Last week at Musexpo, Tommy Nast asked me what my problem was with Clive Davis, why I spare no words in pointing out his faults.

IT’S BECAUSE HE DIDN’T GET MY FUCKING PERMISSION!

Do you read Seth Godin? Are you aware of "permission marketing"? To boil it down, we’re overwhelmed with marketing messages that we don’t believe, if you want to sell something to somebody you must have an ongoing relationship with them, you must have their PERMISSION to contact/interact with them.

Let me explain this to you in a language you can understand.

SPAM!

How much do you hate spam e-mail? Who are these fuckers who invade your inbox every day, wasting your time. Selling Megadik and asking you to front money for some dethroned African prince.

You’re not calm about spam… You want these guys STOPPED! You want them put in JAIL! You want your inbox to be CLEAN!

Clive Davis has been spamming my inbox. Everywhere I go, from trade publications to "Rolling Stone" to television this septuagenarian is telling me how fucking great he and his acts are.

Hate to tell you Clive, I NEVER thought Whitney Houston was that great. Might have had a slight desire to sleep with her for a minute or two before she hooked up with Bobby Brown and became a cokehead, but if her music comes on the radio, if I’m exposed to it ANYWHERE, I TURN IT OFF!

Shit, I’m trying to think of ONE FUCKING ACT YOU SIGNED AT ARISTA OR J that doesn’t make me sick, that I’m not overloaded on, that I haven’t had too much of.

Even poor little Alicia Keys. You know, the one who successfully ripped off that James Brown track to make her mark so she could continue to drop forgettable music into the marketplace. She’s friendly, she’s nice… SO WHY DO I HAVE TO SEE HER ON EVERY FUCKING AWARDS SHOW! Why do I have to see her change outfits. Why does she need a retinue of backup support. I thought it was about the MUSIC! And the more I’m exposed to her, the more I’m convinced, SHE’S NOT THAT GOOD! I went from mild fandom to indifference to HATE, all because of Clive Davis’ overexposure.

Clive… Did you sign the Beatles? The Stones? Nirvana? Radiohead? Is your catalog the most valuable in the business? NO! SO SHUT THE FUCK UP!

Same deal with you Madonna. Like you haven’t got enough money. It’s no longer about the music with you, it’s solely about the fame. You need to be dead center, in everybody’s line of sight, getting their attention. You want us to believe you’re twenty five when you’re almost fifty. You buy an insurance policy, otherwise known as Timbaland and Justin Timberlake, just so the little kids will pay attention. This ain’t music, this is COMMERCE!

And I’ve got to see you on the cover of "Vanity Fair". You’ve got to hype your fucking movie. Do these mini-concerts where you lip-synch to your music for a fawning press. Do you REALLY THINK WE CARE??

I admired you Madonna… For being a brilliant businesswoman. Now, you’re as desperate as a kingpin at Bear Stearns. You don’t want to be thrown on the scrapheap. And what you’re producing is as lightweight and forgettable as all of Clive Davis’ productions.

You sold 280,000 albums the first week out in America. WHOOPEE!! Let’s see… That means…ALMOST NOBODY GIVES A SHIT ABOUT YOU! You got a facelift, you worked out for hours a day, you paraded yourself almost naked in every medium known to man, everyone knows who you are, AND ALMOST NO ONE WANTS YOUR MUSIC!

This isn’t some stealth project. Something nobody knows about. EVERYBODY knows about Madonna, and most of the public is giving a shrug, they just don’t give a shit.

I’m pissed not only at Madonna, but a complicit press so out of touch with what the public wants to read, wants to hear musically. You wonder why papers are tanking. They’re out of touch with the American populace. What these sales numbers indicate is ALMOST NO ONE WANTS MADONNA ANYMORE! It’s like GM introducing a new SUV and only selling 10,000. WHOOPS! Sure, that’s a real figure, but was it worth all the R&D? Didn’t GM watch the Japanese, take into account the spiraling price of gas?

You don’t give GM a pass, so why do you give the press a pass?

There’s a gulf between the press and the public wide enough to sail the Titanic.

That’s what we’ve got today. A desperate industry trying to sell product the same way Tommy Mottola did fifteen years ago, by forcing it down our throats.

Meanwhile, Grand Theft Auto IV rakes in 500 million in a week. Could that be because IT’S COOL? It’s got a slight underground FEEL?

Think about that, not everyone can partake. Won’t play on a Wii, you’ve got to have a new Playstation or Xbox. That leaves MOST PEOPLE OUT! And it ain’t cheap… $60 for the game, never mind what you paid for the console.

Does it seem like the glory days of rock and roll to you? When kids HAD to buy the new Zeppelin album, HAD to see them in concert, when you COULDN’T GET A TICKET?

Zeppelin wasn’t all over the news, but they sold millions of records. And they weren’t the only ones.

Enough with your corporate tie-ins, your endorsements. You don’t belong to the fans, you belong to the BUSINESS! It’s ONLY about the bucks. And it doesn’t matter what I think, even the little kids know. They know there’s more truth in GTA IV than "Hard Candy". And they’re voting with their dollars. If you think they’re dumb…

So, stop dunning me. Try building a RELATIONSHIP with me. Do something great. Let me hear about it from someone else. Let me come to your site. Let me join. Instead of telling me how fucking great you are and that I need to pay attention.

My time is precious, and you’re wasting it, blocking my view, preventing me from doing what I WANT TO!

I just don’t understand the mentality. Wherein people believe they DESERVE THEIR DESIRE!

You can play basketball your whole life and never play for the Lakers. And you aren’t even gonna make the college team unless you’re tall enough and work hard enough.

Why does everybody believe you can be a music star instantly? Why does everybody believe if you do the work, you’ll succeed?

Maybe it’s reality TV. Maybe it’s Perez and TMZ. If other no-talents make it, you think you should too.

Or maybe it’s Clive Davis. Saying don’t bother to write. Or the prevalence of auto-tune.

I just don’t get it.

In the sixties we all wanted to BE the Beatles, but we never truly dreamed this could be a reality. We weren’t talented enough. We weren’t good-looking enough. Our voices weren’t good enough. Hell, we’d rather go out and play baseball and talk to girls than stay home every night and practice our instrument…with no guarantee of success!

Even the Beatles slugged it out. For years in Hamburg. If the Beatles had to pay their dues, if Capitol initially passed on selling their music in the States, what in hell makes you think YOU should make it??

You’ve got to be talented. If certain athletes are genetically built to climb mountains, to accomplish the almost unimaginable, what makes you think Jimi Hendrix or Eddie Van Halen don’t have something you’ll NEVER have. And Bob Dylan made it with a unique voice, but he’s the best lyricist of all time. Do you have a voice as good as Paul McCartney’s? As rich as John Lennon’s? That melts hearts when you’re singing the phone book? If not, chances are YOU CAN’T MAKE IT!

Can you write "Walk Away Renee"? Or "Satisfaction"? Or "Smells Like Teen Spirit"? Do people hear your music once and become fans, or do you have to pester them, foist demos upon them, beg them to be your MySpace friend?

Sure, you’ve got to be Net-savvy… But you’ve also got to be good. No, great. And sometimes even THAT ain’t enough.

So there’s a Guitar Center in your neighborhood. You learned to play your instrument via the tabs online. Your college or city has an open mic night. SO FUCKING WHAT! Just because I can sail a boat doesn’t mean I can be an America’s Cup skipper.

Just because I read the "New York Times" doesn’t mean I can truly debate Paul Krugman regarding economics. The guy’s a fucking Ph.D. for god’s sake. How many years did he go to college? Eight? Ten? How many years have you been out on the road? Two? And you think you deserve success? You’re frustrated that your unique gifts, which aren’t so unique, haven’t been recognized?

Do you know how badly Madonna wanted it? Come on. Do you have that pure desire? Are you willing to give up marriage, kids, a pension all in the HOPE of making it?

Are you willing to tour for years, not only honing your chops, but building a fan base?

Are you willing to work on your career instead of watching TV and drinking beer?

Shit, there’s room for a zillion lawyers. That’s seven years past high school, but at least there are a bunch of openings. But how many openings for music star ARE THERE? Why do you think YOU’RE ENTITLED?

Fire up that famous track from the second AC/DC album, "It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll)". That was released FIVE YEARS before "Back In Black". And, that track is as good as anything ON "Back In Black". Shit, the American record company didn’t even bother releasing "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" in America… Or the band’s very first record. They figured there was no DEMAND!

It takes SACRIFICE! If you’re making a house payment… Shit, if you’ve got HEALTH insurance and you’re bitching you haven’t made it yet, you’re not playing for real. True wannabe stars will forgo ANYTHING! They’ll eat ramen FOR YEARS, all in the HOPE of making it. That’s right, there’s no guarantee.

I guess it was better one way in the old days. These losers didn’t have a voice. There was no Net for them to complain on. They couldn’t afford to make a record and they got a day job and gave up their fantasy. But now, everybody’s bitching he didn’t get his turn. Shit, just because you got a trophy for being on the soccer team, which came in last place, THAT DOESN’T MEAN YOU’RE ENTITLED TO BE A MUSIC STAR!

Once upon a time, you had to go to the gig to hear the music. You had to go to Fred’s cave, or the agora, or the synagogue or the concert hall. Then came the ability to record and reproduce. Suddenly, you could take the music with you. Play it at will, assuming you had a turntable and electricity nearby. Hear it on the radio… Many people could hear music on the radio, it increased demand.

An entire industry was built around recording. And exhibition via the airwaves. And the live business was affected thereby. Instead of the tour being the big daddy, the recording generated ticket sales. The record company was king. And the record company wants to remain king.

Most people don’t want to give up what they already have. Hell, the Republicans have done a good job of making progress by saying that you should pay fewer taxes. Is this ultimately good for you in the long run? I don’t want to get into economic theory here, I just want you to contemplate…is it better for society, the greater good, if there’s a pile of money that can be spent for the benefit of all?

The major labels want their money. All they had and more, forever and ever. Is this good for the public?

No.

What’s best for society is if more people have more music. If everyone has access to music at a fair, low price. If everyone can own all the Beatle albums and the Stones’, along with the right to sample everything new. This is what the Net affords.

Think of it this way. Twenty years ago, only rich people and traveling salesmen had mobile phones. The devices cost a grand and calls were a buck a minute. Furthermore, there was essentially no portability beyond the car. Now, kids have cell phones and you can literally talk as much as you want for $100 a month. Hell, most people can talk for free every night and every weekend for a lot lower buy-in. Furthermore, you can now get your e-mail on your phone and surf the Web. What is this doing to the landline business? Decimating it.

Now some of the landline providers are in the cell phone business, they’ve hedged their bets. Some of the major labels are trying to survive in the twenty first century. But that doesn’t mean the cell phone revolution shouldn’t have happened to maintain the landline paradigm. The future happened. There were some losses along the way. Not all the players in the new world are the same as those in the old. But one thing’s for sure, society at large, the public, has benefit greatly by the introduction and the commoditization of cell phones.

Although you can buy digital tracks at the iTunes Store, in truth, it’s not much different from the old paradigm. Albums of twelve tracks used to cost $12. Now you can buy a track for a buck. Bottom line, users can buy only what they want, but labels are making a hell of a lot less. But iTunes generates no experimentation. The iTunes model actually delivers LESS experimentation. At least when you purchased the album you had a chance of discovering stuff you liked on it other than the hit. But now you don’t buy the album, and you’re not exposed to much.

Think about this world. Terrestrial radio has 22 minutes of commercials per hour. Is heavily formatted. Everyone complains that they can’t get on. If the only way to spread the word was radio and the iTunes Store, we’d be screwed. But because of the easy availability of tracks online, which can be acquired P2P, because of the easy ability to rip CDs and e-mail songs, we’re in an era of burgeoning discovery. Albeit of a vast number of tracks/acts. It’s now easier to discover and spread the word on music that is not controlled by the major label, by the record company/radio symbiotic game. What money flows…is not always to the usual suspects.

But, you say… If the labels had been smart, they would have copy-protected the CD and there could be no transfer, like the movie business did with the DVD.

I ask you… Would that be good for music? How many times do you watch the same DVD? Does a DVD go on the road? Is a DVD a closed enterprise, with a career? I just wrote that I listened to Walt Wilkins’ "Wrapped" ninety times…are you about to watch "Pirates Of The Caribbean" ninety times? And then be desirous of going to the theatre to see it again? And again? Like seeing your favorite act live? No.

The more music that’s distributed at a low cost, the better it is for acts in general. Is it as good for major labels, who no longer have a lock on distribution? No. A new act can go it alone and get paid, the usual toll taker has been… Let’s just say you don’t have to take the old road at all. And the major labels, like Mafia families, don’t like this.

Not that the majors should be ripped off. It’s just that they shouldn’t get a free pass, with the ongoing longevity of the old paradigm. They must figure out how to play in this new world. Chances are, new players will eclipse them, like Microsoft did with IBM, but it’s a level playing field. If IBM had been smart, it could have purchased MS DOS. The major labels can compete with the newbies…if they can get their heads out of the sand and adapt to the new world, which so far, they have not been eager to do.

Music should not be free. People should pay for acquisition. But how they acquire music and how much they should pay…that’s up for grabs.

Music acquisition should be free and easy. You should be able to get a lot for a little. As of now, there’s no legal solution that fits these criteria.

As stated above, iTunes is not the answer.

Nor is Rhapsody. It may be cheap, but it’s not easy. The interface is complicated and the hand-held players suck. Furthermore, if you don’t keep paying, you lose everything. A bad system? No. But it’s been proven most people don’t want it. And the consumer is king.

People want to own. Maybe not forever, but now. That’s a necessity, it’s immutable.

People don’t want to pay much. Somewhere between a couple of bucks and ten a month. That’s it.

People want free transferability. They want no hassles utilizing what they’ve already paid for and they want to be able to turn others on to what they like.

This system presently exists. It’s called P2P. Although ease of use could be debated.

But the original P2P, Napster… That was very easy to use. But the labels killed it. "Blender" says it’s the biggest record company mistake of all time

20 Biggest Record Company Screw-Ups of All Time

Even Hilary Rosen says Napster should have been licensed.

So all that’s happened in the last nine years is the major labels’ business has been crippled, and all those in the food chain under them have been hurt. Performers, writers, managers…even employees.

Let me restate… Going back to the past is a mistake. It can’t be done.

So where are we going in the future?

One solution… As my friend Jim Griffin always says, "monetize the anarchy". Issue licenses to those who trade P2P. License at the university level. Collect revenue instead of suing!

Should every broadband customer pay a fee, otherwise described as a tax? I’d say that’s okay. But if most don’t agree, sell the aforementioned license. If you don’t get one and trade, then you’ll be sued.

Do I have a problem with Universal’s Nokia deal?

Not conceptually. I’m all for trying new ideas. But not with the goal of protecting the usual suspects’ monopoly, not with the goal of limiting consumer usage.

You’re right. He who owns property has a right to deal with that property as he sees fit. The only problem is, the public has moved on, to deny the free trade of music in today’s marketplace is akin to continuing to fight the Vietnam war, or the Iraq conflict. It’s history, you’ve got to move on to the new reality, facts have changed.

But essentially none of this change has come from the major labels. Michael Eisner ignorantly derided Apple’s Rip/Mix/Burn campaign, not knowing that ripping your own CDs was legal. This ignorance is derided by the common folk, who just don’t understand how a generation of fat cats can be so out of it.

Finally, you must know, there’s no change without theft/law-breaking..

MySpace rips off the music, then the labels get into bed with the service.

Hell, the labels sued to kill the Rio, the predecessor of your beloved iPod.

If you stop stealing, if everybody stops stealing, we’re going to have a pretty awful world. Where people buy less music at the iTunes Store and it’s hard to hear new stuff.

I have a $167 cable bill. I barely watch TV. Tack on ten bucks a month for music. I’ll pay without blinking. I’ve said this for almost a decade. But my plea has fallen on deaf ears.

Only by continuing to download P2P, by everyone acquiring more music, filling up their iPods, will the labels be forced to capitulate. To license new distribution schemes that benefit all. I urge you to protest. Just like we did in the sixties against the Vietnam War. What some tried to do regarding the Iraq invasion, but were shouted down by those with a different, ultimately controlling agenda.

More music for more people. Everybody benefits. Even the major labels. The easier the distribution, the healthier the industry.

Distribute the pot of money a la ASCAP/BMI. Majors will make plenty, they’ve got great catalogs. Will they control the future?

We’ll see.

If you’re arguing against theft, if you’re arguing for higher prices, you’re showing your ignorance, you’re shilling for the man. Please open your eyes to the overall game. The distribution lines must be redrawn, for the benefit of artists and society. Don’t let the usual suspects tell you otherwise. They’re just afraid of the future. Which will benefit them too, if they’re willing to hunker down and compete, just like everybody else.

If I get one more e-mail from a middling artist telling me how tough life is, how the Net has ruined their income, their lives, their careers, I’m gonna EXPLODE!

The Net is the very best thing that has ever happened to everybody but superstars.

We can debate the effect upon superstars at a later date… Or the inability to be a superstar. But if you used to have a recording deal, and you lived off the advances/royalties, and now you’ve lost your deal or your sales are off…I’VE GOT NO SYMPATHY FOR YOU!

I’m not saying people shouldn’t pay for music. Let’s legalize P2P, let’s authorize new consumption methods, let’s cast a wide net… But until that happens, stop crying in your beer and seize the opportunity!

The major labels are freaked out. Because historically they’ve only made money in the recorded music sphere. They’ve got opportunities in the future too, if they’d only step into the twenty first century. But they’re about amalgamation, you’re about…one.

Everything you build comes back to you. Every effort you make enhances your career. Choices may not be as obvious, effects might not be measured instantly, but get in the game for the long haul and watch as dividends get paid.

First and foremost, for the very first time in history, you can know who your audience is. You can collect the e-mail address of everybody who likes your music. Maybe give a track away for free for an e-mail address. Maybe not all of the addresses will be valid, but if they’re truly fans, they’d LOVE IT if you contacted them in the future. This is what Led Zeppelin did with their O2 ticket sale, this is what Radiohead did with their name your own price "In Rainbows" deal, this is what Trent Reznor does again and again. You have to harvest e-mail addresses. So when you go on tour, when you’ve got something to sell, you can ALERT YOUR FANS!

And it’s no longer ONLY when you’re on tour. You can sell t-shirts while you’re at home watching the tube. People who’ve never seen you live can order a t-shirt or keychain or autographed tchotchke. Hell, you can PERSONALIZE all your merch and sell it at an exorbitant price. Shit, you can even ask your fans for money to record. True fans will give you ALL their dough. They want to support you, they’re in it for the long haul… Unlike the label. If your first emphasis track/single fails, the fan doesn’t drop you, he redoubles his effort, he’s even more committed, because you NEED HIM!

Stop trying to take the easy way out. Looking for a sugar daddy, a bank. Start doing the hard work. Or get your spouse to do the heavy lifting. Or enlist a fan, who will do it all FOR FREE! Doubt me? Then how about all those fans who establish Websites in your honor. They’ll do the authorized one FOR NOTHING!

And that site has to be updated EVERY FUCKING DAY! So people will continue to come back, to bond.

Just because music can be stolen doesn’t mean you can’t sell it. Hell, look at iTunes, it exists side by side with P2P. And sell vinyl, which can’t be downloaded and traded. Even if people don’t have a turntable, they want the physical object as a work of art, as a totem of their dedication!

Don’t tell me you can’t get a deal. That advances are low. That publishing royalties are off. That’s like lamenting you can’t find anybody to fix your cathode ray television. That’s all HISTORY! You’ve now gone cottage industry. Instead of going to the bar, maybe you should get an MBA, because that’s what you’re running, a tiny corporation…that can throw off MILLIONS of dollars if you think about it and execute.

In the not so distant future, there will be entrepreneurs who will help you do this. Who will pick up the slack for a fee. Just like record labels do now. At first you’ll love them, then you’ll hate them for having so much power, the same way the labels hate Apple and iTunes. You can do this work… If you’d just get up off your lazy butt and GO FOR IT!

Or maybe the cold hard truth is too hard to take. You’re just not good enough. The label that dropped you was right, they made a mistake, they shouldn’t have signed you, you’re not commercial. Maybe only your mother and best friend truly like your music. YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO AN AUDIENCE! You must EARN your audience. Maybe doing some experimentation isn’t such a bad thing. Does your audience like vocals or instrumentals? Long or short numbers? Novelty tracks or love songs? Sit down, write and record some material and put it up on your site. See what’s downloaded the most. Ask for feedback. Ask YOUR FANS what to do, what they can do FOR YOU! Mobilize your fan base.

You’re living in the best era for music creation and distribution in the history of mankind. By complaining, you’re just showing your ignorance. Knowing how to play is not enough. Just like you can’t survive in today’s world without knowing how to type. Don’t cling tighter to history and complain, take a typing lesson, do some research, TAKE A CHANCE!