That’s what it said in the book I’m reading, "One Day", by David Nicholls.

I could tell you who says it and how it comes up, but that might ruin the book, and although I can’t fully recommend it, there are gems, there is insight, one is not reading just for plot, then again, I’m wondering how it all turns out, I’ve got an inkling…

But this one concept stuck with me.

Because I’m bad with people.

Oh, not really.  It’s not like I’m nonverbal.  It’s just that…I’ve got no time for phonies and I can’t make irrelevant small talk and if you’re truly boring I’m gonna probably gain my exit in a way that will offend you and definitely avoid you thereafter.

So, I felt a bit wounded when I read this.  Because I know it’s true.  I learned it in psychotherapy.  I’m working on it.

But it stuns me how many people are in my camp.  Who don’t know it’s how you interact that’s important, not where you went to school, not even who your parents are.  Sure, a Yale degree might get you in the door, your powerful dad might get you the gig, then what?

We’ve got two camps.  The uneducated who believe it’s all about fame, the "Jersey Shore" brigade, and the entitled who think life is like Boy Scouts, it’s about earning merit badges.

You know why so many of the people in the music business are successful despite being college dropouts?

They’re good with people.

Don’t confuse this with being nice to people.  They’re not mutually exclusive, but being able to manipulate is a skill that oftentimes pays more rewards than being nice.

Most powerful person in the music business right now?

Everyone agrees it’s Irving Azoff.  What you don’t know about Irving Azoff if you don’t know him is that he’s charming.  His conversation always lets on that he knows who you are and that he remembers your previous conversations.  He pokes fun at himself, makes jokes.  And it’s this intimacy that allows him to continue relationships with those he blows out of the water, who he manipulates.

Jason Flom?

He’ll tell you he doesn’t know something.  It’s so disarming.  Powerful people are supposed to be all powerful.  Without weakness.  Can you imagine Jimmy Iovine saying he doesn’t know something?

Can’t.  But Jimmy’s incredible with his artists.  He speaks their language, he supports them, he’s on their side.  If the public’s got a problem with him, he doesn’t really mind.  Jimmy’s not selling to you, his artists are.

So when you’re interacting with someone, trying to get ahead, remember that what you’re selling is secondary to the way you’re selling it.  Of course, sometimes the opposite is true, you’re so hot that everybody wants to be in business with you.  But beware, if you’re not nice, that Allen Toussaint song applies:

The same dude you misuse on your way up
You might meet up
On your way down

People don’t like unsolicited e-mail.  They don’t like to be yelled at, certainly if they’re not at fault.  You may have gotten an A in Statistics, but that don’t mean diddly-squat unless you work in a locked room at a corporation, staring at the screen, talking to no one.

Kind of like…me.

This interface, the computer, the Internet, allows me to connect with people sans so many of my anxieties, sans the issue of people wasting my time (the problem is those who do it don’t realize it, but you’re the people who call me on the phone and make it all about you…)

I’ve come a long way in being able to navigate the nasty waters of social interaction.  Especially the seas that are inherently uncomfortable.  Sure, it’s great when there’s an instant click, frequently those are the people you end up doing business with. But not always, because the click is secondary to efficiency.  But the click triumphs if all else is equal.

So no one cares where you went to college, certainly not in the music business.

But they’re very interested in who you know.  They want to be able to check references and find out if you show up on time, if you complete the assigned task, if you can be counted on.

It’s hard to break through if you know no one.

But being angry and confrontational with everyone you meet won’t pay dividends, not unless you’re already a big swinging dick.

Music is a business of perception.  Via smoke and mirrors, labels and managers make stars.  Or stiffs.

But sometimes the star is really a stiff.  But how do you know?

SoundScan helped.  With sales data published in seemingly every major newspaper and readily available online, you can see when a supposed star falters.  And then the dominoes continue to fall.  Radio stations stop playing the tunes and people stop going to the show.  No one wants to follow a loser, we want winners, all the time in the U.S!

But although we now have accurate sales data regarding recordings, (and despite the hype of the machine, the anemic numbers contribute to the death of the machine and the rise of the indie acts, I mean if a supposed star reaches this few people…) we’ve never had accurate data regarding concerts, certainly not accurate data available to the general public.

But now, in many cases, we do.  Thanks to Ticketmaster interactive seat maps.  Suddenly, you can see the show’s a stiff.  And chances are, if you aren’t a dedicated fan, didn’t buy your ticket the moment the show went on sale, you’re gonna now wait for that discount offer, or the cancellation.

Let’s start with Lilith, the summer’s whipping boy (girl?)

How big is demand?

Try this link:

Lilith
Verizon Wireless Music Center
Noblesville, IN

It’ll take you to the show next Tuesday at the Verizon Wireless Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana.

Now you see the seat map?

Click on a section…

All those dark blue dots?  Those are unsold seats.

But for a truly clear picture, go to the navigation arrows to the right, and move the slider all the way to the bottom, towards the minus icon.  You’ll now see the entire venue.  And you’ll see there are many unsold seats.

How about the Swell Season?  At Hollywood Bowl?

The Swell Season : She and Him : The Bird and The Bee
Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood, CA
Sun, Jul 18, 2010 07:00 PM

In this case, and maybe it’s because the tickets are sold via Ticketmaster and not its partner site, Live Nation, as it is in the case of Lilith, you’ve got to click  on "Use The Map".  Better yet, click on "Show Me How".  Then again, who reads instructions anymore?

But after clicking on "Use The Map", click on a section, then move the slider down to the minus position, and you’ll see that business is quite good for this gig.  Could be the cheap prices, could be the night under the stars at America’s most famous outdoor venue.

How about Rihanna and Ke$ha?  At the fabled 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds (ain’t that a mouthful…)?

Rihanna: Last Girl on Earth Tour with special guest Ke$ha
1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre At the Florida State Fairgrounds
Tampa, FL
Fri, Jul 30, 2010 07:30 PM

Well, she’s not as hot as perception.  All the truly good seats are sold, but once you veer from the center, availability is massive.

And John Mayer?

I wouldn’t run to get a seat, there are plenty available in Scranton:

John Mayer
Toyota Pavilion At Montage Mountain
Scranton, PA
Sat, Jul 24, 2010 07:00 PM

Then again, business is great in Cincinnati:

John Mayer with Train
Riverbend Music Center
Cincinnati, OH
Tue, Jul 27, 2010 07:00 PM

And kind of mediocre for a major market at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, CA:

John Mayer
Irvine Meadows / Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Irvine, CA
Tue, Aug 24, 2010 07:00 PM

Then there’s Phish, they’re sold out at the Berkeley Theatre on August 5th.

And you can’t get a hard seat at the aforementioned Noblesville, Indiana venue, but you can get a lawn seat…referencing what those in the know are aware of, Phish is not as hot as they were when they reunited, should they let it lay fallow or burn it out?  Do they utilize Irving Azoff’s philosophy or Howard Kaufman’s?

And speaking of Irving’s philosophy, which is to keep acts off the road and out of certain markets until demand has been reignited, are these new interactive seat maps good for the company or bad?  Good for promoters or bad?  Good for venues or bad?  Good for acts or bad?

Mmm…  Seemed like a great idea prior to the crash, when you couldn’t get a ticket, or believed you couldn’t get a ticket, but now?

Is this a case where we’ve got to return to the era of smoke and mirrors?  Hurting the public to save the business?

Not every gig has interactive seat maps, not every promoter or venue.  In some cases it’s on a date by date basis, you can see availability at Rihanna’s gig in Florida, but not at certain other venues.  Could this be because of poor sales?

Turns out that many of the acts we thought were winners are really losers, or are not that big.  How do we know?  SoundScan and these Ticketmaster interactive seating charts!

So, are we going to return to the days where the key was to underplay a market, to create heat?

I’d say so.

And I’d also say the public has seen the man behind the curtain.  That’s what data does, reveal truth.  These stars all over the magazines and on certain Websites?  In many cases their light is much dimmer than previously perceived.

"The major labels create a culture that isn’t based on music, but on celebrity."

Wall Street Journal: At the Electric Daisy Carnival

Wait a second, I’ve got another one almost as good!

"…if in 1994 you’d wanted to understand what our lives would be like right now, you’d still be better off reading a single copy of Wired magazine published in that year than all of the sceptical literature published ever since."

Clay Shirky in the "Guardian": ‘Paywall will underperform – the numbers don’t add up’

And the reason I quote Mr. Shirky is because in the above article he says:

"Everyone’s waiting to see what will happen with the paywall — it’s the big question. But I think it will underperform. On a purely financial calculation, I don’t think the numbers add up."

And the reason I quote this is because most of the "Wall Street Journal"’s articles are behind a paywall, and therefore the newspaper has little impact on societal discourse, especially regarding music.  Mr. Shirky says that the Web has unlocked social desires in the populace that have heretofore been dormant, lacking an outlet.  And now people are exchanging information, playing along, investing their time for free.  Boiling it down, if you want to get paid first and foremost, you lock yourself out of the equation.  Only by allowing your information to be freely traded are you relevant in today’s society.

I’ll make it very simple.  Those deejays that are never featured in TMZ or PerezHilton, they make light years more money than all those acts that believe it’s about publicity.

It ain’t about publicity, but music.  A great deejay can make $20 million a year.  As for his expenses…  Let’s see…there’s no U2 mega-stage, no flock of roadies, no buses, just a first class airline ticket and a laptop, maybe some turntables too.

The Electric Daisy Festival had more attendees than Coachella.  Think about that.  Electric Daisy got a fraction of the press. Sure, everybody there was on drugs, it was about being there as much as the music, then again, isn’t that EXACTLY what blew up music in the classic rock era?  You had to go to the show!

Do you really have to go to the shed to see has-beens or rip-off artists while you overpay for parking, beer and…

The stars?

Only known by the audience.  Like in the sixties.  Your mother knows who GaGa is, but David Guetta?  Deadmau5?

Remember when music wasn’t mainstream, but an alternative culture?  That’s the electronic music scene.

Quote number 3:

"How do you inspire them to come?"

Read the article to see who said this, but it’s the essence of our future.  You don’t inspire people to come by offering lawn tickets for ten bucks, certainly not by offering service fee holidays.  Then you’ve got a business proposition, and as long as you’re in that mode, you’re destined to lose.  Commentators constantly chide Apple for overpricing its products.  But the public seems to have no problem paying premium prices for iPads and Macs.  The Apple Store is a temple with low pressure salesmen that glide you through a purchasing process that leaves you elated.

How can we create music and gigs so enthralling that people can’t help but want to come?  Oldsters lament the loss of marketing tools like MTV and the decline in power of radio.  But if you’re looking backward, you’re missing the future.  Success is about creating a scene, something that isn’t in your face, but draws you to it.  Whether it be Bowie in the seventies or Deadmau5 today.

And I’m gonna let you in on a secret hiding in plain sight.  Both Deadmau5 and David Guetta have deals with EMI.  Sony, trumpeting their success with Susan Boyle?  That’s an evanescent inspirational story, that’s not inspirational music.  But these deejays, it’s not about fame, but what comes out of the speakers, the entire environment.  Hell, it’s public knowledge that these two deejays are signed to Terra Firma’s company, but you’d be fascinated by the details of the deals…

Final quote:

"Sales aren’t an accurate measurement of popularity, he told me. ‘My fans are all computer literate. For every album I sell, it’s passed on to 30 other people.’"

Passability, not sales, that’s what’s important.  Pay attention to BigChampagne, not SoundScan.  How do you create something so good people want to steal it, need to turn others on to it, that’s the question you should be asking, not HOW DO I GET PAID!

As we can see by the electronic music scene, there’s plenty of money extant, you’ve just got to drill down and create irresistible music.

Furthermore, these electronic music festivals aren’t cheap, tickets are nearly a hundred bucks, but that’s no impediment if you’ve got to be there, if you’re trying to have the time of your life!

I love Barcelona!

We have not had a bad meal here.  Let me change that, we’ve had nothing but GOOD meals here!  Last night we went to Loidi, which had severe decor (and no music!) and tiny portions on the prix fixe menu, but the food was SO good.  The veal was scrumptious! 

Loidi

And we had veal again tonight!

So we’re leaving in the a.m.  Not over the Pole, that only happens if you’re flying via London, and actually, it’s not really the Pole, but northern Canada, sorry Arlo Guthrie.  And needing a bite before we put our heads on our pillows we exited the hotel for Citrus, next door, which Andrea said was good.

But at the foot of the ramp I ran into Simon, the concierge, I’m a stickler for data, I love information, I’m constantly grazing for opinions.  Simon pooh-poohed Citrus and said we had to go to Ciutat Comtal.  Over one block and then down two.

Turned out to be down only one, but I’m not quibbling, because Simon was so right!

It was the way he waxed rhapsodic about the tapas that told me we had to go there.

One especially, a skewer of dates, bacon and cheese…  We ordered this.  DELICIOUS!  With the dates inside the caramelized bacon.

But just as good was the veal sirloin flauta.  MMMM!  The drippings of the meat invaded the bread and one bite was like a magic carpet ride to heaven.  And they’ve got real bread here, none of that phony L.A. soft stuff, the exterior is hard, it’s got CRUNCH!

The only loser was the Greek salad.  Too much feta, not enough vegetables.

And the dessert!  For such a lame billing, "Cake With Fruits", after quizzing the waiter it sounded like strawberry shortcake, so we got it.  What I wasn’t prepared for was the sauce, an elixir of butterscotch and caramel, Felice had to savor the remnants with the tip of her finger.

Yes, Ciutat Comtal was a factory.  The food started coming while I was in the bathroom, just having ordered.  But the vibe!  A counter with elements under glass like in a sushi bar, the din of waiting eaters, the savoring of tapas at each and every table…It felt so ALIVE!

So the magic everybody always talks about in Barcelona, I now feel it too.  The museums are better in Florence.  The shopping is better in Rome.  But the overall feeling, the sensation that you’re a member of the cult even though you just arrived…I’ve never experienced this anywhere else!

Ciutat Comtal

Ciutat Comtal counter