If you’re telling me how great you are, how you did this or that, what you own, where you’ve been…my eyes start to roll into the back of my head. That’s how you tell someone is an amateur, if they don’t stop telling you how great they are.

You’ll know this if you ever encounter those at the top. Who are typically more warm and gentle than those at the bottom. Their accomplishments speak for them. If you’re a public figure and you’re telling us what you’ve achieved, you’re just demonstrating your insecurity. You think you’re winning, but you’re not.

I know that the music business, many businesses, are based on salesmanship, but you have to know when to sell and how. If you’re a full-force bundle of energy your words bounce right off others, they stop listening. First and foremost people want to know who you are, that you’re likable, that you’re interested in them. Want someone to be your friend? Ask them questions, listen to them. And this does not only work in business, the number one complaint of women TikTok daters is the guy only talked about himself, that he didn’t ask them a single question. Doesn’t matter how good-looking they are, how much money they’ve got, they don’t want to go on another date.

If you’re telling someone you know this person or know that person to embellish your image, you’re losing. Unless asked, hold this information back. Or maybe add an anecdote about the third party that further illuminates the conversation. There’s a podcaster who can’t stop telling us that she knows this or that tech person, that she just spoke to them yesterday. I thought it was only me, but my nephew says he refuses to listen to any podcast she hosts, because she’s intolerable. And the amazing thing is she doesn’t seem to know this.

Once you’ve made it, don’t keep reminding us that you’ve done so. We know. Or we’re not worth impressing in the first place.

And you’ve got to know, how ever much money you’ve got, wherever you think you’ve been, there are people who have more and have done more… Don’t try to compete, it makes you look small. Makes you look like you play in a backwater where this works. However, don’t be a sycophant. Those who’ve achieved can smell this, and they stay away. Or lose respect. Those at the top can hear a contrary opinion more than those at the bottom, because they’ve already made it, and they know that to continue to be on top they’ve got to constantly learn, adjust and take risks. So, if you can add insight, they treasure it. If someone is shouting your opinion down, that means they’re not really in control, not really a player, they’re too uptight about their place in the firmament.

Where you went to school… Who your parents are… Especially in the music business, no one cares. It’s a fluid society wherein a CV means ever less. Sure, an Ivy League degree might help you on Wall Street, in consulting, at Procter & Gamble, but it’s actually a turn-off in the music business. Because if you bring it up it demonstrates that you think you’re better and entitled, when in truth everybody starts from the same line. Look at the music business, MBAs are scarce, certainly compared to other industries. And have respect for those who’ve been doing it. It might look easy to you, yet it’s anything but. You want to be a concert promoter. Are you familiar with building rebates? Without them you almost definitely won’t turn a profit. Don’t think you know more. Which is different from offering insight, analysis.

If you’re backstage, if you meet someone by chance, and you start telling them what you’ve achieved, they tune out, go on autopilot, ask themselves how long they have to stand there until they can move on. Oftentimes they brush you off. If the person you want to impress is silent, you’re in trouble. You may think they’re listening, but usually they’re judging, negatively.

Be secure in your achievements. And know if you’ve got none, odds are no one is interested in listening to what you have to say. And rather than go up and introduce yourself, have someone else do so, someone the object of your affection already knows, already respects.

If you meet a rock star don’t tell them how much you love their music, or maybe just employ a line, but then ask them about their hobby, what they’re interested in. If you’re that much of a fan, you know what that is. They love to wax rhapsodic on these non-music topics, because no one ever asks them about them, or cares what they really have to say about them. And ask deeper questions, to show you are listening. If you are listening you are one step ahead, then someone can see you as a friend, and they have to see you as a friend before they see you as a possible business partner.

And certainly don’t waste anybody’s time. If the big muckety-muck has been talking to you for a while, excuse them, let them off the hook, let them go. They respect this. Because you demonstrate understanding of their position. The bigger the person, the more time-challenged they are. You do not want to use up more than your allotted time. If you’re dominating the person, not letting them go, they’ll never want to talk with you again. And you’d be surprised how well people remember those who are friendly and express interest. Much more than the salesman trying to push something upon them.

So, you own a flashy car. They might own five.

You might have flown private. They own a plane. And then there was that article in the “Times” saying not to boast about your jet, because someone else might have five. Yes, there’s always someone further up the totem pole, be wary of trying to impress them with what you’ve got.

And also learn to say no. If they invite you somewhere, offer to include you, give them an out. It shows respect. If they really want you, of course you’ll come. And even though they’re rich, offer to pay, they’re never going to let you, but it shows you understand the game, they’re sick of being ripped-off, always opening their wallet. Then again, if they’re on an expense account everybody knows they’re not really paying anyway.

Learning how to interact with the rich and famous and powerful is a skill unto itself. You can learn it, but you have to be open to it. I know people who refuse to bring certain others to meetings because they won’t shut up. You don’t want to be excluded, you want to be included.

Subtlety pays dividends. Leave the boasting to the acts, but even that’s  a bad look in most cases. But if you’re behind the scenes, in business, you’ve got a career too. You want to ingratiate yourself, be a member of the club, and by selling yourself for inclusion 24/7 you’ll end up out.

Grace Potter has a new album, “Mother Road,” inspired by her cross-country drives during Covid. From Waitsfield to Topanga, we cover it all!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grace-potter/id1316200737?i=1000624749775

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/b4449b46-53f6-46f8-8355-315c8212b5cc/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-grace-potter

https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/episode/grace-potter-306428686

“What Happens When a Pop Star Isn’t That Popular? – Pop’s middle class enjoys loyal online fan bases. For these artists, pop stardom isn’t a commercial category, but a sound, an aesthetic and an attitude.”: https://tinyurl.com/bdcd3x6y

That’s a free link, and you should click on it.

As for the Kesha/Dr. Luke story, if you don’t subscribe directly to the L.A. “Times” you can still read it as part of the Apple News: https://tinyurl.com/3z9hzrpe

If you’re on TikTok or Instagram, you’d think that Bebe Rexha is a big star. Rexha has 8.4 million followers on TikTok and 11 million on Instagram. And for weeks there’s been a debate about her weight. Rexha’s retort has been that she has PCOS, which notoriously causes weight gain, and she is doing the best she can. So Rexha is both humanized and humiliated, still an object of hate. But that’s social media. However, when it comes to charts, Rexha is challenged.

And despite the Top Ten being published every week in news outlets, it’s only oldsters and those in the business who care about charts, the fans care not a whit. They’re fervent believers willing to take on all comers, defending the object of their affection, such that one might get a skewed view of the overall marketplace.

Just like Trumpers.

If you were aware during Watergate the Trump indictments are a head-scratcher. News for a day and then they disappear. And on Fox, it’s not even the main story. In a world where Hillary Clinton is President and Hunter Biden the Democratic Minority Leader of the House, there are more important fish to fry. But you can’t tell a Fox fan, a Trumper, any different. But how many  Trumpers are there?

This is where media falls down. Basing its info on polls that have been notoriously inaccurate for nearly a decade. Why trust them now?

Trumpers are a niche. Even if you give them 35% of the Republican electorate. But the Democrats are deathly afraid, and non-biased media too, because if they say anything anti-Trump, their inbox is going to go wild.

That’s right, decry Trump and you’ll be flooded with incoming. Praise Biden and some of these same people will blow back, but the Biden voters, the Democrats? They’re not that active, they don’t see a need to defend Joe, or any of the Dems, as much as the Trumpers need to defend Donald.

So if you’re in the maelstrom, you’d better have perspective, or you’re going to get it all wrong.

Like I said, on social media Bebe Rexha is a queen. And she is, just to a very small number of people. And it’s the same with Trump.

As for the Trumpers…

They ain’t gonna show up in person. They learned their lesson on January 6th. They want to be vocal, but they don’t want to go to jail. Those days are through. It’s easy to bloviate online, yet to put your person at risk is a no-no. But the Donald doesn’t even understand this himself. He doesn’t know he’s living in a past era. If he really wanted to win he’d adjust his message, but vengeance excludes all contrary input, actually, all input other than exacting revenge is excluded. In other words, despite being told again and again that Donald Trump is in touch with the public, just the opposite is true.

But still, if he shows up, the crowd will go wild.

Well, there are acts you’ve never heard of that sell out Madison Square Garden, that’s how fervent fans can be these days. And people need to believe, to make their lives work. As for truth? That train left the station long ago.

But non-Trump media keeps wincing, keeps adding right wing commentary, all to appease a right that will never be satisfied. If you’re going to deal with these people at all you must go on the offensive, but the only people who know this are those who interact with the right wing each and every day. You think teaching is easy, but talk to a teacher, just keeping order is a big problem, controlling the classroom is a skill unto itself. Unless you’re there, you don’t know.

So…

The wheels of justice turn slowly, but they turn. Right now Donald Trump is sh*tting bricks. This ain’t some civil b.s., this is criminal, if he loses he could go to jail. And his constituents can’t help him. It’s not like they’re going to revolt in the streets, they tried that, and once bitten, twice shy.

So really, you should laugh at Trump. Laugh at his minions. You see they’re on a losing path. They’re desperate. Kind of like those Japanese soldiers still fighting the war years afterward. They may think the battle is continuing, but it’s over, the public has moved on.

Don’t be scared, just vote. If you do, it’s no contest. And it turns out the Democrats are motivated, that’s what we learned in Ohio. Being in the public eye for all these years, giving us a look at his shenanigans, most people are scared of giving Trump control of anything. But the news is like Chicken Little, always telling us the sky is falling.

And reporting on Trump’s so-called defenses.

Let the circle jerk itself. You’re never going to penetrate it. They’re going to say it’s free speech. That’s like you’re four year old saying he didn’t know not to eat all the cookies in the jar. The kid is desperate, they’ll say anything. But you don’t set up a court and hear the defense, because it’s obvious. Just like Trump’s crimes are obvious, they were in plain sight, January 6th was on television, and if you think that’s peaceful, how about we do it at your house?

Forget these people, they’ve forgotten us. And their goal is to jet back to a past that was worse for everybody and is never returning anyway.

And they’ve got their statistics, which like Bebe Rexha’s are in a vacuum. Jason Aldean’s song going to number one! Well, most people don’t even listen to the radio and you can live quite easily not knowing a single song in the Spotify Top 50. This is not the Beatles, the song is not ubiquitous, there’s a hard core that know it, and that’s it.

Kind of like this Oliver Anthony “Rich Men North of Richmond” kerfuffle. A tempest in a teapot. Maybe if you’re in the business, you’ve seen the story. But otherwise, no one knows. And if you pay attention, like with the Aldean song, you come across offensive lyrics:

“Well god, if you’re 5’3″ and you’re 300 pounds

Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds”

Now let me see… The red state people are all skinny, and those in the city are fat. Actually, percentage-wise the opposite is true. In other words, to be a fan of this song you’ve got to be self-hating. And just like every family has a gay person, every family has an obese person, maybe all of the people. Where is fat-shaming a good look?

Once again, once you pierce the bubble you find there’s nothing there. But the right wing agitators keep throwing up this crap and making the left crazy, which is exactly what they want. No, Oliver Anthony is not a new hit artist, he’s a brief moment in time, ultimately meaningless, because almost nothing sticks these days, to have a career means to pay untold dues that most people don’t want to. Even if you have a hit it’s forgotten. But we should pay attention to this bigot?

I don’t think so.

But all those on the left are up-in-arms. As if their agitation will make a difference. The first rule of internet hate is don’t respond, that’s exactly what the haters want. But those with keyboards on the left never seem to have learned this, while they keep telling us to put the smartphone down. Pick it up, the more you’re on the more you win. Hell, the most revered person in the music business today is the internet marketer. If you can penetrate the morass and reach the people you’re king, or queen. But you’re hearing just the opposite from those who made their bones in the last century.

The “New York Times,” the “Washington Post,” they’re on the back foot, constantly playing defense. Don’t they understand that the only thing that will satiate their haters is if they shut down the entire enterprise? Hell, if I listened to all my haters I wouldn’t write at all, which is exactly what they want. And the haters are more vocal than the lovers, always.

But we’d better not indict Trump, his numbers will go up, people will attach ever more tightly to him. In what world have you ever seen this? Sure, his hard core, who were never going to give up the fight, might embrace him more, but no one else sees Trump being indicted and says “He’s my man!” but the old school bloviators keep telling us the wolf is at the door, and Trump is commanding an ever-growing army. Yeah, just like Putin in Ukraine. Everyone thought he was going to win in a second, but here we are many seasons later, and he’s far from victory. Furthermore, even more of what’s behind the curtain has been revealed. Putin is holding on by a thread.

But Putin is proffering disinformation. Like the educational system of Florida. But if people truly loved DeSantis’s policies he’d be trouncing Trump, but the guy is cold and offensive and the closer you look the more you’re disgusted.

Just like abortion. Dodd revealed the culpability of the Supreme Court. It single-handedly undercut their credibility, just like lawyers in Watergate. Lawyers haven’t regained their status, and it’s fifty years later. The Supreme Court is vulnerable, seen as a bunch of self-dealing doofuses who can’t even judge their own lives properly.

Turns out people want abortion rights, and they’ll come out to fight for them.

In other words, the left is winning. As Trump and the nincompoops dug their hole ever deeper, the rest of us woke up. And we’re saying NO MAS! That’s the one thing we all agree on.

So how about a news reset. How about the end of fearmongering. How about making fun of Trump and his people. How about owning this great country of ours instead of getting down in the gutter with these agitators who just want to tear down the government. Yeah, just wait until there’s a natural disaster in their backyard, they’ll be looking for a federal handout. And their hero Elon Musk digs his own grave each and every day. He’s another one we should ignore. Leave him in his own backwater.

But first and foremost pull back and see the landscape.

Musk dented Twitter and it’s never recovered. And sure, Threads is no replacement, but if you think we need Twitter/X, you think that tech could never survive without Steve Jobs. I mean there’s no lack of information. And what’s important will get out, it always does.

And social media is a nightclub, it’s hip and successful and then it goes bankrupt. It’s a moment in time. Everybody realizes it’s no longer cool and they go somewhere new. But Elon Musk doesn’t understand cool, and the world runs on cool. And Donald Trump is not cool. Nor is white nationalism. However much they press, their platform is a bad look.

So just ignore the Trumpers. Don’t argue with them. And if they can’t shut up, stay away from them. And if they continue to talk, just laugh. They want you to engage, don’t. Supersede them, live above them.

Because they’re niche.

And to win in this country you’ve got to be mass. And Trump is losing followers each and every day.

“What really happened between Kesha and Dr. Luke”: https://tinyurl.com/2s47yjmc

This is the “Hit Men” of its day.

But nobody seems to know this, because nobody seems to have read it, and you can’t unless you subscribe to the “Los Angeles Times,” which nobody seems to do anymore, the paper having shrunk itself down to near irrelevance.

This story launched online six days ago. Was in print yesterday, on the front page. How many e-mails do you think I’ve gotten about it? ZERO!

But if you want to know how the music business really works you should read it.

It’s about the money, it’s always about the money. And most people don’t know it’s about the money, because they’re employees, they don’t know what it’s like to run a company, they’re not exposed to the shenanigans of those who start and run enterprises. Because if you don’t have sharp elbows, you’re going to be taken out.

So…

If you read the above article, you’ll conclude Dr. Luke never raped Kesha. That it was all a ruse to get out of her contract. That she signed with full representation.

Leverage. There it is, your first deal will be crappy. Unless you’re somebody, and probably you’re not.

And how talented are you anyway? Sans Dr. Luke, Kesha’s career has faltered, but Lukasz Gottwald has ultimately had more hits.

Everybody came to her defense. Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift gave her $250,000. And Dr. Luke might not be the most lovable guy around, but that’s different from raping someone. But don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story.

This is the “Rolling Stone”/UVA story of its day. A “Rolling Stone” reporter made up a rape story, the truth came out and heads rolled. Well, the editor of “Rolling Stone” at least. What will be the aftermath of this L.A. “Times” Kesha/Dr. Luke story?

Nothing.

If you want to know how the music business really works, read this article. Forget all those websites giving you false hope. All the nobodies noddering about nothing. At the elite level, it’s business, with a lot of dollars involved. And you need no degree to be in the music business, on either side of the recording console. Having said that, most of the winners are whip-smart, street smart.

As for the legal system… The wheels of justice turn very slowly, but they do turn. And you can say whatever you want, get your minions agitated, but that does not mean you’ll skate. This is the story we’re seeing with Trump right now, this is the story of Kesha and Dr. Luke. 

As for the final settlement… Dr. Luke got no money, because Kesha is probably near judgment-proof and it would cost him millions more to find whatever she has and to get it. So what he got from Kesha was…

“Only God knows what happened that night.”

Hmm… You’re suing and you don’t know what happened? And there’s no evidence?

How about the attorneys who took this case.

And Kesha switched managers… The talent will always screw you.

As for Kesha’s mother… Let’s just say she’s a piece of work.

This is the music business today. People trying to get rich and famous with no CV. But you probably don’t know what a CV is anyway, which proves the point.

Music is one of the rare enterprises where no qualifications are necessary, everybody can play. But not everybody can be successful.

As for the public? It’s completely ignorant, not knowing that most of the acts it reveres are two-dimensional people built into stars by the machine. It was always this way, you always need people to prop you up, to grease the skids, to get you and keep you on your way, but whether the underlying “artist” is truly talented…that waxes and wanes. This is not the sixties and seventies, and the eighties were dominated by MTV and CDs, the big money era began. And we presently live in the blockbuster era. If you want to be in the Spotify Top 50, you have to align yourself with the people in this article, or those similar to them.

I was absolutely riveted reading this story, and I already knew it! Because it was all there, the way the music business really works. And I’m the only one who seems to have read it.

Nothing shows up in the Google News, NOTHING! As for music news outlets, this story is too hot to touch, and in a world where everything passes, why take the risk.

Do I know exactly what happened that night? No. But I did read this article, and if you do you’ll draw your own conclusion, but I’d be stunned if you come out believing that Dr. Luke raped Kesha.

But if you don’t read it, it doesn’t exist.

Dr. Luke is still a pariah.

I’m not saying Kesha isn’t entitled to work, isn’t entitled to get the best deal possible. But I am saying that false accusations can impede a career, and it might take years for the truth to come out, and that’s too late.

If a tree falls in the forest…

If a tree falls in Los Angeles…

This story is just a microcosm of the world we live in. Where truth is fungible and the public can be convinced something is true when it may not be.

Once again, READ THIS!