It comes from the internal, not the external. It comes from the identity of the performer, not the penumbra. Which is why it’s much harder to create loyalty with a song written by committee using the producer and mixer du jour. It may sound like a previous hit, it may fit on the Spotify Top 50, but it won’t engender loyalty, and the money is in loyalty.

That’s what the major labels are into these days, creating digital products to monetize loyalty. Although they always take it too far, instead of rewarding the customer, they rip them off. A good example is the multiple iterations of vinyl. One is enough. Down the line the customer is going to lament having purchased four copies of the same LP, albeit with different covers. Loyalty is for the long haul.

In a business that does not believe in it. Especially on the recording side.

There’s no money in it for the record executives. They don’t own the company and they’re not going to be there that long. It’s not about investing for the future, it’s all about the now, and the new and shiny, or the train-wreck, gains your attention to begin with, but then it wanes.

There’s a greater focus on loyalty in the live sphere, but the only people who seem to do it well have come up from the bottom and are not yet superstars. They know their careers are based on their loyal customers, so they coddle them, offer them perks, to make them feel like members of the club, to incentivize them to not only be a fan themselves, but to bring their friends into the fold.

But should you play an arena on your first tour? You feel special if you see an act in a small venue. But when you’re there with 15,000 others, you don’t. And when you feel special there is a bond, there is loyalty. Which augurs for building from the bottom up, small to big. If you can’t get a ticket, if the shows are all sold out, it only adds to the aura of the act. There’s time to play arenas and stadiums down the line.

As for ticket prices… There are ways to keep them low and satiate the hard core and keep them loyal, but the truth is most acts don’t want to do this, they don’t want to go totally paperless and risk not selling out, the mania helps move tickets, the concept that you’ve got to buy now or you won’t get in.

Furthermore, the most loyal fans are the ones paying for what was called platinum in the past, up close and personal for a higher price. Loyalty does not inherently mean a low price. Luxury cars are not cheap, but they tend to have the greatest loyalty. People like the product, and maybe the status too.

As for the penumbra, the brand extensions, the perfumes and clothing… It might be low-hanging fruit, but it’s too far from the essence, the music. Unless the creator is a designer too. Kanye convinced his fans he had design talent, and it worked for him, for a while anyway, whereas it does not for most.

And for loyalty, sometimes you have to leave money on the table.

And loyalty is not assembling your fanbase to contact, impress and alienate nonbelievers. Like I say about Springsteen, I don’t hate Bruce, I hate his fans. Self-satisfied Boomers and Gen-X’ers who go to every show, quote every lyric and can’t stop talking about the Boss. And the dirty little secret is as much as Bruce is revered, he doesn’t go clean everywhere, because the loyal audience is not as large as the casual audience.

Contrast this to Kenny Chesney. The shows are what make Kenny’s fans loyal. Especially the stadium shows. There’s a sense of community, you come every year, for a stacked bill of artists and Kenny’s innovations and reciprocal love.

The king of loyalty was Jimmy Buffett. And Buffett never tried to convince everybody, he just spoke to the Parrotheads, his loyal fans, who gave him all their money because they loved being members of the club. Sure, Jimmy had hits, but ultimately it wasn’t even about the hits, a new song at a show could connect with the audience just as well as an old one, assuming it was on topic and spoke to those in the building. Oftentimes the introduction was enough to get people to pay attention. Jimmy had a personality, he was 3-D, most acts today are not.

What is a prepubescent going to have to say. What does someone who has grown up in the spotlight have to say. It seems that those who grew off the radar and then blew up have the most loyal fans, like Metallica.

And you always need to ask yourself if something is “on brand.” Not every opportunity is. Sure, something left field can be, because it makes the audience think. But when you have a generic act going through the paces just like everybody else, no loyalty is produced.

There’s money in hit and run. But in today’s world, where it’s so hard to get noticed, why not put your effort into creating an act that makes loyal fans.

Loyalty starts off the radar. And loyalty is not trumpeted by the act, but third parties. You want Bloomberg to talk about loyalty, not some bloviating, self-promoting act. And loyal fans always want to know that they are primary. If you try to reach those outside the bubble, the loyal fan wonders if they are still primary.

Creativity comes first. When you listen to the music do you say you’ve never heard anything like this before? Do you dive deeper into the performer’s lyrics? Do you need to go online to find out more about not only the act, but their beliefs? That’s the starting point of loyalty.

Never mind most publicity not speaking to loyalty whatsoever. Not only does not it not make new fans, it might piss off the loyal fans.

You’ve got to think smaller today. You want the biggest cult audience you can achieve. It’s not about worldwide domination, but domination in the life of your fans. Your fans will keep you alive.

Don’t look at what others are doing, think about what is unique about you and double-down. And if your art is not unique, the odds of there being sustained demand for it are low. You’ve got to be different to draw people to you, and stay the course, once you sell out you sacrifice loyalty.

This is the way it used to be. But then MTV showed how much money you could make, and the CD delivered huge financial benefits, and then everybody started shooting for the stratosphere and everybody who didn’t reach the stratosphere complained.

We are in the middle of a reset, akin to when FM took over from AM in the sixties. The Spotify Top 50 is AM. The rest is FM, where the heart and the action are. It’s not about breaking records, but blowing minds. And minds are not blown by statistics, but songs.

https://wppstream.com

I don’t go anywhere where I don’t know anybody anymore.

This was a feature of growing up. Especially college. You walked in alone and you had to find your way, you talked to this person and that, trying to find your group. Maybe it’s different at the state school where people go home on weekends, but if you’re in the hinterlands at a private institution, you’re all thrown in together, with none of the status markers of regular society to divide you, you all were accepted, you’re all equal, now you’ve got to find your way.

But it’s not only college, it’s kindergarten, maybe high school, but especially summer camp. You start off sans status, all you’ve got is your personality, your ability to integrate. On your mark, get set, GO!

I’m only now experiencing the cost of lockdown. I got too isolated for too long. And so much that used to be out is now in. Even medical appointments, they’re virtual. And you rarely have to talk to anybody on the phone, texting systems are incredible, you can make and break appointments, and I appreciate that, but raw socialization, it’s fallen by the wayside.

I was in the swing of things prior to March 2020. I was scheduled to go away ten days later. It was an endless merry-go-round, from here to there to there, I didn’t think twice, I counted my airline miles to find out how far I was from the next level of status, I was in the groove. But it’s different now.

There are fewer events. A lot have not picked up again. And I got older, which changes your perspective and others’ perception of you.

Which is all to say I was anxious about coming to Stream. Because of the challenge of navigating the people, the relationships. I know from the past that eventually you find your place, you fit in, but my social anxiety coupled with lockdown… Let me just say it’s easier to stay home. And easier to say no to that which you’ve done again and again. I mean how many times can you see ____________ again. I want new and different experiences, but mostly they come via streaming television.

WPP is the world’s largest advertising company. “WPP” stands for “Wire and Plastic Products,” it’s just a shell upon which Martin Sorrell built the empire. Sorrell was exiled in a contretemps I’ll leave to your own research, and now Mark Read is the CEO. And at Stream the CEO is accessible, and I love talking to the top dog, to gain information, to see what makes them tick.

So Stream is held multiple places over the year. It’s a free conference of WPP employees and affiliates and clients and tech leaders and… Well, me!

Fewer than two hundred people, the sessions are created by the attendees. There’s a big board, anyone can start a group. So it’s not the usual topics. And you banter and try to get to the truth.

And there are dinners and fun and…

I just arrived today and I’ve already had my most stimulating conversation of the year. How does creativity interface with AI? Not from the perspective that the sky is falling, but the role of each. And how do you make the financial winners more creative and vice versa. We live in a world where money is everything, but the world runs on culture, which gets pooh-poohed. It’s all about STEM, but how often do you go to dinner and discuss coding?

My anxiety has not completely evaporated. Then again, based on past Stream conferences it will only be a matter of time before I meet more people more intimately. And, once again, the level of discussion is higher than I’m used to in the music business. I already feel the excitement of analysis. It’s fun to be where everybody is equal, where the ideas trump the totems.

If this were the old days you’d know who I was talking about.

I’m reading the new Kristin Hannah book “The Women.” I loved 2018’s “The Great Alone,” unfortunately the sequel, “The Four Winds,” is not as good, but that didn’t put me off reading “The Women.” I’m hooked on the plot, but this is not literary fiction, this is a disappointment, despite being a huge best seller, furthermore one of the main characters, the Black nurse Barb, is not fleshed out. However, it is interesting to read a book set in the Vietnam era, Hollywood seemingly having exhausted the topic.

But I was getting lightheaded, needing sustenance, so I put it down and…

Picked up my phone. I wanted to know if there was any new news. You know, if the world had blown up. But when I checked the major outlets and saw this was not the case I devolved to Apple News+, an endless scroll of sticky headlines usually with very little nutrition once you click through, but a headline in the Sunday “Times” caught my eye. The LONDON “Times,” not the NEW YORK “Times.”

And here’s where I contradict myself. In more ways than one. I just told you how worthless the stories on Apple News+ are but now I’m going to tell you you need to subscribe, you HAVE TO subscribe, it’s only ten bucks a month and it’s the best news investment you’ll make. However, best to ignore the endless scroll and just read the publications you choose, which include a cornucopia of titles, from “The Washington Post” to “The Wall Street Journal,” never mind “The New Yorker” and “The Atlantic.” We live in the information age now more than ever before, and he or she with the most information wins. That’s why your smartphone is so valuable, it’s your link to information. Yes, the world runs on reading and if you don’t, you’re out of the loop. And sure, you can read your biased blogs, but if you don’t read the more mainstream publications you don’t have your finger on the pulse of the zeitgeist.

The other contradiction is that I found CMAT via publicity, hype, a newspaper story after I told you publicity was worthless. Then again, CMAT has gotten a smattering of publicity in the United States but it doesn’t seem to have made a dent, unless you’re an information junkie like me you wouldn’t know that CMAT was nominated for International Artist of the Year at the Brits, the English music awards that have some of the gravitas the Grammys lack, if for no other reason than there are many fewer categories.

Actually, if you search the news you’ll also find out that CMAT has gotten accolades and publicity in the U.K., as a matter of fact:

“It (CMAT’s debut) was named the second best album of 2023 by the Observer and earned her a place on the BBC Sound of 2024 list, as well as the Brit nomination.”

And:

“The two LPs have already made her a superstar in Ireland, both going to number one, with the debut winning the Choice Music Prize for Irish album of the year.”

BBC: https://t.ly/bv16v

And she’s been bullied to boot!

You’d think she’d have an impact in the U.S., but unless you work for her, you’re probably clueless, like me.

But this article in the “Times” said CMAT was beloved by Elton John and Robbie Williams, the headline said:

“CMAT, the Irish country star loved by Elton John and Robbie Williams Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson talks to Blanca Schofield about grappling with trolls, acting with Paul Mescal and baring (nearly) all at the Brits”

Unfortunately, unless you pay for a subscription to the “Times,” which not many U.S. citizens do, certainly not lefties, you can’t read this article. But if you have a subscription to Apple News+ you can: https://t.ly/wezxg (And sometimes you can read articles in the feed for free, click the link, it might work for you.) Information is very expensive, if you don’t pay you will end up ignorant. Sorry to insult you, but this is the truth.

But I read the article after clicking through to Spotify. Elton and Robbie Williams both like this singer, I’ve got to check her out.

And I was stunned. Her music was positively palatable. I immediately got it, didn’t want to turn it off, let it play through.

But I’m not going to provide a link, because I don’t want the hatred.

Yes, I’m on react. But the world is black and white, and people either agree with you or they don’t, and they respond accordingly, especially if they don’t.

I was caught completely off guard. Listening to CMAT was like listening to Elton himself, when you dropped the needle initially. You didn’t have to hear the songs many times to get them, you got them upon initial play and they only grew upon you.

Not that CMAT sounds like Elton. I’d put her closer to Fleetwood Mac. Or even the sixties.

But CMAT does not sound like she’s competing in the rap wars. She doesn’t sound like a Disney star with a thin voice making vapid pop. She sounds like an artist. Not someone prepubescent, but 28.

And I’m going through the songs, looking for a clunker, and I can’t find one. Research tells me there’s a new single, “Aw, Shoot!,” and that was good too. Too often you like one track, but not the rest, but that is not the case with CMAT.

I get it, we no longer live in a monoculture. Therefore you don’t have to listen to anything you don’t like, and there’s a solid chance you won’t like CMAT. But I’d posit that more people would like the music of CMAT than many of the tunes in the U.S. Spotify Top 50, her music has melody and a genuine quality oftentimes lacking in today’s “hit” music. It’s made for the mood, not the money.

Not that you’ll hear it on radio. The terrestrial outlets in the U.S. aren’t spinning it. And I didn’t see it on a plethora of Spotify playlists.

So nothing is happening. Which stuns me. Here’s an act that a great swath of the public would resonate with if they only heard it. But they’re not.

This is a live show.

Tune in Saturday May 11th to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.

Phone #: 844-686-5863

Twitter: @lefsetz

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz