard road. So you've got to enjoy the journey. The traveling, the playing, the meeting of people, the getting high.

It's a lifestyle.

And the audience is in on it. Which is why they go to the shows. Because they want to experience the feeling that only music can deliver.

And my research tells me Twiddle fails on wax, it's got no obvious hits.

But they do have one track with two million streams on Spotify.

But that's not the point.

It's an organic thing. An evolving thing. Different every night.

Kinda like life.


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Mailbag

Hey Bob

Gino Genaro here, Aaron Watson's manager. Wow, where to start. First off, THANK YOU! I've managed Aaron since almost the beginning, going back about 15 years. I always tell people this journey started him, me, 4 band guys in an Excursion making $250 a night playing every honky tonk that would have us! It's been a hell of a ride; a lot of sweat, a lot of adversity, a lot of fun, challenges, made a little history along the way, but always optimism and chasing big dreams. Hard work and hustle. To see my email and text message inboxes fill up today with kudos from friends and colleagues in a very exciting release week was overwhelming and there's not an artist that has worked harder and deserves more recognition than Aaron, so we thank you for using your platform to shine a light on him.

You'd think after having the #1 album and launching his career to the next level with the last release this guy would coast but the exact opposite was true. It was incredible to see how hard he worked writing and making Vaquero over the past two years and I got the pleasure of watching it all from a front row seat.

We're out here on the trail working hard, when your email came in I was with Aaron in a Walmart in OKC where he signed CDS for fans lined up for close to 4 hours and right now we're driving to Denver for another one tomorrow. We've done everything we can with what was available to us, traditional things like country radio which is really starting to embrace his independent success and finally give him a shot to off the grid things like Glenn Beck and Joe Pags shows, a huge feature in Texas Monthly, our fans blowing up social media and so many countless other things. This week I've seen him play a sold out arena show at the AT&T Center for 16,000 people Saturday afternoon then hop on a jet together and stand in Walmart in his home town of Abilene and sign until 11 PM just to hop back on a jet back to San Antonio and give Sunday sermon at Cowboy Church. Then do an in-store signing at 4 PM that day. And while we're working and hustling, we're missing our wives and kids but we know we're showing them and a lot of other folks the little guy can have a big dream if you want it bad enough.

Enough rambling for me, really more your email said everything you could want to say about this album and this artist. This journey with Aaron has fulfilled every dream I've had about being an entrepreneur and falling into the music business when my baseball career ended and I know we've got more to write, so I'm getting back on the grind, but if you want the full story of 18 years in 5 minutes, here it is…

https://www.facebook.com/aaronwatsonmusic/videos/10154602539904702/?utm_source=phplist5759&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Mailbag

PS - We're playing at The Troubadour April 5th if you wanted to come check out a show. At the very least I know Aaron would like to shake your hand and thank you for the kind words about his music

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From: mea
Subject: Re: Pushback

the Dalai Lama said
"spend a night in your bedroom with one mosquito and you will understand the power of one voice."

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From: Ron Iafornaro
Subject: Re: Hate In America

Guys like YOU who voted for the negroid are the problem !!!!!

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Subject: Re: Re-Attacking Trump

So after all this time, it seems most white people still don't get black people and vice versa.

One can tell Trump never had a close black friend.

I have tons of white friends, but most still expect me to have Kanye West on my ipod and serve KFC at football parties. I understand. I grew up on a naval base and I had Jews and Mexicans for friends. I was shocked when
I discovered that contrary to my opinion, they were just as ridiculed and stereotyped. Jews were just "white" to me, so initially I had difficulty understanding the concept of antisemitism. How can white people hate their own?

It was great moving to LA because suddenly I discovered white people had a whole other race to hate - Mexicans.

So I "get' that many white people are growing increasingly uncomfortable with becoming the minority in America. They would never admit to being racist, just like Trump. It's about making Americawhite again. Just like the liberal music business, where black people still populate "urban" music departments but are rarely given jobs working rock acts. And if you're a black actor in Hollywood your first role will be as a criminal.

And one gets it from both ends - when I pull up to a car and I have "Born to Run" blasting away, the brothas stare just as hard. If you're black and ski, surf, go camping, listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd, and date white girls - the reactions from white folks are the same as they were decades ago.

The Trump effect is a result of long-held assumptions about non-whites, wherein every stereotype comes to life. Like Trump using a term like "inner-city". If I could I would tie Trump to a chair with headphones and play Gil Scott-Heron 24/7 for a week.

What we all need is more tolerance. We need cities more like NY and less Los Angeles with its segregated communities. If we don't want more Trumps we need to make ourselves comfortable with other people, not comfortably numb.

Tom Cartwright

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From: Jay Sweet (Newport Folk Festival)
Subject: Fwd: Eric Church's Manager Explains How He Cancelled 25,000 Tickets Held by Scalpers

Yah, I saw this article as well.

We actually did far cooler stuff:

1. We used a technology algorithm approach plus the expertise of our fraud team instead of only a manual approach affording us accuracy, scale and speed. Basically repurposing our fraud fighting decision service technology against people who violated the ticket rules.

2. Our partner technology allows us to stop scalper orders during the purchase flow and directly post purchase before tickets sold out getting those tickets back in the hands of fans more swiftly and also avoiding the problem of them ever making it to secondary markets and hopefully avoiding the scalper markup problem noted at the end of the article.

3. We did a deeper scrape of their data (again using our algorithms plus a manual review from our fraud experts) to cancel additional orders post purchase and after sell out. We look at far more sophisticated indicators beyond just billing address, email, etc than what Eric's crew is doing.

4. That note about not finding all the really bad actors is true. Scalpers tend to cover their tracks really really well and our algorithms are most likely far more effective than human eyes.

5. We hold back release the barcodes for months while we then scrub and re-scrub the tickets for any more red flags. We then pull those back and offer them on our safe re-sale platform, Lyte.

6. People can get into a cue on Lyte, where we set the re-sale price limit at face value. In other words we've taken the stub hub resale market for Newport Folk tickets down by 75% from last year, and made sure our fans don't get gouged.

Our partner, Eventbrite did pitch the story to Billboard way back after the on sale, but they didn't bite back then. Funny how having a big name artist can really get someone to wake up and smell the story...

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Subject: Re: The Grammy Telecast

Hi Bob-

"You ain't gotta know how to sing, you ain't gotta know how to play, you need to know how to capture lightning in a bottle and lay it down on tape. Some of the greatest records are poorly recorded. Many of the legendary players can't read music. But they know art is about latching on to mood, laying down in sound that which you feel, so that others can resonate."

ha ha, YES! "Tape, poorly recorded." Lots of great records were sonically distorted, but who cared, because they hit you emotionally. Digital recording unfortunately has "fixing" functions, which then are used to move kick drum beats into being perfectly the same, vocals tuned to exact pitches, and the result is NOT emotionally compelling, just irritating. Great music has symmetry, but is emotional, or it is nothing. Raw is often good, not bad. Robots create perfect music. Humans need to know when good enough is just great. The record is finished, go home!

Yes, Trump is the biggest rock star. No, I didn't watch the Grammies.

bernie leadon

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Subject: Re: Last Night In Sweden

"You know why your indie band can't win, can't get heard over the pop noise? Because the usual suspect companies control the media and are force-feeding this crap to the public. Radio stations are beholden to major labels and there's no independence, no chances are taken".

the reason why music is stagnant is because of feminization. Men are natural risk takers, women are not.

There will be no "punk" movement there will be no new "Dylan" those individuals took risks, the music industry has become a safe place...until the sheep realize this, we will all continue to complain about the same thing. Crazy right?

Lisa C
I do not work for the music industry, but I still listen.

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Subject: RE: Bruce Springsteen On WTF

Hi Bob,
It's inspiring to listen to your heroes and peers speak personally about their weakness and experience, instead of glorified promo. It helps us all fight the good fight. I wish more of 'em would open up. Knowing the Springsteen story, it took a lot of courage for him to get here. I'm reminded of a verse from Dylan's Basement Tapes .....In these days of confession, you cannot mock a soul, cause when there's Too Much Of Nothing, no one has control.

Bruce is a good storyteller, but here's one that he won't be telling soon. I became close with Danny Federici in LA in the 90s, while we were both in the LA House of Blues House band (the E Street lost years) . Danny was celebrating his 10 year sobriety and invited me over for an afternoon party at his house. Friends and family. Nothing fancy. Chips and soda. I was surprised to see an SUV pull up to the curb. Bruce came in solo, no entourage, just him! We spent the next few hours talking about the Jersey clubs and the Fillmore East (Rhinoceros was one of his favorite bands). The hook, Danny told me, was that it was Bruce who personally took him up to the gates of the Betty Ford clinic ten years earlier. Now that's a true friend.

Go tell it......
Steve Chrismar

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From: William Perkins
Subject: Re: Whipping Post

"Don't Keep Me Wonderin" story: August 26 1970, and Duane called Tom Dowd at Criteria Studio in Miami to ask about meeting Eric Clapton who had just started the Layla sessions. Tom asks Eric if he wants to see Duane play and Eric says "You mean the cat who played the solo on Wilson Pickett's "Hey, Jude".......Hell Yeah!". So Tom, Eric and the band crawl in front of the stage in the photographer's pit unannounced at this outdoor show unseen by the audience and we all look down, see them and flip out. After, we all go back to Criteria and sit on the floor while Tom plays back Idlewild South (named after a band house in Macon). When "Wonderin" comes on I am looking at Eric and I can tell he is mesmerized by Duane's slide intro. Soon, they're all jamming and then Duane is invited to play on the album. He later played two live shows with them in Tampa and Syracuse and seriously considered leaving the ABB to go with Derek & The Dominos. Thankfully, he didn't. He was thrilled to receive $1,500.00 cash for the sessions, but later manager Phil Walden negotiated a royalty participation for him. If he had gone with Eric there would probably been no "Live at Fillmore East" album the following year. Yikes!

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From: Benjamin Mabry
Subject: Re: Spotify Payments

Bob,

I'm a full time idependent musician, part of an obscure folk duo, we rarely tour, maybe 4 weeks a year total, and we quit our day jobs nearly two years ago. We've had a number of our songs pop up on the big Spotify playlists (2 million or more listeners) over the past few years and I can say without a doubt, that Spotify is the reason why we're able to do this full time. We grossed over $100,000 from Spotify last year (not including downloads, physical sales, touring, etc.), which isn't a lot compared to old world musician paychecks, but for two dudes who don't have to share it with anyone else, its huge!

Ben

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From: Keith Levy
Subject: Re: Re-Spotify Payments

Complete propaganda the dish on Spotify and streaming revenues. I have a client from Northern Ireland that has over 60mil spotify plays and 1.1mil monthly listeners. I am in Nashville and signed him (as his agent in North America) after finding him on Spotify through their playlists. Imagine that. He's halfway across the world in a remote country and had never toured or played a show in the US. He is relatively unknown still, but making a living from the Spotify revenues, yes he owns all of his own music up until his current release.

In my estimation (I'm not privy to all the numbers on his income from this revenue stream), or if we use some of the numbers from your mailbag below, he has made over $200k from Spotify streams. This is over the past 3-4 years and we're talking about a young Irish kid in his late 20s with no kids, no wife, etc. The future seems bright to me...

Not to mention Spotify has been HUGELY supportive in working with us to develop the artist. When I brought him over for his first US tour, they hired him to play a private show in their Boston office, and paid us a decent fee that helped us subsidize some tour costs. They've had him over for sessions at SXSW and put him in front of people - in person and on the service - that would otherwise have never seen or heard him before. They have been extremely aggressive in playlisting his songs, mostly because they are REACTIVE. People like them and listen to them over and over. What a concept... Oh and this is not EDM or Hip Hop, he is a singer-songwriter with great songs and a great voice. Bring it on...

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7zOuMHqRJ6YOMnCGpLfuTU?utm_source=phplist5759&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Mailbag

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From: Gabe Anderson
Subject: Re: Spotify Payments

Yep…Our band owns it all, distributes through Tunecore and based on the numbers: a million streams of a song generate a little more than $4,000 into our bank account. Net.

The BMI/ASCAP royalties are totally separate, which most artists don't understand.

So whenever I'm clicking around Spotify I know full well that at a bare minimum Spotify is paying out $4k per million streams. When you have that number in your head and start tallying up the hundreds of millions of plays the big acts are getting…um, yeah, people are making money.

Most artists who are in deals now signed their deals before streaming got popular. So when they and their lawyer were looking at the contract, they probably didn't push hard for streaming royalties…because the rate was "so low" anyway.

Should it be more than $4k per million plays? Sure. I don't know. Probably.

But for all the whining and complaining artists do, I've never heard A SINGLE ONE come up with a legit idea and plan for what it SHOULD be. All anyone says is it should be more! Of course! We all want more!

Gabe
Daily Blog: www.gabethebassplayer.com

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From: john ferriter
Subject: Re: You Don't Say No

Everyone should read this column. Very sage advice. An old agent told me when I started at William Morris back in 1991 that It takes as much effort to make $10 million dollars as it does to make $10. You just have to be at the big boy's table where the stakes are higher. I've always remembered those words.

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From: Kim Kaupe
Subject: Re: You Don't Say No

Hey Bob - Hope you've been well since we last connected at Summit at Sea - hard to believe its been a year. Time flies all too quickly.

As a Shark Tank alum, I agree with you. However, when it comes to established companies most deals fall through or they agree not to go through (which was our case) because of percentages and help the sharks can add. If an established company already has customers and a strong base and the sharks come in down-valuing the company and offering little in terms of connections what does a celebrity name add? You know better than anyone the answer to that is usually nothing. People don't care that it's a Mr. Wonderful endorsed product - if it's good they will buy it regardless because it's what their FRIENDS say that matters - not a celebrity. The masses are dictating the market now more than ever thanks to socials. It's all about word of mouth and trusted sources.

Also what you see is 8 minutes sizzle reel style TV. We were in the studio for over an hour with the Sharks. Lots of things are said about effort, commitment, etc that (conveniently - gotta love good TV) get cut out. So when you do see entrepreneurs walking away there's often more than you didn't see that lead them to do so. But alas no one would tune in to see that (including me and I was on the damn show!)

Anyway, can't agree more. It's all about the tribe.

Yours in the team building,
Kim

KIM KAUPE co-founder
zinepak.com

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From: Craig Fuller
Subject: Re: Gamblin' Man

Marty Bender said:

"And continuing along with the gambling theme...
The cover of the Fuller/Kaz album sure looked to me like they were at the track."

That's funny. We were at Santa Anita and I'd just lost a C note on a horse named Julie's Flight; photo by Jim Shea. By the way the background singers on "Gamblin' man" were: Tracy Nelson, Emmylou Harris, and Sylvia Fricker; talk about vibrato!

C

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Subject: RE: Gamblin' Man

Hi Bob,

Your Bonnie blog reminded me how far back she and I go... even though she wouldn't know me from Adam (or his brother).

In 1972 I was doing mid-days at WPRO in Providence. My college buddy Roger Lifeset was working as a Warner-Electra rep out of Boston when he called all excited about a new talent they signed named Bonnie Raitt. She was booked into a tiny club in Ipswich, Mass, not much bigger than a gas station. And, she was incredible. That bluesy voice and extraordinary interpretation. I became an instant fan.

Fast forward to 1979. I was programming XL-102 in Richmond and the station was well on its way to dominating the local rock market. Working with a promoter from Norfolk we presented a series of station concerts with up-and-coming acts and those with a local cult following like Bonnie and John Pryne. Part of the deal was the artist would visit the station for a live on-air interview. Needless to say, we promoted the hell out of it and the afternoon guy, Steve Forrest, did his homework and was well-prepared for a half-hour live with Bonnie Raitt. About a half hour before her scheduled arrival her manager called to say she wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be coming in. I was concerned about the status of the concert but he assured me that she would be just fine for the show that night. That's when I lost it. I pulled every piece of Warner's product off the station.

Over the next several days I heard from everyone at the label. I was still naïve about the game and didn't hold them up for a ton of ransom, i.e. giveaways, etc. And, I eventually relented and put the Warner's material back into rotation... all except Bonnie.

But wait... there's more: onward to 1982 and the debut of Boston's Magic 106.7 with me as program director and Bonnie Raitt as one of our core artists. I laugh when I tell this story to my students with the moral being you never know whose lives will intersect with yours and what the many twists and turns will be. And, when Bonnie's songs pop up on my iPod, I realize I'm still a big fan.

Keep the good stuff comin.'

Jack Casey

WERS-FM and WERS.org

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Subject: Re: The Last Night Of The Year

Thank you for quoting this, Bob.

I produced this record and not only does it contain one of my favorite songs ever, but it also contains performances by the closest people I have in this world- including my wife, Janice Powers on keyboards and my best friend, the late great Richard Bell on B3. As well as my closest living friends….

I like to think that if this were the last night of the world, I would spend it with the people playing on this record….

And I hope it brings those who hear somehow a little closer together.

Happy New Year, Bob.

I love you for what you do….

Colin Linden

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Subject: Re: Mailbag
Re: Hal Blaine

Hi Bob-
A second to Steve Lukather's motion to send Hal Blaine some love. I had the rare honor of going through 5000 pages of Hal's session files to create his discography for his biography, which we published at Mix Magazine, in 1990. He played drums and or percussion on (at least) 350 Billboard top ten songs, and 40 number 1's. And the artists would almost be irrelevant to list, as it was anyone who was anyone. Would be almost harder to find a hit record of the 60s that he didn't play on.
Thanks for the great writing, Bob, and Yo Hal - you are one of kind!

--David Schwartz
Co-founder, Mix Magazine

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Subject: Re: The New York Times

I've subscribed to Sunday home delivery for years, primarily for the crossword puzzle. That includes free digital access, which until the day after the election, I used daily. Since then I haven't been back other than to read Krugman occasionally. You just put my feelings into words exactly: how could they get things so wrong? What else are they getting wrong? How can I trust ANY news outlet now, when the best one was so off?

As to class divides...

About a month ago I go I was crossing the bridge over the Chicago River on my way to the office from the train. I slipped on some ice and fortunately landed on one knee and my hands. After 2 back operations and one pending, and having just turned 65, I'm not sure if I could've landed better! But the point I want to make here is that while I'm on my knees trying to reach the guard rail to pull myself up, 50-100 other commuters rushed past me, too busy to care or stop and help. All of a sudden I felt a hand grab my arm and pull me to my feet. Further, "the hand" gripped tightly as it helped me past the slick spot to dry pavement. Was the homeless guy who's always positioned near that spot holding his cup. Doesn't beg, just says good morning to all who pass. I thanked him profusely and gave him $10, but he didn't help me for the $, he helped because he could and it was the right thing to do. A lesson that I'm sure went over the heads of 50-100 of my fellow commuters.
You nailed it with this:

"But the truth is these are not the values of the underclass, which lends a hand expecting nothing in return."

Thank you,
Greg N

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Subject: Re: Betsy DeVos

Bob, I wish you would have wrote it last week, but I recognize it wouldn't have mattered. These senators weren't going to switch their vote.

When I quit teaching English to do music full time in 2011, I had a few back up plans in case gigs dried up: I looked into online teaching. when K12.com came up during the Senate hearing, my ears perked up. Yep, DeVos is a funder of K12.

I think they offered me like $2.50 to $3.00 per student, per week to teach in 2013. My memory is fuzzy after getting hit by the car, but I do remember being aghast at the low pay, and turned it down. I decided to teach guitar lessons instead.

And while I recognize, online teaching is not as demanding as the regular classroom, I'm skeptical of the quality of that institution. How can a teacher offer any feedback for these small rates?

Maybe it's improved over the years. Here's an this essay of another teacher's experience in 2014.

We literally live in a political climate where teachers are told they make too much money; yet this cabinet symbolizes the wealth inequality of our country so obviously, it makes me sick to my stomach.

Mike Vial

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Subject: Re: Bobby Freeman

I went to Unihi in the 50s, where Jan & Arnie (and Dean) came from, and I was briefly "dating" Arnie Ginsburg. He used to walk around imitating Bobby Freeman singing "Need Your Love So Bad." Arnie had a high voice, like a falsetto I guess, so it was great… dreamy, actually. Thanks for doing this tribute to Bobby Freeman. It took me way back.

Tracy Newman

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From: John Bach
Subject: Re: Uber To The Airport

I love it when you tell your Uber drivers' stories, Bob.

I'm a drummer in a signed band. Have stellar management and signed to a major booking agency. So while we're waiting for the right tour, waiting to build the story to go to radio, and waiting to release our debut record I drive Uber.

I do about 40-50 hours a week which adds up to about 1,000-1,200 miles (mostly nights). I've got just about 7,000 rides under my belt (hoping to "retire" by 10k) and have maintained a 4.96 star rating (I'm very affable when I drive).

There are perks to making a living this way. Like when the band gets asked to open for Skynard last minute and we have to be on a flight in 5 days, I just clock out of the app and go. Then my job is still there after I drum for 10k people waiting to hear Free Bird (good to know they're still here). There is literally no job where you can come and go as you please. And if there is, please clue me in because this job truly does fucking suck.

I put 165,000 miles on my car the first 3 yrs. It died. Now I pay $200 a week to rent a high mileage (45-60k mi) Hertz rental car through Uber and turns out it's only about $20 more a week than what I ended up spending/losing with my own car. And after 28 days of beating the shit out of it, I get to swap it out for one with fresh oil and breaks.

About once a month, I'll have an EPIC throw up. One that looks way worse than the $150 they'll give you to clean it up. But, sad to say, I'll clean it myself gladly with my "barf kit" in the trunk because on most nights, it'll take 8-10 hours to make that $150.

Like your last Uber driver, my friends and band mates think I'm crazy for how much I drive. Truth is, you have to be a little crazy to be happy to clean up some drunk asshole's barf at 3am on a Saturday night.


-Late Night Uber Guy
IG @latenightuberguy

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Subject: John Mayer

As a guitar player ?John Mayer is as good as it gets. It just gets different. He's a great songwriter. Walt Grace Submarine Test,January 1967 off of Born and Raised is proof. He has a voice that's instantly recognizable. If he's not your thing then that's cool but it's not bc he doesn't have talent.

I had the opportunity of playing with him a few years back while he had lost his voice. Very tough and yet humbling experience for him I would imagine. The band I play in has members that have know him since they all roomed together back at Berkeley School Of Music. They actually all arrived in Atlanta together shortly there after. So John's roots run deep with the band.

We invited him out to set in on some shows. He was unbelievable. I feel like he could have a been a guitar hero and made a name for himself without writing or singing. Not that guitar heroes are big deals these days like the 60's and 70's but anyway. It was one the first times I'd had the pleasure of meeting him and sharing the stage.

We all get on the bus before the show and talk about the set list and sing tunes and John joined us during the warm up. I'd just had the absolutely worst two months of my life before this. My mother unexpectedly had a surgery go wrong and had been in a coma for weeks. It was a nightmare. I left the road and went to stay with her and my dad at the hospital. I saw one of her last Facebook posts before the surgery was how her favorite new song was "Queen of California". I downloaded the ?John Mayer-"Born and Raised" album immediately. It became the soundtrack to this whole situation. I would sing her "Queen of California" multiple times everyday while she was unconscious. So back to the bus and us warming up. During the warm up I mentioned to him that his music had profoundly been apart of the last month or more of my life and I explained the situation. He looked at me and said "Man, I'm so sorry. Do you have your phone on you"? I said "Sure". He said "Lets take a video for her". He looked at the camera and said "Hey mom I hope you are feeling better. I heard this was your favorite song. I can't sing right now but me and the boys are gonna play it for you". We played "Queen of California" on video for my mom. I called my mom, now out of the coma and recovering, God Bless, and said I have the coolest thing ever for you the next time I see you. Three days later I played the video on my iPad for her at the hospital. She looked at me and said "That is definitely the coolest thing ever".

I don't know John well enough to go hiking with him. If I saw him he'd probably remember me. None of that really even matters. He did that video out of the kindness of his heart and I didn't even ask for it. I think it's easy to judge. I think people love to catch you slipping. I think John probably takes risks both personally and musically. You only grow if you take risks. He's talented enough to cover many genres of music with so much ease that it makes it look easy. He can swoon the big eyed teenager girls, blow away the blues fans, and keep the hippies endlessly twirling and so on. He does it all very well. If I could guess I'd say he's a person who is very creative,witty, and maybe at points in his life been a little too smart for his own good possibly. I can't really say though cause I barely know him. Being around him for a few minutes and you can tell that he's got a couple extra wheels spinning really fast up top and has the upper hand on most situations he's in. I do know that if I could ever repay the favor I would ten fold. I'd drive a long long way to pick him up if he had a flat tire or was busted flat. ?John Mayer is a badass in my book and deserves all he can get.

Coy Bowles
Zac Brown Band

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Subject: Tim Palmer/ TRAINS- Porcupine Tree

Bob,
Nice to see Porcupine Tree's 'Trains' getting a mention

Some of my favorite records that I have been fortunate enough to be a part of, have not always been the biggest sellers ! We all have stories like that, but one of the small things that the social media era has given us back, is that fact that now we get to discover that some of these records were actually very well received and sometimes quite influential.

In 2002 I mixed a record called El Cielo for a band called ?DREDG. They were signed by Interscope Records. It was clearly a concept album and very proggy. Initially intended to revolve around Salvador Dali's Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bumblebee around a Pomegranate One Second Before Awakening it was a fabulous record and I am still proud of it. They never really got the attention they deserved.

It was during this album's mixing session that I got the call to mix another Prog Rock album for band I was not at all familiar with called... ?Porcupine Tree.

We mixed the album 'In Absentia' at Larabee Studios in North Hollywood on a big J-series SSL. ?Steven Wilsonwalked in with the whole album recorded in LOGIC, which as a Pro Tools user, was going to be time consuming to learn, but a lot of great stuff was already happening in the sessions, so it was worth getting our heads around it. The album was recorded by Paul Northfield and he had done a great job. Steven was the Producer and he knew exactly what he was looking for which makes it so much easier to deal with as a mixer.

When you get a gig, you always wonder what album you have been involved with, that has inspired this artist to seek you out, once opening the songs I realized it was probably ?Tears For Fears. I had produced 'Elemental' and 'Raoul and The Kings of Spain' and ?Steven Wilson was a big fan. The arrangements of In Absentia flowed perfectly, great sounds and textures for a mixer to play with and clearly strong songs. TRAINS, was always a stand out track in my estimation. I remember that the drum performances were really strong, and ?Gavin Harrison the drummer was not going to let us miss a single kick drum..Bloody drummers. As a teenager, I was always in awe of Japan's 'Tin Drum' and weirdly enough ?Richard Barbieri played keys on this album. After mixing, Andy Vendette finished the job perfectly with a great mastering job.

'In Absentia' was and is a great album. Thanks for reminding me about it.

Tim Palmer

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From: kim bullard
Subject: Re: Manassas On German Television

Great post… yeah, he gets that sound because, besides being really good, he plays with his fingernails, and thumbnail, so he is more attached to his instrument (Jeff Beck plays in a similar way)…it gives him his own style that is hard to replicate…especially on acoustic.

My wife was at an art class last week with a 30 something hipster who had never heard of CSN. It made be feel old and forgotten. That was my tribe.

In the mid-70's, I was working with Stills' then wife, Veronique Sanson, living in Paris, being her band leader. Stephen would come and visit, and sit in, just plugging direct into my keyboard amp that was right next to my head. The sound… wow. So expressive. It was permanently engraved on my brain from that point on. He and I would hang after the shows because Vero had to meet the mayor, or whatever. We were both southern boys, so we had some common ground.

I came back to the states, trying to figure out what to do next, and I got a call from Stephen, went something like this. 'hey, its Stills…David and Graham and I are going out on the road; you want to come down and play with us?' I was dumbfounded… like, Crosby, Stills and Nash??? So from my guest house in North Hollywood without plumbing, I put my keyboards in my beat up Volvo station wagon and showed up at a huge soundstage in Hollywood, and went on the road with one of the biggest bands in the world at the time. I was 22.

To your point of musicians actually playing, a fascinating thing for me was that they seemed to intentionally under rehearse. I did my fair share of top 40 gigs, so I was ready with charts, etc… I knew all their material before I went down there.. but by the time we did our first show up in Portland, I had NEVER PLAYED about half of the set. In front of 20k people I was playing these songs for the first time, and some were in different keys than the record. It was crazy, but that is the way they rolled. What we DID do at rehearsal was jam together. Got our footing as a band. And that was kind of what Stephen wanted. All three CSN guys seemed to thrive on that feeling that anything could happen… like you say, it was a CONCERT, and the three of them were coming to a concert, too, and wanted something cool to happen; they liked being on a tightrope.

And to speak to one of your common themes, yes, music meant something back then. It was attached to a cultural revolution, and Stills was right there in the middle of it, in Greenwich Village with Dylan and Baez with the folk protest music revolution, then on the west coast with the electric folk sound, all underpinned by the hope that this tribe, reflected in this music, could change the world. The people who came to the CSN shows in the 70's were still all part of the tribe. It was our tribe. It was a great time for music. When I hear about people not knowing who CSN is, it reminds me that the tribe is thinning.

I geek out, and look at old Stills footage, too, so I was happy to see your post. I was on his bus for many miles. I love the guy. He changed my life.

Kim B

ps.. if you haven't yet, do yourself a favor and go see Christopher Stills play. It will give you chills.

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From: John Huie
Subject: Re: Debbie Reynolds Dies

The light does not go out it actually is seen greater than one could ever imagine. Losing a son 1003 days ago lead me down a path to knowledge that is a tad skewed but inclusive from my traditional Christian upbringing Life is a gift and each day we don't live it to its fullest is opportunity lost. My son is keenly aware and doing allot to make up for it. DEbbie and CARRIE are in the next dimension together and doing just fine. what sucks is the pain of those who will miss them and to lose a child out of order is a pain indescribable .a pain DEBBIE didn't have to suffer from for too long :) Mom and daughter are fine we just need yo pray for Billie......

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From: Howard Katkov
Subject: Response to your recent blog regarding Vail Resorts purchase of Stowe

Hi Bob,?

After reading your article I had received from a friend, normally -or let's say never-do I respond to articles like that. But I felt I had to stand up and say something after reading about what felt like a huge oversight to many independent ski resorts.

I'd like to put your story about Vail being a "disrupter" in context to the overall industry. There are approximately 750 ski resorts representing nearly 80,000,000 skier visits in North America. Last count, Vail Resorts owns 12 resorts (in North America) if you include Stowe, with approximately 10,000,000 annual visits. That leaves roughly 738 remaining resorts serving 70,000,000 skiers and boarders.

You praise Vail Resorts for "disrupting the ski industry" as if they figured out the magic formula for enhancing the ski experience.

I respectfully disagree. I have provided a link for your reading and listening pleasure. It's a campaign that we at RED call "Fight the Man, Own the Mountain." that you can view here: https://www.startengine.com/startup/red-mountain-resort?utm_source=phplist5759&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Mailbag It is the first equity crowdfunding campaign for a ski resort in North America pursuant to Regulations A offerings (JOBS Act Title lV, known as Regulation A+) and Canadian securities law.

We launched this campaign on August 22nd, 2016 and as of this writing, we now have over 3,000 reservations totally nearly $11,000,000 - and it's still growing. Our goal was to hit $10,000,000. This campaign coincidentally was launched two weeks after Vail Resorts bought Whistler and sums up how we feel about the state of the ski industry and also represents a voice for independent ski resorts. As you can see from the results thus far, a lot of people are identifying with what this campaign represents. I would love it if you took the time to read the text and watch the videos. One of the things you will see is that the investment dollars go towards the enhancement and preservation of one of the most iconic ski resorts in North America.

In your article, you virtually passed a death sentence on the ski industry or as you stated, "Skiing is a moribund sport" only to be rescued by the likes of Vail Resorts. Really Bob.

There is no doubt that the ski industry can be challenging in terms of unpredictable weather and the constant need for capital investment. And yes, I know that in the last twenty years the US has closed approximately 140 ski resorts. However, in North America, 80,000,000+ visits continue to happen year over year, notwithstanding the exit of the Baby Boomers and the unpredictability of weather. The gap is being filled by the subsequent generation that love the sport for its adventure and ability to tell stories. By example, RED Mountain, the third oldest ski resort in North America, and the first in western Canada, has seen record breaking revenues and visits in the last two years. That is out of the last 68 years of continuous operation. I believe that our financial performance is not unique in the world of independent ski resorts. If you study our "Fight the Man, Own the Mountain." campaign, you will understand why our growth and others like RED, who offer that authentic and unique experience, supported by a great value proposition, are growing, notwithstanding the Mega Resorts. With our crowdfunding campaign, we feel that we are disruptors in the world of skiing right now.

You suggested that "Old School Resorts" and their operators have "no vision". Bob, to suggest such a blanket statement that all others in the ski industry are clueless is not supported by the facts. I wonder if you have never experienced a real ski culture/resort supported by their community - or you simply prefer the cookie cutter formulaic resorts that resemble shopping malls.

A few other clarifications to set the record straight. Vail Resorts did not invent the idea of focusing on skier visits as a result of the 2008 real estate collapse. By example, in 2015, RED Mountain opened up Grey Mountain, a 1000-acre expansion. This was one of the largest expansions in nearly 40 years by an existing ski resort in North America. We did this to increase our skier experience and also increase visitation. It worked. Many other independent resorts have done the same since the 2008 recession.

You also suggested that, "Now mountains cannot be standardized, but services can. What Vail does is buy your resort, throw a ton of money at infrastructure and upgrade the experience. To the point where others can't compete. Because once you've ridden modern high speed lifts, slow ones are anathema."

I couldn't disagree more with this statement. I'd love to refer you to our new REDictionary campaign - while light-hearted, it shines a serious light on what a great ski experience really is in comparison to the Vail model you trumpet as the "disruptor" of a dying industry. These made-up words and definitions were defined by using the RED experience as the example, but represent many other wonderful independent ski resorts throughout North America.

I'll reference just one of our words below based on your above quote, and you can see the rest here: www.redresort.com/redictionary/

Thigh Speed Quad: A chairlift that actually allows you enough time heading uphill to get some feeling back in your quadriceps, check your texts, snap a selfie, eat some food, un-fog your goggles, and tell iffy jokes to strangers. A chairlift that moves at the speed of powder. With 3,000 vertical feet on offer your legs will thank you for the break. And you just know all that pow won't be tracked out by 10am because, like, how could it be?

Bob, when you go to a resort like RED Mountain (and there are many) it's not always about modern high-speed this and wonderful gentrified that. Skiing is also about slowing down, enjoying the alpine and maybe meeting some new people.
?
I have no comment on your explanation of the Epic Pass, but Vail Resorts is not alone, including the Mountain Collective, The Max Pass, Rocky Mountain Super Pass, Powder Alliance, The Peak Pass and the Lake Louise Plus Card in which RED participates. You might want to do the math on those visitations. It might surprise you.

You boldly state that "the other resorts hate Vail." I don't hate Vail, and if it wasn't for Vail, I wouldn't have discovered RED Mountain. I am certain that many people love the Vail experience and that's absolutely fine. But Bob, as expressed in my response, there are roughly 740 other ski resorts in North America serving 70,000,000 people. These resorts are extremely important to the protection and preservation of a ski culture that has its roots founded in the late 1800's. It is that authentic ski experience and ski culture that is resonating with the younger generations right now. Which is more important than ever.

Bob, be my guest at RED. I think it'd be good for ya.

Cheers,

Howard
CEO, RED Mountain Resort
Rossland, BC. Canada

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From: Bob Lefsetz
To: Howard Katkov

Yes, Jim Rondinelli has told me about Red and I'd love to ski there.
But the financials must be challenging, otherwise you wouldn't be crowdfunding.
Your point about 10 of 80 million is a good one.
You may not be complaining, but many other resorts are.
As for skiing being moribund, it used to be growing by leaps and bounds, that is no longer happening.

Slow speed lifts are great for all the reasons you mention, but now that we have high speeds, the public is reluctant to embrace the old.

I hope the old ski areas survive, I hope skiing burgeons, but something has to be done to get new people into the sport.

Great to hear from you,

Bob

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From: Howard Katkov

Thanks for responding. The resort is frankly very profitable, but unlike a public company, I have to be creative in fundraising for future capital projects. I looked at Start Engine as a social experiment, a hunch, thinking that maybe we would get a reaction like the Green Bay Packers did when they went out to their fan base for engagement and ownership. I have also been an entrepreneur my entire life, having started eight companies in unrelated industries and I was fascinated by this opportunity to reach out to our fan base for the right reasons. It has surprised me, and opened my network to passionate people from all walks of life, from around the world, wanting to be part of our campaign and expressing their passion for old school skiing. If we are fortunate enough to close this financing anywhere close to the reservations, we will then have several thousand goodwill ambassadors spreading the love about Red Mountain. The new capital will enhance the skier experience. We shall see. Regarding high speed lifts, I can only say that it is not a prerequisite for enjoyment at resorts, like RED, that are bigger than Jackson Hole with 25% of the skier visits. If you skied with me on a powder day, we would be toast by 12:30 pm. As Thigh Speed Quad states, you welcome a recovery ride back up the mountain. My offer stands. Come and visit us at RED. You won't regret it.

Cheers,

Howard

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From: Kid Rock
Re: Hanukkah In Vail

Bob, I know how I typed this, watch how the haters dog me as a dumb ass redneck that can't even spell!! please don't print this part until a few days after you run it. Love ya. Merry Christmas ya fuckin jew!! See ya soon. God Bless

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Pushback

Another day, another faux pas.

Today it was Betsy DeVos applauding black colleges for giving their students choice, completely ignorant of the reason for their establishment, that white institutions were not open to black students.

What did the internet do?

Wait for the "New York Times" to weigh in? For Bill O'Reilly or Rachel Maddow to pontificate on television?

No, the offended, you and me, took to Twitter to express our outrage, and then the media reported it.

The game is rigged my friends. There are no rules, especially when one team believes in alternative facts. So what do you do, sit on your hands, cry like a baby?

NO! YOU WORK THE REFS!

Let me explain how this concept works. It comes from sports. When the coach and the players complain about a call, they don't expect it to be overturned, they just want to put the referee on notice, make him think twice before he calls another foul, another call to the disadvantage of the complainer.

It works.

And the left has started to do it.

Come on, Trump's announcement today that he's rethinking his immigration policy, do you think that happened in a vacuum, no it was a result of public outcry.

Everybody's human, everybody's looking for approval, everybody can blink in the face of complaint, especially when it's justified.

So that's your job now. Forget the media, it only reports what happened, at best. Forget the leaders, none has stepped up yet. It comes down to you and me.

This is what the right wing has been doing for eons. Say anything they disapprove of and legions come out of the woodwork to tell you you're wrong. Forget whether you're right, most people cannot withstand the blowback.

But you're gonna have to learn how to now.

There's no getting along. When someone makes a heinous comment, stand up to them. This is what Jews have been doing for centuries, and it works. You don't let an anti-Semitic comment go by, you call the perpetrator on it. Who says he did not mean to offend, that everybody says it, it wasn't even about Jews, maybe they even apologize, but one thing's for sure, these people think twice before making an anti-Semitic comment again.

And speaking of anti-Semitism, did you see Trump blamed the headstone overturnings on left wing perps trying to make him look bad? I'm not saying we should turn over Catholic headstones, but I do think we should all call him on his b.s. Because today we're all Jews, we're all a minority persecuted, even the right wing workers who voted for Trump.

That's right, the rich will have their taxes lowered, the poor don't even pay any income tax, although they pay plenty of other taxes, sales and gasoline and the amount they pay to government is a greater percentage of their income than the rich. So, the plans of Trump are not going to help most of those who voted for him. Because they've been sold the right wing canard that the rich are the job creators and if it's every man for himself the individual watching Fox News and reading Breitbart will triumph.

Yeah, and call me when you play in the NBA too.

We have to control the dialogue. We are the majority. Trump got elected through a quirk of the system. And the system is rigged, just look up "gerrymandering." So, we're gonna play like they do, write the rules ourselves.

Everybody's got a gay relative.

Many people know transgendered individuals, and many others do too, they just live in closeted communities where no one has come out.

We all want health care.

We all want opportunity.

WE'RE ON THE SAME TEAM!

But our manager has decided to play without us, and denigrate us all the while.

So, we're going on strike. We're mad as hell and we aren't gonna take it anymore.

It's incumbent upon you and me to stand up to them.

It takes a nation of millions to hold us back. And the truth is Chuck D. and his compatriots got it right, listen to the hit parade, hip-hop dominates.

We should be smiling, not downhearted. We have this. If we just admit to ourselves we live in a new world, not the last century.

In this world the internet is king. Everybody has a voice. Not everybody can be heard, but if we all speak our message it will drown out theirs.

We not only have to call them on their false facts, we must double down on the truth. We must not be gun-shy. We must stand up for what we believe in. Whether it be bathroom rights or climate change or the right to live safely with a roof over our heads and food on the table.

We can't let this get away from us.

Look at the size of our rallies versus theirs.

As for our rank and file opponents...

Some are just haters, bigoted people who want to go back to a bygone era that never even existed.

But the rest, they're like you and me.

They want their kids to be educated, they want opportunity, they want to be safe. But they've been sold a line of b.s. for so long, about takers, about immigrants holding them back, that it's time they heard the truth, over and over and over again.

Come on, one woman brought down Roger Ailes.

Never underestimate the power of the individual.

But when we're all in it together...

We can't be beat.


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Attention

Is the number one commodity in today's world. Unless you can get it, you cannot proceed.

1. You don't get multiple bites at the apple.

Since attention is scarce and stretched if someone checks you or your product out and is not closed, chances are they will never check it out again. Which is why you should not launch before you are ready and when it comes to a product many companies release first iterations as betas, signaling the customer should expect rough edges. If the concept is good, if the utility is reasonable, people will put up with bugs in betas.

2. You can't spread the word, your users must.

Advertising is crippled. As is press. They can cause a limited amount of awareness but people today are turned off to ads, never mind DVR'ing TV shows and watching HBO and Netflix, they employ ad-blockers on their web browsers and if you're paying for advertising you'd better have a monster launch with a ton invested otherwise it's a no-go, and it still may be a no-go if you spam everybody. Because you can't reach everybody and people are wary of advertising, they don't believe it, they need to hear it from their friends.

We all need to hear it from our friends. Who we might know in person or might just know online. It's about trusted filters. And those filters guard their credibility wisely. Credibility is everything in the attention economy. If you can't be trusted, then you're probably going to be ignored. You're building your reputation every day online, and all the bread crumbs are there for everybody to see.

We don't take a look until our friends/trusted filters tell us to. And oftentimes, we have to hear from multiple friends/trusted filters that something is worth checking out.

3. Overnight success is history.

MTV blasted acts to the moon and they fell to Earth just about as fast. If you can gain major attention in today's world right away chances are you're going to immediately fail thereafter. Because few things live up to the hype and the hype causes backlash and in today's world it's not about stagnation but evolution, what does version 2.0 look like, how good is the follow-up song. When the bar is set so high to begin with chances are you cannot jump over it the second time around and people will stop paying attention.

Better to grow slowly.

4. That which is big may not be anointed as so.

Forget the awards shows. Hell, look at the Oscars, those pictures they were honoring all had mediocre grosses at best. And the media is a tool of the companies purveying. Other than politics and wars, where newspapers have full time reporters, the rest of what comes over the transom as news is really glorified press releases. So you read about something and then it has no traction thereafter. Because it's not that good and there is no base to sustain it and the press is not that powerful.

No one has come up with a metric to detail what gets attention in today's economy. Except for maybe Netflix subscribers and Facebook usage, but as for art...

We've got grosses in film. Ratings in television, but the best shows aren't rated. And we've got streams in music. All these quantifications are relevant (and ignore the weekly "Billboard" chart, it's out of touch!) But how to quantify the success of "Hamilton," which for over a year played in only one theatre and has had no Top Forty success, but is referenced by Seth Rogen at the Oscars, sung along to by Melinda Gates... "Hamilton" has yet to peak and unlike so much other art it crosses ethnic and political boundaries, it's one of the few things that appeals to all. But there's no chart, just a lot of press which doesn't resonate.

But when someone tells you about their favorite "Hamilton" song...

Then you feel the bond and know how big it is.

We all have our own internal chart now. We determine whether something is big or small. And we do this by gut feeling. Hell, the media missed the Trump phenomenon completely. But based on the blowback I was getting online I knew something was up. Don't follow leaders, watch the parking meters. If you don't think something is that big, despite the press hosannas, it's probably not.

5. Don't hammer the audience.

If you spam us every day looking for attention we ignore you. Launch and then follow up. New songs/more product is much more important that more publicity. Satiate the core, which wants more. It's the core who will spread the word. But if you drop an album and promote it for two years you're missing the point. You're going after the looky-loos, the least committed people, your core is burned out on your new work and abandons you. You need to keep the attention of the core. And the more you say "Look at me!" the more you are ignored, or made fun of. Sure, there's train-wreck attention, where someone blows themselves up and we all know about it, but it lasts for about a day.

6. Don't have airs.

The most successful people in today's economy are accessible. Look at Mark Cuban, responding to the hoi polloi's tweets. He could run for President and win, he's more credible than Trump and on TV every week too. So come down off your throne and get in the pit and mix it up a bit. People want to be able to touch you, even if it's only online.

7. Respect your audience.

You've got no time and they don't either. Even babies are scheduled, we're all overwhelmed. It's a privilege to get someone's attention, you're not entitled to it. Ask for it nicely and thank people for giving it and don't ask for too much. Ask people to listen to one song, not an album, if they like the one they'll ask for more. If you send ten, they probably won't listen at all. You don't want to overload people.

8. Pull economy.

You cannot push, that's positively last century. Sure, you can grease the skids, pour some oil to get something started, but it's only working if people are demanding more. And if they are not, you don't have a marketing problem, you have a product problem. Marketing has never meant less. It's seen as phony and manipulative. You lead with your product. And it's either growing or failing. Either every day more and more people are watching your YouTube video or you need to make another one, that's different.

9. You rarely feel like you're winning.

With everybody clamoring for attention and traditional news outlets challenged you oftentimes don't know whether you're winning or losing. Which is why today it's about stamina and follow-through. When someone hypes you on the work of a twelve year old, laugh and ignore it. The "artist" doesn't have enough experience to understand the game, they just want fame. And those seeking fame first and foremost are losing out in the attention economy, because it's not about the one time buy, but a continued relationship. And when there's no there there, people move on. So you've got to polish your product and create new ones and stay in the game, constantly tweaking what you've got and trying new things, and if you're getting more attention you know you're on the right track, if not, back to the drawing board.

10. Evolution

This is where we are today. Tomorrow will be different. Virality is a thing of the past. As in faking it to get everybody to pay attention, it rarely works anymore, we've seen the trick and if you're trying to goose the process for instant success you're on the wrong track. Today it's about an overwhelming number of messages, tomorrow it's about the winnowing down of those messages. What will this look like? Will there be new gatekeepers? Will so many outlets fail that the ones remaining have more power? If you're not reevaluating and pivoting on a regular basis you're being left behind. Now, more than ever, what worked yesterday won't work tomorrow. So you have to keep experimenting. But success remains tied to attention. Your goal is to get people interested, dedicating their time, giving you their money. And the more sunlight there is online, the less fakery there is too. So, instead of promoting, you should be practicing. The truth is we're all looking for great stuff 24/7 and if we find it we tell everybody we know. Let it be you we are telling everybody about.

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Aaron Watson

This record should be bad. A guy with no deal doing it independently, we're inundated with the work of wannabes, we trust labels, radio and the press to weed out quality.

But what if they don't?

The first criterion for music is listenability. I don't care about theories, the lyrics, first and foremost it must be ear-pleasing. And I dropped the needle on Aaron Watson's "Vaquero" and I didn't want to take it off, and each track was equally rewarding, how can this be?

Remember when you used to buy an album and break the shrinkwrap and sit down in front of the turntable and marinate in the music? Walk around the house and wait for it to seep into your brain? When there were many fewer acts and recording was expensive and you bought an album and you listened to it?

Today it's different. Everything's available at our fingertips and we're beaten into submission by the press and social media but the end result is always so unsatisfying and we end up discarding it all, going back to the oldies.

I'm waiting for the music business to have some self-respect, see itself as a cultural institution as well as a moneymaker. Give credit to the filmmakers honored last night at the Oscars, they were shooting for the stars, whereas too much in music is lowest common denominator.

And then there was Jimmy Kimmel. Terrible on paper, a sheer wonder in action. Because he had no airs, he was an everyman shooting straight and it worked. We used to have people in music like that, who let the work speak for itself. Come on, Jimmy's jokes hit the target again and again whereas those much more famous than him, known for their comedy work, failed in the gig. Maybe this is the new paradigm, we're all in it together, that anybody who holds themselves up as a star is a target. And we've got so many of these people, more famous for the penumbra than the work, which makes this Aaron Watson album such a revelation.

I'd never heard of it. Nor him. But I got the following e-mail from Marshall Altman...

"Hey Bob,

I'm wondering if you've heard this new Aaron Watson album yet. There's a story here about independent country artists that I think you might find interesting.

Check the album out here:

https://open.spotify.com/album/7I7JxhkAidGVxKWrWJ5mD6?utm_source=phplist5756&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Aaron+Watson

Been enjoying the letter more and more over the last few months. Thanks for telling the truth.

Best,

Marshall Altman

Ps - Full disclosure, I'm the producer on this record, but the story started long before I got involved..."

And I clicked and started playing it before I read the part where he kissed my butt, just to check it out and dismiss it, but "Texas Lullaby," the opening track, started to lope along and I couldn't help but saddle up and go along for the ride.

"He was just eighteen
Full of fire and gasoline"

It's a STORY SONG!

Remember when music reflected our humanity back upon us?

And Watson doesn't have the best voice, but the changes resonate and the chorus was catchy and if it's so simple how come seemingly no one else can do it?

Well, we've got Chris Stapleton, who's selling a bit more gravitas, but he went from zero to hero overnight, that's how hungry we are for soul-fulfilling music.

And then I started to do some research. Turns out Watson's last indie album, entered the country chart at number one, and that this new one, "Vaquero," might exceed the sales and streams of Little Big Town's new one and enter at number one too.

Which means Aaron Watson's got fans. And they're supporting him.

Which gives me hope.

But not as much as listening to this album, which has no clunkers, none I've found yet. Too much of today's new music I just want to take off. It's repetitive and shoots too low.

And I'm not saying Watson is an intellectual, but he is a beacon, showing us you can reject the system and do it your own way and win.

Then again, he's been doing it for nearly two decades, his initial LP came out in 1999, and that's far too long in a world where we want it all and we want it now.

Maybe you can get better with age. Maybe you don't have to do what's au courant. Maybe you can just get behind the wheel and drive into the wilderness and people will follow you.

Don't expect Bob Dylan.

If you hate Nashville and Texas don't even bother to tune in.

If you make music and wonder why it's not you having the success, move right along, stay on your sour grapes highway.

But if you're someone who went to the rodeo with the Byrds, ate burritos with Gram Parsons, liked the SoCal cowboys and are looking for something new to listen to while you do the laundry, drive your car, when you're unworried about your image and are just going on with your life, you might find that you want Aaron Watson riding shotgun.

He isn't reinventing the wheel, but at least he acknowledges the wheel still exists, and that's a rare thing in a world where real instruments are anathema, vocals are tuned and songs are something written by committee.

Check it out.


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