I love this record by Hoku.

Wait, wait a minute, don’t disappear! Hang in there! Listen to my story!

I’m not a dirty old man. Well, maybe I am. But the appeal isn’t Hoku herself, who is now on her way to thirty, but her record, not only her single, her whole damn album released in 2000.

I remember having lunch with Jeff Gold, when he was head of marketing at Warner Brothers, back in 1990. When I asked him what he listened to, he said pop, he liked Madonna.

And I like some of those Madonna records too. The ones from "True Blue". "La Isla Bonita" and "Live To Tell". But I prefer the sixties stuff, a whole movie, a whole symphony in three minutes. A whole range of emotions. Beach Boys tracks that take you away, not only to your room, but your car, the beach, places where you’re not affected by the bullshit of society and just feel GOOD!

I’ve never forgotten that long ago conversation. I wasn’t on Jeff’s team that day. I was truly into the hipper stuff, the more innovative stuff. But I’ve come to realize that if you can work within the constraints of pop music and succeed, your triumph oftentimes exceeds the triumphs of…Triumph, or for that matter Rush or even U2.

Oh, I love those album tracks from "Achtung Baby". But "Beautiful Day" is not in the league of "Another Dumb Blonde".

It starts off like the rising sun. With synth awakenings.

And then Hoku breathily starts telling her story…

I think that it’s time that I should just let you go
So I’ll tell it to your face instead of tell it to you on the phone

Now there’s honesty, not the platitudes of rockers clad in leather. How do you dump them? In e-mail? Or just ignore them? Or do you confront them with your complaints?

Interesting dilemma.

And as the story unfolds, as the song builds, you’re caught up in a wave. You’re at Malibu, in the surf, riding headlong towards the beach. You’re in the moment.

But what pushes the song over the top, what seals the deal, is the Beatles’ trick…the bridge!

You want just a little trophy hangin’ on your arm
So all your friends will see you got it goin’ on
But I see what you are so clearly
But baby, baby, that’s not all that you need

Oh, ain’t that the story! The guys, who are all about appearances! That’s Hollywood!

And then the song explodes in an orgy of sound. The finally free Hoku is singing from deep in her heart, the instruments are cascading, the wave is breaking, you’ve got only one option, to play the damn song again!

And now, seven years later, I’ve found another Hoku, with a companion to "Another Dumb Blonde". "Teardrops On My Guitar" is a ballad, not an exuberant rocker. But, it’s got the same teenage honesty, the kind that haunts you your whole life.

Drew looks at me, I fake a smile so he won’t see
That I want and I’m needing everything that we should be
I’ll bet she’s beautiful, that girl he talks about
And she’s got everything that I have to live without

The personalization! "Drew"! That’s probably Taylor Swift’s complete contribution to this composition, but it makes the difference. While established pop stars sing platitudes, Taylor has let us into her life, her bedroom, her innermost thoughts, with her very first word!

Oh, it’s so terrible to have a crush. Especially when you feel it’s unrequited. And if you tell them and they don’t feel the same way, the relationship is ruined, you can never be friends again.

Drew talks to me, I laugh ’cause it’s so damn funny
That I can’t even see anyone when he’s with me
He says he’s so in love, he’s finally got it right,
I wonder if he knows he’s all I think about at night

Oh, she’s not acting for him. Everything he says truly does make her laugh. Because she’s in love with him.

Love. It’s something that first happens to you when you’re ten or eleven. Oh, you’ve had feelings for your teacher prior to this. But suddenly when you’re in the presence of a girl you get butterflies, the moistness above her lip has your stomach doing backflips. You’re possessed. There are no tricks you can employ to keep her out of your mind. It’s driving you crazy. How long will this last? If you just blurt out your feelings will she look you in the eye and say she agrees or does that just happen in movies?

He’s the reason for the teardrops on my guitar
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star
He’s the song in the car I keep singing, don’t know why I do

It took me over a month to truly appreciate "Teardrops On My Guitar"’s magic. It seemed sing-songy. It seemed the work of another barely pubescent country act. Until in the car today I had a eureka moment. When I heard the last line quoted above. A song you keep singing? That’s the magic of music, isn’t it? The way it penetrates you and you can’t get rid of it. A song percolates and then repeats itself in your mind for days. Sometimes one you love, sometimes one you hate. Yes, you’ve heard that song too many times. Like Billy Preston’s "Will It Go Round In Circles". I hated it, but then I couldn’t get it out of my brain.

Drew walks by me, can he tell that I can’t breathe?
And there he goes, so perfectly,
The kind of flawless I wish I could be

The wind is knocked out of you. Just thinking of her makes your heart skip a beat. But when she truly appears in the distance, your first instinct is to run. So you don’t reveal how geeky and imperfect you are. And even if your ultimate conversation is reasonable, you constantly debate in your head whether you fucked it up, the only way to break the spell is to run into her again, to get another chance. But each chance tears at your heart, takes a little piece of your soul. If only she would be with you. She’s perfect. The shine of her hair, her smile, she’s more magical than any movie star, and she’s here, in the flesh.

It was only today that I made the Hoku/Taylor Swift connection. It was the vocal. But it’s also the vitality. The feeling of being alive. We get older and we lose our optimism, our hope. But it’s this awakening of our inner feelings that make us feel alive. Oftentimes we’re dead inside, beaten down by society. Then a song comes on the radio, and we’re sixteen all over again.

Hoku
(It won’t play in Safari on a Mac, download Firefox.)

Taylor Swift Myspace

The hardest part is getting noticed.

There are numerous media competing for the audience’s mindspace. And numerous musical enterprises/records as well. So, the plan must center first around getting attention, not getting paid.

In the old days, the major labels controlled a finite landscape. They had what was perceived to be the best music, and they owned both radio and retail, which were the major ways of learning about music. So, there were few companies with few products fighting over little mindspace. Furthermore, you had to buy the product to experience it.

Now we live in a land of abundance. There are tens of thousands of acts and albums emerging/coming to market every year, the majors don’t necessarily have the best, and just about all of them can be experienced at the listener’s leisure, on the Web. The question is how do you get people to listen?

If you’ve got a pop confection, the major labels are the place to go. They control the old outlets, which can reach the most people most quickly. The only problem is the old outlets, the mass media, are only interested in the mass market items, and a great percentage of the public isn’t even paying attention. So, even if you’re the beneficiary of a carpet bomb campaign, a great percentage of America will still be clueless as to who you are, and won’t care that they’re out of the loop, might even be proud of being out of the loop. So, the question becomes how to reach these people.

You can’t reach them by asking them to buy first. Quite the contrary, it’s like catching a fish. You’ve got to drop quality bait and wait.

Quality bait…

When there was limited product, quality was less of an issue. Kind of like Trabants were the automobile of choice in Eastern Germany, they were all that was available. But with the fall of the Wall, the higher quality of the Western world’s automobiles was embraced, and the Trabant ceased production.

In other words, how are you going to keep them down on the farm after they’ve seen Paree?

The Web is Paree.

But it’s worse. It’s infinite. And there’s no road map. And no guide, not yet, saying what is good.

You can rail against this new world, or try to figure it out.

You establish a beachhead. You try to get people to notice you. And the way you do this is not through endless cross-linking and widgets and all the tools of the helpless, hapless wannabes, but quality music. It’s the only way you can get recognized. Unless you take your clothes off. But that still does not sell records. Just ask Tila Tequila.

That’s scary. Because although they won’t admit it, most acts suck.

Don’t think of how you’re going to sell your music, but how you’re going to get better. Learn how to play your instrument, not how to style your hair. Image is far less important in the new world, where everybody is accessible. You want to be a member of the group, not above or below. You certainly don’t want to be below, in the dreaded world of TMZ, where those with a modicum of celebrity are ridiculed. Your identity must take a back seat to your music.

And this music must be freely available.

The tunes themselves are no longer enough to rally around. The tunes are the enticement to your lifestyle, your club. You don’t want people to buy your music, you want them to become members of your club.

Everybody wants to belong. And exclusivity is not the key, but quality. Style is trumped by substance. Case in point, the iPod. First and foremost, it is perceived to be the easiest used and highest quality MP3 player. The fact that it looks good is just the sauce. The fact that everybody has one degrades its integrity/likability barely a whit. Because if something is truly great, people don’t care that others are on the ride along with them (like the Beatles!) Most people only reject mass groups when quality is perceived to be lousy. Or when style is triumphant. Like the Razr. It looked cool, but it didn’t do anything new and different. And now Motorola is in trouble. Apple is not in trouble.

So, make someone a member of your club, and then they’ll give you all their money. I.e. the iPhone. Apple loyalists, indoctrinated by their purchase of an iPod or Mac, or both, needed the iPhone as evidence of their club membership. They needed to let everyone know where they were coming from, where they belonged. Just like your fans will buy your t-shirt if they believe you’re good. Wearing it makes them feel good, it lets everybody else know they’re a member of the group. Most people don’t want to be a member of an evanescent group, they want someone who stays. So focus on staying, unless you’re in the major label pop category above.

But, you say, Apple charges for their products.

That’s apples and oranges. Google doesn’t charge to search. And didn’t even have a business plan until it had reached a critical mass of users. You need the critical mass first if you’re selling software. And, Google and your music are just bits. Whereas iPods and iPhones are physical objects.

Oh, don’t get caught up in the mind-set of people paying for your music. They will, but you must entice and hook them first.

So, how do you spread the word?

You don’t. Your audience does.

Your audience has tuned out marketing messages. You’ve just got to get a few diehards to believe, and they’ll do the marketing work for you. And for this work, you pay them. Not in dollars, but kind. Free access to your shows. Rehearsal tapes. Their main goal is to feel a part of something. Let them in. And instruct them. Not to force your music on to everybody. That this isn’t a job, but a calling, a cause. That could take years to reach fruition.

And what is fruition?

A self-sustaining music career.

Right now, music is almost free. The new modes of acquisition need to be monetized, but until they are, don’t focus on selling the music, but everything else. The live show. The merch. If you get really big, destination gigs, cruises. Be inventive. Everybody wants to hang with the club. Furthermore, hard core fans will still buy the CD as a badge of honor.

The key is not to reach everybody instantly, but to keep satisfying your core. Their friends will follow along just to experience what they’re dedicating their lives to.

I know this is all very confusing and hard. Because it’s the opposite of what you’ve been told for fifteen years. The opposite of Tommy Mottola style, the opposite of Clive Davis style.

Tommy Mottola was about orchestrating a campaign. But now very few people are paying attention to any campaign. You can’t get all the eyeballs you used to.

And Clive Davis eviscerates the honesty of the acts. He calls in professional songwriters, he crafts an image and an identity. All that is left is the song, you’re just a cog in the wheel, you can be quickly forgotten. You don’t want to be forgotten, but remembered.

It’s less about crafting a catchy hit than capturing the ears and minds of your fans. Look at Dispatch. They might not make music memorable to Clive, but most of Clive’s charges can’t sell out arenas years after they’ve broken up. Kelly Clarkson can’t sell out arenas seeming moments since her last big hit, still in the public eye all the while.

You’re in control. It’s not about getting the attention of some mover and shaker. Your team is you, all the time. You’re convincing the end buyer, middlemen are no longer relevant. Forget radio, forget retail. It’s about having a presence on the Web and allowing people to find you. And playing live. But that’s actually less efficient than your Web campaign, you reach fewer people playing gigs. The tour is the victory lap. If you can go on the road and charge, if you can put together a whole tour, you’re on your way to success, you know you’ve got something going.

Sure, some people can make it based on the live vibe first and foremost. Then the Web is about the community first, not the music.

But if music is first, it’s got to be free and available and a cadre of fans must be motivated to spread the word.

This is not hard. That’s what people do, tell others about what they’re enjoying.

But their friends know when they’re sincere, when they’re getting paid, and when they’re doing it from the bottom of their heart. Sincerity, believability, credibility, they’re key to longevity. There’s no longevity in the shenanigans on TV and TMZ. If you want to play there, be my guest. But it’s not about music so much as fame. And you’re a musician, right?

This is a HIT!

Go to the iTunes Store. TODAY! And in the center of the homepage, click to download the free single of the week, "Bubbly", by Colbie Caillat.

This is lazy and infectious. Akin to Jack Johnson, but catchier.

I have no idea what caused this album, "Coco", to go to number one on the iTunes chart upon release. I’m sure there’s a story. But it’s so easy to be out of the loop these days. People are proud of being out of it. Otherwise, they’d be buried by the avalanche of hype. But when something reaches you, through whatever means possible, and you embrace it, you tell everybody you know.

"Bubbly" is akin to a track from the seventies. When James Taylor and Carole King ruled. This is Norah Jones if Norah lived in California and wrote her own material from the get-go. Listening to "Bubbly" just makes you feel good.

As for the rest of the tracks on her MySpace page, who decided the drum machines which seemed so hip in the eighties are still relevant today? They make "The Little Things" and "Feelings Show" almost unlistenable to me. But "Realize" is sans fake drums, and it’s pretty good and listenable.

Listenable… Don’t put your judgment hat on here. Don’t debate whether Colbie is for the ages, just imagine driving up PCH with the top down, letting the music wash over you. That’s what this sound is about. For that respite when you’re carefree, before school goes back into session.

Better yet, scroll down Colbie’s MySpace page to the fourth video. "Droplets", played live acoustically with her partner Jason Reeves last December 20th. There’s no auto-tune. No name producer or mixer. Just honesty.

And I believe there’s a place for honesty. That the public clamors for honesty. Colbie works because she’s not an airbrushed Paris or Lindsay, but the girl you went to school with. Who’s got a life outside of paparazziville.

This isn’t so far removed from the sixties. When everybody picked up a guitar and we sat around the living room singing Beatle songs.

This is Jewel without the cuteness.

Open your heart.

Or, if it’s closed, that’s your prerogative.

You might want to smash the radio when "Bubbly" is overplayed this summer. But for now, it truly is a breath of fresh air. Fresh, Malibu ocean air.

And yes, her dad is Ken Caillat. And there’s a story here. But I don’t believe the MySpace tale. Because when a bigwig called me about signing her months ago only one track had been played on her page and there were no Google hits. But however the manipulation was executed, it worked. Fully birthed we’ve got someone women can resonate with, who they don’t have contempt for, who they believe might grow and have something to say in the future.

And boys too. Check the proposal video on the MySpace page.

And, the MySpace page is riddled with hype and sales tools. And I normally lament these things. But in this case, the music is truly doing the selling. My definition of a hit is something that is ear-pleasing, that you want to hear more than once, that puts you in a trance, and for one small moment makes you forget how truly hard life is and what a bullshit world we live in. "Bubbly" qualifies.

Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Sugarland, Sara Evans, Pat Green

Saturday 7/7/07
Qwest Field-Seattle, WA
Gross: $3,281,121
45,939/45,939 (100%)
Ticket prices: $91.50/$51.50

That’s a lot of fucking money.

I’d say if you want to profit in the future, rather than hunt down the latest rap star, you should be trolling for cowboy hats. These guys do well EVERYWHERE! And by that I mean recorded music sales, TV, live gate, merch…

It all works in country music.

But in the pop world?

The labels want to sell records. A lot, quickly. The manager of a developing act might want to move slowly. An act with traction might want to say no. The interests are opposed.

In order to have success today, all interests must be aligned. Do you want these under the corporate umbrella?

Probably not. You want an independent thinker, a MANAGER!

Country speaks to people. Too many Top Forty records make people move, but they slide right off of them. They’re background, not primary. Country music is primary in people’s lives.

And don’t think this is solely about the "festival", the multiple headliners. Kenny Chesney, supported by Pat Green, hardly a superstar, sold out the Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Marysville, CA (17,384) the Tuesday before, and the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA (16,783) the Monday before.

There’s something happening here, do you know what it is, Mr. Jones?

Rush

Monday 7/2/07
Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY
Gross: $860,671
12,300/13,851 (88.8%)
Ticket prices: $125.50/$29.50

They’ve only sold 213,620 copies of their new album, "Snakes & Arrows", but their fans still want to see them live.

If they didn’t have a record deal, I’d tell them to go all Prince on us. Rather than report anemic SoundScan figures, why not just give the album away to the diehard fans, who are paying to see them, who want to see them, oftentimes at high prices.

Otherwise, they’ll never be able to play the new material in concert, everybody will go to the bathroom. They’ll just be able to play the hits.

It’s about getting your music HEARD! It’s not about how many CDs you sell. By focusing on selling product, acts are actually hurting themselves. Don’t tell their record labels, but the performers have got to know this. Every act that the big label built…unless the big label can provide incredible visibility, should put out its album itself. It’ll make all the money. And, as we move to Web distribution, people can find the tracks on iTunes from indies as easily as those from majors. And most of these acts ARE NOT GOING TO GET ON THE RADIO ANYWAY!

John Mayer, Ben Folds, Brett Dennen

Friday 6/22/07
Smirnoff Music Centre, Dallas, TX
Gross: $748,881
19,552/19,552 (100%)
Ticket prices: $55.50/$35.50

Friday 6/1/07 (with Rocco DeLuca instead of Brett Dennen)
Amphitheater in Clark County, Ridgefield, WA
Gross: $384,594
9,505/17,650 (53.9%)
Ticket prices: $53.50/$29.00

He doesn’t sell out everywhere, but he averages about 10,000 paying customers a night. And that’s VERY GOOD!

Attribute it to his hit songs. Attribute it to his focus on playing. He appears legit in a sea of impostors.

But that’s not why I’m writing about this. I’m writing about this tour because of Mayer’s endorsement deal with BlackBerry.

Yes, "Hits" mentioned this today. It just shows that other people are noticing. And isn’t that the point?

I saw the ad in a magazine and paused for a minute, thinking THAT’S COOL!

Unfortunately, the BlackBerry is cooler than John Mayer AND his music. But I want to applaud the innovative thinking here. If you’re going to do endorsements, and I’m AGAINST THEM (you profit, but they cheapen the music) align yourself with a hip company, not just one that will write you a check.

But I’d rather play with my new BlackBerry 8830 World Edition than listen to Mr. Mayer’s discs. Although some of the tracks are good. Like "Waiting On The World To Change" and "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room". If only they were as good as the white rock/blues records of the sixties, if only they stretched the format, added something new. Still, you’ve got to hand it to this guy. He’s overexposed, he dates a bimbo, and he STILL sells tickets, he STILL means something. This is tribute to how EASY it is if you just focus on the talent.

People think John Mayer is talented. They don’t think ANY "American Idol" winner is talented. Focus on talent.

True Colors Tour: Cyndi Lauper, Erasure, Deborah Harry, The Dresden Dolls, Margaret Cho

Thursday 6/21/07
Chastain Park Amphitheatre, Atlanta, GA
Gross: $486,801
6,687/6,687 (100%)
Ticket prices: $79.00/$39.00

Not every date was a sellout. The tour only did 2,603 out of 4,798 in San Diego. But other gigs varied in attendance from 4,000-10,000. And that’s a good sign, if you’re BUILDING SOMETHING!

And that’s what Cyndi Lauper is doing here. And she needs to be applauded for this. In a business where everybody wants all the money, and they want it now, it’s good to see someone try something different, and have promoters support it.

And I know there’s something happening here because I WENT! To see Jake’s band the Cliks, opening in Los Angeles.

And I’ve got to tell you, we couldn’t leave our seats. Because the show never stopped. In between musical acts, Margaret Cho did standup, oftentimes so blue it’s amazing that it’s even permitted in Cheney’s America. I’d quote a bit of it here, but I’m not sure you can stomach it. But it was funny.

And it was funny hearing it amidst this crowd, mostly society’s cast-offs. The gays, the bisexuals, the demonized. It wasn’t scary, it was LOVING! Every homophobe should go to a True Colors show to see these people…ARE PEOPLE TOO!

Cyndi Lauper is performing a service. And when she sang "True Colors", there truly was not a dry eye in the house.

Another highlight… Rosie O’Donnell’s unbilled appearance.

The only lowlight? Debbie Harry. She’s had enough plastic surgery to look in her twenties again, and she played new material that no one wanted to hear. It was the talk of the hoi polloi, how AWFUL she was. Hey Debbie! Even if you made a great new record no one would play it! It’s not 1979 anymore!

Def Leppard, Styx, Foreigner

Saturday 6/30/07
First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, IL
Gross: $614,249
15,848/28,534 (55.5%)
Ticket prices: $264.00/$23.50

This is a fuck of a lot of money. A lot of people.

But how many years in a row can Def Leppard go out? Even farmers let their fields lie fallow. By time they’re through overcharging to see these one time poster boys summer after summer NO ONE will want to see them, not for the better part of a DECADE! Like Fleetwood Mac. Who, ironically, share the same manager.

Live Nation needs to fill their buildings. Howard Kaufman wants to get paid. Maybe Def Leppard does too. But even JOURNEY took the summer off. What’s that expression, leave them wanting more? Making yourself unavailable makes you DESIRABLE? Def Leppard is breaking every rule.

They’re entitled. But do you want to do the same?

Bob Dylan’s out constantly. But you never know what to expect. And, he might die any minute, and you want to be able to say you’ve seen him.

But there’s nothing new about the Def Leppard show.

And isn’t it creepy it’s not the complete Styx, and Foreigner is sans its vocalist. Doesn’t anybody get the memo?

Or maybe people just want to remember their youth.

But this is not as strong a package as last year’s with Journey. Journey are now the superstars, Def Leppard are not.

And last year it was the FAKE Journey, two different lead singers.

If the original Journey got back together, they could sell out stadiums. Oh, they wouldn’t have the cred of the Police, but they’ve got the FANS!

I’m not one of them. But it might be exciting just to be part of it, to be at the gig to hear the ROAR!

I guess at one time I thought Def Leppard was more than pretty faces. Those two records, "Pyromania" and "Hysteria", are eighties classics. Then again, those are the ones done with Mutt Lange. Just like AC/DC’s legendary records were made with the same producer. The more the band’s on the road, grinding it out for a buck, the more I’m disillusioned. Maybe Mutt was the true star.

Oh, everybody’s got to eat. But I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stood alone in the dark, as "Hysteria" poured out of the stereo, making me feel good, in times when I felt down and at others when I was already elated!

This is our music. The machine thinks it’s all grist for the mill. But it’s not to us. Protect your legacy judiciously. Know that you can alienate a fan just like that. Casual customers will fill the seats for a while, but when the fans abandon you, you’re on your way to extinction.

Nelly Furtado

Thursday 6/7/07
The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Gross: $316,400
4,992/4,992 (100%
Ticket prices: $65.00/$45.00

That was her best gig.

In Boston, she did 3,644 out of 6,500 (56.1%).

In Sayreville, NJ, she did 1,165 out of 2,050 (56.8%).

In Detroit, she did 1,761 out of 2,585 (68.1%).

In Grand Prairie, TX, she did 2,375 out of 2,503 (94.9%).

In other words, she did SHITTY! And these weren’t big halls to begin with, positively small, THEATRES!

Her album has sold 1,873,719 copies, it’s still number 50 on the chart A YEAR LATER!

In other words, record sales don’t mean shit. Work with Timbaland all you want. Have a hit on Top Forty radio that fewer people are listening to every day. Most people are not paying attention. They don’t think you’re REAL! Real acts don’t conspire with a multitude of people, the usual suspects, to create their of the moment music. No one’s even going to REMEMBER her tracks half a decade from now. No one’s even going to PLAY them! (Have you heard Eminem recently?)

It’s not about music being stolen, that’s not the big story in the music business today. It’s about the bifurcation in its soul. Touring used to reflect record sales. No longer is this the case. And the real acts, the lasting acts, can all do good live business. The public got the memo, the press has not. As for the major labels? If they want a taste of every piece of the pie they’ve got to be trustworthy, have the act’s best interests at heart. Ain’t that a laugh.

Live/Collective Soul

Sunday 6/10/07
NOKIA Theatre Times Square, New York, NY
Gross: $90,255
1,800/2,100 (85.7%)
Ticket price: $55.00

Television kills acts’ careers. The more exposure you get, the briefer your career. How come only Pearl Jam got the memo?

These were two of the best MTV acts. Live had not only "Lightning Crashes", but some credibility. Collective Soul had hits, even an anthem. Enough to pay eighty bucks to go to see? OF COURSE NOT! This is a soft ticket show at best.

And eighty bucks? Why is a $55 ticket eighty bucks?

From: Patrick Forte
Subject: TicketMaster

Bob:

I was turned on to your newsletter by a friend a few months back. I’m never one to write. I’m not an industry insider. I don’t work in the music business. I’m just a fan of good music. More specifically, I’m a fan of good LIVE music. I try to get out to as many shows in and around LA as possible, although as a single dad, I definitely have to prioritize.

I logged into TM to grab a couple of tickets to Martin Sexton at HOB in Anaheim. I’m sure you’ve written about this many times (forgive me) – but this really got my goat.

Tickets: $20 – Great price. Martin Sexton puts on an amazing show.
Building Facility Charge: $2.50 per ticket – OK – I guess HOB is grabbing their share.
Convenience Charge: $8.45 per ticket – I’ve become accustomed to paying the TM ransom

Tonight I saw an additional fee for the first time

Order Processing Charge: $3.80

I bought these tickets on TM.COM. It’s not like I was buying them from a third party was being charged a fee for their service. Just another fee from TM. What a joke. Something has to be done. I’m so tired of the BS associated with TM.

I understand the need to run a profitable business. My problem: for two $20 tickets the total bill came in at $65.70. Money notwithstanding, paying a 64% service charge (for anything) drives me insane!

It’s not TicketMaster’s fault, it’s the BUSINESS’ FAULT!

Everyone sophisticated knows those additional charges are profits. In many cases the ONLY profits the promoter will accrue. They’re not included in the ticket price because then the act will want to commission them.

So, we have an archaic business model that pisses fans off, which is only HURTING THE BUSINESS!

If there were a P2P for concert tickets, the industry would be fucked. Point is, the industry has to get its house in order. It needs a final price. This standoff is ultimately going to create so much ill will it’s going to start cutting down grosses. But then it will be too late. When no one trusts not only TicketMaster, but LiveNation, AEG and the ACTS!

This has gone on too long. How about a standard industry contract. Specifying that certain charges are uncommissionable. Oh, negotiate forever, but if you don’t come to an agreement, it’s gonna hurt you.

Robin Thicke

Tuesday 5/22/07
Lifestyle Communities Pavilion, Columbus, OH
Gross: $35,873
1,237/2,200 (56.2%)
Ticket price: $29.00

See "Nelly Furtado" above.

He’s sold 1,278,633 albums. His record is number 39 after forty weeks on the chart, and nobody cares. And the tickets were CHEAP!

Taylor Hicks

Sunday 6/24/07

House of Blues, Atlantic City, NJ
Gross: $17,507
479/2,380 (20.1%)
Ticket prices: $35.00/$30.00

I got a call from someone at ABC.com today. She repeated the fiction, spread throughout the industry, that Kelly Clarkson HAS a career, that she’s entitled to grow, that her new album is just one step in a long career. BULLSHIT!

If you write your own material. And you have true fans. And you have a steady stream of quality product. THEN you’ve got a long career, you can afford a misstep. THE DAVE MATTHEWS BAND can afford a misstep, not only now, but YEARS ago, before they became an institution. An "American Idol" winner cannot.

An "American Idol" winner is a cartoon, someone for us to invest our gossip time in, a horse in the race, not someone we invest our hopes and dreams in. Yes, to have longevity, the audience must invest its hopes and dreams in the act, people must believe the act is playing and singing from its heart, that it’s pure unadulterated truth. If you’re not following this paradigm, you’d better take all the money off the table NOW, before there’s none left to be gotten.

THIS is the point with endorsements and commercials. They might pay off now, but each and every one puts a dent in your credibility. Your life is shortened, akin to every cigarette you smoke. It’s your choice, but there is a cost.

Kelly Clarkson will be able to come back if she releases an album of megahits within a year. But what are the odds of that? In that time frame, no matter the quality of the music.

And as time goes by, not only do people forget, not only are they paying attention to new acts, but MTV plays less music, fewer people listen to Top Forty radio, the mainstream shrinks ever more.

So if you’re playing that pop game, YOU CAN’T AFFORD A MISTAKE! You’re only as good as what you’ve done yesterday. You can’t coast. You’ve got to prove yourself again and again. And you STILL might not have any longevity. But Warren Haynes? Someone less than pretty with a bunch of talent? Whom most people don’t know the identity of? That guy can play for the rest of his life, every gig registering more paying customers than this one by Taylor Hicks, who’s only a year removed from his moment of ubiquity, his peak of stardom.