Backstage at MusiCares, Scott Rodger told me McCartney had nothing against Spotify, that he just wanted to do it right, that they were EQ’ing the catalogue and when it was ready, it would appear. And that first was "Ram".

Not one of my favorite McCartney solo albums. Not as much of a let-down as "Wild Life" (I know, credited to Wings), not a tour de force like "Band On The Run", "Ram" was a disappointment when we were all paying attention, when we were finally convinced that the Beatles had truly broken up.

Sometime the solo debut, "McCartney", will get its due. Hell, just listen to "Kreen-Akrore". Never mind "Every Night" and "Teddy Boy". If released today, "McCartney" would be considered a minimalist masterpiece.

But "Ram"…

But, WOW, pull it up on Spotify! The remaster will blow your socks off!

I mean I always liked "Too Many People", but I didn’t love it, it wasn’t necessary, but all the subtle elements mixed with Paul’s voice will remind you why he and the Beatles still stand head and heels above everybody else. That acoustic guitar, but even better…the changes and the vocal. I never remember the album sounding this good. And I own the vinyl, and I’ve played it on great systems.

Music doesn’t have to be complicated, it’s just got to be RIGHT!

Spotify link

We’re geeks!

I just want to tell you a bit more about dinner last night, at the Marina Bay Sands.

When I was in Toronto for Canadian Music Week, talking about going to Singapore, Neill Dixon, who’s the majordomo of that event, told me all about this rooftop restaurant, where they even had an infinity pool, that he was gonna take me to. And when Jasper told me Neill, et al, we’re gonna go last night, I immediately got a hold of Neill to make sure I was included.

I’m not good with heights.

Actually, I’m getting better. You see it’s classic OCD. And the way they treat that, Freudian talk therapy has been proven not to work, is through exposures. Which means…you put yourself in the situation. Again and again. It works! There’s this lift at Mammoth, Chair 23, which is steep as can be and has no safety bar, never mind it’s windy as hell, after all, this is the backside of Yosemite. I used to avoid it, which to a great degree you can, there’s a gondola that goes to a similar point. But the doctor I see insisted I ride it… And lo and behold, I’ve gotten better! You never get over your fear of heights, but you learn to tolerate it.

So the Marina Bay Sands looks like it should fall over. It’s as if someone took the Greek letter "pi" and turned it into a hotel. And at the tippity-top, put a restaurant, observation deck and infinity pool. Yup, you can sit in the pool above Singapore and toast your luck! We just edged up to the plexiglass and looked over…and down.

Down there’s nothing. That’s the way the building is built. It’s totally freaky. You’re fifty-odd stories up and there’s nothing below you!

On one side is downtown Singapore.

On the other is the harbor.

But it’s more than that.

I got an Australian, who promotes concerts here, to point out the sights. Not only was the world’s largest indoor botanical garden right beneath us (with a lighted golf course close nearby), off in the distance that was…Indonesia. And on the other side? Malaysia. I must say as the hours passed, I got used to the thought, but at first I felt so small. In America you’re taught to believe you count. But we don’t really. And then I started thinking about Vietnam and centuries of conflict and I wished everybody could see what I was seeing, to get perspective, to be wowed at the gears of commerce in operation today.

And the conversations were so fascinating.

The Australian promoter does shows here, he’s got Jason Mraz imminently, and in China, everywhere in the neighborhood but Australia itself. He had Westlife in China. Eight gigs on the eastern seaboard. Only in cities in excess of ten million. And I’d never heard of nine of them. In one, the barrier between act and fans was a ribbon, you know, like at the movies, strung between silver poles. The promoter freaked out! The government representatives told him they’d just tell the patrons to sit down. Or if they stood up, that they couldn’t leave their seats. Turned out to work! But my newfound friend said that wouldn’t happen in Shanghai, or Singapore.

And then there was Bernie. Who went to Dartmouth but then moved to Korea, twenty years ago. He’s got kind of an agency/management company/record label. Well, not exactly. But what he does do is make 80/20 deals with acts dissatisfied with their record companies. He cleans up their social media, he gets them distributed all over the world. He’s got acts that sell 1,000 to 10,000 albums in the U.S., singing in Korean. It’s the social networks. And most of those in attendance at the shows are not even Korean themselves!

And then there was Steve…

I could have talked to him all night. And almost did.

Half a decade younger than me, he grew up in Victoria, B.C. From there he went to the U.K., and on a whim to Japan. Where he’s been for twenty seven years. With a Japanese wife, a school teacher, and an eighteen year old son, who’s about to go to university in B.C. himself. And Steve was the local "Billboard" correspondent. And now he does work for NHK, the big Japanese broadcast company. But what I liked most about talking to Steve was the references, the puns, the interweaving of our life history into conversation.

You see we know all these lyrics, we’ve seen all these shows, we’ve got endless information which we don’t believe is trivia and how we connect is by revealing it. Quotes from Elvis Costello records. Bob Dylan lyrics. Little tests back and forth to see if the other is in the know.

But it’s not about competition, it’s about bonding, connecting.

You see we’re all looking for someone simpatico. The media portrays life as a rat race, competing to get to the top. Trumpeting our triumphs and keeping others beneath us. But that’s not how life really is. We want to be close. Sure, it’s nice to get the accolades, but they don’t mean much if you’ve got no one to share them with.

And it really only takes one. A single person who sees the planet the same way. Who can laugh at what you do, see the absurdity of life, but has passion for it too.

Steve had read "Jacob de Zoet". Which blew my mind, because I’ve only found one other person in the music business who did (who sent it to me!) And Steve talked about used bookshops in Japan and sci-fi and mystery novels, which I care not a whit about, but I understood where he was coming from.

And I loved hearing about his choices and experiences. Did he wake up one day and freak out, I’M LIVING IN JAPAN! Kinda. I mean his in-laws helped with the down payment for his house, he’s entrenched. But he did insist only English be spoken in his domicile, so his kid would be bilingual. His son speaks English to him and Japanese to his wife, ha!

And Steve left "Billboard" because he’d done everything. There was no new challenge. How different from playing it safe. Then again, we play it safe in the U.S. because we need the health insurance, Canadians know nothing of this.

And it’s so weird yet thrilling to find myself halfway around the world speaking the same language to someone who lives in a foreign country. We spoke about stereo, 5.1, DVD-A and SACD, listening to Neil Young in all the formats…

This is what I live for, this is who I am.

"You can’t skip a step."

And that goes for jet lag too! I figured if I just put in enough hours under the covers I’d be peachy keen, but after enduring too many nightmares, one wherein my girlfriend donned a bikini and stepped out, I bolted up and descended the elevator to hear Troy Carter.

Who wasn’t on yet.

So I went up and ate breakfast.

The food… That’s what Singapore’s famous for.

I went to Lau Pa Sat for a black pepper crab. That’s what my minions told me to do. You see it’s a giant food court, taking up an entire city block, it’s got nothing to do with KFC and Panda Express, rather it’s anything but corporate and loaded with schmutz and you only wish you could stay for a month and sample everything. Then again, I don’t think I’ll be sampling pig organ soup anytime soon. Yup, that’s what it said on the marquee, "Pig Organ Soup"…reminds you of the mall, don’t it?

Lau Pa Sat Festival Market

Before that, I experienced the Asian Civilisations Museum. Which was enlightening because I realized today’s tech explosion…as David Byrne so famously sang, is the "same as it ever was." That’s the history of the world, innovation. It disrupts the entrenched base but the individual profits. India was a powerhouse, all because of textiles, cotton and dyeing thereof. So, after failing to completely control the market, the Europeans replicated it, at a better quality and a lower price. And India’s economy hasn’t been the same since.

It was like that book "The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet" come to life. I can’t recommend the tome, it’s the hardest book I’ve read in decades, but having plowed through it, I got an education about the Dutch East India Company. And when we ascended the Marina Bay Sands

Marina Bay Sands

last night for dinner and I looked down upon the harbor and saw all the boats waiting to unload… I got insight into the world economy. It’s got many pieces. The key is to find where you add value. And to know that not everyone can grow food and make their own clothes, it’s too inefficient, we need disruptors, we need artists.

And that’s what Troy Carter does, manage artists.

Then again, he’ll enter the pantheon when he breaks act two. That’s the badge of a superstar manager. Once can be lucky… Twice? Then it’s about you. Actually, Troy may be on his way with his second act. Mindless Behavior is selling tickets.

But it really got interesting when Meglen asked Troy if the quick ascension of today’s acts ultimately shortens their careers.

That’s when Troy made the statement above, that you can’t skip a step.

Gaga was more successful much faster than they anticipated. But to ensure longevity, they booked her in clubs when she could play theatres. She had to work out the kinks in her act.

And then Troy said something incredible. That he doesn’t want her fans to find out about her on the radio. That if you find out about an act on the radio, you’re in trouble.

That’s the power of social media, that’s the power of word of mouth.

Troy meets all the time with people who go on about how great they are. So he dials up their YouTube channel and sees they’ve got 67 views. He’s not interested. It’s less about building your own fanbase than illustrating that your music, your identity, your act, has power, inflammability. If you put it on YouTube and it doesn’t blow up, back to the drawing board.

Everybody today wants it fast. They want to be an overnight superstar. Like Paris Hilton? She’s toast. But those classic rock acts can still play the sheds.

Why?

Because they built their audience person by person. Over a long period of time.

Then again, that’s the only way you could do it back then. And radio serviced the audience more than it did the advertisers. There was no social media, we owned the radio, it was the tribal drum, those days are done. Today the audience owns Twitter, and Facebook and…

It’s hard to tell wannabe stars that they’ve got to wait their turn, pay their dues.

I played my guitar all through high school, I’m ready!

No you’re not. Have you played in front of people who don’t care and convinced them to? Performing is a skill. Can you read an audience… Have you made music that causes a reaction, that gets people clamoring?

It’s easier than ever to let everybody know, all over the world, but that mindshare is based on the music, and if that falters…so do you.

Troy said "Born This Way" came out a year ago and the tour has just begun. This is the album cycle. They’re going to markets all over the world and incubating. Spending a week in Singapore instead of flying in and moving out.

And Troy’s brilliant this way. He’s thinking about it. We’re experiencing a shift in music management. It’s less about bluster and intimidation, less about the deal and more about the plan. And the plan isn’t just get it signed and go on tour… How do you penetrate social media in China, where the platforms are different? How do you deal with censorship?

Troy did make an interesting point about Jakarta, where they want to cancel Gaga’s show. Tickets sold faster in that market than anywhere else. That’s what repression will yield. Governments have less power over their subjects than ever before. That’s what the Arab Spring was all about.

And the interviewer did touch upon Atom Factory’s tech investments.

My belief is once the punters get in, it’s time to get out.

You see what tech yields which music does not is money. You can make a lot more in Silicon Valley. Read all the press about Bono’s profits in Facebook.

But Bono had nothing to do with it. It was all about Roger McNamee, who’s been investing in tech for decades.

But that’s what income inequality will do to a country. People want to go where the money is. But although Steve Jobs was not a coder, he grew up with tech. Visionary coders are the musical artists of today. Sure, the idea is important, but can you bring it to fruition? Now that everybody’s paying attention to tech, it’s getting harder to get rich. Kind of like being a real estate agent in a property boom. You think you’re gonna get rich, but with the influx of new agents into the field it’s harder than ever.

In the old days, you’d go to a convention and some label head would give a prepared speech that said nothing. He’d trot out his successes and pat a few backs and then go out for a thousand dollar dinner.

Those people still exist. But they no longer run the music business.

The keys have been passed on to Troy Carter and his ilk, who find an act and then try to navigate the new world, knowing that admitting what you don’t know is almost as important as being sure of what you do. No one can know everything anymore. It’s about keeping your ears to the ground and hooking up with trusted filters, of information, of deals.

It’s exciting.

I was supposed to be here yesterday. Which in this case, means Tuesday, because right now it’s 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Having completely confused you, let me say I was totally flummoxed when I showed up at the airport on Sunday night and they wouldn’t let me get on the plane. Turns out you’ve got to have six months of validity left on your passport to get into Singapore, and I only had four, mine expiring at the end of September. I killed myself to get ready, I flew from the east coast and am still somewhere over Nevada mentally and you’re not gonna let me go?

Then I don’t want to go at all.

It’s like the worst case of blue balls ever. I’m ready to orgasm and then..?

So I call Felice in the car and she comes back to pick me up and when I get on the Internet I find out there are these expediting companies, that get you a passport fast. I gave one a ring. Even though it was Sunday night, they picked up.

No can do. He had no slots until Tuesday.

Well, what if I just showed up at the Federal Building myself, I don’t live that far away…

He gave me a number to try.

Turned out they couldn’t see me until Tuesday either, which begs the question why I’d need the expediting company, but if I don’t get my passport until Tuesday it means I don’t arrive until Thursday and then I’m gonna go home on Sunday?

You see it’s an eighteen hour flight. I had no idea when I agreed. Twelve, fourteen even, no big deal. But I crack open the "Wall Street Journal" a couple of months back and there’s this whole article about the longest flight in the world being from L.A. to Singapore. Oh, you can go nonstop from NYC too, but because of the curvature of the earth, it’s the same distance.

Whoa.

So I e-mail Jasper, who runs the conference, and tell him my dilemma.

He calls and tells me to sit tight. They’re gonna fix it with the government.

Huh?

All over the world, the game remains the same, it’s who you know.

And I stayed up until two a.m., five p.m. in Singapore, the end of the business day, to see if there was a resolution, but no e-mail came in. I’m lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, literally wondering whether I’m coming or going.

And it doesn’t pay to wake up early, and I don’t, but when I do there’s e-mail from Adrian, Jasper’s fixer, that it’s all been taken care of, that I’ve just got to show this e-mail at the check-in counter and at immigration and it will all work out.

Yeah, right.

I mean for a moment there, I was relieved. Then I contemplated the situation, what if I flew all that way and I couldn’t get in?

So with trepidation, I entered the International Terminal at LAX last night. Or was that two days ago… Who knows?

And I made a bad choice. I found the one guy who didn’t speak English that well. And I handed him the printout of the e-mail and he shook his head no and then he said he had to talk it over with his boss and disappeared for fifteen minutes.

Whereupon, Troy Carter proceeds to check in next to me.

And when he’s gone, while I’m still waiting, John Meglen checks in on the other side. Well, if I ever actually get on this flight, at least I’ve got friends.

So the clerk comes back and says they photocopied my document. Maybe I’ve seen too many spy movies, it made my anxiety rise, but they were gonna let me on the plane, so I went with it.

In the lounge I ran into Bob Ezrin. Who’s telling me about flying to Beijing after Singapore to get this woman to sing on the Two Cellos album, and I had no idea what that was either, but they’re Croatian, if I heard correctly, and they’re signed to Sony and Elton’s got some involvement.

And on the walk to the gate to the bus to the plane, I introduce Meglen and Ezrin and they become fast friends and I’m left out.

Oh well.

Who knows where Troy is…

And the plane is all business class. And at first I think the lighting is bad, but then it turns out there are lights in the seats!

And in addition to having wi-fi, you can even use your phone on the plane. I guess once you leave U.S. airspace, there’s no danger… Ha!

And I’m doing okay for a couple of hours, they serve me scallops and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, and then dread starts to sink in. I’ve only got…fifteen more hours?

Which is when I see Ezrin and Meglen circling the plane.

They call me over and we end up discussing the status of the world. Everything from EDM to Celine to Vegas and we were having a grand old time until Ezrin pooped out and I figured we were done but Meglen wanted to keep talking.

Whereupon I heard how a boy from Montana ends up promoting everyone from Celine to Prince. He tells me how he squired McCartney and Nancy around Coachella after they landed in their plane just before Swedish House Mafia. McCartney stayed to the end, and then whisked off to Uruguay.

So John is the concert guy at Washington State. And he hangs around Concerts West long enough to get some work…booking limos.

And from there he goes to L.A. to Cohl to Pace to SFX to Concerts West.

And so much was off the record that I really can’t explain to you what’s happening at the tippity-top of the concert world right now. But I will say they had to cancel a bunch of Avicii dates in arenas. In secondary markets, not enough people wanted to go. But if it had been in a tent…

And the flight attendant comes over to tell us the patrons are complaining, that we’re talking too loud, which is of course astounding, since there’s so much jet and wind noise.

But we go back a few rows and continue and on one hand I felt I should go to sleep and on the other…hell, I was having a good time, and anything that ate up the time…

Eventually we did sleep, woke up to some quiche and sausage and landed in a torrential rainstorm. I thought the plane’s lights were blinking, but it was lightning. Again and again and again.

And right now I’m sitting in the Ritz-Carlton, staring out at rush hour traffic from an incredible room. With a couch and a large bathroom…I could live here.

Well, not quite.

And we’ll talk a bit of business, we’ll have a few good meals. And I don’t know how much of Singapore I’ll really see, then again, they say there’s not that much to see. But I don’t want to be one of those musicians who doesn’t know whether he’s in Cleveland, Dayton or Louisville…