Would Bob Dylan have made it without Albert Grossman?

I just read a new music industry book entitled “Cowboys and Indies,” which will be published in June. I doubt it will be a runaway success, unlike “Hit Men,” it contains no bombshells. But it does add a deeper layer of insider knowledge to the stories all of us fans have heard over the years. But does anybody under the age of thirty care that the indies threw in the towel, unable to play the majors’ game?

Yes, a huge focus of the book is on Chris Blackwell and Jerry Moss, and their ultimate decision to sell out. Distribution and radio promotion killed them, the playing field was not level.

But what truly intrigued me was the history long before I was born, starting in the middle of the nineteenth century, with the birth of recording devices. You see…the business has been forever filled with characters suing to get their own way. Hustlers abound. In other words, what happened after the Beatles was not new.

But what has been sticking in my brain is the story of Bob Dylan. How he was desperate, begging Carolyn Hester for more gigs, and ultimately signed by John Hammond when she agreed to let Dylan perform on her album.

As for the result, Dylan’s initial LP? It sold 1,300 copies. That was a disaster then, just as it still is today.

But Hammond wanted to do another, although he was not encouraged from above.

But then came Albert Grossman.

Dylan eventually parted ways with the manager, but that was long after his sixties success.

Dylan convinced Hammond he was an orphan, that he had no mother and father to co-sign his underage contract. Dylan said to trust him.

Big mistake. Albert got involved and wanted to void the contract.

Hammond was pissed, a member of the gentry, he believed in being upfront and honest. But Hammond and Columbia caved. And Bob Dylan became one of the biggest stars in music history.

That initial album was almost all covers. Dylan was just another character. But Grossman gave Dylan space. And convinced his clients Peter, Paul and Mary to cover “Blowin’ In The Wind.”

It was a surprise when Dylan broke through with “Like A Rolling Stone.” Most of us knew him as a writer, if we knew him at all.

But Albert Grossman made the wholesome Peter, Paul and Mary stars at the tail end of the folk boom and he utilized the work of his unknown client to seal the deal.

Behind every star is a manager. Who knows better than to see himself as a musician. Whose expertise lies in career planning, in clearing the way for his artist to create, and be handsomely compensated for his work. You may not know their names, but without these managers, you probably wouldn’t know the names of their clients.

Then there’s the curious story of Ken Kragen. Who made Trisha Yearwood, Travis Tritt and Gallagher stars. All of whom fired him, all of whom fell off the edge without him.

You think it’s about acts and labels and radio, but the truth is behind every superstar there is a visionary, looking to build and protect his charge so he can gain his commission.

Albert Grossman has been almost completely forgotten.

But Todd Rundgren gained success on his label after blanking out with the Nazz.

Grossman managed Gordon Lightfoot. And the Band. And Janis Joplin.

Sure, Grossman went to college, but he didn’t study the music business, he graduated in economics.

He started off as a club owner.

And he put Peter, Paul and Mary together!

So renegotiating with Albert Grossman was the best thing John Hammond ever did. Sure, he paid more, but like that old Billy Preston hit says…nothing from nothing leaves nothing. You can have a brilliant contract, but if you’ve got no sales, you’re going to have no income.

Albert Grossman built Bob Dylan. Columbia Records helped.

And Dylan probably wouldn’t have gotten more than his initial chance if Grossman hadn’t become involved.

Because Dylan could create his character and hustle, but he could not be his own best advocate. Because you can’t negotiate for yourself and it’s rare that a great artist is a great businessman.

A great manager gives his client room to grow. Builds him up while softly criticizing. Keeps him on the path. Takes the long view.

Did Grossman rip off Dylan?

I’ll let you decide.

But without him, there’d be little to steal.

“Cowboys and Indies: The Epic History of the Record Industry”

OSCAR RATINGS

The best since 2000, so we can’t evaluate the show on a quality level. That’s the modern world, if it sells, if it makes money, if it gets good ratings, it’s review proof.

But that is not benefiting our society. Without honest evaluation our culture suffers. Do we really want to make the bankers king and be beholden to the almighty dollar?

PUTIN

It’s complicated, and it’s scary, and it’s so different from the U.S. because all these countries are right up next to each other and interdependent. I saw the wall fall, I saw Communism replaced by capitalism, but now it’s kind of like that Talking Heads song, same as it ever was… Or is it “Life During Wartime”?

OUT OF THE LOOP

Once upon a time I knew everything. Now today I’m unaware what’s number one, I don’t watch every TV show and I feel out of the loop. On one hand it’s age, I don’t care anymore. On another, it’s the lack of having children, who tend to keep us informed, but now everything is fodder, grist for the mill, you’re somebody today and nobody tomorrow, our culture is no longer cohesive. Used to be a pop star would come along and cement us all together, but that won’t be Bruno Mars, he’s good but he doesn’t stand for anything. And it won’t be Rick Ross, because at this late date a whole swath of Americans have decided they don’t like the decades old hip-hop and can’t be reached with it, and it won’t be white college kids staring at their shoes warbling with bad voices. The only people hewing to the basics are the Top Forty acts employing the hit songwriters, who are old men providing a service as opposed to delivering something to stand for.

WHATSAPP

Last week’s news. Or was it the week before? Used to be hits lasted for months. Oh, they do on radio, which is all about advertising and afraid to take a risk, but if you believe radio is driving our culture you probably don’t use a smartphone.

OBAMA

If he’s the leader of the free world, why doesn’t he lead?

What a disappointment.

HEALTH CARE

It’s happening, get over it.

JERRY BROWN

Experience counts. Which is why Max Martin and Dr. Luke write the hits and the youngsters don’t. Experience teaches you the landscape, develops your instincts and intuition, which is why outsiders never make it in the music business, from Andy Lack to Roger Faxon to Steven Cooper, because they can’t feel a hit. It’s a dirty business, and if you can’t feel it between your legs, if you don’t need it, you’re not gonna last.

iTUNES RADIO

Single-handedly proved that Apple no longer controls the future of music distribution. Will they buy BeatsMusic to get a leg up? (That’s Jimmy’s only play, he can’t beat Spotify the same way your Tumblr can’t beat the “New York Times.” Oh, let me make it simple… Spotify is willing to lose more money to make it. And success on a big level is all about deficit financing. He who can spend to achieve his long term goal will most likely achieve it.)

TELEVISION

We’re addicted to story. YouTube doesn’t deliver this. Whoever does wins. Forever.

TIME WARNER/COMCAST

Just like American Airlines/US Airways. They’ll divest until the government is happy, then the merger will go through.

BOOK OF MORMON

What kind of crazy world do we live in where a static play lasts longer than any record. One in which the creators take chances and blow an audience away that can’t stop talking about it. Furthermore, did you notice the winner of the Best Original Song Oscar for “Frozen” got his start with “Avenue Q”? Could we be seeing a renaissance of musical theatre? No, because it’s too expensive and investors only want sure shots, just like in the movie business. But we did get “Book Of Mormon.” If only it had a hit song…

SOCIAL SECURITY

The story isn’t how it’s gonna run out, but that you just can’t live on it. Too many baby boomers never saved for a rainy day and they’re gonna be shocked to find out they can’t even afford the five o’clock special.

MOBILE

The future is phablets.

Bottom line, you need access. A traditional smartphone screen is too small and anything larger than an iPad Mini is too big. We want to be connected all the time, we want utility in this experience all the time. Women and nerds are leading the charge. Women because they can carry their devices in purses and nerds because they’re unafraid of looking…nerdy, carrying around large screens. Large screens are de rigueur amongst business titans…they want their whole world at their fingertips, so do you. In other words, we live in a mobile world, the big screen is fading…

JOHN MAYER

You fired your manager because you wanted a hit and then you two-timed America’s sweetheart, at least that’s what the gossip pages say. You probably can never have another hit single anyway, but if you want one…rehabilitate your image, either keep it in your pants or settle down with one woman and do some charity work while you’re at it.

STATUS

Means less the older you get. But it’s everything to the youngster. If you can sell status, you’ll make a mint.

THE PHOTO

Has replaced the t-shirt. Once upon a time you evidenced your loyalty by wearing a band’s t-shirt, now you just post a pic of yourself, hopefully with the act, at the gig. Could merch go the way of the ringtone?

CARS

Baby boomers care, their children do not. They don’t know what the horsepower is and don’t need to know. Hell, many don’t need a car at all. I guess that’s the exponent of being able to connect with others without leaving the house.

FOOD

It’s cheap and it’s easy, as Foghat so eloquently sang. But did you ever notice it’s all about the best in food, but it’s rarely about the best in music? We’re just not shooting high enough.

TASTEMAKERS

Howard Stern testified about Verizon Wireless today, and he’s just a user, not an endorser. Tastemakers are more important than ever, since we live in a world of cacophony and want others to make sense of it for us. He who has credibility is king. In other words, all this hogwash about selling out…dollars are exchanged, but it doesn’t move the needle, it doesn’t change people’s perceptions.

LANDLINES

Suffer from lack of investment. The owners are pushing us to mobile and Internet telephony the same way Detroit killed the trolleys.

CUTTING THE CORD

A delusion. Internet access will go up in price while TV channels will go down. Your provider has got you by the balls. Your only option is competition. May Google Fiber come to your town.

EDUCATION

It’s about learning a state of mind, how to analyze problems, not memorizing facts and acing tests.

MOOCS

Dead, because no one not in college wants to put in the time to learn, other than a handful of people who’ve already graduated from college.

NETFLIX

The king of curation. They feature that which everybody has agreed you want to see. It’s the blockbuster principle in action. With everything available, we gravitate to the best, and more and more we gravitate to the same stuff. This week’s tip? “Chasing Ice.” The images alone will make you a believer in climate change.

I watched a lot of basketball in my lost decade, from the day my ex moved out until the Internet came along and rescued me.

You’ve got to understand, the Lakers are L.A. religion. Till he blew himself up, both literally and figuratively, Kobe Bryant was the most powerful and popular person in Los Angeles. The movers and shakers came to him, not vice versa.

But I stopped paying attention.

It wasn’t the move to Staples Center so much as the retirement of Michael Jordan. I’d seen the best, did I really have to waste so much time thereafter?

It’s really about the playoffs. You start watching sometime in April and you don’t emerge from the darkness until June. And sure, there’s a bunch of garbage time during the regular season, but the closer you get to the end, the harder it is to tune out, you never know when Reggie Miller will be a thorn in your side.

But that was years ago. I’m aware of LeBron, but I wanted my life back. I stopped paying attention.

Last Friday night I went to my first game…in Staples Center. I pulled my car up to valet parking, for $200 a pop, and ran into a new friend on the way in. I never pegged him as a roundball fan, but he revealed he had courtside seats!

And on Saturday, he e-mailed me, did I want them?

But let’s get back to Friday. Sitting in the box of a household name entertainer, I was so far from the action that I stayed engaged in conversation, getting details, as to the six figure cost of this space.

Yes, major league sporting events are not for the poor. Not in person. That’s why they’re televised. In truth, it’s just like the days of yore, the Roman Colosseum, it’s entertainment for the rich.

And last night I experienced it.

Turns out if you buy a floor seat, you get a discount on valet parking, it’s $130 a pop.

But the people sitting alongside me can afford it. People like Jeffrey Katzenberg, Joel Silver…

As for the TV stars, I doubt they own their seats. I figure the studio gave Christopher Meloni his. And Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis theirs.

And they weren’t as good as ours.

You’re immediately separated from the riff-raff. You take an elevator into the bowels of the arena where your ticket is checked numerous times, the security is as tight as the White House, and then…

You emerge onto the floor.

That’s the most amazing thing about it. Your feet are right on the wood. Your chair is on the rubber covering the ice, you can feel the cold.

So, these giants are pushing the ball around, warming up. And that’s what they are, so tall you realize the barrier to entry is height, and no mere mortal is gonna make it.

And then there’s the infrastructure. The scout sitting nearby, a woman with a Spalding notebook featuring the same skin as the ball. And the TV commentator with heels higher than she. And Stu Lantz in his suit… I’ve been around famous people, but sports are different. It’s more…everybody.

So the game begins. And the Lakers fall behind almost instantly. After all, they’re in last place.

But the Pelicans are not much better. Still, they pull ahead by double digits.

So I’m studying the Laker Girls, all of whom appear to be illegal. And in perfect shape. Not ultra-skinny, like the movie stars, but healthy, athletic. All smiling with too much makeup I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the peak of their life, where they went from here.

And we were so close you couldn’t read the scoreboard. That’s right, we were part of the set, we were on TV.

So we hit halftime and Guy Oseary gets up to talk to Ashton and Mila, like they’re all friends, like they all went to high school together.

And then Mila comes over to make nice with Jeffrey, who’s finished his McDonald’s and is yet to delve into his candied apple.

And I’m eating chicken tenders, taking it all in.

And then the game heats up. The Lakers come within four after being down by five times that number.

It’s palpable. The vibe in the building has changed. People are standing. The guy behind us is trash-talking. The game has tightened up.

And it’s then that I think of Bob Costas’s quote, that sports are a metaphor for life.

This is not ski racing, or car racing, or so many other sports wherein equipment is key. This is just about sneakers and socks, basketball is pure.

And I’m thinking how most of these players will be done long before forty, their glory behind them, as well as the lease payments on their fancy cars, with no ring to evidence a championship.

But for this one extended moment, we’re all in it together. We don’t know how it turns out. We’ve got no edge. We’re subject to the vagaries of life, the bounce of the ball, the traction of our shoes…

We lost.

And you could say it was disappointing.

But not really. The thrill was more palpable than any amusement park ride. Because this wasn’t manufactured, but life.

Was it worth $2,750 a ticket?

You can decide.

Meanwhile, I’m waiting for Frank Robinson to clear the way so they can pull up my car and I can jet away before most people have located their rides.

1. You Need A Partner

There’s a reason why spouses get fifty percent in community property states, because you don’t make that money alone, you depend on the counsel and soothing of your significant other. Furthermore, the inability to force one spouse to testify against the other in court speaks to the bond between the two.

In other words, there’s a reason why the most powerful people are in relationships. It takes two. Someone you can trust, someone who’s got your back, someone who will not scorn or question you but defend and understand you, and nudge you in the right direction if necessary.

We all need a sounding board. But we’re all fearful that information can be used against us.

Your sounding board is at home.

Choose well.

Find someone who shares your hopes, dreams and desires. Someone who won’t divorce you when the going gets rough. Someone who’s willing to get down in the trenches and fight not for what’s right, but you.

2. You Can’t Worry What People Say About You

If you want to be liked, join a social club. But business, like politics, is for winners, not joiners. You’re gonna make enemies. If for no reason other than some will become envious. You need a thick skin to play hardball. And the ability to ignore those without power who abhor you, and sidle up to those with power who hate you. Ever notice that everybody at the top of business knows each other? All the tech titans, all the record industry giants? It’s because they rely on these relationships to get them what they want, and know it’s only these people who can prevent them from reaching their goals.

3. Don’t Be A Wimp

If you’re not willing to stand up and give back, stay out of the arena. A powerful person runs right over sycophants, he or she only respects someone who stands their ground and pushes back when necessary. This is the signal you’re a real player. Once again, it’s not about being liked, those at the top are not concerned with this, rather it’s about showing that you understand power and are willing to use it.

4. Know The Game

We’re learning until we die. Every day you learn what you did not know before. If you’re not willing to re-evaluate your choices and positions, you’re going to find yourself left behind. With age and experience comes wisdom. If you think you know everything, you’ve got blind spots. And there’s always something we don’t know. Cultivate those with expertise outside your primary focus. Because you’re going to call on them at some point in the future, you just don’t know when. And choose enemies wisely. Having said that, power players respect other power players who are willing to burn bridges. Because although it’s the primary move of the amateur, it’s the ace in the hand of the professional. If someone is willing to cut you off, that means their agenda doesn’t square with yours, and they might be trouble in the future.

5. Align Yourself With Winners

Few understand this. They’re so busy worrying about who’s nice and friendly, who they can trust, that they don’t realize very few people control the back line of pieces on a chessboard. The pawns are up front, ready to be taken at will. But the King is protected, and the Queen has the ability to move in ways no other piece possesses, speaking to point number one above.

If you want to go all the way, you’ve got to play with the number one player, the survivor, the person who knows where all the bodies are buried.

6. Learn How To Say Yes

Anybody can say no. It takes you out of the game. But saying yes… Too many are afraid. Of the unknown. Of the consequences. But if a power player gives you your chance and you waffle or say no, you’re passed over, forgotten. You’re a pawn in the power player’s game. Feel good that you’ve been chosen. If you believe you’re being sacrificed, you aligned yourself with the wrong people. You’re a soldier, pledging fealty. An underling who argues with a power player frequently finds himself in a cul-de-sac, his career stalled.

7. Success Is A Power Game

Can you get your e-mail returned? How fast?

That’s the demonstration of your power, your reach. Sure, money helps. But power players rip off the rich on a regular basis. Because having cash does not mean you know how to play the game. True power is the ability to get your vision exercised. And this can only be done if you understand the game and what reactions will be, who you can trust and who you cannot.

8. Eat Or Be Eaten

You might not want to make it to the top, but that guy sitting next to you…he might feel otherwise, he might be hungry to move up the ladder. So be suspicious. Be on the lookout for agendas. It’s show BUSINESS, not show FRIENDS!