Gary Kurfirst: Long Time Artist Manager Dies

I worked on the same floor as Gary Kurfirst's Overland Productions in the late 80's, early 90's. We said hi in the hallways. He was a loyal manager who worked with everyone from the Talking Heads to Diamanda Galas. I remember the start of Radioactive Records. There was always something new and exciting coming out of their office. Gary died suddenly this week. The best tribute I've seen came from him son which was posted in the Lefsetz letter. I'll excerpt the posting below.

Bob,

We've never actually met before, but I feel like I have read hundreds of your emails over the years and they were all forwarded to me by my father, Gary Kurfirst. I know he agreed with a lot of what you had to say about the music business and he admired your writing abilities and passion for music. I'm writing to let you know that Gary (aka notalk888@aol.com) passed away yesterday. It all happened very sudden, the details of which do not matter, bottom line is he was way too young. I'm not sure why I am reaching out to you, but I feel like I need to make sure that my dad's accomplishment in the music business are recognized and you have a lot of people's attention. He was a true music pioneer, an ole gunslinger back when the music business was like the wild, wild west and crafty kid from Forest Hills, Queens could carve out a living promoting (and later managing) cutting edge acts not because they were popular, but because they were different. I actually got to work with him for most of my adult life. He taught me about the importance of artist development, building the brand and finding acts that did not fit the mold but rather broke it. He believed in artistry and did not sign acts because they sounded like "so and so," he signed acts that were an extension of his creative being, ones that tested the boundaries of modern music and would change the face of music forever. He was not a musician, or music historian and would readily admit that he knew zero about music in general. However he understood how to identify, create and manage unique artists as good as any human being on the planet over the last 40 years. He always stuck to his guns. Didn't care what other people thought and believed passionately that over time the cream always rises to the top. Sometimes that rise took years (see the Ramones & the Talking Heads) and something it happened almost instantly (see Live). My point is that my dad represented a lot of the good that has happened in music over the past 40 years. He started out as a pioneer and morphed into an anomaly and at the end of it all I'm very proud to be his son and only wish that my two boys (Gary's only grandchildren - Lucas 5 & Landon 13 months) got a chance to know him like I did.

Regards,

Josh Kurfirst

ps: Gary's work history can be found here: www.garykurfirst.com
pps: two stories have broke so far http://www.nme.com/news/talking-heads/42077 and one at www.hitsdailydouble.com

Paul McCartney on Howard Stern

It seems to be an all Beatles Blog Day at Kudos & Flowers. Howard Stern is the best celebrity interviewer there is. Today's Paul McCartney chat was too short. They just started to get the ball rolling and it was time for him to leave. Howard as expected touched on Paul's encounters with Christie Brinkley, Renee Zellweger and Rosanne Arquette. The first two he said were a Hampton's party and a lunch-nothing more. He didn't elaborate on Ms Arquette. Sir Paul talked briefly about his new album Electric Arguments released under the name The Firemen. He chose the name because his father was a fireman and he also loves to cut down brush and create trails with his chain saw. That must be why he is always in such a good mood. He lets it all out in the woods. He recorded the lyrics on the fly in the studio. The spontaneity works. Highway is a fun, melodic romp with the energy of the first Wings record. I hear a touch of Peter Gabriel in songs such as Lifelong Passion. The album doesn't sound like a bunch of songs that were sitting on a shelf waiting to be recorded. There is freshness to the work. The record was produced by Youth.

He loves being a dad to his youngest. He hangs out in the Hamptons in the summer so the paparazzi can invade his privacy. The Beatles were originally going to call Abbey Road, Everest. He gets along with Yoko. The biggest shock of the interview came from Robin Quivers, not Paul. She officially threw her hat in the ring and said she was available to date Paul. She cited being a vegan as a mutual bond. I think Paul thought Howard put her up to it.

Victor Spinetti's Hard Day's Night

Victor Spinetti performed his one man show, A Very Private Diary! at the NY Public Library for the Performing Arts. His acting career has taken him from regional theater in his birth country of Wales to a Tony Award for Oh! What A Lovely War to the Return of the Pink Panther. He is probably most recognized in this country for his roles in A Hard Day's Night, Help! and Magical Myster Tour. His show recreates celebrity encounters from his illustrious career. Stories of Liz Taylor, Richard Burton, Tallulah Bankhead, Warren Beatty and of course The Beatles are all conveyed in his eccentric, endearing manner. During the height of Beatlemania, Victor had a large fan club. While on route to the Bahamas with the Beatles to shoot Help!, the plane had a stop over at JFK airport to refuel. No one was going to leave the plane until an announcement was made asking for Victor Spinetti. They asked if he would please leave the plane to say hi to the hordes of fan looking for him. So he got out and waved to the crowd. Needless to say, The Beatles gave it to him when he got back on the plane.

He also recounted the visit by John and George to ask him to be in A Hard Days Night: George Harrison, said, "You've got to be in all our films ... if you're not in them me Mum won't come and see them--because she fancies you."

What I remember most about Victor was the amazing mohair sweater his character Richard, the TV director wore in A Hard Day's Night. Rosemary Flannery, being more pop culture aware than I am, found an interview in which he said the sweater was his own. So much for a wardrobe budget. The acting skills of Victor and the participants in A Hard Day's Night should not be overlooked, as it's a gem. The movie was improvised and apparently so was the wardrobe.

Bad Design is a Bad Sign

The Mets have once again held the bar way too low. This is the inaugural stadium patch that will be on the Mets' uniforms this year. I could have done better with a Sharpie and piece of loose leaf paper. The web is aflutter with criticism, Yahoo compared it to the Domino's Pizza logo. The best thing to come out of this is The Sports Hernia's alternative versions of the logos that were rejected by the Mets. Follow the link and make sure you scroll to the bottom. Who designed this patch and how much were they paid?


Omens?:

1. The NY Post reported rusty pipes and leaks coming from the front of Citifield.
2. The stadium is now being referred to as Taxpayers Field as taxpayers money is bailing out Citigroup.

Music Video Games Sales Were Down in 2008

Hailed as a growing revenue stream for musicians and labels, the music video game sector might not be living up to it's expectations. Variety reports that Rock Band sold 809,000 units domestically and Guitar Hero World Tour sold 1.5 million units.

According to paidcontent.org here are the numbers:

Music remains the biggest-selling games genre and, according to NPD Group, brings in 16 percent of all gaming revenue. But music games overall saw a six percent drop in revenue despite some high-profile launches. Now with sales are slowing, revenue from extra tracks to play along to is of huge importance even though the cash is split with music publishers: at the cost of about $2 each, Guitar Hero players have bought 25 million tracks while Rock Band fans have paid for 30 million. Sales data for December is out on January 15 and will show how all the big titles did over Christmas.

Biggest Selling Vinyl Record of 2008

Hypebot posted this graph which has Radiohead bookending the top 10 selling vinyl records of the past year. If anyone is thinking about waxing poetically on the comeback of vinyl, just look at the numbers and think twice about the impact. As I've written before, vinyl does not make a dent in sales number. In Rainbows sold 25,800 copies. Rolling Stone's article proclaims that vinyl sales almost doubled in 2008 and that "vinyl is still experiencing a renaissance". I would hardly call this news. With more layoffs at labels and more artists releasing records on their own (Radiohead), vinyl sales will not help music's bottom line rebound. When it does and it enables artists to make a living making music, then it's news.

Quote of the Day from Bob Lefsetz

"A Palm is like a Haircut 100 record. A hit once, but no one even wants to go to the reunion show."

Bob Lefsetz is referring to Elevation Partners investments in Palm and how Elevation is the only thing keeping Palm alive. This was spurred by Bob's review of an op-ed piece by Bono in the NY Times. The article is Bono's stream of consciousness writings on Frank Sinatra.

Jacko To Give Macca Back his Beatles Publishing

I'm a few days late with this, but According to the Mirror:

1. Michael Jackson believes he is dying from a genetic lung disease
2. Is now confined to bed or a wheelchair
3. According to his will, Paul McCartney would inherit his portion of the Beatles catalogue
4. He is disheartened by his falling out with Paul.

Malcolm Gladwell On Success at the 92nd Street Y

How is success measured? Malcolm Gladwell thinks we abuse the word "genius" and bestowing it on people is giving them too much credit. He believes (and goes on to credit his theory in his latest book: Outliers) there are many factors that are involved in a person's success and given the right cultural environment, work ethic, a sprinkle of fairy dust talent and date of birth, you have the advantages to succeed. He used numerous examples throughout the interview: Bill Gates, The Beatles, two Canadian hockey teams, KIPP Academy and J Robert Oppenheimer.

Robert Krulwich, host of Radiolab, interviewed him and was a perfect choice to challenge Gladwell on his theories. Their dialogue on the use and vocal emphasis of the word "love" was highly entertaining. Gladwell is the master of looking at a situation (he spoke passionately about the merit of Affirmative Action) and turning it upside down. He gets you thinking. It's been said there are two sides to every story and then there's the truth. We have Gladwell to show us the third side.

The Stooges Guitarist Found Dead

Ron Asheton a founding member of the The Stooges was found dead in his Ann Arbor home after an associate called police to say he had not been heard from in days. No official cause of dead has been announced. Foul play is not suspected. Ron along with his brother Scott, Iggy Pop and the deceased Dave Alexander released their first record in 1969. Ron's MySpace page is filled with fans thoughts and thanks.
Read his obit on NME's site.

iTunes New Pricing

The ho hum announcement at Macworld Expo was that iTunes will now be DRM free and songs will be variably priced. This is what Apple negotiated with the major record labels. DRM free comes way too late and who is going to want to pay MORE for a track when it can be downloaded for free. The labels will now charge $1.29 for a new song, .99 for those selling well and .69 for older tracks. In a time where everything is being sold at a discount, the labels decide to jack up the price. I'm shaking my head.

Stax Revue on PBS Tonight (if you're in NY)

In today's NY Times:

The black-and-white concert footage of “Sweet Soul Music: Stax Live in Europe 1967,” to be shown Monday (tonight) at 8 p.m. on WLIW (Channel 21) in NY and nationwide on PBS in March, is a chance to see Stax’s soul men at their youthful peak. The tour lineup was Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Eddie Floyd and Arthur Conley, backed by Booker T & the MGs and the Mar-Keys. The revue was videotaped for television on April 7, 1967, in Oslo. (The PBS special is a shorter version of a DVD, “Stax/Volt Revue: Live in Norway 1967,” which is available from the Stax Museum in Memphis, staxmuseum.org.)

Song List
“Philly Dog” - The Mar-Keys
“Green Onions” - Booker T. and the MG's
“Sweet Soul Music” - Arthur Conley
“You Don't Know Like I Know” - Sam and Dave
“Raise Your Hand” - Eddie Floyd
“Soothe Me” - Sam and Dave
“Hold On! I'm comin'” - Sam and Dave
“Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)” - Otis Redding
“My Girl” - Otis Redding
“Shake” - Otis Redding
“(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction” - Otis Redding
“Try A Little Tenderness” - Otis Redding

Brandi Shearer on Daytrotter

Brandi Shearer visited the Daytrotter studio for a live session during her tour last year with Kate Walsh and Quincy Coleman. There are 3 new songs: Animal, I Just Want You To Love Me,

When You Wake Up and a beautiful version of Night Singing Bird which is also on her EP First Punch. You can download the tracks from the Daytrotter site. Interesting title to the piece: The Endearment Of An Ashen Animal.

New Year's with Springsteen

Happy New Year. I haven't spent very many New Year Eve's listening to live music. As an intern at MTV, I had to work the New Year's Rocking Eves which wound up being a lot of fun. When I was in college, my friend Dino was obsessed with Bruce Springsteen. He must have told me a hundred times that seeing Springsteen live would change my life. I went to school at Fordham in the Bronx. It seemed like every mixer ended with guys jumping in the air to Rosalita. FU was Boss Town.

Dino got tickets for The River tour, which landed at the Nassau Coliseum on New Year's Eve 1980. I have a great memory of Bruce singing In The Midnight Hour, the Wilson Pickett song. I've since seen Springsteen several times: Giant Stadium, Shea Stadium, The Garden, etc. He is a performer! He plays for his audience and he plays for himself. If he doesn't love his job, he is the greatest actor.

Springsteen's latest musical offerings have been downright good. Magic is a great album filled with great songs. His latest single, Working On A Dream is another great song. Lately it's hard to find great songs, so I don't use the term lightly. When In the Midnight Hour was a hit, (much to my surprise it peaked at only #21 in August of '65) great songs were all over radio. Just a sample of what would have been playing on WABC-AM: California Girls, Help!, We Gotta Get Out of This Place, Down in the Boondocks and For Your Love. It's a comfort to know that Bruce is writing songs that are as valid as the ones he played on that New Year's Eve in 1980.

RIP: Freddie Hubbard

Jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, who played with legends such as John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, McCoy Tyner, Art Blakey and Herbie Hancock, died Dec. 29 in Sherman Oaks, CA. He was 70 years old and had suffered a heart attack a month ago.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Juliet Ashton, a writer from London, wrote a much needed light-hearted newspaper column under the name Izzy Bickerstaff during WW ll. Her writings were later published as a much read book. While looking for her next subject, she receives a letter from a native of Guernsey, the Channel Island that was occupied by the Germans during the War. The inhabitants were cut off from society: no radios, they lived on turnip soup and without spoiling anything, they formed the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society to cope with life.

This novel depicts life for Juliet and the islanders via letters. It can be read in short spurts as letters are no longer than 3 pages. You will want to read more than one letter at a time. The story is both entertaining, witty and a history lesson. Mary Ann Shaffer, an editor and librarian wrote this book with her niece, Annie Burrows, a childrens book author. Mary Ann's health failed while she was writing the book which caused her to have Annie assist in finishing the book. Unfortunately she did not live to see the book published. She was inspired to write this book after a visit to Guernsey. There is a memorial fund set up in her name to assist female authors.

Guernsey is a very clever book and self effacing - which makes it a delight. Since it's set in England I'm giving myself license to call it a delight. (Regression: Wasn't there a line in Wuthering Heights, where marriage is accepted because "he's handsome and a delight to be with"?) The words flow. The characters are well developed. The setting is well-established. You'll want to believe these are real people and you'll want to spend time with them. This work is heartfelt and enjoyable.

RIP: Bud Prager, Earth Kitt

Bud Prager was one of the classic old school managers. He was once quoted as saying Foreigner is Mick and Me. He passed away this week in Montauk LI after a battle with cancer. Besides Foreigner, his other clients included Leslie West, Cream and Felix Papalardi.

Earth Kitt is always present at Christmastime. Her rendition of Santa Baby is legendary. My first memory of her was as Catwoman. I was a die hard Batman fan and her purrrrrr was much more intense than Julie Newmar's or Lee Merriweather's film version of Catwoman. The part seem to be hers. Moving into her aunt's abusive household in Harlem at age 8, she learned how to be tough and outspoken. The Times recalled her visit to the Johnson White House:

In 1968 she was invited to a White House luncheon and was asked by Lady Bird Johnson about the Vietnam War. She replied: “You send the best of this country off to be shot and maimed. No wonder the kids rebel and take pot.” The remark reportedly caused Mrs. Johnson to burst into tears and led to a derailment in Ms. Kitt’s career.

She was 81.

Long Tail Theory Questioned

According to a piece in the UK's Timesonline,
173,000 of the 1.23M albums available sold at least 1 copy last year
That means 85% of albums did move a single copy all year.
80% of of all single track sales revenue came from 52,000 tracks

The article states:

The idea that niche markets were the key to the future for Internet sellers was described as one of the most important economic models of the 21st century when it was spelt out by Chris Anderson in his book The Long Tail in 2006. He used data from an American online music retailer to predict that the Internet economy would shift from a relatively small number of “hits” - mainstream products - at the head of the demand curve toward a “huge number of niches in the tail”.

However, a new study by Will Page, chief economist of the MCPS-PRS Alliance, the not-for-profit royalty collection society, suggests that the niche market is not an untapped goldmine and that online sales success still relies on big hits. They found that, for the online singles market, 80 per cent of all revenue came from around 52,000 tracks. For albums, the figures were even more stark. Of the 1.23 million available, only 173,000 were ever bought, meaning 85 per cent did not sell a single copy all year.

I would love a more in depth look at the study. As for the 85% who didn't sell one copy are they making a living with their music? Did they give it away free and not make it available for sale. If no one bought a copy how did Will Page know the record existed? Do these acts have a profitable touring history?

The Live Nation Deals: Where Are They Now?

The following AP release is very telling. Apparently U2 has cashed in their stock options on their Live Nation deal. This happens before they have performed one show under the new contract. See piece below:

U2 Divests LN Stock - Promoter Takes A Hit
Posted: December 18, 2008
Irish rock band U2 made a killing in the stock market after they moved to sell the 1,556,386 shares in Live Nation stock. U2 acquired the shares as part of the 12-year 360 deal they signed with Live Nation in March of 2008.
At the time, the company touted the stock holding as evidence of the band's faith in the business model. As a part of the agreement, Live Nation guaranteed that the band would receive at least $25 million for the stock. Unfortunately for Live Nation, their share price has dipped precipitously in recent months and company's shares were trading at $3.80, clearing just under 6 million, leaving the promoter holding the bag for the remaining $19 million.

Despite the sale, the U2's manager took pains to restate the band's commitment to the pact. "We're very much in business with [Live Nation] and we're planning to tour in 2009." Paul McGuinness, the band's manager told the Wall Street Journal.

U2's deal with Live Nation has yet to be very profitable for the promoter as the band hasn't toured since 2006. The Irish rockers have stated that they plan to release an album next year with aforementioned tour to follow and the band has a proven track record of moving tickets so it remains very likely that Live Nation will still post a profit from the U2 deal in the long-term.

Unfortunately, however the other shoe may be ready to drop for the promoter in April, as Madonna becomes eligible to sell the $25 million in stock holdings she acquired from her own 360 agreement with Live Nation. Unlike U2 however, Madonna has been an earner this year, pulling in more than $120 million (and counting) from her "Sticky & Sweet" tour.

Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino tried to offer some perspective to the sale, noting to the WSJ that "Madonna and U2 are the only two deals that did contain this provision. The Madonna business is great, and we look forward to monetizing our investment in U2 next year."

At time of publication, Live Nation's shares were trading slightly higher at $4.07.

DejaVu All Over Again: WMG Battles YouTube

Unable to renegotiate the share of ad revenue it sought, Warner Music Group has pulled all of its content from YouTube. Affected are thousands of songs and artists from WMG's extensive recording catalog, as well as, those published by Warner/Chappell Music who may not record for the company.

Read the full article at Hypebot.com

RIAA to Stop Suing Internet Pirates

The RIAA realized that suing individuals who traded music over the Internet, was not the way to go. They have decided to cease suing. According to a WSJ article today, the RIAA opened legal proceedings against approximately 35,000 people since 2003. They are now making deals with Internet Service Providers that will warn their users that they are in violation, rather than having to ask the ISP to divulge the name of the user.

The whole campaign seemed ill advised from the beginning. What did they have to gain from suing a 13 year old girl? Possibly using her as an example, but it wasn't a deterrent. The major labels have been band-aiding situations for years and it is no surprise that they are in bad shape. If they had embraced the technology, put out quality product and engaged the fan, none of this would be happening. Maybe the RIAA should hire Stephanie Meyer as a consultant. She has done all of the above. According to boxofficemojo, the film version of her book Twilight has a domestic total sales of $152,320,664, as of 12/17. Her series of books have sold over 25 million copies. Her latest release, Breaking Dawn, shipped 3.7 million copies with 1.7 of of them being sold on the first day of release. When was the last time an album did that?

Saved By Zero Kills

Apparently I'm not the only one who couldn't get to the remote fast enough every time the car commercial using The Fixx song Saved By Zero came on. Here is a parody of the commercial and the movie The Ring.

It doesn't get much more annoying than that commercial. The Marketing With Meaning Blog has a great piece about the protests annoying commercials have created. There is a Facebook group called Stop Playing Toyota’s “Saved By Zero” Commercial. It has 9300 friends. Music when used well can be one of the greatest ways to market a product. Apple usually hits the mark. As much as people hate this commercial, I have seen more written about it than any other ad in recent memory. The questions remains to be answered: Does this turn the consumer sour on your brand for life?

Insomnia Jeopardy

I'm posting this New Yorker Cartoon because it's that good.

Jack Black to Star in Heavy Metal Video Game

Reported on GameDaily.com.

Brutal Legend is described as a third-person Action/Adventure title with Jack Black starring in the role of roadie Eddie Riggs. After being thrown back through time, Riggs uses his knowledge of Heavy Metal music to free an oppressed people and usher in the Age of Metal.

It's All About the Apps

Music Apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch are getting a lot of press these days. Nine Inch Nails who always seem to be at the forefront of technology, released one in September. Weezer just put out Christmas with Weezer. Behind most of these apps is Tapulous. They are the creators of Tap Tap Revenge which is the all-time most popular game for the iPhone. I downloaded it today. The first track I got was Nick Galliant-a cross between Earth Wind and Fire and Nick Gilder. With the exception of Weezer's We Wish You a Merry Christmas, I was unfamiliar with the artists. This is the free version of the game. I could have paid $5 for the full Christmas with Weezer. The blog at Wired.com mentioned the apps as an additional source of income for musicians. This article focuses more on gadgets and games such as rock band. Apps are a great way for fans to stay in touch with what's going on with their favorite artists. Matt Kozlov of Sony/BMG introduced me to the Pink app, Pink's Funhouse. There is music, news, bio and of course lots of photos. Expect a powerhouse app in advance of The Fray's new album.

Discovering New Music While Getting Your Haircut

Radio isn't quite what it used to be for discovering new music. I keep reading that listenership is up, but advertising is down. I'm guessing that Talk Radio is leading the way. I don't know many people who turn on the radio to hear music. People are becoming their own radio stations. iMixes on iTunes are a great example of that. I've known Gabrielle Trujillo and Jeffrey Fernandez, the owners of Sparkle Beauty Studio for over 10 years. Not only will you get an amazing haircut from them, but you will be treated like a king/queen and will be turned on to some great new music. Music is Gabriel's passion and he's an informed and intuitive "DJ". Each month he posts an iMix which is a seamless bounty of new music. He removes it when the month is up and posts a new one. This month I was introduced to Ohm-G & Bruno, McFly and Augustana. Gabriel's iMixes are a great way to catch up on new music if you don't have the time to jump from Internet radio to terrestrial to satellite.

Filming Without Casting a Leading Actress

On this day in 1938, filming began on the epic film Gone With The Wind. The producer David O Selznick had not yet cast an actress to play Scarlett O'Hara. Can you imagine a studio today green lighting a project without a principal actor cast? Needless to say the first scene shot was the burning of Atlanta which didn't require Scarlett's participation. Ironically, that was also the day that Selznick was introduced to Vivien Leigh on the set by his brother Myron, a Hollywood agent. 11 days later she tested for the film and on Christmas day he had selected his Scarlett.

Has Anyone Learned From the Downfall of the Recorded Music Indsutry?

While watching Barack Obama talk about the US auto industry crisis on Meet The Press yesterday, it hit home once again that the recorded music industry led the way to the downward spiral and other businesses didn't pay attention and learn from them. About 10 years ago, the music business denied new technology instead of embracing it (Napster). The major label business was based on a model that was over 50 years old, yet no label overhauled the way they did business. The people at the top made a fortune, middle managers were eliminated, leaving highly paid executives and underpaid assistants to do the job. The record labels put out inferior product. They sold an album off one good song. Consumers had to buy the whole album in order to get the song. The song had nothing to do with the rest of the music on the album. Consumers fought back and decided they didn't need the album anymore, they'll just download the song for free.

The US auto industry seems to have done the same things. They continued making cars bigger instead of environmentally efficient. Foreign cars were proving more reliable than domestic. The auto industry is also based on an antiquated model and their CEOs are over compensated whether the company is turning a profit or not.

The sad thing about all of this is the people who are most effected by these downturns:
The songwriter is the one losing out on royalties from free downloads.
The people who supply parts to the car companies will no longer have a business.
Those on the peripheral who depend on these businesses such as writers, restaurants, freelance tech support, video directors and production companies, recording studios, messengers, cleaning services, copier salespeople, the list goes on. It's not just about those CEOs testifying in Washington last week.

The bottom line: give the consumer good quality products, listen to the consumer, make sure you're up on the latest technology and you'll be productive.

New York Dolls: All Dolled Up

I just discovered this video. Bob Gruen (famed NY Rock photographer) and his wife, filmed over 40 hours of footage of the New York Dolls during their initial go round in the 1970s. His documentary is called All Dolled Up. I remember seeing The Dolls and Mott the Hoople on TV, what seemed like every other week on either the Midnight Special or Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. What great music, energy and fun.

Elvis Costello in Conversation with .....

"Spectacle: Elvis Costello with . . ." debuted last night on the Sundance Channel. His first guest was the shows producer, Elton John. Episode one was an informal conversation between two seasoned musicians who have seen their share of collaborations, toured extensively and have deep rooted fans. They explored Elton John's early career. I didn't know that he toured with Patti LaBelle before he became Elton John or that Laura Nyro was a huge influence (although it wasn't surprising). Elton still seems so excited about music, although he pointed out that the talent and singer songwriters that came out of hte 60's and 70's are sorely missing these days.

Both men also shared their reasons for not performing with their birth name. Elvis said that with a name like Declan McManus, he should be wearing a cable sweater singing Irish folk songs. It just didn't work with his music. Elton said he never wants to be call Reg again. Elton joked about a porn film composer named Costello Presley.

Elvis and Elton performed two covers: Working In Coal Mine along with Down River a song by David Ackles. Elton remembered David opening for him at the Troubadour in 1970 and couldn't believe he wasn't the headliner.

The editing of the show was a bit abrupt and it seemed clipped as it went to a commercial. This took me out of the in-your- living room pace and feel of the show. Beside the abrupt commercial breaks, the show was informative and gave us an insight into what made Reg Dwight, Elton John.

A Late Goodbye to The Shield

It's been a week since The Shield aired it's very last episode. It's taken me this long to digest the finale. This series never lost it's vision or it's integrity. The final episode wasn't so much a shocker as it left me angry (Why was Ronnie thrown under a bus?), a little sick (Seeing Shane's dead pregnant wife in bed with a flower in her hands lying next to their dead son made me queasy and that was after Shane shot himself!) and expecting to see this (Corrine and the kids end up in a witness protection program). I knew that Vic wasn't going to take anything lying down. Seeing him in that pale gray suit enter the ICE for his first day sorting files, did make me chuckle. He looked like the Undertaker gone corporate. You know he wouldn't last a day there. With that determined look on Vic's face and gun in his pocket is he going to free Ronnie, seek out his kids?

Michael Chiklis is the face of The Shield, but the exceptional talent of people like Walton Goggins as Shane played with reckless abandon and empathy and David Rees Snell's understated portrayal of Ronnie set the show apart from other cop dramas. The scenes in the final episodes of this season between Shane and Mara were touching and heartbreaking. I hated the character of Mara and that is testament to the amazing acting of Michele Hicks. She was subtle, annoying and devoted. I also want to include Kenny Johnson's Lem. CCH Pounder played the self righteous Claudette with intensity and yet showed the loyal and vulnerable side to her, which leads me to her partner Dutch. Dutch is one of those roles that I think would be hard to play. It's much easier to play the really good or bad guy. Extremes are easy. Jay Karnes was perfect. He played him as the nice guy, not a pushover and certainly conflicted. Silence was a another key character in the final episodes.
Shawn Ryan give us The Shield: The Movie so we can continue to follow the seedy, inspired life of Vic Mackey. With the exception of the Mary Tyler Moore Show, no TV series has been so consistently great with such an outstanding cast of actors. Kudos to the cast, writers and crew of The Shield for addicting us to corrupt cops with few, if any morals.

NOTE: For more trivia on the Shield view The Watcher blog. There are some fun facts posted: Biggs' lawyer who gave Dutch her card is actually Dutch (Jay)'s wife in real life.
The federal agent that escorts Corrine and family to their new home (which is in Rockford-creator Shawn Ryan's hometown) directed the very first and last episodes of the series.

Pet Sounds for $5

In the great music under $5 bin this week is the classic, perhaps greatest album of all time, Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys at iTunes. The other beauty besides the price is that it is iTunes plus, which means it's DRM free. You own it free and clear without restrictions. If you don't have this record, skip a latte at Starbucks and purchase it. It's timeless, it's beautiful, it's a masterpiece.

Synergy Working for Sharon Little

Sharon Little is signed to CBS Records which is part of the CBS network family. When Los Lobos signed with Hollywood Records, a division of Disney, we were told there would be tons of synergy/opportunity between the film studio and the label. It didn't happen, which is the case most of the time. I'm glad to see that synergy is working for Sharon Little. She is performing with Scott Sax in a subway scene on CSI: NY on Dec 10th.

Odetta Dies at Age 77

Odetta, the honored folk singer and voice of the civil rights movement passed away yesterday in NY from heart disease. According to the NY Times, she was hoping to perform at Barack Obama's inauguration.

Max Tuohy

Max Tuohy is new to the UK music scene. He doesn't have a dedicated website and his MySpace profile has been up since August. He's only 16. He sounds older. He will appeal to fans of Jack Johnson. Definitely has good songwriting instincts to build on. He has one song posted which is a demo: Run Over. In exchange for your email address you can have the song for free.

This is one of those sparse demos that 99% of the time taken up by a big producer, in a big studio with lots of musicians, will kill the raw power of the song. It's catchy, it has feeling. John Hiatt's Have a Little Faith In Me, which is a classic, only worked when it was John, his voice and the piano. A big production would have definitely diminished it's message.

There's not too much info or images of Max in the US, but I hear he just got signed to a UK label, which means a US label isn't probably far behind.

The Final Episode: The Shield

Tonight ends my addiction with the Shield. I don't have a choice. It's being taken away from me. The last episode of the series is tonight. It's extended to 90 minutes, but I know that will never be enough. How much pleading would I need to do with Shawn Ryan, the series creator, to bring it back?


Shawn Ryan talks about he end of the show in the Boston Herald. He said there will be many twists and turns and they thought about killing off everyone, but that won't happen. He did say the ending will test hard core fans. I'm guessing Vic Mackey won't be challenging Aceveda for the mayor's job. Actor CCH Pounder (Claudette) said: "I think it's the greatest finale ever. It blew my socks off. This finale is what Vic Mackey deserves."

Vactican Forgives Lennon

From the BBC:
A Vatican newspaper has forgiven the late English singer John Lennon for saying four decades ago that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus.
In an article praising The Beatles, L'Osservatore Romano said Lennon had just been showing off.
Lennon told a British newspaper in 1966 - at the height of Beatlemania - that he did not know which would die out first, Christianity or rock and roll. At the time, the comparison sparked controversy in the US. The semi-official Vatican newspaper marked the 40th anniversary of The Beatles' "White Album" with an article praising Lennon and the Fab Four from Liverpool.

This could only bring to mind the brilliant Rutles: Nasty, talking to a slightly deaf journalist, had claimed only that the Rutles were bigger than Rod. Rod Stewart who would not be popular for another eight years.

Punk at Christies

Punk/Rock is showing at Christies this weekend. I took a look this afternoon. I think I need to clean out my closet and make a small fortune. Most posters are expected to go for $800 to $3000. Here's a few samples:


Expected to get between $400 to $600. How many of you also bought records at Free Being?

.

Expected to get between $2000 to $3000.

Sam Waterson in Conversation wtih Fordham Law

Alumni status has it's perks. Last night The Forum on Law, Culture & Society at Fordham Law School presented a conversation with "Atticus Finch in the Flesh" : Sam Waterson. To start the evening Sam was presented with a faux law degree from the University. The forum director Thane Rosenbaum injected humor, sarcasm and knowledge into the conversation. If Gene Wilder were a lawyer, he would be pretty close to Thane. Topics of fairness in the law and in life permeated the evening. Sam said he plays Jack McCoy, NY DA on Law & Order, as he has been doing it for 18 years, the way the writers intend him to be played. He doesn't believe in imposing his ideals or thoughts on the character. Several clips were played and after two of them, he noted how good the writing was.

He spoke of New York being a big player in Law & Order and how it would be a different show without it. He also likes the outdoor scenes as it's a change of pace. I think everyone I know in NY has seen them filming the show. My brush with the show was a surprise. With no production trucks or crew members visible, I entered Asphalt Green one morning and standing in the lobby in a trench coat was Jesse Martin. I immediately thought I know thus guy and said good morning, He responded. After I got in the elevator, I realized they were filming and I didn't actually know him, but felt like I did as Law & Order is more ubiquitous than almost anything I can think of including Duane Reade or Starbucks. New Yorkers think of Jack McCoy as one of them, which is a testament to Sam's portrayal.

A Hair Raising Hobby-Baseball Card Collecting

Collecting baseball cards used to be a passion of mine. Last year I gave my nephew a complete Topps set from 1990 (I think). Space becomes more of a problem these days than accumulating. Collecting cards started with the Monkees. I still have a few of those cards. Much like the Mod Squad cards I also collected, you could flip them over to reveal a piece of the puzzle, which was usually formed a larger than life size head of Julie Barnes. From there, I went to baseball cards

In the 5th grade Sr Pat took all my cards because I was flipping them in the school yard. Her archaic reasoning was that girls don't play with baseball cards. She proceeded to give my cards to the boys. Thank God this was my only encounter with what has gone down in legend as the wrath of the nuns. Never got a ruler across my knuckles, nor did I ever see that happen.

Fearing that their market is ever shrinking, trading card companies are now offering prizes in the packages of baseball cards. Like most industries and baseball itself, they are appealing to those with money. (note: adults with money get hooked as kids, so don't forget kids in the equation) According to today's WSJ: The industry has since streamlined, but "the good old days of building a set, one 15-card pack at a time, are pretty much over," Mr. Kelnhofer [editor of Card Trade, an industry monthly] says. While cheaper packs today go for around $2, he says, "the card makers' survival is predicated on attracting and keeping the collectors who make the big-ticket purchases."

Don't be surprised in your next package if you find a scratch off card letting you know you won a lock of Abraham Lincoln's hair . Topps starting offering DNA packs last year. You could win a lock of George Washington's hair. Does this mean in the future these winners will have in their hands the building blocks of cloning Pres Washington and Lincoln? The article points out that the hair is authenticated, but there is always room for a fake. There is also the issue of who owns the image of that person and for how long, which apparently varies from state to state.

There is a creepy element to these promotions. Most winners get rid of their spoils. The man who won Jackie Kennedy's hair sold it for $201. He thought he'd get more. The woman who wound up with Lincoln's hair accepted $24,000 for it. She's planning on donating some of the money to cancer research and maybe buying more cards with the rest. I'd love to know if including these hidden prizes actually accelerates the purchase of cards. I bought tons of cards to get one Tommie Agee. I'm happy to still have my Tommie Agee cards.

Celebrating Leonard Bernstein

On November 14, 1943 Bernstein subbed at the last minute to conduct the NY Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall, replacing an ailing Bruno Walter. Friday night at Carnegie Hall celebrated the 65th Anniversary of that historic debut. My knowledge of Bernstein is limited. I watched two episodes of the very informative Young People's Concerts. It was a series of TV shows he hosted to instill in children (and adults) a better understanding of music. I saw the film West Side Story for which he composed the music. A musical kinship between Brian Wilson and Leonard Bernstein cemented Leonard on my radar.

Brian Wilson is the pop heir to Leonard Bernstein. He appeared on a CBS special of Bernstein's in 1967 singing Surf's Up. Leonard introduced the song: "There is a new song, too complex to get all of first time around. It could come only out of the ferment that characterizes today's pop music scene. Brian Wilson, leader of the famous Beach Boys, and one of today's most important musicians, sings his own Surf's Up. Poetic, beautiful even in its obscurity; Surf's Up is one aspect of new things happening in pop music today. As such, it is a symbol of the change many of these young musicians see in our future." Brian wrote small or pocket symphonies (as Good Vibrations was once called). Had he not left planet earth for a few years, Brian's output may have rivaled that of Bernstein.

Bernstein's music is implanted in pop culture, which became apparent to me during the NY Philharmonic's performance of West Side Story Concert Suites No.1 and No.2. The first notes of I Feel Pretty brought to mind Madelyn Kahn's Bride of Frankenstein singing to a mirror in an SNL skit.

It was very powerful to hear the music of West Side Story performed by the NY Philharmonic. At times I was taken by the score, which seem to rival the best of a Western film. Like Westerns, West Side Story was about rivalries and turf wars. Note of trivia: Originally it was called East Side Story and based the Romeo and Juliet story around the conflict between Catholics and Jews on the Lower East Side. A streak of gang-related violence in 1956 on the Upper West Side changed the course of the musical. Maria featured tenor Paul Graves, who conveyed the song's hopefulness and enchantment. He made you remember how good a song it is. A revival of the play is planned for Broadway in the beginning of 2009.

A year after the film On The Waterfront was released, Bernstein debuted his Symphonic Suite from On The Waterfront, which is the way he intended his music to be presented. Only 35 minutes of the film contain his music. Leonard originally turned down the chance to score the film. The director Elia Kazan had finished the film before he thought about the music. The film's producer first approached Leonard, who declined. He was not a fan of Kazan who had a reputation as a willing informant to Senator McCarthy's House Committee on Un-American Activities. Bernstein on the opposite side, was one of 50 celebrities who in 1947 signed a manifesto condemning those hearings. Apparently the FBI had a 700-page document on him. Never having seen the movie, I felt the grittiness of life in NY on the docks at that time. The music at times was foreboding, signaling something wasn't right, yet life goes on .

The middle piece, Serenade (after Plato's Symposium) for Violin, String Orchestra, Harp and Percussion, was perfectly juxtaposed to the Waterfront Suite: Calming and meditative. Glenn Dicterow was the soloist. According to the Playbill, he first learned the piece for a 1986 Bernstein-led US Tour. Dicterow remembers, "at one point during a rehearsal, Lenny turned to me and said, 'This is the best piece I ever wrote.' " The evening was filled with "best pieces".

We7 Update for UK users onlly

Per the comment from one of the programmers of We7 (see comment below), it's a UK based service, which isn't fully functional in the US. Let's hope it's available here soon.

We7-Peter Gabriel's New Streaming Site

Albums and songs can be streamed in full on the new site, We7.com, which was co-founded by Peter Gabriel. Being that it comes from a musician, the artists will get paid if their music is streamed. It's akin to Internet radio, but on demand. Artists (or their labels) get paid via an advertising based model. In theory it sounds great. There are so many artists I'd love to hear what they or their latest record sounds like. Indie911.com is a great place to stream a new record, but the choices are limited.

I did a search of artists that ranged from the classic to the obscure and here are results

• Beach Boys delivered a bunch of karaoke versions of their songs.
  
• Brian Wilson had similar results.
  
• Boz Scaggs-no results.
  
• James Morrison -asks if I mean Van Morrison.
  
• Florence and the Machine-no results.
• Kings of Leon-no results.
• Black Eyed Peas -karaoke versions.
• My Morning Jacket-no results.
  
• Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood -karaoke versions
• The most perplexing of all is Peter Gabriel yielding a karaoke version of Sledgehammer.
  

According to the article in NME, the site contains millions of tracks including those from Nickelback. I search Nickelback and karaoke tracks tracks were listed. Thievery Corporation was on the homepage, so I clicked and was able to listen to a track. The list of recommendations of other artists that sound like TC was headed by Zero 7, so I clicked on the link. It brought to a page that had other recommendations, a link to their bio, a button to share or join an email list. There was also a bar that measured the popularity of the band. I'm not sure how they determine that or what it actually means. Bottom Line: I couldn't find a Zero 7 track to listen to. Why would they recommend it, if it's not available to stream? I'm not a neophyte when it comes to the web. My experience on We7 has been frustrating and unproductive. If someone has had a great user experience on the site, I would love to hear from you.

Goodbye Sirius Disorder

There were three things keeping me at Sirius:

1. Howard Stern
2. Sirius Disorder
3. Pure Jazz

2/3 have vanished in the merger with XM. Pure Jazz is now Real Jazz which might be similar. I've threatened many times to cancel Sirius. The reception is awful. It constantly cuts in and out and it's usually right at the punch line of a story on Howard 100. I held on because of this trinity of channels. The Loft which is an XM channel will now take over for Disorder. The sound is more defined. I loved the chaos of Disorder. Having listened to Meg Griffin since she was part of the beloved WPIX in New York during my college days, I'm disheartened to see the station disappear. WPIX was a constant in my dorm room and inspired me when I DJed parties. Beach Party Tonight by Frankie and Annette would seque into Our Lips Are Sealed (where I first heard the original version) into What Do I Get. It was always a party, the DJs were knowledgeable and the music spanned the spectrum. I was a huge David Johansen fan at that time (still am). Must have seen him 40 times in four years. His Sirius Disorder show, Johansen's Mansion of Fun, was a hallucinogenic trip through the canals of his musical mind. An aria by Maria Callas, the first hit by the Cookies and the latest by the NY Dolls: all could be heard in the course of his show. I'm guessing this is gone too.

I thought the merger would be a good thing. I would finally get baseball. It looks like I'll have to get a new player and pay more to get it. I lost my music from XM. I'm enjoying the Loft today, but it's a completely different vibe. You never knew what was coming at you on Disorder and that spontaneity is sorely missing on today's dial.

Nic Harcourt leaving KCRW

Nic Harcourt followed Chris Douridas as the host of Morning Becomes Eclectic on LA's KCRW. He's been there for the past 10 years. He also served as music director. In the past few years he's been consulting on films, licensing music, etc. He states having two young daughters as the impetus to leave KCRW and move on to something new.

Warner Music Will Only Do 360 Deals

TechCrunch summarized the interview with Edgar Bronfman Jr at the Web 2.0 Expo last week. Bronfman said that any new artist on the label will have to sign a 360 deal, which means the label would receive a percentage of not only music sales and master use rights, but any stream of revenue the artist might receive: This includes touring, publishing, licenses, merchandise, etc. It is usually management that gets a % of all income the artist receives in exchange for management services. Note that about 95% of the managers, never see a dime in commissions from record sales and this is not a recent development. What will Warner's be offering in exchange for that all encompassing %? Will they offer management services, music publishing, book tours?

I used to think that having management and record company under one roof would be a good thing. In the case of major labels, I no longer hold to that belief. In all cases, both the artists and management have the same goal as the record label: to sell records. How they both want to achieve that goal is usually very different. The one who might be hurt the most in a 360 deal is the artist. The scenarios could be endless. That is of course if every aspect of their career is carried out under one roof.

Having a separate management company who knows the artist well and is willing to fight for what the artist believes in is invaluable to the artist. Having a publishing company that knows how to get a song placed in an indie film even though it might mean making less money for the record company, but more exposure and money in the long run for the band would be a no-brainer for an artist, but might run counter to the labels immediate bottom line. The label wants the band to open for a completely incompatible artist who might be selling tickets, but the audience is wrong. The band might sell a few records on this tour, but doesn't gain fans for life. It would make more sense for the band to break even on a small club tour opening for the artist whose audience would love the band and staying true to their roots. The conflicts would be immense.

Bronfman says it takes a long time and money to develop and artist and he's right, so maybe this in the only way the labels can generate money to survive. The artists that are most successful are those that know what they want and surround themselves with a diverse group of people that are in their corner and help them get there. Team of Rivals, the book by Doris Kearns Goodwin has been cited lately as Barack Obama is an admirer. It's an amazing study on human nature. Lincoln when compiling his cabinet, decided to fill it with people who were his opponents during the presidential race and didn't always agree with him, but he thought they were the best candidates for the jobs. Initially hating him and disparaging him,they learned to appreciate and respect Lincoln for who he was. There is no reason that recording artists shouldn't look at their team the same way. Having one opinion, one option, one voice, one company doesn't seem like it would be in any one's best interest. Setting aside some time to read Team of Rivals is in every one's best interest.

HOPE

The Rising

After President-elect Barack Obama left the stage at Grant Park, Bruce Springsteen's the Rising filled the air. It's been said many times over, but for me this election has truly been a unique experience. I watched more news on TV than I have in years. My sources of news come from the WSJ, The New Yorker and Howard Stern. Close to 11pm last night, Brian Williams said we'll have some important news when we come back from commercial break. When they did come back, there was a photo of Barack covering the TV screen with the words: The 44th President of the United States Barack Obama. Instantly cheers could be heard from York Avenue. I got chills. I don't remember ever seeing crowds gathered in Times Square for an election. This is a new era for our country. Barack is probably facing more hard issues than any other president in my lifetime. A Rising is what this country needs now.

Rocking the Vote!

I rocked the vote in about 45 seconds. It's a lovely fall morning in New York City. NY1 was reporting lines 45 minutes to an hour to vote in Harlem. They said that more people voted there by 8am, than have in the enitre last election. I vote on East 88th Street. The lines were longer than I've ever seen in my 25 years voting there. Snaking through the crowds, looking for District 76 and I come upon the only desk where there is no line. The ever so pleasant woman behind the desk asks my name. I sign in and she says you can vote now. I'm out of there in less than 2 minutes. It took longer to get through the crowd than it did to vote. This is my idea of Rocking the vote!

Bruce Springsteen's Halloween Treat

Shore Fire Media sent me a link for Halloween.

A Note from Bruce:
A NIGHT WITH THE JERSEY DEVIL
Dear Friends and Fans,
If you grew up in central or south Jersey, you grew up with the "Jersey Devil." Here's a little musical Halloween treat. Have fun!




You can download the MP3 for free. The video is a bit creepy, which I'm guessing is the point. It starts off with The Boss emerging from water. It's dark, it looks like it's cold. He sings about witches and the devil. He wears a cross, looks angry and is a bit scary. He makes his point. In the final seconds of the video he submerges himself back in the water. Is it a baptism? Does this exorcise the devil?

Entertainment Lawyers: Hal Kant Raised the Bar

Entertainment lawyers (maybe lawyers in general) are derided, I'm guessing on a daily basis. For the most part, my dealings over the years with them has been nothing but positive. I lean towards being a logical thinker which is a bit of a paradox being in the entertainment business. A lot of the business is illogical, which is why I think I work so well with lawyers. There has to be logic in what they do.

Hal Kant a Queens born/Bronx raised, Beverly Hills attorney who's most prominent client was the Grateful Dead passed away on October 19th. The Wall Street Journal has an informative obit on him. He formed the Grateful Dead's business.

• He gave his blessing to fans taping the shows
• He made the band incorporate -which lead to health benefits and pension plans
• He negotiated so that the band retained their master recordings
• He made sure managers were paid a flat fee rather than a %.
  

The key to his success may be his degree in psychology which he obtained before serving in the Korean War. He used his GI Bill money to get a law degree from Harvard. When interns used to work with me. They would always ask "What courses should I be taking to learn more about music management?" My broken record answer was always psychology. I would always get a perplexed look. If you can relate to an artist on his/her level and see things from his/her perspective as well as keeping his/her business in mind, 90% of the time, you'll be successful. There is always that 10% that will never understand the business no matter how it's presented. Hal seemed to have his finger on the realities and the nuances.

Historic Baseball Day

I can't recall a suspended World Series game continuing two days later, but that will happen tonight in Philly. When we last left off Philly and Tampa Bay were tied at 2. The game will air after the 30 Obama infomercial.

In another historic baseball moment, in 1969 Tom Seaver won the Cy Young award. To put his amazing year in perspective, He received the highest numbers from Baseball Writers' Association of America's Hall of Fame vote. Tom Terrific went 25-7 with a 2.21 ERA. He won two more games in his three postseason starts. Here is where the voting stands to this day. It's interesting that two pitchers who started their careers as Mets, lead the pack. Now if only a current Met could throw the teams first no-hitter.

Top BBWAA Voting Percentages for Hall of Famers
Tom Seaver (1992) 98.84%
Nolan Ryan (1999) 98.79%
Cal Ripken Jr. (2007) 98.53%
Ty Cobb (1936) 98.23%
George Brett (1999) 98.19%
Hank Aaron (1982) 97.83%
Tony Gwynn (2007) 97.61%
Mike Schmidt (1995) 96.52%
Johnny Bench (1989) 96.42%

CD Baby's Founder Received $22 Million for Site -Money Going to Charity

From Hypebot:

Entrepreneur Forms Musician's Charitable Trust

$22 million. From a one man operation in his garage to a $22 million sale to Disc Makers in ten years. It's a story that will flame the fires of hope for hundreds of music entrepreneurs The story is made more powerful because Derek Sivers is generous with his time and because he earned it by providing much needed services for indie musicians.

CD Baby sells CDs and downloads for almost a quarter million artists and to date has sold 4.5 million CD's paying out $83 million to them. I don't know about much about purchase multiples, but why would Disc Makers pay $22 million for a company that size whose core business, CD sales, is on the decline? TRUST. Those quarter million artists trust CD Baby to treat them fairly and pay them quickly. Disc Makers may be able to build on that trust and its own reputation to create a one stop shop for independent and d.i.y. music.
What will Sivers do with his big pay day? He's put into Musician's Charitable Trust: "I didn't even want the money... It's all just going back to the musicians," he told Venture Voice

How Long Has This Campaign Been Going On?

Doesn't it seems like Gilmore Girls ended 4 years ago or is that how long this campaign has been going on? I was listening to Carole King's Tapestry and heard "Where You Lead" which made me think of Gilmore Girls

. On the final episode of the show, Rory is leaving to go on the road as a political blogger following Barak Obama's campaign.

The Ever Narrowing Music Business and It's Effects

The fragmentation of the music business has affected so many areas beyond the major labels, which I don’t think a lot of people realize. There was a posting in Celebrity Access today about the uber-concerts/music festivals. Australian promoters such as Andrew McManus have had to renegotiate deals with agents and managers, McManus for the 54 shows he was to promote. The shrinking markets and sinking Australian dollar account for some of it. "The demise of the dollar has given me basically two hours' sleep for 10 days, working round the clock, dealing with umpteen managers, umpteen number of agents, to try to restructure the whole landscape of each deal to the point where I have actually sacked a number of deals," McManus told the Brisbane Times.
"Either the acts have taken a reduction or I've got rid of them … That's how bleak the whole ****ing thing's been."

For the most part, the record companies were doing us a great favor by narrowing the market. They limited the amount of musical offering each month. With new technology and options like CD Baby and TuneCore, anyone can record music on their laptop and have it up for sale/distribution within days. This completely dilutes the market. With so many choices how do you know what’s good, what you like, etc? There are sites like Sonic Boomers that suggest music they think boomers would like and they do a good job of it. For the most part, you could spend all day trying to keep up with every new act that comes out.

The inexhaustible number of musicians out there, which I think is a major reason for the declining interest in festival shows, really hit me when I looked at the list of bands playing CMJ. Here are the names of the acts I recognized for today’s schedule out of approximately 272 listed:

• Charlie Louvin is 81 years old and he is possibly the Grandfather of alt country
• George Clinton, know as the godfather of funk
• Sam Champion I know them because they are named after the once local and now national weatherman
• It’s Not You It’s Me Took note of their name a few weeks back, have no idea what they sound like
• The Dears Canadian band that has been around for a few years
• Juliana Hatfield Started in the Blake Babies
• Ari Gold I don’t really know this artist, I just know the name as the agent on Entourage.
• Matt Keating was managed by a friend
• KaiserCartel is managed by a friend, but my husband saw their show a few years back and liked them and bought their CD
• Dave Doobinin was on the bill a few times with All Night Chemists
• Coheed & Cambria on Columbia Records. Richard on the Howard Stern show once wet his pants during one of their shows, as he couldn’t tear himself away from the performance to use the bathroom.

Technically I’ve only heard the music of 8 of 272 of them. Not sure if this means I am out of touch or the market is so saturated that it’s impossible to know. It's also quite a statement that 272 bands will be playing in NY tonight and most of it occurs below 14th St and it does not include all the day parties and performances that are not offical. I realize that my expertise is in adult alternative, but that genre has become pretty broad. A musician I know said that CMJ seems like a bunch of MySpace friends coming to NY to play. I don't know that you can fill a stadium or book a festival around a bunch of MySpace friends.

Surviving Sounds of Haida

Surviving Sounds of Haida is a documentary by Fred Otilius Olsen, JR. This project is near and dear to his heart. As a native Alaskan, he feels the importance of preserving the Haida language. There are only several people left who can speak it and they are over 75 years old. Alaska is in the spotlight these past two months, so the timing of the completed documentary couldn't be better. It gives us a completely different side of Alaska than the Wasillaesque point of view we've been seeing. Watch Fred's documentary. It's an 8 minute labor of love. Also check out Fred's New York Nitty Gritty website. A wry and insightful pictorial of New York.

For more information, the Haida language has it's own website.
I found it ironic that there was a translation of this line on their website:
Díi git dahlgiyáagang -- My daughter is pregnant

Adáahl dláng hl kíngsaang
(I’ll see all of you tomorrow)

Levi Stubbs-Lead Singer of The Four Tops

The music of the Four Tops was omnipresent on WABC radio when I was young. Their lead singer Levi Stubbs had a urgency in his voice especially heard on Bernadette. I remember being a little frightened by that song. Here was a guy who was pleading, on his knees, at wits end. crying for Bernadette with an intensity not heard by me at that time. The Four Tops had their first No. 1 single in 1965, “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)”. Other songs that will always get the crowd dancing are "Reach Out, I'll Be There" -a favorite live cover for David Johansen, "The Same Old Song", "Standing In The Shadows of Love", etc.

Mr Stubbs passed away on the 18th. No cause was given. His wife of 48 years survives him, as well as 5 children.

According to his obit in the NY Times, Levi's cousin was Jackie Wilson (Higher and Higher). As jazz singers the Four Tops played the Tonight Show when Jack Parr was the host covering In The Still Of The Night.

Billy Bragg immortalized Levi in his song "Levi Stubbs' Tears":

When the world falls apart some things stay in place
She takes off the Four Tops tape and puts it back in its case
When the world falls apart some things stay in place
Levi Stubbs' tears...