From: Steve Hopkins

Subject: Re: Already Forgotten? Playlist

Hey Bob,

Did you create a Spotify playlist for these? Did I overlook it? Can’t find a link on your blog or in Spotify search.

Thx!

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From: Dan Stuart

Subject: RE: Streaming Pays

Hey Bob,

This has been happening for years.  In August of 2020, Kobalt’s founder/CEO Willard Ahdritz was quoted as saying “hundreds of AWAL artists have made this $100,000 annual revenue earning very quickly with us” in this MBW article: https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/hundreds-of-artists-are-now-earning-100k-per-year-via-kobalts-awal/.  (Kobalt owned AWAL in 2020.)

It should be no surprise to learn that there’s a long and growing list of artists who own their sound recordings and generate 3,000,000+ streams per month (a rough benchmark to net $100k/year).  I’m lucky enough to know the names of dozens of these artists and, guess what(?), most of their music is excellent!

For independent artists who are truly making high-quality music (capable of resonating with a reasonable chunk of the public), and who understand how to build and maintain connections with fans in the current world we live in, there are multiple paths to earning a good living (and more).  

The renaissance of the music business is well underway, and has been for about ten years.

Dan Stuart

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From: CHRIS LONG MGMT

Subject: Re: Streaming Pays

The artists who get streams get paid.  I managed one who – 20 years after their debut album-  still has 4 million+ monthly listeners on streaming platforms.  We had to do a forensic audit of their first album – the huge one- and since that lp has been considered re-couped  for 17 years now the band earns several hundred thousand from publishing and a lot but less from the label each year.

I interact with 100’s of unsigned/indie artists per month who just do not get that in order to earn people have to care enough to listen a lot more than 10k times to one song.

When you break it down to them- and compare the pool of money that goes to artists per stream to how radio stations pay a % of their advertising income to every song spin …. they start to rage about how radio is fixed– something that is now  a lot harder to argue with.  

But a large % of these people who think that they should be making $.01-$.10 per stream from folks paying $11 a month- or listening for free with ads- from streaming services- make terrible music. The talented ones- for the most part- get it. Not all of them- but I rarely run across a really talented person who is “protesting” streaming services by only having a bandcamp page. Sure- great artists have them too but it seems only the whiners just use that platform. 

Someone has to be the boogeyman that is preventing them from realizing their dreams. It used to be A&R guys and radio stations- now it is streaming platforms.  And judging from the scuttlebutt in the circles where I meet these artists AI is lining up to be the next machine that they will rage against.   Even though they can all get amazing looking AI videos made for $200- sometimes less- for each minute of the song. 

Chris Long

Los Angeles

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Subject: Re: Streaming Pays

Your article is 100% correct. It’s supply and demand. If consumers want the artists’ music, they will consume it. But at 60,000+ independent song uploads a day, we now seem to have more artists than fans. The artists who focus on marketing and promotion do far better than the artists who just throw their music out there and hope to become famous overnight. Someone somewhere must be lying to artists and telling them that their talent is enough. It ain’t. Talent is very easy to find. Work ethic coupled with talent is much harder to find. That’s who is making money in music. 

— 

Wendy Day

Rap Coalition

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From: Tim Halperin

Subject: Re: Streaming Pays

Bingo Bob. I’m one of the 2,000 (though not with the Orchard as they take way too high of a commission). I’m with Distrokid, who takes 0%. A decade ago while everyone was complaining about streaming, I had lunch with a friend who worked at Capitol and he informed me that they’d hired 2 full-time employees to solely focus on Spotify playlisting. So I decided it’d probably be worth my while to focus on connecting with users who had large playlists. Turned out that was the right move…I ended up in Spotify editorial playlists as a result. It seems to me that usually when tectonic shifts occur, opportunities are out there. Maybe I’m biased since I’m in this group, but I believe there’s never been a larger middle class in music, and I kinda love flying just under the radar.

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From: Steve Lukather

Subject: Re: Streaming Pays/ personal mail

Streaming is the best thing to happen to our band!!

Africa is 2.2 Billion now and our other hits will get there. 66 Million a month with more to come.

I/We Love Spotify.

It pays to manage yourself if you are a classic rock bands. Period!

Luke

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From: Jim Griffin

Subject: RE: Universal/TikTok Settlement

As the Teamsters would tell the newspaper owners, “Them papers ain’t gotly  no wheels.”

Shortly after a strike began, newsstands selling scab papers were firebombed. Soon no papers were getting out.

The wheels have the juice, the power. Same with music — it ain’t got no wheels.

Distribution is King. Universal once owned music distribution. No more.

The juice is gone. No power! No wheels! Cannot reach the audience … TikTok owns the crowd.

Taylor knows it. Jim Urie knew it. Lucien has learned the lesson.

Jim

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From: ed harris

Subject: Re: Cigarettes After Sex (The Band’s Manager)

Hi Bob,

I’m the band’s manager and I’ve followed your letter since 2002 when my manager Gary Kurfirst used to send my band excerpts of your writings as one point of view on the crisis the music industry was experiencing at that time.

With Cigarettes After Sex the same thing that happened on Tik Tok during the pandemic also happened globally on You Tube in 2015. The fans made the music their own. The band is doing MSG level venues all over the world now. In many places where there’s been very little a label can even do to market a record. There’s a lot more that you’ve missed including the emails I sent you about them back in 2016 and 2018. But I figured I’d be seeing you do a piece on them eventually as they are your dream come true in terms of how their success has come about. And you’re pretty spot on for the information you have. But it’s much much deeper than what’s happened since the Tik Tok explosion.

Ed

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From: Allison Moorer

Subject: Re: Michael Cuscuna

Dear Bob,

I have never written to you before, but felt compelled to shout an amen to your piece on “Give it Up.”

I was about 15 when I first heard Ms. Raitt in 1988. I found out about her through my older sister, the singer and songwriter Shelby Lynne, who’d found her through a friend who’d discovered Bonnie in real time, in the early 1970s. When I heard her voice, her songs, and realized she was a player, some huge pieces of the musical puzzle fell into place for me. Without going into the minutiae of why, I discovered Bonnie Raitt as a vital missing link between my country music raising and what I was being drawn to as a questioning and tiny bit rebellious teenager — more confessional lyrics, more intimacy in the way the vocals were recorded, and a graceful rawness that was allowed to exist on albums that contained zero filler material. It wasn’t entertainment, it was real expression. I woke up to the concept of a singer-songwriter because of Bonnie Raitt. Overestimating her importance to legions of female roots singers and musicians would be difficult. She has always been the coolest person in the room.

I can play “Give it Up” in my mind too. I can hear the earthy guitar tones and even the bass flub at about 3:04 on Nothing Seems to Matter right when she’s singing about being out there on the road. I’m not one of those people who complains about forward movement in music, or believes that rawness equals goodness because it doesn’t, but the details that you mention are the ones that make a record stick with you. It’s the human element that always hooks us, because we’re always looking for ourselves in art, and the best art helps us connect our pieces. “Give it Up” showed us there was a space in between Carole King and the blues.

Thanks for doing what you do.

Allison Moorer

Nashville, TN

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From: Paul Rappaport

Subject: Re: Re-Taylor Swift Backlash

Often I tell young artists there is “old school,” and there is THE SCHOOL. Yes, the music business is different today and we all have to adjust. But, SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE, especially when it comes to human nature. During my days at Columbia we often talked about resting an artist to make sure there would always be a demand. When we didn’t pay attention to our own words, i.e. THE SCHOOL, it came back to bite us in the ass.

Such was the case with Men at Work. They were huge, EVERYONE loved them—their music and their videos. But on the heels of their breakthrough album, videos, and tour we rushed release a second album. Before we knew it there were “No Men at Work” weekends on radio and it was downhill from there. We couldn’t even get traction on Colin Hay’s wonderful solo album Looking for Jack because of said backlash. And, Colin Hay is one of the best artists to arrive in the 80’s. He still tours and is a blast to see.

Often when artists reach fame on the level of Taylor Swift they fire their managers, think they know it all, and live in a bubble full of YES men and woman. I suspect that Taylor manages whoever is pretending to manage her now.

THE SCHOOL dictates to all performers from years ago to the present. Whatever kind of show you are doing, edit it, make it crisp, and leave them wanting more. Perhaps in our new era artists down times can’t be as long as back in the day, but downtimes are essential and I am not surprised at the backlash. And PS. What else does THE SCHOOL teach us? When you get to the top that’s when everyone starts shooting at you. That means you have to be extra careful.

They say a sports manager has to manage different during the season, the playoffs, and for a championship. It’s clear that NO ONE is managing Taylor to help her through these inevitable times. She would be wise to seek advice from someone from the “old school” who also knows THE SCHOOL.

Paul Rappaport

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From: Bradley Parker

Subject: Re: Soft Festivals?

Bob,

I always enjoy your perspective. Writing to you from my flight as I head to Charleston, SC for my second festival of the year for our busy C3 team before getting ready to spend a few weeks on The Farm in Manchester, TN for Bonnaroo. 

Our industry is in a very interesting period at the moment. I was just discussing the other day the unique issues that brands like Lolla, Bonnaroo, Coachella and ACL face that most festivals never get the chance to, and that is they have successfully cycled through an entire if not multiple generations of fan.  The list of 20+ year festivals these days is a short one. In order to survive these brands have had to adapt. Bonnaroo’s name literally comes from a French-creole slang term meaning “the best in the streets”. In 2004 the best in the streets was the likes of Phish, Dave Matthews, Radiohead, etc. We now have to pivot to service a new fan to which the definition of “the best in the streets” is much different. Not to say the artists I mentioned aren’t still relevant but the fan that got us through the first 20 years is NOT the fan that will get us through the next 20 years. It’s just the reality of aging and growing up. 

What a unique and special problem to have.

I do agree with you that we’ve seen increasing success on our more “boutique” festivals with more narrowed and thematic programming. Next weekend our High Water festival is essentially sold out for the 5th time in its 6th iteration. Noah Kahan and Hozier are our headliners. A home run pitch right down the middle for a certain fan. When we “overserve” a fan in a certain lane it’s proven to pay its dividends. 

So what does that mean for these multigenre giants? Well , personally I sit on calls every day trying to figure that out. 

Could you create one of these megafests in today’s festival economy? Absolutely not. 

But there is something to the legacy of these shows and the brand affinity that has seemingly passed on from fan to fan over the years. 

For now;

Adapt. Survive. Advance. 

Hope to cross paths soon! 

Cheers,

Bradley Parker

Festival Director

C3 Presents

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From: Joseph Bongiovi

Subject: Re: Musicares

Hi Bob, (Love saying that re: Bob Newhart, who I manage),

 

Yes, the evening was amazing and gratifying and the performances where stellar to say the least.

 

One little known fact.  45 years ago an unknown kid named John Bongiovi was the front man for a band called Atlantic City Expressway, playing Springsteen and The Jukes songs for the New Jersey faithful.  One Sunday evening at the Fastlane in Asbury Park, The Boss decided to come see them and jumped on stage to sing The Promised Land with Jon and the band.  I was there and it was mind-blowing for us all.  So they both decided 45 years was long enough to wait to do it again.

 

Thanks for always keeping it real.

 

Joseph Bongiovi
Monarch Entertainment Group

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From: “Michael T. Strickland”

Subject: Re: The Jimmy Buffett Tribute At The Hollywood Bowl

Bob, 

Sorry I missed you at the show. I didn’t see you backstage, but it was crowded.This was the end of 38 years of working with Jimmy for me. I was at the Superdome with Garth on Labor Day when Jimmy passed. It left me breathless.  I knew it was imminent, but simply didn’t belive it.  

A world without Jimmy was not possible. Until it was. 

Most of us have been in denial since Labor Day. It was not real. Until last night. 

It was indeed a great night and a wonderful celebration in the manner Jimmy wanted. He was smiling, I am sure. 

Seeing Mac and the amazing Coral Reefer Band deliver the hits was pitch perfect. But there was a hole center stage. Jimmy. 

Last night it became real for those of us that worked with Jimmy for years. He was simply beyond description, and now he is gone.

I was numb and silent all night. Slowly, song by song, the wave rolled over me. Jimmy is gone. But, he will never really be gone, as he lives on in his amazing music and lifestyle.

I spent four loney days in a brown LA haze, but come Monday, it’ll be alright.

God Bless Jimmy Buffett.

Michael T Strickland

Bandit Lites

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From: Mike Ramos

Subject: Re: The Jimmy Buffett Tribute At The Hollywood Bowl

Thank you Bob for recognizing Mac McAnally, who was the musical director last night and really pulled everything together.  Together with his co-daddy Mike Utley (their Coral Reefer children are married to each other), they ran Jimmy’s band for many years and definitely deserve adulation for their commitment to Jimmy, his music and the Parrot Head community.  I was lucky enough to ride the same wave with Jimmy Buffett for 35 years as his right hand man, travel companion, surf buddy and tour manager.  After four months of piecing this show together, I’m pretty sure Jimmy has a big smile on his face  looking down on us after last night’s show.  It was proof (not that anyone needed it) that Jimmy was loved by so many people from artists to actors to managers, agents and talent executives.  Jimmy has left an indelible mark in the entertainment world and all of us, in memory of the way he lived, should strive to “keep the party going.” 

 

Mike Ramos 

Jimmy Buffett Tribute Concert Producer

Coral Reefer Band Tour Manager

____________________________________________

Subject: Re: The Jimmy Buffett Tribute At The Hollywood Bowl

I started working for Irving Azoff and Howard Kaufman at Front Line Management in 1979.  For the next four decades after 1982, Howard ran the ship. Throughout that time, Jimmy Buffett’s day-to-day manager was Nina Avramides.  She was there before me.  She was invaluable to Jimmy’s career.  Anyone who knew HK Management, knew this to be true. Jimmy’s death was an especially great loss to Nina.  She passed away two months ago.  The memorial service was last Friday.

 

In addition to Jimmy, she also handled the day-to-day management of Dan Fogelberg, Whitesnake, Coverdale/Page, The Cult and many others. 

 

She was a rare and treasured executive and friend, very loved by all who knew and worked with her.

 

I’m sure she also would have loved last night’s concert.

RIP Howard, Jimmy and Nina.

 

Laurie Gorman

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From: Jack Tempchin

Subject: Steve Poltz

Great interview.

A lot of the questions were trying to determine why he has such a gigantic fanatic worldwide audience without ever having a hit record.

Well, the answer is..his live show. It’s who he is.  The energy is unbelievable.

I’ve seen everybody and his solo show is so unique and amazing.

I HAVE NEVER SEEN A SOLO ACT ANYTHING LIKE STEVE POLTZ.

Nobody has.

You have to see it to believe it.

thanks

Jack Tempchin

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From: Steve Weiss

Subject: Re: Steve Poltz-This Week’s Podcast

Holy crap weird Al’s Albuquerque is based on one of this guys songs??? I paused the podcast to listen to Dicks automotive on Spotify and I’m laughing out loud on the sidewalk. 

Made my day. 

____________________________________________

Subject: Steve Poltz was fascinating!

Thanks for great interview. What a personality. Frankly I had never heard of him before.

Derek Morris

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From: Pharper24

Re: Steve Poltz-This Week’s Podcast

Loved it!  What a character!  Thanks to Steve for the laughs and the lessons.

____________________________________________

Re: Steve Poltz-This Week’s Podcast

What a life, what a total dude and what an episode!!! Awesome stuff.

Ben Webster

____________________________________________

From: MARK LAFOND

Re: Steve Poltz-This Week’s Podcast

I was a fan before hearing this interview but now my fandom ( if that’s a word) is over the top.

I’m fortunate to be able to see him in a couple of weeks!

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From: Colleen Wainwright

Re: Steve Poltz-This Week’s Podcast

Yaaaaaaaaay, Steve Poltz!!!!

One of the top-10 live shows I’ve ever seen. Leaves NOTHING on that stage—nothing!

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From: Mike Vial

Re: Steve Poltz-This Week’s Podcast

“National treasure.”

Well said, Bob. Seeing Steve Poltz one time turns a music fan into a Poltz fan. A songwriter seeing him once—forever changed.

When I saw him live at Folk Alliance, maybe ten years ago, I had no idea how much the show, from story to song, could be done by one person.

I’m so excited to listen to finish your interview with him.  “The stories are like tortillas you nail to a wall, mold grows on them—that’s the stories.” I’m chuckling.  Then the “bath” story. I’m spitting out my pop, full belly laughs.

Thanks, Steve: I needed to laugh today after a long day at work.

Vial

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From: Regan Rath

Re: Steve Poltz-This Week’s Podcast

Bob!! You nailed it!! Poltz has been one of my favorite humans on this planet ever since the first time I saw him do his “thing” in San Diego back in 1997. He’s a true one of a kind, and your interview style – giving him the space and room to run with his stories – proved to be the perfect catalyst for the gems you were able to uncover. Thank you for getting his Poltzian-goodness out to the masses! Everyone’s life will be a little better once they experience the wonder of SJJP!

Regan Rath

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From: Mickey Quase

Re: Steve Poltz-This Week’s Podcast

He IS the best entertainment experience out there—and he is Out There — hope you know his spoken word piece about he and his sister bicycling to the airport and meeting Elvis.

In a league of his own.

Greetings from Nova Scotia where Poltz can sell out any number  of shows he can squeeze into the Carleton every year.

cheers

Mickey Quase

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Re: Steve Poltz-This Week’s Podcast

Just saw Steve at the Kent stage. Riveting authentic  performance. He will be playing Oregon country fair this summer the weekend after the high sierra festival. Country fair will eat him up like candy

Bliss,
Brento

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From: Tim Hallam

Re: Steve Poltz-This Week’s Podcast

I have probably seen Steve Poltz in Australia on 15 of his 22 tours.

Absent music, your podcast captured the essence of a Steve poltz show, part stand up comedy, part story telling, part seeing a man spiral in and out of insanity.

I’ve seen him create songs from scratch on stage based on a line from the crows, ive seen him play answering machine messages from his phone, ive seen him call his father from the stage, you never know what you are going to get from one show to another, but you always know he will have the small crowd eating out of his hand in whatever club he is playing

Once i was travelling Sydney to Melbourne on a plane with my 4 yo daughter, whose favourite song was Kicking Distance (yes, I did and still buy CDs from his merch table).  At the seat in front of us was Steve and his agent (Milan?). I said “Steve, i saw you last night at the Basement, this is my daughter, her favourite song is Kicking distance”.  The smile on his face was something to behold, and on his next tour he remembered me and called me “plane guy”

The world needs to be exposed to Steve Poltz, but I think he will remain the insiders wonderful little secret

Thanks for the interview, it was great!

Tim

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From: Mike Campbell

Re: Steve Poltz-This Week’s Podcast

Hey Bob,

I’ve been booking Steve Poltz for almost 20 years now. Just finished listening to your podcast with him and have to say it was great! You did an excellent job of getting the good stories out of him and I even heard a couple I hadn’t heard before, and that’s saying something! Thanks for sharing the Spotlight and one of the most criminally under-appreciated artists on this or any other planet.

Mike Campbell
Programming Director
The Carleton

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From: KC Turner Presents

Re: Steve Poltz-This Week’s Podcast

Loving your Steve Poltz episode.

Thank you for supporting him and getting him to really open up!

Cheers,

KC Turner

Founder | CEO

KC Turner Presents LLC

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Re: Steve Poltz-This Week’s Podcast

My old band Ghoulspoon came up at the same time in the same San Diego music scene as Steve but we ran in different circles. We played with Jewel and all of the other bands he mentioned, but never got a chance to hang with Steve. I had always heard how talented and funny he was, but had no idea what I was missing until listening to this episode today!

He may be the most entertaining guest in history.

But how did you not ask follow up questions to the Elvis and Joe Strummer stories?!

Keep em comin’.

—
Zach Goode
Smash Mouth

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From: Ronald Hill

Re: Steve Poltz-This Week’s Podcast

Steve has been my favorite current artist for a long time.  When I started getting into creating music seriously he was a great inspiration as his music is quirky like mine and I love the fact that he is still kicking ass and writing great songs at an older age.  And he is in the top 1% of people that are so positive and great at bringing people together.    One of the only acts where I have seen him twice in a week and he did entirely different songs.

You are right: a national treasure.

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From: Phil Einsohn

Re: Steve Poltz-This Week’s Podcast

listening now

1:22 in and wishing it would never end

love hearing his stories

living legend!

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From: Milan Crncevic

Re: Steve Poltz-This Week’s Podcast

Hi Bob,

Listening to this at 6am from Australia.

I’m not even halfway through the episode and I don’t want it to end.

Despite being insane, Steve’s amazing!

(So far) your deep dive has been fantastic, the perfect questions to learn about a loveable madman like Steve

Can we get a weekly Lefsetz and Poltz podcast? This is addictive 😁

Best,

Milan

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From: Dan Navarro

Re: Steve Poltz-This Week’s Podcast

Steve is the fricking bomb. My first encounter with him was at Folk Alliance maybe 2007. We met, and I said, “Female singers been bery bery good to us.” He shot back, “Yeah, but I’ll bet you didn’t get to f*** yours on the beach in Rosarito!”

Mic drop.

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From: steve poltz

Subject: This might make ya smile

After I did your podcast I thought it would be cool to combine the magic mushrooms story with a John Prine story. Otis Gibbs filmed it for his YouTube channel.

Hope it makes Sir Lefsetz laugh.

Love you and you are my best friend.

Yer pal,

Steve p