Managing Bieber and Selling Perfume

It's no longer about the music, although don't let that be forgotten if it's what got you to the top in the first place.  The New Yorker profile of Scooter Braun, Justin Bieber's manager explains that you no longer have to make sure that your artist plays gigs and makes records.  A manager has to make perfume deals, create reality shows and sign a block of other talent (He also managed Carly Rae Jepsen and the Wanted).

Scooter wears Mickey Mouse and Star Wars T shirts and grew up in Greenwich, CT, which he liked to play down. He promoted parties in Atlanta and got two pieces of advice that resonated with him.

1. Jermaine Dupri told him he'll never get rich throwing parties.
2. David Geffen (his idol) told him to get out of the music business, which is why he is in several businesses. 

Braun & Bieber, Forbes Magazine

Managing young pop acts is different than managing rock bands or singer songwriters.  As the article points out, how much longer will Bieber listen to Braun's advice?  He seems to now, but is showing signs of a possible rebellion.  Young pop acts, usually way under 18 years old, will want success and a manager like Braun is a perfect fit.  He can wheel and deal for the artist.  According to him, he takes a standard 15 to 20% commission and he gives Bieber cuts in that commission when he signs artists like Jepsen.  That cut did come with a commitment from Bieber to promote her.

Rock acts tend to be a bit more grizzled and there is usually more than one ego a manager is dealing with.  Most of the times they are worried about credibility and selling out.  99.9% of the rock acts couldn't sell a fragrance the way Justin Bieber did, but they might be able to tour and have a long career.  The flip of that is Justin Bieber has probably secured enough money to quit now and never have to do anything for the rest of his life.  Putting out music into his 20's might not even be a goal for him.  Rock musicians usually realize the advice you gave them was great, but they realize it a year too late.  Timing is everything.

Young pop acts are more accepting and Braun appears to be very good at steering them to a large audience. He himself has one with over 1.8 million followers on Twitter.  The home page of his website is one graphic after another heralding his press.  He has philanthropic endeavors.

Is he the new David Geffen? It's too early to tell if the thirty one year old Braun has staying power, but for now, he is talking the talk. 

Russian Band Sentenced To 2 Years

Yesterday I was listening to the Billy Joel interview on Here's The Thing. It's incredibly entertaining.  Billy talked about playing Russia.  After his performance he knew the iron curtain would fall. He said they didn't even know how to make toilet paper.  Well it looks like there is still a censor curtain that is raised high. 

Three members of the band Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years in jail by a Moscow judge (who is female).  They were charged with  hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.  Seems like it was more a staged protest against the re-election of Vladimir Putin, then religious hatred.  They spontaneously performed in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.   What better way to get attention then to perform in a church. No wonder Madonna has shown support for them. 

The NY Times reported that after the sentence was read, there was anti-censorship rioting.
Riot police officers arrested dozens of them, including the former chess champion Garry Kasparov, who is active in the Russian political opposition. Mr. Kasparov fought with the police and appeared to be beaten as he was bundled into a police vehicle. 

Pussy Riot being held before their court sentencing today. 

The saga began in February when the women infiltrated Moscow’s main cathedral wearing colorful balaclavas, and pranced around in front of the golden Holy Doors leading into the altar, dancing, chanting and lip-syncing for what would later become a music video of a profane song in which they beseeched the Virgin Mary to rid Russia of Mr. Putin.  Security guards quickly stripped them of their guitars, but the video was completed with splices of footage from another church. 

Punk Prayer is not much of a song or a video, but it's apparent protest is the key here. The nuns do look panicked.  They may have feared for the church and it's sacred contents.  MTV noted that on the same day Pussy Riot was sentenced, a Moscow court also upheld a controversial "100 year ban" on Gay Pride marches in the city.  Free Pussy Riot.org  is staging protests around the world, including two in NYC that should be going on as I write this. 

TuneCore Shocker

Jeff Price the founder, CEO, mouthpiece and champion of TuneCore is inexplicably gone from the company.

This comes as quite a shock.  I knew Jeff when he ran the spinART record label.  Strangely he is still listed as CEO on the TuneCore website.  Co-founder Peter Wells  is also no longer working with them.

Jeff explains their mission and accomplishments in his open letter dated today.  Jeff was outspoken about injustices he saw in the music business, especially those against the artists by record labels.  Most of the time he was right on the money.  His goal was enabling musicians by putting the power in their hands.  They no longer needed records label and as of recently, publishing companies.  When I worked with Amoeba Records there was no question that we were going to work with TuneCore. It just made too much sense. Jeff was exited to have us on board. 

TechDirt has a detailed post, although it hasn't been revealed why Jeff and Peter are abruptly gone from the company.  This seems like a huge mistake.  Why fix it if it ain't broke? 

Update 8-17-12. 
Here's something I hadn't heard.  Since I posted this, I've spoken with a few people who worked directly with TuneCore.  They said the company was unorganized and had an inexperienced staff who could be difficult at times.  I also heard that one board member was pleasant and easy to deal with when nothing was getting done through staffers.  The old adage may hold here:  There are two sides to every story and then the truth.

Why is Mad Men's Joan Always Wearing Roses ?

 I didn't even realize Joan had roses on everything she wore when it related to her marriage or the crumbling of it.  If Peggy is wearing yellow, it will be a good work day for her.  Red is the power color for the females and the not so powerful for the men.

I am so late to this blog, but am fascinated by it.  TomandLorenzo.com is the amazingly researched blog.  According to Tom and Lorenzo, We’re essentially a pop culture blog with a special focus on celebrity and fashion.  I have only paid attention to the TV portion of the blog (there's lots more). I do not watch a lot of the shows they cover, but for Mad Men alone it's worth a look.  I will watch that show in a whole new light from now on.  I might have to revisit on OnDemand. 



I do watch Revenge and their comments on the season finale are priceless.

On Victoria:
You can’t keep a good bitch in a bandage dress down.

On Emily:
Oh, Hamptons Batman! What the hell were you thinking? 

On Nolan:
Thank goodness Hamptons Batman has her saddle-shoed Robin to watch her back.

The First 45 You Ever Purchased

Bruce Warren of WXPN has a dialogue on his Facebook page asking followers to name the first 45 you bought.  Some of the responses made me laugh:  Seasons in the Sun, You and Me and A Dog Named Boo, Kung Fu Fighting.  This posting may not apply to those born after 1980.  The responses are definitely dictated by baby boomers. 

My first purchased single:  Mrs Robinson by Simon & Garfunkel.  I would probably still have it today if my brother hadn't broken it during a fight.  It's amazing how that first purchase is ingrained in everyone's brain.  It was so exciting to be able to buy a record with my money.  I'm guessing this is different for kids now.  Will they remember the first song they ever downloaded? Do you remember the first 45 you bought?

He Moved On Up

RIP Sherman Hemsley

He gave us George Jefferson and for that we love him. 

My Cross To Bear

I know the hits by the Allman Brothers Band.  I haven’t listened to Live at the Fillmore all the way through. I always felt like I should.  After reading My Cross To Bear, I need to make it to the Beacon in March. 

Gregg Allman’s style is conversational.  You know this is coming from him.  There is humor.  His southern descriptions of incidents are amusing and I found myself laughing out loud a few times.  This is not a kiss and tell scandal book, which adds to its greatness.  

The message of the book:  do something you love and make it happen.  Once Gregg picked up a guitar, (he taught Duane how to play) he never wanted to do anything else.  He did originally toy with the idea of being a dental surgeon.  He didn’t care how many people he played in front of as long as he was playing.  It was all about the music.  His brother bullied him into the band and staying with it.  His brother bullied him about a lot of things, but was also his biggest defender.

There is no whining in this book. No blame to pass around. Gregg doesn’t rely on demons to justify his well-documented drug and alcohol abuse.  He opens the book with the murder of his father.  He was two when it happened; Duane was three. He thinks the reason he was married so many times (he‘s engaged to the 7^th future Mrs Allman) is that he was looking for a friend.  He hates being lonely. The title of the book, My Cross To Bear is a bit misleading. I know it’s a play on the song It's Not My Cross To Bear from their first album.  I thought it might be full of self-loathing. Thankfully it’s not. 

The brothers started out in cover bands.  In one of their earlier incarnations, The Escorts, they opened for the Beach Boys in 1965 in Florida.   Duane and Gregg played in several bands before The Allman Brothers Band came to be.  Gregg started writing songs and it gelled.  They didn’t look or sound like any other band out there.  They loved the blues.  Gregg has a snide disdain for the “British Blues”. 

This autobiography has mass appeal. For music lovers it’s a must read.  I knew the basics about the Allmans (although I did think that Duane was killed by a peach truck, which is rumor and not fact) and didn’t listen to them growing up. I still loved this book. What resonated the most was the dedication, time and practice that went into the music.  If anyone wants to make it as a musician today, read this book, follow their music regiment (skip the drug/alcohol phases).  How many rookie musicians can you think of today that would just set up shop in a park and play just so they can play? 

Yes, he touches on his marriage to Cher. No he doesn’t malign her. Did you hear Chaz on Howard Stern tell the story of Gregg picking her up from school one day and not bringing her home until 11pm because he couldn’t remember how to get there?  This was before cell phones and I’m sure Cher was freaking out. 

The heart of the book is the music and it’s that love that makes this book work.  

Do you have a 1979 ticket to see the Who? It's still good

The Who announced that the last stop on their upcoming tour will be Providence RI.  The last time they were suppose to play there was 1979. That show was cancelled by the mayor who feared a similar stampede as the one in Ohio that left 11 people dead. 

If you still have your ticket and didn't get a refund, you can use that ticket to see The Who on February 26th.  In 1979, the highest ticket price was $14.  For the February show you're looking at a bit higher pricing at $57.50 to $127.50.  Holding on to that ticket for 34 years garnered a $113.50 in value.  If you redeem that 1979 ticket you will also be helping out a cause, as money will be donated to the Special Olympics of Rhode Island.  I wonder how many people actually have those tickets and will anyone bother to redeem it?

In case you were wondering, for this North American tour, Roger, Pete and the gang are revisiting Quadrophenia.   There is also a boxed set coming. 

Who's Got Dylan's Guitar?

July 25th, 1965 The day Bob Dylan went electric at the Newport Folk Festival.  Who owns the Fender Stratocaster he was playing?

History Detectives (airing July 17th on PBS) thinks Dawn Peterson, a pilot's daughter has it.  According to the Huffington Post, her father flew many musicians in the 1960's.  Dylan allegedly left the guitar behind on a flight.  The pilot contacted Dylan's people and no one claimed the guitar so now it's in Dawn's possession. Her father died when she was 8.

Guitar expert Andy Babiuk was hired by the show to authenticate the guitar and he is 99.9% certain it's one and the same.  Dylan's lawyer Orin Snyder says Bob still has the guitar.   "He did own several other Stratocaster guitars that were stolen from him around that time, as were some handwritten lyrics. In addition, Bob recalls driving to the Newport Folk Festival, along with two of his friends, not flying."

I haven't found anything that states when the guitar was actually left behind.  Dylan may have been using it at another show, flew with the pilot and left it behind.  Unless Dylan finds the guitar and produces it, we may never know, but it will be fun to watch the process reveal itself on History Detectives.  

Here is a video of Elektra Records founder Jac Holzman talking about the significance of Dylan's electric performance. 

Sitting At The Cat's Table

 The cat’s table is far from the coveted captain’s table.  Or as Miss Lasqueti says, “We’re in the least privileged place.”  You can only guess who’s coming to dinner. 

Can you imagine being 11 years old and told to board a ship by yourself for 21 days?  Your mother will be waiting for you in England when you arrive from Colombo, Ceylon You’ll have an older woman/friend of the family to “watch over you”, but she’ll be in first class and maybe you’ll have a few encounters with her.   You will be in steerage.  You will unexpectedly find out your cousin Emily is also on the ship, but she isn’t assigned to the cat’s table. 

This is the story of Michael (nickname Mynah), who narrates his journey from an 11-year-old boy in the early 1950's to adult.  The Cat’s Table is penned by Michael Ondaatge, who also wrote the English Patient.   

Michael has two partners in crime that are the same age and together the three of them have a lot more substance than their labels would assume.  Nobody is really what he/she seems.  People’s personalities and purposes unfold over time.  Being confined to a ship allows for intimacy and an unveiling of a person’s history.  There is plenty of unveiling that goes on which forms the life of Michael.  A whole world is open to him as some of the assorted adults he meets are a thief, a prisoner, a tailor and a spinster or at least that’s their introduction.   

Nicely paced and wonderfully written, The Cat’s Table is a worthy read. 

NPR's interview with Ondaatge who says that his goal in writing The Cat's Table wasn't to rediscover the boy he was; it was to write a fictional version of something that had been forgotten.

4th of July 1980 DC

If Maroon 5 Had A Sense of Humor They'd Be The Musgraves

If Maroon 5 had a sense of humor and didn't take themselves so seriously, they'd be The Musgraves.  The Musgraves are too much fun.  How much do you love the line She Got The Last Of Me?



They are based in Birmingham England where another one of my all-time favorites (English Beat) hails from. Must be something in the water there.  It doesn't look like they've graced our shores yet, but their performance on So Graham Norton points to a great live show.  That show was performed with borrowed instruments as their stuff was stolen just prior to the show.  I think it's a right of passage that every band has some equipment stolen in their early career. 

The Wonderful World of Nora Ephron

For the words of When Harry Met Sally, I thank you.  Nora Ephron left a legacy of great movies and writings.  She had a witty way of looking at well everything including her neck. 

I've seen When Harry Met Sally about 15 times. It never gets stale, it always works.  I remember briefly meeting Rob Reiner who came to a performance at the Bottom Line.  John Hiatt, who I was working with at the time was performing.  Rob came with his new girlfriend who I think is the woman he later married.  At that point he had directed one wonderful movie after another:  Spinal Tap, The Sure Thing ("We speak each others unspoken language"), Stand By Me and The Princess Bride.  At that time, he was filming a movie in NY with Meg Ryan (who I remembered as Betsy from As The World Turns) and Billy Crystal. I thought it was interesting that Billy was staring in a romantic comedy.  The basis was that a man and a woman can't just be friends without wanting to have sex.

When the movie finally came out I was so excited to see it.  Nora's screenplay had everything. It was heartwarming, sassy, witty, brash and ugly.  It had it all.  Sally, "Are you saying I am the dog?"  It's still one of my top 5 movies.

Nora wrote for the Huffington Post which has a front page tribute to her.  She wrote, directed and above all it seems she was a great friend to many.  Nora Ephron died at age 71. 

Brian WIlson's Sense of Humor

Robin Roberts read the fan question to the Beach Boys:  "How has touring changed in 50 years?"

Brian Wilson:  "We've had a lot of practice"

Mike Love:  "We've advanced from a station wagon and a U-Haul." 

Beach Boys Chart at #3

According to Billboard Biz:

• The Beach Boys notch their highest-charting album since 1974 as That's Why God Made the Radio debuts with 61,000. It's the group's highest debut ever and best rank since 1974's Endless Summer greatest-hits set hit No. 1. In terms of studio albums, That's Why God Made the Radio is its highest-ranked since 1965's Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) reached No. 2. That's Why God Made the Radio is the group's 14th top 10 album overall and first since 1976's Big Ones (No. 8).

The Beach Boys Set For Highest Charting Album in 37 Years That's Why God Made the Radio is the band's 29th studio album and was released as part of the group's 50th anniversary celebration. Its 61,000 sales start also includes nearly 20,000 copies that were pre-ordered during the band's concert appearance on the QVC shopping network on May 16.

When you think about The Beach Boys albums that have had an enormous impact on people such as Pet Sounds and you realize  the small number of charting albums they've had, it doesn't seem to make sense. If you looked at the total sales over the life of the albums, it might fit the picture better. 

The Beach Boys are set to play Good Morning America on Friday.

Your Old CD's Can Help Autism Research

@RosanneCash brought to my attention CD Sweep.  According to Billboard Biz, CD Sweep founder Jason Roth got an idea from iPodmeister, which sends you an iPod, iPhone, etc in return for your old CD's.  His son was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome last year, leading Roth to come up with idea to donate the proceeds of old CD's to The Autism Science Foundation, which conducts innovative autism research and supports the needs of people with autism and their families.

It's almost too simple.  You let CD Sweep know how many CD's you want to send them.  They send you a prepaid Fed Ex shipping label.  He's the cherry on the sundae: they will also digitized your CD's and send them back on a DVD as MP3s for free.  Whew.  What a wonderful idea come to life.  Start packing up those old CD's this weekend.

Ex-Fleetwood Mac Dies

I bought French Kiss.  The Bob Welch album contained the hits Sentimental Lady and Ebony Eyes. It's cover was pink and red.  He replaced Peter Green in Fleetwood Mac. He was later replaced by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.  After his Mac departure, he had a big solo hit with the French Kiss album.

It appears that Welch died of a self inflicted bullet wound in Nashville where he lived. 

This Is Too Groovy

Boyce and Hart do an acoustic two song medley of hits they wrote for the Monkees (unfortunately they start with I Wanna Be Free).

The always debonair Herb Alpert interrupts to introduce them.

They join the band for I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight.

Their velvet suits and white boots are too cool for school.

The boys do a badly choreographed dance  to the musical interlude of the song.

The band consists of three cowboys.

There are horns all over the song, but no one pretends to play one.

You Can't Judge A Band's Music By It's Publicity Shot

Here is a clear case of looking at a band's photos and immediately forming an opinion of what they sound like. Point in case: The Struts.

Ok what comes to mind?  They probably listened to a lot of 70's, 80's music.  They are The Ramones meets the Rubinoos.  Well I was totally off the mark. It sounds like they got into their parents Led Zeppelin and Marc Bolan.  First, watch the video for I Just Know without the sound and you'll think not another one of these punk/new wave/indie wannabees.   Someone shot a lot of black and white footage, made it look vintage as if it were shot in a rundown and ramshackle era (which could actually be present day).   




Of Note: Apparently there are quite a few bands around the globe named The Struts. These Struts are from Derby. 

Stickers!

Apparently I liked the stickers that were affixed to albums (yes vinyl albums).  I found about 25 of them I had saved.  I guess the record labels thought that pushing the British in the band was a good way to sell albums in the States.  Here are 4 of the 25 stickers which are all championing the Englishness of the artist.

The Jam, ?, Adam & The Ants, Heaven 17

These are all from the 1980's.   One stickers doesn't even mention the band or a song, but there are 16 of 'em and they are from England.  This points to my collection of albums, which in the 80's was probably half British.  I know I killed the Heaven 17 record.  My friends and I used to play Let Me Go ad nauseum.  We still can't pass up the opportunity to dance to it.  

Happy Long Weekend.

Lip syncing is left to the last line.