They used to do this when times were bad, but never when times were good. Hell, the three major label groups all keep trumpeting their results, how great they are, then again Bill Ackman has a big position in Universal, which proves the point, it’s all about the stock price baby, the underlying business is irrelevant.

Don’t confuse this with the tech layoffs of the past year. Unlike the record labels, the tech companies had been on a hiring spree, they were all about growth, the future was so bright they had to wear shades, the layoffs were all about right-sizing, not undercutting the essence of the business.

Let’s be clear, almost all these layoffs concern people in the new music sphere. It’s like Universal and Warner are abdicating their power in this world, throwing their hands up in the air and saying we can’t figure it out, we’re catalog companies with new music businesses that focus on moonshots, the rest of the landscape be damned.

Yes, indies keep gaining market share. You’d think the majors would wade in and figure out how to get more of this action, but instead they’ve punted.

You don’t see Live Nation laying off people in light of great profitability. Proving how healthy the live sphere is. And Live Nation is promoting shows from clubs to stadiums, they’re not ceding market share to anyone, they’re going where there is demand, which appears to be insatiable, well, at least growing… It’s a worldwide market, think of the possibilities! And Live Nation is.

But at Universal and Warner… They think everyone’s still playing the old game. You sign some nitwit, massage them with producers and remixers and then hype it in the press, get them on TV and do your best to get on terrestrial radio. And believe me, terrestrial radio still has power, but it’s shrinking. The majors are clinging to the avenues of most exposure instead of retooling to promote from the bottom up, which requires hard work, investment and time. But they just want to cruise along trying to create the next JLo, some other empty vessel that they can convince preteens and brain dead adults they should care about, as if hit music is all there is, as if it’s that which touches souls most, which lasts, when that is patently untrue.

Never have the majors played in fewer genres and released fewer records. In other words, they’ve pulled back, and now they’re pulling back further!

And, new signings primarily come from those who’ve built it themselves online, via social media/TikTok. The main criterion is how many followers you’ve got. So if you’re a great marketer, this is your time. But if you’re a great musician who is not so good at online marketing, you’re SOL.

The labels want the acts to do the work. So why do they expect the acts to make a deal with them? In truth, many who do end up with contracts unheard of previously, with a greater royalty rate and the return of masters, the act has most of the leverage, this is topsy-turvy.

Then again, the acts can make more going independent. They can get nearly 70% of income from the DSPs, and if they sign with a major good luck getting 50%, or anywhere close.

Back in the heyday of the recorded music business, the seventies and eighties, labels were always creating new imprints, adding staff, believing you needed more people to grow. CBS had Portrait… I could list more, never mind independent upstarts, like Interscope, but today it’s doom and gloom in the halls of the labels, it’s consolidation instead of growth, meanwhile the overall numbers are good. Isn’t this when you try to take market share from your competitors, isn’t this when you add staff?

One staff can only sign and promote a limited number of records. People count. This is not work that can be done by AI.

But man, Wall Street eats this stuff up. As if the recorded music business was simple, as if Bill Ackman, a money man to the core, can comprehend it. As if there’s no expertise involved.

The labels should be nurturing new executive talent. But no, they don’t want to pay for it. The fat cats make money and the rest of the staff are underpaid worker bees who need to be on call 24/7. Where are the stock options for the rank and file, all the perks that tech and other companies now provide. Nonexistent. How do you expect to get the best and the brightest? You don’t!

Used to be a privilege to work at a record label, but that went out the door with Tower Records. Music isn’t the only cool sphere. Go try and recruit an assistant director of anything at an elite college, they’ll laugh at you.

This is all good for independent artists. And good for the business at large. Because it presages opportunity. The labels do have their catalogs, then again, so did Paramount, and look what has happened to that company, it had to sell its valued real estate just to make a debt payment. The landscape changes, and the lumbering giant labels do not. Once again, leaving opportunity.

More genres will flourish. More acts will bubble up and grow. The labels’ hold on marketing and distribution has been broken by the internet, today anybody can play. And you don’t have to worry if your music fits narrow terrestrial radio formats. You’re one on one with your audience, that’s the magic. The major labels still don’t know who their customers are, still don’t have a one on one relationship with the people who actually pay their salaries. They’ll wine and dine radio programmers, DSP programmers, but the great unwashed? They’ve got nothing to do with them.

Once again, you don’t pull back when times are good, you do your best to grow! Monte can’t promote every record. And as good as Janick is…

But Kyncl and Grainge know better. As they promote the drivel that puts up momentary numbers and then recedes into the woodwork.

The music business grew by delivering album acts that oftentimes didn’t even have hit records. And these acts still exist, and they’re on the road. But they’re not flashy enough for the majors, not an easy enough sell, so they’re ignored.

Ukraine has a hard time fighting with one hand behind its back. To stand up and win it needs American money. To achieve great goals you need people, time and money. And believe me, breaking records is war.

But now major labels want to fight with one hand tied behind their back. The stock might go up for now, but what about the long term?

Screw the long term.

Trailer: https://shorturl.at/byOUW

They’ve got to stop releasing these documentaries theatrically.

Did you see that “Love on the Spectrum” was the number six most watched original streaming series last week? Yes, with 433 million minutes. The producers could have made a film on autism, taken it to a bunch of festivals, waited two years to release it theatrically, getting reviews but almost no attendance, and then the production would end up on a streaming outlet with little fanfare thereafter. There’s so much in the pipeline that delayed buzz does not work. You want your product available when the buzz happens. With a low bar, so everyone interested can partake. That’s the beauty of streaming music. You hear about it and you can immediately click to hear it. You don’t have to wait for the radio to play it, you don’t have to buy it.

But most things are not worth hearing. And most series are not worth watching. But there’s a humanity that results in magic in “Love on the Spectrum.” Furthermore, the series doesn’t pander. I’m absolutely shocked, shocked I tell you, that it’s so successful, there’s been no big ad campaign, no press think pieces, it’s all happening by word of mouth, online, in a way that major media misses.

That’s what quality’ll do for you.

And the quality of “God & Country” is absolutely top-notch. Everyone in America should see it, but everybody won’t.

The producers are afraid that Rob Reiner’s involvement will alienate people, they’re so fearful of the right that they’ve got one hand tied behind their back.

But “God & Country” isn’t made for the right, it’s made for the left, that thinks it knows it all, whose jaws will drop and will promptly go out and vote for Biden or whomever the candidate is because they don’t want to risk letting these people be in charge.

Come on, we think we know everything. Like I need to see a movie about Christian Nationalism?

But when they take the cameras inside these churches, inside these confabs, your head will spin. You wonder why people blindly support Trump? Because they believe he’s doing God’s work. Forget the foibles, they’ve got some looney tunes explanation that Trump is like Cyrus, so they can overlook the bad in pursuit of their end desires.

You have no idea. You think you do, but you don’t.

First and foremost, these people are ORGANIZED! Didn’t we learn that with the Federalist Society? Those on the left are bumbling along, voting their hearts, and they don’t know they’re up against a monolith. Trump is the candidate the Christian Nationalists have been waiting for, and they’re ALL-IN!

Forget the truth. It’s a Christian nation founded on Judeo-Christian values. ONLY IT’S NOT! Yes, those in the Christian Nationalist world spew endless untruths and no one inside the bubble questions them, the statements are taken as fact.

FURTHERMORE, they believe they’re being attacked. Now I understand the “War on Christmas.” I mean it makes no sense unless you realize that Christian Nationalists believe they’re oppressed, that we lousy, stinkin’ Dems want to take away their religion, their right to practice it. And of course we want nothing of the sort, but that doesn’t matter to them, they’re convinced!

So what we’ve got here is footage of the inner-workings of the Christian Nationalist right. This is not Episcopalians going to church on an occasional Sunday. These people are dedicated to the church, they live for the church, God runs their lives and they need the Almighty to prevail. And they take the word of the preachers as gospel. And these often money-hungry men are riling their constituents up, they’re telling them it’s war, and only Trump can save them and the country. They’ve been fighting this battle for decades, now they have their savior.

Of course so much of this is rooted in racism. They don’t want them damn n-word people in their schools. Public schools? These are the people who have demonized them, who want to destroy them, so all the white people can go to school together.

And believe me, it is white versus black.

And then you’ve got the disaffected preachers. They just don’t understand how the Christian Nationalist movement aligns with Christian values. They’re not helping people, they’re all wrapped up in politics.

This is the power of the image. There are pedigreed talking heads and some footage conveys the message with no words. But those on the right are trying to deny so much of what we’ve seen with our own eyes.

The Democrats, those on the left, keep being surprised. They were stunned that Trump won, it was inconceivable, who would vote for this guy?

Watch this movie and you’ll know.

On TikTok they’ve got all these wackos interviewed who spew falsehoods and pledge fealty to Trump, watch this movie and you’ll know.

There’s so much information in America, so much going on, that some of the biggest stories can fly under the radar. This Christian Nationalism is one.

Believe me, if the producer hadn’t reached out I wouldn’t have watched this flick. I mean there are only twenty four hours in day. This isn’t news to me… But I watched it and it was!

My only regret is it’s not on Netflix right this very second. So you can immediately turn on the screen and watch it. You’ll tell all your friends about it.

I mean come on, almost no one believes in Biden. Most of us will vote for him reluctantly.

But not all of us will vote. We’re fatigued. I mean if I get one damn more political text I’m going to campaign for all these spammers not to be elected. Stop asking me for money. It’s hard to believe in any politician these days. But we can be motivated by fear of consequences.

Oh come on, every day there are stories about what Trump is going to do in office. Stop trying to scare me with stuff that is in the uncertain future. But these Christian Nationalists, this is happening NOW! Don’t try to convince your brethren that Biden isn’t too old, don’t ask for money for candidates, just make them watch this movie. Done deal. Case closed. They’ll show up at the polls in November (or vote by mail) without a further push. Forget TV ads. All the stories of the past.

This is the exposé. This explains Fox News better than watching the outlet 24/7. “God & Country” is the essence.

And forget about trying to convince these lemmings otherwise. Nobody appeals to all these days, nobody. Don’t be afraid of the right, that they’ll decry everything you say. That’s their game, to intimidate you, to make you shut up.

No, “God & Country” is for the left, for the anti-Trumpers, for those who are not evangelicals, who really don’t know what goes on behind closed doors. This film is the greatest tool the left has got.

Meanwhile, you’ve got to pay to see it in a theatre. I mean come on, I’ve got to get dressed, go out, show up to see a zillion trailers at a specific time? How twentieth century. Today you’ve got to make it easy. There need to be almost no barriers to consumption.

The kids know this. And many of them are old enough to vote.

But all we’ve got is oldsters lost in the past repeating the same methods that are inefficient if they work at all.

But if everybody just saw this damn movie… This is a national story. But it looks like it will end up being a minor kerfuffle, another episode in the endless smorgasbord of entertainment.

No one can keep up. They need an incentive to partake. And the funny thing is that incentive can only come from their brethren.

I’m one of your brethren. Remember “God & Country” because sometime in the future you’ll be able to stream it. And you’ll want to, because it’s that good. And it alone will motivate you to vote. You’ll need no phone call, advertising is irrelevant. This movie alone will change hearts and minds, and isn’t that what it’s all about?

P.S. “God & Country” has a 92% Critics rating on RottenTomatoes. As for the public, there’s no rating yet, not enough people have seen it, proving my point. But 92% is a slam dunk. My threshold is 80%, when it’s in the nineties, it’s a MUST-SEE!

Dayna Frank is CEO of First Avenue Productions. She’s also the co-founder and first President of the Board of the National Independent Venue Association. We discuss her involvement in the passage of the Save Our Stages Act and the formulation of the new TICKET Act and the ins and outs of getting things accomplished in D.C. as well as concert promotion in the Twin Cities. Dayna is a powerhouse, she gets things done!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dayna-frank/id1316200737?i=1000647520971

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/a912f67c-fbaf-4dda-89d6-b71db5c47472/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-dayna-frank

“Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill”

Website: https://shorturl.at/ALP03

Trailer: http://tinyurl.com/mutzbddn

It creeped me out, in a good way.

I got e-mail from Cheryl Strayed, telling me her documentarian husband had made a movie about Judee Sill…did I know who she was, would I watch it?

Of course I know who Judee Sill is/was. She was on Asylum Records, and she was the only initial signing other than Ned Doheny who didn’t break through.

Now in truth there’s a documentary about everyone these days. Oftentimes done on a budget, hagiography for diehard fans only. And normally it would have been hard to say yes, but Cheryl Strayed? How can I say no?

Now in truth there is evidence and there is not. There’s some video footage, a bunch of audio and some diaries. So at first the film seems slim. But then…

The first third is the backstory. Which is pretty unique. Going to jail for robbery, becoming a prostitute to pay for her heroin habit and ending up in reform school, where she honed her chops playing the church organ.

David Geffen said he didn’t care about all that, he was concerned with the artist and the songs. And when Geffen believed in you…

Let’s not forget, Geffen made Laura Nyro a star, and after she left him, well, refused to move from Columbia to Asylum, she never had another hit. Never mind sacrificing her publishing when Geffen promptly sold it.

Managers make a difference. It’s oftentimes hard to quantify what they do, but sans a manager no one has ever made it. You need someone to believe in you, to not only look out for you, but push you, take advantage of opportunities, never mind create opportunities.

But Judee Sill could never write a hit. A hit back then was something that was played regularly on FM radio. And either an act got airplay or was nowhere. FM had a wider playlist than AM, but there were not unlimited slots. It’s not like today where other than a few acts pushed by the majors everybody is cottage industry. Judee Sill was built for today, when the gatekeepers don’t matter, when you can go direct to fan, when you can build it yourself.

So I never heard Judee Sill. I saw her albums in the bins, but I never purchased one. Money was limited. And if it wasn’t on the radio you had to buy it to hear it, and most people did not. That’s also contrary to today, when everything can be heard, even for free. Sure, it’s hard to gain someone’s attention, but if you do and you’ve got the chops, they’ll tell everybody they know, you can build a solid career, that is anything but evanescent, careers built on hits can fade away, but not those built on one to one bonds between fans and artists.

So, Sill’s dream comes true. She lives large on the advances, and then it all evaporates.

Well, never forget that Sill was born in 1944. She came of age in the early sixties, before the Beatles, when the most most people knew about Southern California was from network TV. There were not only beatniks in San Francisco, but Los Angeles too. Sill got by by the skin of her teeth. She survived on nothing when that was still possible.

And she made contacts, with Jim Pons of the Turtles and…

J.D. Souther.

I didn’t know that. That’s the heart of the movie, well, that and a slew of other boyfriends. J.D. inspired her most famous song, and not in a good way. She could never get over J.D.

We get more footage and more insight into J.D. in this movie than anywhere previously. We get a feel for the turn of the decade, from the sixties to the seventies, when Los Angeles was the epicenter of the music business and there was no social media, little news at all, and we had no idea how these inspired hedonistic musicians lived and created these legendary songs.

But it came to an end. There’s some hokum about her alienating David Geffen, but he denies it. Geffen says he was gone from the label by time she was dropped. And Geffen famously did move on.

But when things didn’t turn out for her, Sill was not calm and peaceful, she was pissed, and acted accordingly.

This side of life is rarely depicted. Most of these musicians have no C.V. It’s not like if things don’t work out they can work at the bank, even work anywhere, they’re not good with showing up, time. They’re heroes, and suddenly they’re zeros. You put in your all, you believe in yourself, but the public doesn’t react. How do you cope then?

Well, Sill got back on drugs. You’ve got to soothe the pain somehow. And there was a car accident, and maybe a boyfriend pushed her down the stairs, but…

Oh, one more thing, that car accident, it was in J.D.’s VW Bug. Yeah, that’s what hit records will get you, it’s all artifice, J.D. was still driving the People’s Car.

But the denouement… She’d gotten into the Big Top, she’d reached for the brass ring, but she’d fallen. She was known to many, after all you saw her records in the store, she got reviews, but she was nowhere broke on Morrison St. in Hollywood when she died. People thought about her, but they were caught up in their own lives. That’s how it is, if you can’t save yourself…

And Sill had saved herself so many times.

Now you’ll see modern acts testifying about Sill’s songs. Is she the new Nick Drake? Well, the internet allows her to survive. She’s got some notice, her music is out there, available.

But I’m not expecting even the level of acclaim and acceptance of Eva Cassidy. Then again, Judee Sill was a writer, not an interpreter.

But she was a person.

There’s hogwash saying she wasn’t successful because of her looks. Well, I’m a red-blooded American male and she looks good to me! But in truth it didn’t matter what you looked like, it all came down to the music, did it get a chance and was it accepted by the public. Sill got a chance, but somehow her music didn’t resonate with the audience. Doesn’t mean it’s bad, but when you come close it’s so disheartening.

Today everybody wants to become a brand. Everybody is selling 24/7, dunning you to pay attention, and most of the stuff isn’t worth paying attention to.

And you can bitch about the gatekeepers of yore, but if you had one of the five thousand albums released each year, you were a cut above. The internet proved that that were not a ton of unsigned acts who just needed exposure to prove their greatness. The labels did a good job of finding talent. And if you were on a heralded label, like Asylum, believe me, people paid attention.

It was a different era. We were not all connected. What happened in your burg, never mind your life, was unknown by most. You foraged, you plotted, you made mistakes… Maybe you went to college, maybe you didn’t, but there was a level of equality, we were all in it together. In other words, Judee Sill was one of us. Then again, she was not. She was an artist. Not an influencer. Not in it solely for the fame or even the remuneration. Being a great songwriter was paramount. Forget writing with a dozen others, Judee Sill had a statement to make, a personal statement.

And most people shrugged, if they were aware of her or her music at all.

Now this film is getting a limited theatrical release in April. But these projects are always about streaming TV. I’m thinking if this is available on Netflix word of mouth will spread. Because Judee Sill was not like everybody else. She had an inner strength, a desire. But it just did not pan out and that was too much to take.

Keep this film in mind, at some point you’ll come across it and be able to click. You should. Because, like me, you’ll be creeped out. Judee didn’t die at 27, she lived all the way to 35, still too young to die, but she saw a good amount, she knew what was going on.

This is not “Behind the Music” where the arc transcends the act. One thing is for sure, Judee Sill was an original. And this is iconic in an era of me-too, or individuals desiring attention who do not deserve it.

This is Judee Sill’s story. Not yours. There are some connections, some similarities, but she was different, unique, and it is this kind of person who scales the heights, becomes a successful artist, because they need it, they’ve got something to prove, and they don’t fit into regular society, this is the only thing they can do and they’re all in.

Makes you think, makes you sad.

It’s life and life only.