Is there room for Sam Smith in a hip-hop dominated world?

OF COURSE THERE IS!

Streaming won, but the early adopters were young rappers, and presently most other genres are excluded from the top lists.

But that’s about to change.

And if we’re waiting for the oldsters to move the needle, we’re gonna die first. That’s what happens as you age, you go from an early adopter to a non-adopter, you believe the present is just fine, the future is overwhelming, so you stay just where you are.

In the land of files and CDs.

But the world has moved on. Streaming is the key revenue generator. No one can sell 10 million albums anymore, as Sam Smith did three years ago, it’s impossible. For Taylor Swift to have CDs delivered via UPS is like going to your landline to make a phone call. You still can, but why would you?

And Taylor Swift is a good example.

She’s chasing trends.

Sam Smith is staying in his own uninhabited lane.

Swift used to be different. She sang of her travails with melody and a fiddle, country-lite, and coming from left field she smoked Nashville.

But that was not enough for her.

And whenever you chase more, try to be the biggest and the baddest, you fail, because your goal is not only specious, but hollow, and you endure backlash. Who cares about records? Fastest, longest, biggest. Wasn’t it supposed to be about music?

Smith’s new LP is about music, I heard it today.

Oh, let’s be frank, Steve Barnett was working me. I got that right up front.

But the truth is someone’s got to be working you, or else you fail. That’s the era we now live in, one of clutter, it’s hard to break through and get your story heard. So you need a team to get the message across.

Barnett’s been brainstorming since February. He’s got a master plan, a coated piece of paper, it’s all laid out, from tomorrow, when the single drops, to album release date in November to radio shows to…

It’s a lot of work. A LOT OF WORK!

But that’s what it takes to be successful today.

Niall Horan was a secondary player in the One Direction saga. The spotlight shone elsewhere. But rather than rest on his laurels, his history, Niall has traveled around the world, twice, and is now going again, pounding the flesh, shaking hands. And it’s working. His single is moving. That’s right, it’s a lot of work, damn hard work, and I won’t say making the music is the easy part, but the slog thereafter taxes your body and your brain in a different way, they wear you out, whereas creativity is about catching lightning in a bottle.

And most people can’t do it twice.

Smith went from clubs to the Garden in twelve months. You know what that does to you? That’s why Ed Sheeran resigned from social media, traveled the world, he was trying to reconnect with who he truly was, for the inspiration. Otherwise, you’re in a bubble, you’ve got nothing to say because you know nothing. Everybody’s telling you you’re great, you’ve gone from couchsurfing to the Four Seasons, money is suddenly not an issue, and you’ve got no perspective, no creativity.

Tom Scholz couldn’t follow up Boston’s debut, he lobbied for more time, which he needed, but the suits didn’t want to give it to him, they wanted the billing.

Alanis Morissette couldn’t follow up “Jagged Little Pill.” Oh, she did that great song for a movie, “Uninvited,” but I’ve stopped listening to her new music, and she’s pretty much stopped making it, putting out various iterations of her monster hit.

Even the vaunted Carole King. Nothing she did was as big as “Tapestry.” Give her credit though, when things looked bad, she changed direction, did what she wanted, trends be damned, and emerged with the smash known as “Jazzman.”

And today? The hits take a long time to make and they’re just singles and seemingly everybody’s a one hit wonder.

And those who gain traction all work with the same suspects, so the music sounds the same, so when you’re saying there’s nothing new under the sun…

You’re right.

But you’re gonna like the Sam Smith album. It’s kind of like “Avalon,” not quite that good but my point is you can put it on and let it play, it can accompany you on a Sunday afternoon, over a candlelit dinner, remember when hit music did this? It’s been a long time. Today’s successes are assaults. Machine-produced projects lacking soul. There are some great lyrics in the rap records, but I couldn’t imagine pulling those songs up to make love. Well, once in a while, but that’s it.

You see we’ve gotten far from the garden. And it’s all because of Spotify. Spotify not only changed the music business, it changed the music! Because innovative young people adopted the service and oldsters, worrying about cash, did not, and then we woke up half a decade later and the oldsters were irrelevant and most of what was on Spotify was trash. Oh, everything’s on Spotify, you’ve just got to know where to find it.

But what people stream most…

Is not what you want to hear.

Adele is already old school. “25” came out and was dependent upon physical, housewives, it was all set up for a tour, there were no memorable tracks, it was a marketing exercise.

But you can’t repeat that exercise today, that era is gone.

You can’t stay off of streaming services and you can’t depend upon radio…

Young people don’t listen. There, I said it. They hate the commercials, they hate being dictated to, they hate the delay between release and terrestrial spin. They’ve adopted the new paradigm. But where does this leave Sam Smith?

Used to be you could frontload physical, make sure you debut at number one and work radio.

Now you’ve got to make an impact on Spotify.

And Sam will, just you wait until tomorrow.

And the single is excellent. To tell you the truth, although the video is dark and direct, I liked it more without visuals. Because first and foremost music is supposed to penetrate your ears! And when done right, it’s a personal experience, just you and the creator.

And the quality is high. There are no clinkers. Only one track didn’t reach me the first time through.

And Sam sings exquisitely. And there are strings and backup singers and the whole thing breathes. You want to play it again. And again.

But there’s one track…

It’s not the single.

It’s not the follow-up.

But it’s the killer.

It’s called “Him.”

You don’t choose to be gay, you’re born that way. Can you accept yourself, can others accept you, can you stop hiding and embrace your identity, love HIM?

The track is slow, it builds, it’s heartfelt.

BUT IT’S THE ESSENCE OF MUSIC!

That’s what we’ve lost in the Max Martin era. You can break it down mathematically, strategically place hooks, but none of that stuff touches your soul.

“Him” touches your soul.

I started to smile. I was entranced. THIS is real music. When someone digs deep down inside and speaks their truth. It’s not about a perfect chorus, a perfect beat, but humanity on wax, blood on the saddle, sacrificing a bit of your identity so we all can wake up and see the truth.

Like I said, it’s a new era. Sam Smith’s new album will live or die on streaming services.

Radio is just the cherry on top.

But will there be a sundae?

Well, maybe a secret one. Not the one you Instagram, not the one you Facebook about.

Everybody’s boasting, everybody’s public.

But when you’re home alone, with more questions than answers…

When it’s just the two of you, and no one else matters…

When you want to feel like you’re not the only living boy in New York…

What do you need?

MUSIC!

And that’s where Sam Smith’s new album shines.

That’s when it delivers.

Not when you’re having a party. Not when you’re showing off.

But when you want to feel connected.

I know, I know, we live in a singles world.

But if you can deliver an assemblage of tracks that demand listening, you’ve broken the paradigm, you’ve delivered.

That’s what Sam Smith has done here.

Dear Bob, you are totally on the money.This album is a classic.I have emailed Sam to call the album “Him”. It’s like Norah Jones’s first album. A friend for life.
An oasis in a sea of massed produced shit.
Love and peace.Elton xx

Sent from my iPad

I’m pissed off.

I know this is the fourth missive today, I know that’s too much, I know some people are gonna unsubscribe without even getting this far, sick and tired of having their inbox overloaded, but hell…

WHY ARE PEOPLE SO STUPID!

My inbox is filling up with people saying they hate Rachel Maddow, what she stands for, she’s a tool of the left, but…

THAT WASN’T MY POINT!

Didn’t you read the title of the article, “The Rachel Maddow Paradigm”?

But NO!!!

You’ve got your knee-jerk reaction, got to talk about the libtards, some asshole even called her a “cow.”

That’s how you win friends and influence people. Why don’t you say that in a group of women, see how that works for you.

And another called her an “imbecile.”

My article had nothing to do with her viewpoint, but her EXECUTION!

But this just proves the point that the best and the brightest are not in the music business. Maybe they should have studied harder in high school, so they could have gotten into a good college, so they could have learned how to wrestle with the topics.

And the truth is you don’t have to go to school to learn any of this. But the people who run this world know this stuff and you don’t. They know what’s important and you don’t.

And now I’ve pissed off more of you, who didn’t fit the peg in my board. DON’T TAKE IT SO SERIOUSLY! I’M JUST A GUY WITH A KEYBOARD! As James Taylor once sang, “you could follow me and lose your mind.” I’m only here to spark thought, to stimulate you, assuming you want to think, but too many of you would rather I just give you what you want, reminisce about the old days, talk about vinyl and concerts at the Fillmore and make you feel good, kinda like the “New York Times,” which prints anti-technology articles on a regular basis. Why? Because their aged readers are overloaded and want to remember when.

But Rachel Maddow is not living in the when, that was my point, I thought it was very clear, but I’m gonna state it again.

1. FREQUENCY!

To succeed today you’ve got to be in the marketplace all the time, with new product, new ideas. You’re not gonna play at a ten level at all times, but there’s so much information that you get lost if you don’t continue to play.

2. REACTION

If there is none, pivot or give up. Rachel gained adherents, business people who promoted her and fans who watched and spread the word. This isn’t about Rachel, per se, once again, but the PARADIGM!

3. SMART SELLS

She radiates intelligence. She assumes you’re smart. She’s trying to teach you things and we all want to learn. Maybe you don’t agree with her agenda, that’s just fine, but being smart plays in all walks of life.

4. MAKE THE AUDIENCE #1

Not like Taylor Swift, who’s making her acolytes her tools.

5. BE WARY OF SELF-PROMOTION

It backfires, best to lead with your work.

6. TRADITIONAL CRITERIA ARE IRRELEVANT

You can be gay and still be successful. All the things they said were prerequisites are not.

BUT I’M STILL GONNA GET HATE MAIL!

And I do my best to ignore it, but sometimes it gets to me. You can’t answer these people, because even if you prove your point they change the subject and say you’re still wrong. It’s about them, it’s always about them.

And why are you e-mailing me your hatred on a regular basis? It’s always the same people. What made you so angry and insecure? And if you care about it that much why don’t you start your own newsletter.

But you won’t. That takes effort, and perseverance.

Which was exactly my point.

People would rather be haters than players.

And too many are so busy being defensive they can’t even fathom the truth. Hell, I listen to Fox News on a regular basis, I read the “Wall Street Journal,” I want to see where others are coming from, I’m open to the possibility I can be wrong.

But self-evaluation is out the window.

And god forbid you change your opinion.

And then there are the holier-than-thou jerks that say I keep contradicting myself. No, these subjects are thorny, and I can’t write down every exception, every line of thought.

And then there are the idiots who e-mail me I left stuff out. I’d never send a damn missive if I listed every song Steely Dan ever recorded, but I can’t make you happy, or is it you just need to be self-satisfied and superior.

Not that many people didn’t e-mail me agreeing with my point.

But if my audience can’t read, can’t wrestle with the issues, what hope do we have for America?

Not much.

Which is why we’re in the situation we’re in.

Enough.

She could be the biggest rock star in America today.

Bigger than Beyonce?

You bet.

Bigger than Taylor Swift?

Yup. But what Taylor does right, when she’s in marketing mode, is to constantly stay in the public eye. But it’s all promotion with very little content. It’s about spreading the word about the records she’s broken.

Whereas Rachel Maddow just keeps doing the work.

That’s right, MSNBC takes full page ads in the print media now and again, trumpeting Rachel’s ratings, the best in cable news, but Rachel herself never takes a victory lap, for her it’s all about the work. Sure, she’ll subject herself to a feature now and again, but she keeps asking is a tall lesbian in a committed relationship who loves to fish that interesting?

You bet.

Because for far too long we’ve been inundated with the ravings of imbeciles. You see them all over TMZ and the gossip pages. But there’s nothing to say about Rachel Maddow, unless you hate her politics, and that’s fine, that’s not my point, we live in a world where no one is ubiquitously loved, but we’re looking for silos…

Used to be it was Bill O’Reilly. But he was a bully, never mind a sex _______. But Rachel was beating him too before he was gone. But they did a different act. Bill kept telling you he was right, Rachel keeps giving you information, history, and lets you decide.

So first and foremost Rachel’s asset is she’s on five days a week. If you’re not, you get lost in today’s world. Which is why it’s not overkill for Bieber to jump from single to single, you never go away today, otherwise you’re forgotten.

And secondly, she’s persevered. Not only on MSNBC, but for years before. And unlike too many wannabe musicians, Rachel was resonating. That’s when you know you’re on the right track, when you’re getting a reaction, when people want you.

But that just creates the opportunity, what do you do with it?

Once again, television news is not about investigation. It’s about reciting the facts, oftentimes revealed in the NYT and WaPo, and arguing. And that gets very old. Never forget, Tucker Carlson was on “Crossfire,” which Jon Stewart killed with one comment. Turns out we don’t like wrestling, unless it’s scripted as entertainment. We want a winner, and there are no winners, not in these battles.

You’ve already made your decision, you’re either a Fox or MSNBC person.

But on MSNBC, with Rachel Maddow, you get something more.

You get history, you get context, you learn.

Instead of starting tonight’s program by ranting that the end of the DACA was deplorable, she went back a century, put it context, pulled a Sessions quote from Breitbart. That’s the era we live in, where everything you’ve ever said or done is on record. It’s hard to deny quotes, but there they are.

And instead of forcing a commercial, because business is bigger than content, Rachel tells a story for over fifteen minutes before they break, because that’s just how important what she’s saying is. You feel that she’s on your team, that MSNBC is playing to you.

So Rachel’s got a team of millions.

They watch her every night. I hear more about Rachel Maddow than I do about any musician. She’s tapped into today’s zeitgeist, it’s her moment, when recording stars have abdicated, not realizing that you’ve got to take a stand and forget about the haters. Hell, I can list right now the e-mails I’m gonna get from the usual suspects, the right wingers who e-mail me every time I don’t take their side. But that’s not the point, the point is I should not be cowed. Because it’s the people who agree who are on my team, and no one agrees with everything anyway.

Rachel Maddow is not only smart, but educated.

As was Walter Becker.

But today’s musical stars are high school dropouts. They can’t sing about truth because they can’t analyze the concepts.

So Trump utilized this same paradigm to become President. Believe me, if he didn’t host “The Apprentice,” he wouldn’t be, President that is.

But Rachel Maddow is on even more.

And she appeals to women, who decide who’s President. That’s right, the men sit in smoky rooms and think they control things, but it’s the women who truly do.

And now they have their hero.

Not a gussied up glamour girl like Diane Sawyer, who worked for the right but was on the left or was she?

Or the bubble-headed bleached blondes who come on at five. That’s why Don Henley ruled the chart, he spoke the truth. I laugh when I come across local news, if I do at all. Non-news for nitwits.

But Rachel Maddow is not selling image, in an image-dominant culture.

Shouldn’t it be one of the blondes on Fox?

But they all look the same, and they all appear to be robots who imbibed the Kool-Aid.

But not Rachel Maddow.

And some shows are better than others.

But she keeps doing it, night after night. Like a band on tour. Only to a larger audience. And when she hits one over the fence, you want to stand up and cheer.

And there’s a sports metaphor for you.

But Title IX has women playing sports. As did Maddow herself. And she’s not trying to be one of the boys, she’s not yelling, no, she’s just being herself.

And that’s refreshing.

Granted it’s Buffalo, but…

Check out the prices:

Stubhub – U2

Not only the ones on the side, hover your mouse over the loge, the greenish/gold sections, where the tickets are so cheap, for the best seats in the house, your jaw will drop.

Yes, you can stand on the floor, but if you’re in the loge, you’ve got a better viewing angle.

As for the floor, you can stand there for $27!! (It’s even cheaper in some parts of the loge!)

So what is going on here?

1. It’s a school night. And I’m not sure any act is immune, except for maybe the absolute hottest, Beyonce and Taylor Swift. Hell, I’m not sure any male act could do as good business, at least not without star support.

2. It’s Buffalo. Turns out U2 can play stadia in the metropoli, the biggest markets, but outside of them..? Especially when it comes to older acts, people would rather overpay to be up close and personal, as opposed to being far away, just being in the building is not enough when you’re fifty, which most fans of U2 are.

3. U2 is not as big as they say they are, never mind as big as they think they are. They haven’t had a hit for years and they’ve got the bad blood of the Apple thing going on. It takes a long time to forget. Hell, fans have finally forgotten with Metallica, but the band spent years away from the market, playing overseas, if at all, and they put out a double album of new material that was well-received by their fans. Turns out U2 went back to the well too many times. Think about this, U2, the everyman band, does a classic album and does less business than a supposedly niche metal band. But contrary to conventional wisdom, U2 is not for everybody. And once you start playing entire LPs at a show you’re an oldies act, no one expects you to have a hit again, this was a gross mistake, the band should not have gone out to play stadiums after failing to go clean in every arena the last time around.

4. Forget the people bitching that they can’t sit in the front row for face value. Ten percent of the audience is ALWAYS gonna bitch. If you play to them, you’re screwed. True fans know the game. That unless you’re an insider, your chance of getting a good seat is close to zip. That’s what’s got me scratching my head with this Taylor Swift fiasco… She’s not gonna take the credit card money for pre-sales? She’s not gonna do any pre-sales at all? This isn’t about getting good tickets in the hands of real fans, it’s about commerce, plain and simple, utilizing the ignorant and uninformed to do your dirty work, stream your video so you can trumpet broken stream/sales records that no one really cares about. Wait until all these people boosting find out they’re closed out, then the blowback is really gonna begin.

5. Brokers are never gonna go. Because promoters like them. They buy inventory right up front, providing cash and obviating risk to the promoter.

6. People speculate with tickets all the time, but being a broker is a profession. When the promoter and the act say a show is sold out, oftentimes it’s not. So you buy extra tickets and get stuck with them. But you only do this a couple of times before you stop.

7. It’s the acts that get hurt, not the brokers. The brokers make enough margin early on, with the good seats, that they can take a loss later down the line, they don’t have to win on every ticket. But when the public finds out your tickets are going for less than ten bucks, good luck trying to get them to pony up in advance next time.

8. Despite all the hype about the on-sale date, the savvy are now waiting until the last minute. Or at least overpaying for great seats when they want to. Used to be you’d show up at the gig just before curtain when extras were released, now you just wait until a day before the show and see what demand really looks like.

9. We need a better system. But acts love the shenanigans. U2 is being paid by Live Nation, they don’t care about each individual show.

10. The manager has to be concerned with the longevity of the act. You’ve got to give the illusion that the band is still on top. U2 would have been better off with a severe underplay, theatres, then buzz would have been amazing in every city. Instead, focused on setting box office records, making it about the money, they’ve hurt their long term prospects.

CONCLUSION

Everybody knows all this. Everybody knows about StubHub and brokers and pre-sales, except for the young and ignorant referenced above, but you learn. In other words, it’s the internet that’s gonna finally break the cone of silence, opaque curtain, manipulative antics of the music business. Transparency is coming. What are tickets really worth?

We’re gonna find out.