There is no brass ring. There is no gold star. All the trappings of making it in the past are gone. Today, you make it in your own mind, and that’s all that counts. The scoreboard has been blown apart. And we don’t even pay attention to the same statistics. You’re charting your own course. […]

I didn’t see you there. This band is completely under the radar, yet their entire tour went clean, the upper deck at Staples was full, what was going on? I’m not sure I can tell you, but the girls got it, they understand, they were in attendance and… They knew every word. It’s not like […]

Hey nineteen That’s ‘Retha Franklin She don’t remember the Queen of Soul That was recorded by Steely Dan in 1980, when Aretha already appeared to be in the rearview mirror. But she wasn’t. Forget the forgettable Arista hits, but remember her appearances on the Grammys, at Obama’s inauguration and the Kennedy Center Honors. Aretha Franklin […]

The script has flipped, record companies no longer drive the business, they get all the press, but the question is not how many streams you have, but how many tickets you’re worth, then the industry knows if you have real fans. Better to play to the local promoter than the A&R guy. And if you […]