Oh How The Mighty Have Fallen

I never liked MySpace even when everyone said you HAD to have a MySpace page.  It was ugly.  After they let users personalize their page, it got worse.  Half the time the music player worked.  It was a good way to hear a musician's offering, when it did work.  For awhile it was the big game in town.  How quickly things change.

I was a consultant on a project that was geared towards high school kids. I worked with Scott Gerber, who was a student at NYU at that time.  He showed me his Facebook acccount.  It was only open to college students then.  He told me this was the future.  Lately people are writing Facebook's obituary.  The latest cry is that Tumblr is taking over Facebook.

MySpace was sold to ad network Specific Media for $35 million.  Newscorp paid $580 million for it in 2005.  Now there's a write off.

Facebook will be launching their music offering.  Not quite sure what that will mean.  About 85% of the people in my circle are on Facebook and are active users.  I've seen people post some really dumb things and I've seen it as a great way to keep up with my relatives in other parts of the county.  I'm not an active user.   I haven't used it to listen to music or keep up with my favorite artists.  It will be interesting to see where music and the social network go.

Sound Bouncing Everywhere

Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal Performing Seventh Avenue

Last night's show, The Bottom Line Presents:  New York On My Mind, was moved from an outdoor show at Rockefeller Park to the Winter Garden at the World Financial Center (it rained), which was unfortunate.  It's a glass enclosed atrium with ceilings reaching to the sky.  Sound bounced everywhere.  Mojo Mancini was the house band.  Their dark (what other kind should there be?) arrangement of Summer In The City somehow cut through the acoustically challenged room.  I loved it.

Performers included Bottom Line staples: Garland Jeffreys, Christine Lavin, Willie Nile and Loudon Wainwright III.  I only saw Rosanne Cash at the Bottom Line once (it was a wonderful songwriters in the round night with the very talented Shawn Colvin and Mary Chapin Carpenter).  She too was a part of the evening and fully played out the New York theme by performing her own Seventh Avenue with John Leventhal on guitar and brought the band out to sing The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy).

Pete Fornatale hosted and Vin Scelsa read Walt Whitman (inaudible in the atrium).  At any given time, there was at least one DJ from WNEW-FM at the Bottom Line.  

My friend Sean and I left after Rosanne.  We had been there for over an hour at that point and couldn't deal with the cacophony. The show was intimate and should have been in an intimate venue.  Unfortunately the rain can't be stopped in NYC.

Happy Birthday Kris Kristofferson

Some people just don't age (clarify:  they do not become old thinkers, rest on laurels or washed up), whether musically, physically or mentally.

Kris Kristofferson is 75 today.

Friday Morning Music Wars

Kenny Chesney wins.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

On Friday mornings I tune into the three network morning shows to see who's performing. 

CBS is perpetually struggling to come remotely close to GMA or Today.  I think they hit rock bottom today.  It's not because the music they had was bad, it's just that Jennifer Hudson was on GMA last week!  They couldn't have a exclusive?  There is so much music out there.  Why not try something completely different?  Not much is expected of them so they can experiment.  Make a positive statement.   They message I'm getting is we're so low on the totem pole, we can only get guests that have already played the other  shows the week before.  Yikes. 

Good Morning America had the Disney girl, Selena Gomez.  Makes sense.  ABC is part of the Disney World, she has a new movie and album out.  Lots of young girls in the audience with their parents. There's nothing new here.

Kenny Chesney is a seasoned performer.  It showed in his Today performance.  He puts on a show. 

The Obit Column

I'm almost afraid to get the latest from Bob Lefsetz.  It seems like everyday someone new has gone to rock and roll heaven.    I wrote about Andrew Gold and Gil Scott-Heron.  Two behind-the-scene guys, without household names passed away and are worth mentioning.

First Martin Rushent best know for producing the Human League and the ubiquitous Don't You Want Me?  He worked on so much music that was part of my collection: T. Rex, The Buzzcocks, The Stranglers, XTC, the Go-Go's, Generation X and Pete Shelley's first solo single Homosapien.
Here's the Telegraph's obit. 



Steve Popovich started the label Cleveland International.  Without him, there would be no Bat Out Of Hell.  He signed the Jacksons to Epic Records when they left Motown. He was instrumental in the careers of Cheap Trick and Ian Hunter. Here's the Plain Dealers obit.

These are the people that mean so much to music and the music business.  You may never know their names, unless you are like me and read every word from every liner note, but they left an indelibile mark on your ears.

Thank You For Being A Friend

There were many rituals, rites of passage, events whatever you want to call them at my high school.  One of these was ring day. It occurred when we were juniors and it was a ceremony to get your high school ring.  Buying a ring wasn't an option, you had to do it. I didn't want one, knowing full well I wouldn't wear it. I chose the cheaper silver version. I think I was the only one in my class that didn't have the gold ring. It cracked in the back about a month after I got it.  So much for the Jostens' ring.

Girls (there was no male students at my high school) would perform songs. If I remember correctly we wore the rings on a red ribbon around our necks and when the ribbon was cut, we were presented with our rings.  It took place in the school auditorium.

Having learned to play the guitar, I joined forces with two others to perform. We really wanted to sing Hall and Oates' It's A Laugh, but we couldn't get that song choice approved, so we went with Thank You For Being a Friend.  It was all about having fun and turning the song into a clap-a-roo.  Anything to shake up an otherwise, slow moving, predictable event.

Thank You eventually became the theme song for The Golden Girls.  For my birthday this year, my  high school friend Jill, gave me a card that played the song.  It's been in my DNA since it came out.

Andrew Gold, the writer and singer of that song died after a battle with cancer.  I seem to expect musicians to live forever (think Keith Richards), so it always comes as a surprise.  Andrew's other hit was Lonely Boy.  I always liked the sweet Never Let Her Slip Away.  He knew how to write a hook.  He was a multi-instrumentalist who played on, wrote and/or arranged songs for Linda Ronstadt, Carly Simon, Ringo Starr, Celine Dion and James Taylor.



What I didn't know about Andrew was his musical lineage.  His mother is Marni Nixon who was the singing voice for Natalie Wood in West Side Story and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.  His father is Ernest Gold, the Oscar winning film composer. 
 

Online Theft of Music Killing Musicians Says Universal Music Group Distribution President

Universal Music Group Distribution President, Jim Urie is back on the trail to enlist his mailing list to support the passing of bill S. 968.  The bill is also referred to as PROTECT IP.  This is really a bill to protect the RIAA (otherwise known as the lobby group for the major record labels), not musicians.  This is the second go round for Jim.  I do not support the bill as I think it's an innovation killer.

Below I'm posting the letter I sent to Jim, which explains my concerns.  Here's the link to the letter Jim is asking his music industry colleagues to send to their representatives.  

As Techdirt points out, online theft of music is not killing artists or songwriters, which is what Jim states in the letter he wants me to put my name to and forward.  Nothing going on in the music business is killing musicians that I know of.  Yes piracy is illegal, but it's at the point where it's a non-issue.  There is no turning back for the record labels. I'm sure if illegal downloads were killing people, Dateline would have been all over the story. 

I've alerted both my Senators, who unfortunately are co-sponsors of the bill, that I do not support the bill and I'd like them to distance themselves from it.  If you're a musician or anyone who believes in creativity, I urge you to do the same. 

Dear Jim,

I've worked in the music industry for over 25 years, so I've seen lots of changes.  I knew the major record labels were going to have a rough time years ago because they refused to innovate, collaborate or release better music.  Supporting S. 968 is a mistake for the music business and any other business.  Stifling creativity and innovation under the guise that this will save the music industry is wrong.  The industry itself is fine.  It's the major record labels that you refer to and the difference should be noted . 

Online piracy is probably affecting 2% of the musicians and that % may be high.  A healthy music business is important to my livelihood, whether the major labels survive, is not.   I managed bands for years and despite having gold and platinum records, they never saw a dime in record royalties from their record labels.  Grant it, the labels did provide services for the musicians as well as rack up extraneous promotion, marketing and entertaining expenses without the full knowledge of the artists.  My experience is that not selling CDs means nothing to 98% of the musicians. 

I will contact my Senators (Senators Gillibrand & Schumer represent my area and sadly both are co-sponsors of the bill) and Representatives and ask that they DO NOT support S. 968. 

I believe your take action message is misguided as written and there is no way for me to amend it. 

Sincerely,
Paula Sartorius

Note:  I sent this letter to Jim yesterday.  As of my posting today, I have not gotten a response.

Faye Treadwell Former Manager of the Drifters Dies

The Drifters was a prophetic moniker.  The band was a revolving door of personnel, but there was one person who had the rights to the Drifters and that was Faye Treadwell.  The Hollywood Reporter announced that Faye passed away at age 84.  She is being hailed as a pioneer.

I was surprised I never heard of her so I did some research.

• She was one of the first African-American female entertainment managers. 
• Her husband George, who died in 1967, had control of the Drifters after buying out original member Clyde McPhatter.  
• Faye bought out her husband’s former business partners and assumed management and control of the group.
• She moved to London in the 1970's and took the Drifters with her.
• In 2006 she won a legal battle to retain control of the Drifters' trademark.

The Drifters most famous alum are McPhatter and Ben E. King.  Their hits include Under The Boardwalk, There Goes My Baby, Up On The Roof and Save The Last Dance For Me.  It's a legacy worth fighting for.

Gil Scott-Heron RIP

I remember reading the profile on Gil Scott-Heron in the New Yorker about a year ago and thinking it's amazing he's still alive.  Sadly he passed away on Friday.  Read the obit from the Alec Wilkinson author of that profile.

Adele's Jerk Ex-Boyfriend Feels Entitled To Royalties

As Techdirt points out, this is a few weeks old, but still worth mentioning. In this litigious society we live in, it seems that exes are taking it a little too far.  As if a breakup isn't bad enough, the person who caused the heartache tries to sue you for ownership of the songs you wrote because of the breakup.

Adele's ex is claiming he "inspired" the songs and therefore should get partial ownership. Isn't he embarrassed to make such a claim?  Isn't he embarrassed that he caused such pain?  Guess not.  He wants a cut of the royalties.

Adele's response to him: Well, you made my life hell, so I lived it and now I deserve it.

Gaga For A Dollar

Lady Gaga's album Born This Way is available on Amazon for a $.99 download today.  The only way to secure the download is to load it on to the Amazon cloud.  From there you can download to your computer.  Let's assume that this was the biggest way possible for Amazon to get consumers involved in their cloud service. It does one up Google for the day. 

Follow this link to get the offer. It's not that easy to find.

Wendy Corsi Staub on Writing, Optioning And The Importance Of A Dog

Inspiration comes in many places.  Realizing that Grand Central Station no longer had baggage lockers, author Wendy Corsi Staub thought about where she could stash a bag while she went about her business in the city.  As she walked through the terminal, she passed the sign for the Lost and Found, which got her thinking about the process of turning something in to the Lost and Found and then trying to retrieve it.  Wendy now had the opening of Live To Tell, the first in a trilogy of thrillers. 

Wendy was the guest author at book club last night. She is a prolific writer having authored books in different genres:  thriller/mystery, chic-lit, young adult as well as ghost writing biographies. 

Authors have so many different writing processes.  John Irving always knows the ending of his book before he starts writing. Wendy explained her method. “I edit during the writing process.  The story is ever evolving and I'm constantly rereading, rewriting, cutting and pasting, adding and deleting.  When I reach the end of the manuscript, it's DONE.  I wish I could be one of those authors who writes a complete first draft, then goes back and does a second draft and then a third, but that's just not comfortable for me. I edit as I go and the first draft is my final draft, then it goes straight to my husband for a read. I tweak for typos and continuity per his feedback and then it lands on my editor’s desk.”   She said that when you first get published, you have to turn in outlines. She’s not big on outlines. Her editor, Lucia Macro (book club member) said it’s rare that any of her authors work with outlines; in fact she could only think of one who plotted a whole book before writing it.  Wendy submits story summaries and a first chapter.

Surprisingly Lucia told us that authors do have the final say on their content. (Not always the case for musicians working with a record label.) The editor and author share the same vision for the book, but it’s the editor’s job to make sure the author is not taking it in a very wrong direction. Wendy was once an editor and she believes in working with her editor.  As with most musicians, I’m assuming most writers are precious with their art.  Editors are there to make the art more sellable and readable.  Artists don’t always see it that way.  Aren’t two heads better than one?  Wendy thinks so. 

Live to tell is set in New York City and it’s suburbs.  Lauren Walsh is recently divorced from Nick, the on again/off again dad.  She’s in what she thought was her dream house, a sprawling suburban Victorian in need of upgrades.  Is she a little woe-is-me?  Probably, but she had the rug pulled out from under her. Her husband leaves her for an older woman, gets an apartment in a doorman building in White Plains and takes the kids whenever he gets around to it.  She’s got the responsibility and he has the girlfriend. 

Her youngest daughter Sadie loses Fred, her beloved stuffed animal.  It’s more than a toy.  It was a gift from Nick and it’s one piece of her dad she can hold on to.  Nick reluctantly goes to the Lost and Found in Grand Central to claim what he thinks is Fred.  It’s not Fred and it’s filled with more than just stuffing. 

As with any good thriller, Live To Tell engaged me.  It’s hard to write about the story without giving it away.  To coin a phrase, the plot thickens, the kids are involved and a ruthless politician needs to get his way.  There seems to be no shortage of inspiration from stories in the news regarding politicians and their sordid lives.  Wendy mentioned that when she was writing this book, the Eliot Spitzer scandal was in full swing. 

Live to Tell would be a perfect cable TV movie, actually it would perfectly play out as a mini-series.   I asked Wendy if she was approached about optioning her work for film or TV and she said there has been interest. A lot of times she’s told what I have heard too many times as a manager and it’s ridiculous, “You need to have a strong male lead.  We can’t have just a female lead.”  I’ve worked with many female musicians and used to hear from radio stations,  “Even though we love the record, we can’t add it this week as we already have two female musicians on our play list”.  Why is the entertainment industry still so female-phobic?  A look at today’s iTunes chart shows who is leading the pack.  Six of the Top 10 downloads are from female artists (I’m including Black Eyed Peas).  At number one is Adele and Lady Gaga has two slots. Get over it Hollywood. We love our female leads. 

The characters are very believable, the story is cohesive and I was cheering for the good guys. I can’t think of a better summary for a mini-series. 

Apparently you can judge a book by its cover.  Lucia told us that the book cover is really important, especially in the thriller and chic-lit world.  People do buy a book based on its cover.  Buyers at stores pay a lot of attention to book covers.  A few authors have told me that if a book cover is approved and it isn’t a true representation of the story, it is easier for the author to amend his/her story to include something from the artwork rather than change the cover.  Art influencing art? 

Since many of us in book club are dog lovers, we had to ask about Chauncey, the Walsh’s pet.  I won’t say what happens to Chauncey, but I will say that once Wendy had a dog killed in one of her books. She got so much negative mail that she would never go down that path again. 

Wendy Corsi Staub’s most recent book is Scared To Death, the follow up to Live To Tell.

Fascinating piece on Grand Central's Lost and Found and other secrets.  

Oh my god. Who let me out of the house?

This exclaimed Rosanne Cash after finding some publicity photos of herself at age 20, 21.  At the time she was promoting her first record which initially came out in Germany.  Read full tweet.

I think we've all had that moment.   I look back on photos from 6th, 7th, 8th grade where my hair was all over the place or pulled back in a pony tail. It looks awful. I once asked my mother why she didn't insist on cutting my hair.  Her response, "I had to pick my fights."  

Here is the cover of Rosanne's first record.  She looks pretty amazing.  She's giving Linda Ronstadt a run for her money.

Record Labels Settle with LimeWire, What Does That Mean For The Artists?

According to the NY Times,  the major record labels won a $105 million settlement against the file-sharing network LimeWire.  The article asks the age old question: What will the artists see?  As most lawyers, managers or artists will tell you, they will see nothing.  Legal fees have to be paid first and I'm sure those are hefty, but what the labels keep and what gets to the artists are two different amounts.  I'd love to hear from any musician who saw money from a record label after his/her label successfully sued a company in a case where money should have gone to the artist. 

John Carter: A Great Music Man

 Carter, as everyone seemed to call him, was one of those rare A&R guys whom really knew his stuff. Talk about putting in your hours.  He was about as well rounded in the music biz as one could be.

• He was a musician
• He wrote songs (Incense and Peppermints)
• Worked as a promotion man for Atlantic Records in the 70’s in San Francisco
• Was an A&R man, first at Capitol Records
• Produced records, first being Sammy Hagar who he signed to Capitol
• Signed Tina Turner and produced Private Dancer
• Managed artists

I’m sure all of the above made him the perfect A&R guy.  He knew what songs to pick for the artist and he knew when a song needed help.

On co-writing songs with artists he produced, “I really harassed and harassed people to improve their songwriting over the course of a project...and maybe in the eleventh hour, I finally said, "That's it. I can't stand it anymore. Here's a lyric. What do you think?" So really, it was usually as a last resort—not a first choice.”  (Read more of this interview on Taxi’s website)

Carter passed away from cancer. I never had the pleasure of working with him, but people I know did, and loved him. 

For a personal account, read Bob Lefsetz column.

Musicians: Make The Effort For Yourselves

The life of a musician can be solitary.  If you're in a band, you can collaborate with band members, you're on the road with them, but when it comes to the end of the day, it's you.  Seth Godin's Self Directed Effort is the Best Kind, got me thinking about the musicians that have a career and those who don't.

Seth asks if you need a boss, trainer, etc to stand over you to make you go the extra mile.  Do you need incentives to reach your goals?  Can you attain your goals by yourself? Are you motivated and regimented enough? 

Seth writes:
Effort's ephemeral, hard to measure and incredibly difficult to deliver on a regular basis. So we hire a trainer or a coach or a boss and give up our freedom and our upside for someone to whip us into shape. Obviously, you give up part of what you create to the trainer/coach/boss in exchange for their oversight.

Do we need the taskmaster? 

I've been a freelancer for quite a few years now and sometimes it would be nice to have a taskmaster telling me what to do.  It is easy to look at the check list and keep moving items around that you don't necessarily want to deal with.  But what about the satisfaction of crossing those items/tasks off your list?  Doing it yourself.  That's a great feeling. 

Do musicians have lists?  Being a musician these days means more than just making music.  Each day a musician needs to send out emails, update twitter/blog, make a new video, write a song, prepare for a tour, get to the next venue, etc.  I could argue that this is where a manager comes into play, but the manager can't force a musician to do something. She/he can suggest things and point out what will help  a career and propose great deals, but ultimately it's up to the musician to make it happen for herself.  

The successful musician does not give in to leaving it up to others or the taskmaster to make it happen. Where is the satisfaction in that?  If the musician believes in what she is doing, then she must  ultimately be the one to carry out her plan/ideals.  She is the one who has to go the extra mile, not because someone is monitoring her, but because she believes. 

Surrender To The Mariachi

American Idol Sells Records

The April 27th episode of American Idol featured the songs of Carole King.  Billboard reports that on the heels of that show, her records "Live at the Troubadour" and the iconic "Tapestry" have both re-entered the Top 200:  "Troubadour"  at No. 170, up 106% and her No. 1 1971 effort "Tapestry" No. 178, up 135%.  There are still people out there who do not own Tapestry?

 Great songs endure. 

BMG & Universal Want In On Warner Music AND EMI

According to Bloomberg, BMG Rights Management and Universal Music Group might make a joint bid for Warner Music AND EMI.  There are two other groups in the bidding.  Both Live Nation and another group led by Sean Parker have backed out of the race.

Albums are for fans, singles are for newbies

Albums are for fans, singles are for newbies.

Don't make an album expecting to reach a new audience.  If you want to reach a new audience, focus on the single.
-Bob Lefetz

Bob is so spot on.  Consumers stopped buying music because they were sick of getting one or two good songs on an album and the rest were mediocre.  They still had to plop down $12-$15.  When you anaylize the cost, they paid about $7 per song, if there were two good songs on the CD. 

When I was growing up, all we really had were singles.  I did buy, or my parents bought for me Meet the Beatles and the rest of the Beatles albums through Help. I owned all the Monkees albums.  It probably wasn't until the 1970's when I started buying albums on a regular basis. Up to that point it was all singles.  When I bought Build Me Up Buttercup, do you think I was wondering if the Foundations had a whole album of songs like that?  No.  I had three Bobby Sherman singles, but no albums, same for the Supremes. 

I remember the lyrics to all those songs to this day, even if I haven't heard the song in years.  Music sticks with you whether it's a song or a whole album full of them.  Put out music when you make it.  Don't save it for an album.  There are only a few amazing concept albums that are meant to be listened to as a whole.  Keep your fan base active.  There should be no downtime when it comes to enlightening your fans.  No one is waiting three years for your next album. 

Read Bob's full post here.