Tune in Saturday February 3rd to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.

Phone #: 844-686-5863

Twitter: @lefsetz

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz

This is just about a number.

Don’t get your knickers in a twist. All this discussion about distribution overshadows the real story in the business today, which is the music itself.

We are in a crisis.

All the major media is focusing on the Grammy awards when in truth there should be touring awards. The business has flipped, completely. Now all the action, all the excitement, is in the live sector.

Used to be the live sector was dependent upon the labels to provide talent, to build it. Now the labels don’t even support their acts’ tours, they buy very few tickets. The acts are on their own. But even more interesting is the fact that so many of today’s acts are not signed to the three major label groups, and don’t need them whatsoever. Why give up AT LEAST fifty percent of your streaming revenues to your label when you can keep essentially all the money yourself. But the dirty little secret is for so many of these acts, the streaming income amounts to one extra show. So…

Recorded music is sexy. We love the bling, the stars. We’re eager for the new.

Then again, the big story this week is the Apple Vision Pro. When was the last time we had an act that was a great leap forward, that gained everybody’s attention? Music used to be the land of innovation, where the envelope was pushed, but the classic acts are usually superior to the vaunted acts of today. I can’t find one person in the business who feels the same way about boygenius as the press. Most can’t even listen to the album. Talk about a disconnect.

But there is one breakthrough story in music this year. And that is the Sphere. Quick, ask someone, ANYONE, if they know about the Sphere. And you will find out they do. The Sphere has penetrated the consciousness of America. And almost all of these people will tell you that U2 is the Sphere’s opening act. Why? Because the Sphere itself is sexy, a breakthrough far bigger than that of any acts putting out music this year. Come on, have you seen the graphics on the OUTSIDE of the Sphere? They were the highlight of Formula One in Vegas, far superior to the race itself. And as far as what’s inside… Talk to anybody who’s been to the show, no one is equivocal, absolutely everybody testifies. Many have been more than once. This is the excitement we used to see in the music itself!

I can’t tell you that the Sphere makes economic sense, but you’ve got to give credit to Jim Dolan, the most hated man in New York, for taking a risk, a very big risk. How is it that Jim Dolan is more of a visionary, is willing to risk more than any act plying the boards. Interesting, don’t you think? But that’s what happens when you think outside of the box, literally. That’s what we’re all hungry for, that which we cannot conceive of, that blows our minds.

TikTok is something different. TikTok is like the music itself. TikTok is selling humanity. It’s a reflection of American society. And the cognoscenti don’t like to look at it. Because they don’t like what they see. They want everybody to be like them, to turn off their devices and do what? All this banter about TikTok in D.C… Never have so many talked about something they know so little about. And in moribund D.C. they no longer legislate, they just hold grandstanding hearings. Mark Zuckerberg apologized yesterday, whoo-hoo! Are we going to see meaningful change? No. Then again, when will D.C. realize you don’t hamper, don’t change what already exists, you get out in front of it. Like Spotify.

Yes, Spotify gave the public what it did not know it wanted. All of the music for a low monthly sum, on demand. And if you wanted to kick the tires, you could even listen for free, albeit with ads and a few restrictions.

And Spotify saved the recorded music business. You may not know this, but believe me, Lucian Grainge does.

Got to give Lucian credit, unlike his predecessor, Doug Morris, he’s not trying to hold back innovation, he’s trying to harness it, go along for the ride, hopefully lead the pack. But the music industry has failed consistently when it comes to tech innovation. Because it’s a different mindset. How many musicians are great business people? That’s how many record executives are good techies.

But at least Lucian is willing to license the music.

And that’s what this TikTok fight is all about, licensing music.

But TikTok does not need the music. Sans the music, Spotify is dead. Music is Spotify’s engine, its heart. As a matter of fact, Spotify is trying to broaden its business to be less dependent on music, which does not scale financially for them.

But TikTok has a business without music. TikTok can survive completely without music. And the Chinese company knows it.

But Universal knows that when the most powerful social media outlet only represents 1% of its revenues, something is wrong. And Universal is right.

But techies have no respect for content. And isn’t it interesting, Hollywood was scooped and trumped by Netflix. Turns out that even Disney and Warner don’t know how to compete. Weren’t the big boys supposed to come in and teach Netflix a lesson? Well, that didn’t happen, now these old wave studios are licensing content to Netflix for the income. Turns out Netflix is forever, the big kahuna. As for the rest… Wait for the consolidation. And never forget that music has it much more together than streaming television. Pay a bit over ten dollars a month and you can get everything. Whereas streaming TV is Balkanized. And now there are ads, which was the big breakthrough of Netflix, no ads. And you can’t get everything for one low price, and you hate all the companies and players as much as you hated the cable company of yore. But you don’t hate Spotify.

And maybe you love Apple and Amazon, Spotify’s two biggest competitors. But let’s be clear, they don’t need music. It’s a zit on the ass of their business. And that’s not a good partner to have, one that does not need you.

And TikTok… It’s not only the heart and soul of America, but the world!

And TikTok is asking for heinous things. Right to use music in ads without permission, much more. I don’t believe ByteDance really thinks it can get all of this, it’s just a negotiating ploy, if they ask for everything, the final result will be closer to their desires.

So Universal pulled their music from TikTok. Did TikTok shut down? Do you see public blowback? Not yet.

But TikTok not only brought a Fleetwood Mac song back from obscurity, TikTok breaks acts. Not only Universal acts, but acts with no label at all!

Not being on TikTok hurts Universal, but once again, TikTok is not Universal’s only avenue of distribution, not only does it have Spotify, et al, it’s got YouTube and radio, but…

This is where the younger, impressionable generation is.

Universal needs TikTok, unfortunately more than TikTok needs it. So Universal wants to make a deal, just one more favorable to them.

And by not making a deal with Universal, TikTok’s image is tarnished. Government already hates the platform, and now it’s using its power to marginalize one of America’s major industries, entertainment? In an era where all the music is available to everyone?

And this is not like the auto strike. That shut the plants down, completely. Eventually the manufacturers caved, on very positive terms.

Ditto the writers and actors. Eventually a deal had to be made, without one there would be no production. (However, no production did help in the short run, for those with a backlog of product.)

But TikTok does not need Universal’s music to survive. As big as Universal is, it’s still got Sony and Warner, and even if it lost those two no one is preventing amateurs from coming up with new tunes on their computers and uploading it.

In other words, Universal has lost control of distribution. That was the major labels’ ace in the hole, the essence of their business model. They controlled the number one avenue of exhibition, i.e. radio, and an indie might be able to get a record in a retail store, but good luck getting paid.

A record store without records has to close. But not TikTok.

So it’s all about the number. Universal can’t stay out of this forever. It’s not like there’s an alternative, although Instagram’s Reels has turned out to be great competition for TikTok.

But, once again, this battle is a sideshow, taking eyeballs off the main issue, which is the music itself.

Distribution is easy to understand. We argued about it for a decade. We heard people would never pay for music again, that turned out to be untrue. That the major labels would sink, that proved to be untrue if for no other reason than their catalogs.

TikTok has a vaster audience than Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen, the Beatles and the Eagles. That’s the outlet’s power, which is humongous.

But it’s not only TikTok, look at Apple. Some of the world’s most powerful content companies are railing against the App Store changes in Europe. Which are an improvement, but not anywhere near as much as they thought it would be, and want.

And in myopic America, we think it’s all about America. The EU is stepping up for Ukraine, and when it comes to business regulation, the EU is far out in front of the U.S.A.

But you can’t say that, because no one in America wants to believe they’re inferior in any way, U.S.A, U.S.A!

So if you’re focused on this TikTok/Universal kerfuffle, you’re missing the point. You’re focused on the battle instead of the war.

It’s hard to come up with innovative music. And it’s harder to quantify. Which is why everybody talks about these business and tech issues.

But music runs on that, music. That’s the lifeblood of the music industry, not Universal, Spotify or TikTok. It’s all about the fuel. And we’ve got more fuel than ever before, but if you want to know which way the wind blows, you don’t listen to a record.

And there are many causes. The young and impressionable have been overloaded with imitative dreck, what would inspire them to create a breakthrough?

And income inequality is so bad and the odds of creative success so low that the best and the brightest don’t go into music creation, it’s too risky.

And as great as Morgan Wallen is, there’s no artistic breakthrough there. As for Swiftmania, you very rarely hear about the music itself. Great business stories, but don’t confuse this with the Talking Heads, who couldn’t sell out stadiums but showed that what was in your mind, your conception, was more important than your looks.

MTV made music about the trappings. That has faded in the twenty first century, and there are all those acts that can sell tickets who don’t stream in prodigious numbers.

But if you want to know what is going on in the music business, call Michael Rapino, not Lucian Grainge. Want to know what is happening? Talk to your local promoter/booker, you’ll be surprised what is selling tickets.

But we’re still looking for that one breakthrough act that will lift all boats, that will gain our attention and inspire others to follow them.

But for now, we’ll go to the Sphere.

But we’re waiting for what’s inside the building to be just as exciting as the Sphere itself. It will happen, could take decades, we never got a new Beatles, but that’s where our focus should be, not on a negotiation between titans who will come to an agreement that will be quickly forgotten.

I loved talking to this guy. He wrote songs, played in cover bands and then connected with a last chance demo tape. He’s a fan, just like you and me. You’re going to enjoy this.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/christopher-cross/id1316200737?i=1000643785991

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/ca278f0f-d11c-4106-96b8-07670c7d803c/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-christopher-cross

Brand New Key is so good. You have never been so wrong. Same with all the replies of everyone trashing that song. It’s epic. It’s a perfect little pop song and always makes me smile.

Next time I see you I’m gonna sing it right in your ear. Really close. I mean really close so you can feel the energy in your neck down to your cold Brand New Key hating heart. I’ll sing it loud and soft. And then you can punch me in the face and I won’t hit back. I’ll turn the other cheek and sing it again. Then I’ll follow it up with Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road by Loudo!

And then Hello Muddah Hello Faddah here I am at Camp Granada by the Shermster.

Melanie was lucky to have that hit. It still sounds great. It’s all a part of her story.

I rode my bicycle past your window last night -I roller skated to your door at daylight.

This is poetry Bob. Poetry!

Have some fun for once. Relax. Smoke a J. Eat a brownie.

Dog bless you my friend,

Steve Poltz

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Pete Fornatale and WNEW-FM played Melanie all the time. She was the soundtrack for us  free spirit hippie high school kids eating granola. In the summer of my freshman year of college I went to work for Michael Lang’s Just Sunshine records which was part of Paramount Records in the tall building at Columbus Circle. Just Sunshine shared  a suite of offices with Neighborhood Records (the label owned/run by Melanie’s husband Peter-Tony Martell was President of Paramount and his office was across the hallway)-Michael and Peter  did not like each other to put it mildly -they hated each other. One morning when I came to work-(Michael and staff did not come in til late afternoon)-Michael had hired a carpenter to build a wall between Neighborhood and Just Sunshine so Michael didn’t have to see Peter. Many years later when I was consulting Live Nation in New York I tried to put together  concert with Melanie-Richi Havens-John Sebastian and Donovan. Long story and  it never happened but I had a meeting with Melanie and her husband Peter and son Beau in Florida.  Wild  fun meeting -their son had written a  classical concerto that was fantastic-Peter was trying to get me to invest in this magic lotion for your body that would “cure all” and had to kept in the freezer. Peter and Melanie were rubbing  it all over their arms and faces and  then rubbed in on my arms. Never felt a thing.  Anyway Melanie agreed to do the concert that never happened and said ” I would love to play my music for my people”-she then proceeded to tell my how all her fans and the people who attended Woodstock were her love people.  She was a real hippie that believed in the magic of the 60’s and the summer of love. The last time I saw Melanie was at BB Kings on 42nd street-she had taken over Mama Cass’s body but still sang like an angel!

In high school my wife Nancy loved Melanie and played her music all the time and also played guitar and sang Melanie songs. One of Nancy’s fav songs was Alexander Beetle by Melanie-a fairly obscure fun kid like song.  If you dont know it check it out-

Melaine-rest in peace-the above is the same as the below and the below is the same as the above. Eternal peace.  Ring the Living Bell!!

Harvey Leeds

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I have some comments about Melanie who we just lost.  I’ll confess, (like you, Bob), I hated her silly hit, “Brand New Key.”   However I was a fan of so much of her work — having discovered her years earlier via a couple of recorded versions of her great “Beautiful People.”   Also her fine cover of The Rolling Stones’  “Ruby Tuesday” as well as originals like “What Have They Done To My Song Ma.”   Saw Melanie perform several times — always good — she had incredible stage presence and was so nice when I met her.  Yet, for me, her best was when she was amongst almost every known folkie still alive then (except Dylan) as part of a fantastic 5 hour Felt Forum (NYC) tribute to Phil Ochs in the spring of 1976 shortly after he left us.  She excelled that night – more than just ‘holding her own’ performing along with the likes of Tim Hardin, Tom Paxton, Joan Baez, Ritchie Havens, Peter Yarrow, Linda Ronstadt, Oscar Brand, Judy Collins, Eric Anderson and a score more!    And it was recorded with highlights shown nationally on PBS over the next couple of years (when their ‘pledge begging was tolerable).  It’s now a lost historical gem and no one (not even Phil’s bro, famous archivist Michael Ochs) can locate it!  This was, perhaps, one of the 3 best concerts I ever saw!   And, trust me, I was fortunate to attend well over 1000 shows during my four decades in ‘the biz!’   Melanie was indeed a star — so deserving of the praise you and others are giving her!

Ron Farber

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Melanie did play a Garden Party.

It was mine at the  Crystal Palace Bowl Garden Party in June 1972.

The artists who played in addition to Melanie were : The Beach Boys, Joe Cocker, Richie Havens and Sha Na Na.

15,000 people attended and it was a great day.

Keith Moon arrived in a Helicopter and after trying to loop the loop finally arrived on stage by Hovercraft! He came to introduce The Beach Boys. Elton John played piano for The Beach Boys.

It was filmed for a special on NBC.

 

Best

Harvey Goldsmith

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Her husband, Peter came to me after he heard that I helped Motown change the perception of Little Stevie Wonder to Stevie Wonder (the man).

I had a total marketing, graphic design and advertising agency

in the music industry at that time and had just opened a branch

office and studio in LA and brought Tom Wilkes in as a partner!

Peter wanted to get away from the teeny “Brand New Key”image!

We spent a lot of time together Melanie, Tom and myself. I called Tom Zito at The Washington Post and asked him to help us

rebrand her as part of a feature story about Wilkes & Braun.

Then we took her to Joshua Tree and photographed her for the

Stoneground Words album package, which I’d conceived as a

Portfolio for Melanie dressed in soulful, outfits from that period

ala Joanie Mitchell.

She was impressive, genuine and committed to our overall concept

and a delight to know and work with! She was loved by so many!

I’m pleased to see all the comments and stories about her and

the talent she possessed… souvenirs for a lifetime!

All my best,

Craig Braun

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hey Bob…..I worked Melanie’s tour press a few years back.  she was a joy to work with and larger than life.  I’m glad you highlighted “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” as that is my favorite track of hers.

her kids are extremely talented as well, especially Jeordie…..check out this song and her voice, SO good: https://open.spotify.com/track/6dI1UBPUUY5XJVrABifcju?si=707f32af0fa7432d

Mike Farley

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Wow, Bob — you put your finger on exactly why I quit loving Melanie — I Got A Brand New Key.  Such a vapid follow up to Candles in the Rain.  Even before she passed away, I would occasionally watch her You Tube performance with the Edwin Hawkins singers to feel that sense of discovery again, as you described.

Denise Madden

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Interesting article. Regardless of anything else she ever did, and your opinion of “Brand New Key” is unnecessarily dismissive, “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” is an absolute tour de force. Every time I hear it, I get goosebumps. Her commitment to the song was complete, and her 1970 live performance in the Netherlands demonstrates her willingness to risk it all on stage. What a performance! I wasn’t a big fan, but that is a song of songs. I’m sad that she’s gone.

Sam Folmar

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Brand New Key was my introduction to Melanie, and I liked it. It WAS still her voice, after all.

David Shilman

Toronto, ON

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As for ‘Brand New Key’, I was almost 14 and loved her ‘Ruby Tuesday’, and read about her at The IOW festival (that I was livid I wasn’t allowed to go to). It was a great pop song. I doubt as many people claiming to hate it, did so back then.
Hope you are well, Bob.

Hugo Burnham

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Melanie played on the first day/night of Woodstock and went on in the rain right after Ravi Shankar. She played from 1:00am to 1:30am..She played in the rain because the Incredible String band who was scheduled to play after Ravi would not play in the rain. After she played Arlo Guthrie and then Joan Baez played. Sly did not play the festival until about 4 am on the Sunday the 17th right before The Who. Melanie was a  friend of mine who I saw many times when I lived and played in the village at places like Village Vanguard, Gerdes Folk City, Cafe Wha?, Bitter End, Night Owl during the late 60s before Woodstock.

Al Marks

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Melanie! I saw the headline and thought you had her on your podcast.
I set it aside to read later.. and then saw the responses and realized she’d f*cking died.

How rude of her.

She’s forever linked in my memory, to one of my close high school friends.
We went to see her when she played in Winnipeg when we were in high school and there’s a silly memory there.

I mean we never saw Joni, but Melanie was this kind of hippy goddess..so, a big deal for us.

I lost track of my friend and about four or five years ago thought it was time to search her out.
The last I heard she was in Vancouver, so I searched her name and Vancouver and came across her memorial page at a funeral home..

She died when she was 57 or 58..

So for me, Melanie is intertwined with Pam and I’m still so sad about it that I haven’t been able to write anything on her memorial page although I’d like to.

Your column said it all.. Each death like this is, for me, a reminder of something not just fading, but disappearing.
At least that’s how it feels to me these days.. And I don’t believe we die, but rather that we transition..

but these days that’s not enough comfort.

Karen Gordon