This show is gonna change TV news.

What do we know about “The Newsroom”? It’s behind a paywall playing to a limited audience and the critics hate it. But that’s irrelevant. By taking a stand, and doing it well, an individual, in this case Aaron Sorkin, can change the course of history.

This is what music used to do.

Yes, while musical acts are figuring out which ass to kiss, what Fortune 500 corporation to sell out to, HBO is leading the charge. Music is a second class citizen. Movies are a complete joke.

This is the power of excellence. It can change the debate.

Everybody in TV news knows you’ve got to be partisan. You’ve got to be histrionic. You’ve got to do soft news stories that make people sigh. Informing the public? Truth? They’re way down the list. It’s not like these anchors and commentators don’t know what they’re doing, they’re far from ignorant, but they’ve just shrugged their shoulders and said they’ve got no choice, that’s the system. And when Sorkin calls them out, they feel crummy inside. The same way you do when your teacher confronts you about cheating on the test or your mother accuses you of lying. You halfheartedly defend yourself and when the truth comes out, as it always does, you promise to change your ways, you don’t want to feel this bad again. After watching “Newsroom”, and if you think anchors don’t, you probably believe the Mafia didn’t watch “The Godfather” or “The Sopranos”, these newspeople feel dirty, they find it hard to do their same inane shows.

Oh, this fourth episode was far from brilliant. In the middle it devolved into cardboard TV set-up. Who slept with who. Tabloid journalism. Real housewives. But it turned out it was just a ruse. For the big set-up. The media conglomerate itself was setting Jeff Daniels up. They wanted the upper hand.

Ain’t that the way it always is.

That’s why Matt Taibbi gained traction. He spoke the truth the public could not understand. You believe if you just go to work every day, things will work out, that your superiors are playing fair. You don’t understand the game. And everything’s got a game.

You want to know the music business game? The people in power want their bonus. And nothing will stand in the way of it. You might not want to deliver your album when they need it, but then your record starts falling down the chart and you have trouble getting paid. That’s the game powerful people play.

As for dating insecurities, Sorkin got that right too. Daniels may be the powerful anchor, but he’s clueless when it comes to women. And speaking of clueless, Olivia Munn may look like a model, but on this show she’s an economics expert who admits she knows nothing about dating.

Wow, how real is that. The rock star, who if he can get laid every night, does not even know how to speak to women.

And then there’s Sam Waterston imploring Jeff Daniels to date on his level. Hell, it’s always easier to date down, then you’re not challenged, then you don’t feel anxious, then you’re in control.

But nobody’s in control. Everybody’s just faking it. And it’s art’s job to reveal the truth, the man behind the curtain. But today all we’ve got is pussies who do what they are told, adhere to the rules just like the TV newspeople. Hell, they listen to the suits. Don’t you get it, the suits’ interests are not your own, they don’t want truth, justice and the American way, they just want money…in their pocket.

Music could speak this truth too. That’s what Bob Dylan did.

But that tradition is dead. Instead we’ve got a tabloid press questioning who the next “Idol” judge will be. As if judging these wannabes isn’t equivalent to scouting for major leaguers at the Little League game.

One song can make a difference. One TV show can make a difference. The power of the individual is limitless.

But you must pick up the reins and testify. You must be beholden to no one but yourself. You must deliver your message so perfectly-pitched, so expertly crafted, that it’s undeniable.

My inbox is going berserk with this:

Holy Ship

At the risk of overloading you with a third e-mail, and I know after two sign-offs increase dramatically, I must say I know Gary Richards, I know about this cruise…

And for those paying attention, and I know by the volume of e-mail I’m getting on this subject many are, Gary just made a deal with Live Nation. I told him to. Not necessarily Live Nation, I won’t get that specific, but I told him he could not remain independent and could not tie up with a neophyte. Because of the money and the talent.

So you’re loyal to Gary/Hard Events. That’s just great. But right now, “Coachella” has got a greater reach. That’s the power of brand names. That was my point.

And for those saying that talent is king… I agree. Except, as stated previously, recent events have proven that going it alone, with your own money, is a tough row to hoe. It’s kind of like starting a car company. Other than Tesla, which got a rave review in the “Wall Street Journal”

I Am Silent, Hear Me Roar

the highway is littered with the carcasses of failed automobile companies. The startup and infrastructure costs hobble you. What everybody does on a mass scale everyday, like pollution controls, you have to engineer from scratch, or pay dearly to license. Justin Bieber may drive a Fisker, but the cars have been poorly reviewed and analysts don’t expect the company to survive.

In other words, the odds are stacked against you. If you want to become a concert promoter, book that which Live Nation and AEG want no part of. Otherwise, their money and might will come in and trounce you.

Now that Gary Richards is aligned with Live Nation he not only has the company’s deep pockets at his disposal, but also its relationships, with both artists and agents. There’s no loyalty in this business anymore. Which is why indies get trounced. Your only hope is to pay top dollar and utilize your leverage to convince someone to play with you. That’s how Randy Phillips got Britney Spears to sign with AEG half a decade back. He told her managers he would get promotion in Regal Theaters, which are under the same corporate umbrella.

Yet it is heartening that without a big promotional campaign, without paying PR people to spread the word, the people who truly care, the members of the electronic music community, are aware of the Holy Ship!! cruise.

Grow or die.

Expect the usual suspects, Live Nation and AEG, to expand. Now the turf war has been expanded to the sea. I’m not saying every niche cruise is at risk, then again, so many of the acts on those boats Live Nation and AEG want no part of.

Cruises offer a couple of things that are hard to get elsewhere. Like-minded community and intimacy. People will pay dearly for these. Life is about experiences more than money. Then again, you oftentimes buy experiences with your money. And these boats don’t leave every week. You want to be on them.

From Desert to Cruise Ship: Coachella Heads to Sea

Personally, I believe they’re missing a giant opportunity, they should have made it the Sahara Tent At Sea. The time to capitalize on electronic music is now, no one knows the future, this is what kids want to do. Go to sea, get high and dance. Then again, imagine the legal problems! Hell, if someone died at sea on a Coachella boat, that’d quash the venture forever. But I wouldn’t be surprised if there are O.D.’s on the vessel anyway. Put that many people together and anything can and will happen.

But the big point here is Coachella is now a brand name. Which Paul Tollett does his best to polish and maintain. He doesn’t whore it out, it’s got respect, it’s got an audience. And anybody trying to compete…has a problem.

There are four big festivals. Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits. Bonnaroo couldn’t expand to Vegas and C3, the company behind ACL, is also behind Lollapalooza and other ventures, not that the punter would know this, but the point is if you’re entering into the festival business today, good luck. Hell, look at the UK, where oversaturation has come to roost and put a huge dent in the market.

Dave Matthews couldn’t succeed on his own last summer and Metallica had a highly reviewed festival that didn’t break 30,000 per day. And we can debate locations and lineups all day long but never forget that Coachella lost money for years. If you’re launching a festival and planning to be profitable instantly, you’re dreaming. The weather alone could kill you.

But it turns out like just as no act is as big as a label, certainly prior to the Napster era, now no act is bigger than the promoter, no act is bigger than Coachella. In other words, AEG may pay, but AEG rules.

I’m not big on self-promotion, and if I told you I watched myself, I’d be lying, but I’ve been receiving a lot of positive feedback on this, so I’m linking to it.

Was waiting for Bob Ezrin’s interview to be up on the site, and if you scroll down, he’s there too. If you were ever interested in any of his productions, from Alice Cooper to Lou Reed to “The Wall”, I highly recommend you spend the time. Ezrin’s an intellectual in a musician’s body, and that’s a rare find, it’s the main driver of his success.
And, of course, there’s the Troy Carter interview I also wrote about.

So I’m bracing myself for the hate e-mail, that’s what happens when you play online, but I do remember having a blast with Ralph Simon and now it’s time for those not in attendance to partake.

Interviews – Music Matters