Freedom 250 Concert

There's strength in numbers. We've been waiting for a universal protest song. But after twenty five years can we admit that we're never going to get one, just like we're never going to get a new Beatles? The market is too fragmented. But when you band together, that's where strength lies today. Who'da thunk Bret Michaels, willing to appear anywhere for a check, whoring his life out on reality TV, would back down from appearing? It's just a bad look, he's afraid it's going to taint his brand. You might ask exactly what that brand is, but the fact that Michaels is afraid of it taking a hit... As for Morris Day... Does he even go on the road? The lineup was one of ancient hitmakers, has-beens, who seemingly will show up anywhere for a buck. And now they're balking at the opportunity for universal publicity and a check? We can debate all day long whether we're at a turning point in Trump's tenure...Iran, the slush fund, it goes on... But to say that music has no power... Turns out all you've got to do is shame people and they toe the line. Of course there are those like Kid Rock and Jason Aldean on the other side, but look at all the acts who dropped off Kid Rock's tour, Never mind now that it's actually playing there is no press whatsoever, if you weren't there, it doesn't exist. And then you've got Bruce's protest song, "Streets of Minneapolis." I guess like with Kid Rock's tour, and the cancellation of appearances at Freedom 250, the music is secondary to the press. The song itself has a whopping 5,769,175 streams on Spotify, which won't even pay his trucking bill. And that's the point, unlike Kid Rock's tour, the press on Bruce's tour is outsized, he's playing arenas but the tour is bigger than stadiums in mindshare. And this is where press counts. Not the one little thing, but the mass. Now let's be clear, the individual can move mountains, has unlimited power, it's just that right now you can't do that with a single song, except for maybe a "We Are the World"-type number...then again, how big can it be without constant MTV exposure? But Bruce's Power to the People Festival at the Merriweather Post Pavilion on October 3rd? That's more like it. Especially if there will be a simulcast, which is de rigueur. But I'd be lying if I told you I thought that the Power to the People Festival would be enough. No, what we need is a WEEK of festivals! In markets all over the country. Such that all genres are covered. A hip-hop-heavy New York festival. A country-heavy Nashville festival. Hell, one in Texas, there's an electoral battle there. Yes, seven markets with contested races. As for who will perform... You know how it goes... One superstar commits, and then everybody falls in line, is begging to perform. Isn't that what happened with Freedom 250? As soon as one act canceled, then the dominoes fell. As for right wing Trumper acts... Let them have their own festival, be my guest. What has been proven over and over again is they talk a big game and ultimately deliver something puny that no one cares about. Individual acts are afraid to speak up, but if a core commits, then the rest come calling, that's just the nature of the business. There is political power in music, but it's in the group, not the individual, a collection of acts, not a single one. This can be done. -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25