It’s a publicity stunt.

And based on my inbox, it worked.

Hi, I’ve been on a plane all day, flying to NYC for Internet Week and then on to Philadelphia for the Non-Commvention. And the gentleman sitting next to me in business development for Amgen waxed rhapsodic that if only there was one site with all the music, he’d be willing to pay fifty bucks a month for it.

He was stunned when I told him it already existed. And that not only was it ten bucks, on your computer, it was FREE!

That’s the modern music business for you, everybody thinks we’re paying attention, but we’re not. If people aren’t aware of the distribution platform, what are the odds they’re gonna know about your music?

Just about zilch.

I spent half of the flight finishing Carole King’s autobiography.

It’s trash.

She doesn’t tell you what you want to know and the only dirt she slings is against local Idahoans. Funny world we live in, where everybody knows the truth, but to get ahead they believe they can’t speak it. Really Carole, you worked that long in the music business and everybody was a prince? I’d say I want my money back, but what I really want is my time.

There’s very little about the "Loco-Motion", you’d think she never wrote those Goffin-King hits, and the only redeeming factor is when she talks about her four husbands and living in the wilderness. At least we get some insight into the human condition, which her songs delineate so well but she could not articulate in this book. Which she wrote herself, which is one of the problems. Why does everybody think they can do everything? Especially when on most of her hits she wrote the music, not the lyrics.

And the rest of the time I spent reading the newspaper. There was a story on Hoodiegate, you know, Mark Zuckerberg’s refusal to dress up for Wall Street.

Would you put on your finest for those bastards?

But what struck me is how this used to be how the musicians acted. They wore their street clothes on stage, they kept "the man" at arm’s length, corporations were anathema. Now they’re all like Mel Brooks playing the Gov in "Blazing Saddles", just asking where to sign.

And then there was that story about Jay Z’s "Budweiser Made in America" music festival in Philadelphia… Do they call it "Coors Coachella"? Or "Beck’s Bonnaroo"? One of the reasons Coachella lasts, why it’s become a rite of passage, why tickets sell without a lineup announced, is because the fans trust the promoters, it’s first and foremost about the music. Put the sponsor’s name in the title and you know money comes first. What an insult. Add in the insane concession prices and you wonder why concertgoers hate Live Nation. Couldn’t they leave ANY money on the table?

And I don’t expect fans to revolt against Jay Z, but the paradigm of getting in bed and ripping off corporations is so last century in a nation beaten down by recession. Now it’s all about giving back, not taking.

And when I got off the plane four musicians were using their suitcases as scooters. Yup, there was a platform upon which they stood and they dashed down the halls at light speed, impressive and fun.

And flying’s always insightful. The woman across the aisle was so tan, I thought it was a joke. Expect society to sterilize her so she can have no children and tan them too. I mean really, does she think she looks good?

But that’s America, where everybody wants to be famous, noticed for something.

And once upon a time, Counting Crows was famous for having one of the best debut albums ever. Although a lot of the credit needs to go to producer T-Bone Burnett.

And ever since, it’s been downhill.

So today they announce free distribution through BitTorrent, they’re anti-major label, they’re sticking it to the man. But the man abandoned them, there’s no money to be made. Certainly not on recordings.

But at the end of the diatribe, Counting Crows hypes its latest tour.

This is no new paradigm, this is all about attention. In an economy where that’s hard to get. The band cooked this up to get back on the radar screen. And it worked.

But stunts don’t last. People will forget tomorrow.

People. They’re what makes life worth living. I was just in CVS and saw kids with neck tattoos and pants below their butt. And my driver is itching to move back to the Dominican Republic, where he’s a famous bassist and can get paid to play all night long.

These are the stories we’re interested in. What makes people tick. How do you function in today’s society.

But Carole King issues platitudes and rather than retire, Counting Crows hide behind P2P to gain publicity.

Zuckerberg’s got it right. Be true to yourself.

That’s all you’ve got.

And I HATE Facebook!