https://spoti.fi/42l6cXf

This is why you never sell your publishing.

I knew Luke Combs covered Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.” I made a mental note to catch it at some point, but it wasn’t front of mind, not something I had to do right away, until I saw this:

https://bit.ly/44PNXuH

That’s a TikTok clip. You should watch it. This shows the power of the platform. Because of Combs’s authenticity. Combs breaks all the rules. He’s not movie star beautiful, he’s not wearing spandex, but jeans. And you can’t even see any tattoos on his arms. And he’s telling a story almost anyone can connect with, about his dad, about growing up.

Meanwhile, since Combs is a country singer, you’d think his father is a yahoo from down south. But he’s from Akron, Ohio. And Combs says he listened to all kinds of music. That his dad’s first concert was Pink Floyd and the James Gang the night we landed on the moon. Whew!

And the story goes on…

And ends before Combs plays the song!

By conventional music business wisdom this is a missed opportunity. The audience is right there, hooked, it’s so hard to gain attention in today’s economy. But that is not what Combs is selling here. He’s not selling at all! He’s giving a view into his identity, and when an artist does it right, you can relate. I ask you, how much of the Spotify Top 50 can you relate to?

Now “Fast Car” was a hit in 1988. That’s thirty five years ago. Almost two generations. What are the odds Combs’s audience is familiar with it? Low. It’s brand new to them! And when a song is great, it’s ever green.

And if you hear this story, you’ve got to play the record, and I immediately went to Spotify and did.

It’s not that different from the original. Oh, a few words are changed to fit Combs’ modern, male identity, but that riff… You listen to it and think about how hard it is to play, about Combs practicing it long before he broke through. And it resonates just as much as it did back when, it’s got the same dark feel… Turns out “Fast Car” is forever. Like Toto’s “Africa,” an afterthought on the album that has 1,423,651,528 Spotify streams in its original iteration, never mind the 75+ million of the Weezer cover and the multiple versions on YouTube. There’s money there… A LOT of money.

Now this could not be predicted. These are not Beatles records that never went away. Meanwhile, Paul McCartney knows the value of publishing, that’s why he bought all those companies. But some of his contemporaries are blowing out their songs, even their royalty streams for their records, convinced that this is a once in a lifetime period, that they’re pulling the wool over the acquiring companies’ eyes.

Now they don’t account for a cover of “Fast Car” decades after its initial release when they value a catalog, they look at the past, not the future, no one can predict the future. These companies look at what you’ve earned, oftentimes decreasing over years, and then they pay you a multiple. Maybe you’re even a superstar and you get north of 20x, but probably not if you’re someone with one hit, that’s been lying somewhat dormant. This is a banking transaction, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, where do you think all that money comes from?

And you get that chunk of change…

Your manager takes a cut. And the government takes a huge piece. And then what do you do with the money? Anybody who tells you you can get a guaranteed 10% a year, never mind more, is lying. There are no guarantees. And the people making more than 10% know they’re taking a risk, which is why they diversify, they don’t have all their cash in high risk ventures. And everybody in the market took a 30% haircut a year ago. And it hasn’t come fully back. So not only is your asset worth less, you’ve given up that yearly income, so you have to drain money from the asset in order to put food on the table. Because you’re never going to get paid again. Sure, you can go on the road, but maybe you can’t. There’s not a demand for every act out there. And the economics might not work, not every musician can play solo, the audience might expect a full band, never mind the travel expenses, never mind the fact that it’s hard work, not so much the ninety minutes you’re on stage, but the other twenty two and a half hours in the day, away from home.

But the above screed won’t make a difference. Because if you’re a great musician, you’re almost always bad with money. And vice versa, those great with money are not great artists. So you see that pile of cash. And your team is telling you to take it, after all they get a commission, and everybody else is selling, and then…

You hear one of your old hits on the radio. But instead of smiling, you’re wincing. Because as the track runs up the chart you’re not being paid, the publisher/bank is. You feel ripped-off, all that hard work you put in to making it, the experience of writing the song, whatever fame you still have, it’s completely irrelevant, when it comes to money you’re gonna get none. And I ask you punk, how is that gonna feel? LOUSY!

P.S. When you click on that TikTok link you’ll be asked to log in, just close that window, it’s unnecessary, you can watch the clip without registering.

P.P.S. As of this writing Luke Combs’s version of “Fast Car” has 52+ million streams on Spotify, it’s already reached #2 on the country chart and it’s not over yet.

Joe Biden will not be the Democratic nominee.

We’re seeing a repeat of 2016, when the Democratic establishment told us to trust them, that they were the experts, and the numbers said that Hillary was going to win. She didn’t. Now these same experts are telling us Biden is the safe bet, when the numbers indicate otherwise.

You may have caught the Post-ABC poll that indicated if the election were held today, Trump would beat Biden by six points.

You can see the poll here: https://wapo.st/3NUooCM

Or read the distillation thereof here: https://nyti.ms/3prl0Fm

These are both free links, click away!

Even worse are Biden’s approval numbers. I quote from the “Times” article above:

“But in fact, only two of the past 13 presidents had approval ratings lower than Mr. Biden has at this point, according to an aggregate compilation by FiveThirtyEight.com — Mr. Trump and Jimmy Carter, both of whom lost re-election.”

However, there’s a caveat:

“More encouraging for Mr. Biden is the example of Ronald Reagan, who was just one-tenth of a point above where the current president is at this stage of his presidency, but came back to win a landslide re-election in 1984.”

Do I fully trust this poll? Absolutely not. And I’m not the only one. There are questions as to who was queried. Furthermore, polls are not always accurate. But one thing is for sure, unlike in that old Monkees hit, very few people are believers in Joe Biden.

Let’s not talk about his record. Voting is not intellectual, it’s emotional. Otherwise why would all those Democrats have ignored the call to vote for Hillary just for the Supreme Court nominations? Emotionally, Americans feel the country is on the wrong path, those on both the right and the left, and they don’t believe Biden can solve this problem, which is the problem we want fixed. Healing, bringing the country together. And how can this be done? By LEADING! Barack Obama had little experience, but people connected with him, had hope. Come on, who has hope in Joe Biden?

All you aged Democrats with your fingers crossed, don’t bother to blow back. Of course I’d vote for Biden, of course his record is good, but that’s not what I’m talking about here, I’m talking about ELECTABILITY! And that’s where Joe falls down.

I don’t want an octogenarian running the country now, never mind half a decade from now. Technology is moving at light speed, and I can barely find a boomer who is on TikTok. Pooh-pooh the social network all you want, but I could point you to music clips that would blow your mind. They might even be on YouTube, but it’s the algorithm that serves them up, excavates them from the depths. TikTok is modern-day radio, yet no one who professes to love radio can admit this, or is even aware of it.

You have to use the technology to understand it. Politicians and the cognoscenti are anti-social media, but the nation lives on social media! Did you see the FCC Chairman who claimed television was a “vast wasteland” just died? Is there anybody who would claim TV is a vast wasteland today? Hell, even the days of Springsteen’s 57 channels are in the rearview mirror. That song was released over THIRTY YEARS AGO! Man, not only are the times-a-changin’, they’ve changed. Remember all those people who said CDs had the best audio quality and should be the standard, which everybody should buy? Well, now even Apple streams tracks at higher than CD quality, no one is bitching about audio quality anymore, especially with earbuds the standard of listening. As for file-trading… You’re telling me you still have files?

That’s right, Biden is out of touch, but he’s not the only Democrat. As for the Republicans, they’re not only clueless as to today, they want to jet us all back to the past, afraid of a future wherein whites don’t dominate. Criticize that one all you want, but Trump’s Doral is hosting a white nationalist conference this weekend. Facts don’t lie.

But Donald Trump does.

Yes, the lies have finally caught up with Donald. He’s torched his credibility. Lying about so much that when he says he never met E. Jean Carroll, other than his savant followers, nobody takes his statement at face value. I mean who can be on Trump’s side in this case? Certainly not the independents who will sway the next election. Of which there are actually few, but enough to make one man the winner or not.

And speaking of men… You can’t find one person, of either sex, who supports Kamala Harris. I know, her husband, some people who worked with her, but that’s not enough to win an election. Biden should dump her hard, right now.

But what we really need is someone else to enter the race. Someone younger, who is not afraid to speak the truth. Someone people might be able to believe in.

My guy is Newsom, he looks good, regularly attacks Republicans, and those who believe California is in trouble…don’t know the facts. As for real estate prices and even homeless people, that’s everywhere. But in the south there’s less of a safety net.

But Newsom is afraid to go against the Democratic cabal. Unlike Bernie. Even Gen-Z has babies now, it’s nearly a decade later and our candidates are older white men spewing the same crap? I’m disillusioned, and I’m not the only one.

On the right they’re paralyzed too. Everybody’s afraid to go up against Trump, for fear he’ll excoriate them. Then again, he’s lost credibility, and a fighter could excise him. Even Chris Christie. If you came out swinging from minute one and got your people to vote in the primary.

And then we have the debt ceiling crisis. We’ve got to hear about it for months, all the potential pitfalls of not raising it, when the truth is someone is going to blink, because no one wants to be responsible for putting the nation, the world, in turmoil. It’s all posturing, until…

And the Republicans have seen this movie. With abortion and gun laws. Most of the country, by far, wants both, but they’re beholden to a fringe right that is causing them to lose elections. That’s what happened in 2020. And their gerrymandering is coming to bite them in the ass. Now, in these Republican districts, you have to be worried about being primaried by some nincompoop further right, so you can’t speak the truth. But if these were open districts…

And the right’s position doesn’t add up. Appeal to the blue collar whilst you take away their benefits in the name of freedom and the rich reap the rewards.

Meanwhile, those on the left, the educated “elite”… Sure, some of them are willing to sacrifice, but not most. They worked hard and they want to keep their money. It’s a bad look. They want nothing to do with everyman. Don’t want to shop where they do, have their kids go to the same schools, vacation in the same places. I hate these people too, and I’m the product of an elite education. So you got rich working at the bank, what did you contribute to society? NOTHING! And you’re no better than the rest of us. But since you’re rich, you think you are, hogwash.

But it doesn’t matter what I think, it matters what everybody else thinks.

The downtrodden just want to flip the table, which was how Trump got elected. And no one else wants change, for fear they’ll lose something. So those who want to upset the apple cart are in control, a faceless, overlooked mob. On both the right and the left. I mean talk about no hope… Of course there are those on the right who hate the libs on principle and will never vote for a Democrat, but they are far from the majority, FAR FROM IT!

So where is the Democrat willing to speak English and fight for radical change? And we need radical change. Or at least the promise thereof. And believe me, younger voters, who came out in droves in 2020, believe we need change, overburdened with debt from college degrees that don’t pay off. Used to be a state education was nearly free. But not any longer, because of taxes. No one wants to pay for anything. Socialism is the enemy. Ignorance rules. Where is someone who can explain it all in a comprehensible manner and lead us out of the maelstrom?

And why are the Democrats constantly afraid? Yup, the right have got them cornered and cowered, fearful if they bite back they’ll alienate the “deplorables.” Someone should stand up to the tail wagging the dog.

But the bottom line here is life is long. And what is expected frequently does not come to be.

Trump is on a losing streak. Not only in New York civil court, but potentially in Georgia and other places. It’s definitely not additive, it’s a bad look.

But bad look can still trump milquetoast. Come on, tell me about all the music superstars who are middle of the road, with no edge. You need an edge for people to get hooked on. Without it, you’re bland and overlooked.

So the candidates in 2024 are far from decided, never mind the election. And Biden is getting older every day as Trump is getting caught in the legal system.

Furthermore, I believe a Republican other than Trump (and DeSantis!) could easily beat Biden. Someone more reasonable, less extreme. Not Marjorie Taylor Greene. Man, I saw Chris Sununu on Bill Maher and he’d eviscerate Biden, no doubt in my mind.

In golf it is said that if you play it safe to win, you lose.

The Democrats are playing it safe.

Something’s got to give.

And I’m betting that it will.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Tune in Saturday May 6th, to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.

Phone #: 844-686-5863

Twitter: @lefsetz

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https://amzn.to/3VAp3Lr

It’s an Oprah book. But that’s not why I read it.

Every Sunday I scan the “New York Times” book section to see what interests me, and a story of four sisters does. Family, personalities, relationships, ultimately they’re all that matter. You might be interested in the big game, business, but that never comprises your entire life, you’re a person 24/7, with thoughts, you want to express them, and it’s almost never appropriate in business, which is ultimately a competition. Family is not a competition, but it is.

Now for me the book was all setup until two characters speak on a bench. There was a connection. They realized they were simpatico. It resonated.

So what you’ve got here is a couple that’s married, the wife is Type-A and she’s got plans, it’s all laid out in her head, and she tries to imprint her desires on her husband and…

It doesn’t take.

So what defines success? Is it monetary, or personality?

The mother, Rose, married Charlie, her husband, because she got knocked-up. And she’s resented Charlie ever since. He gets demoted at work, he barely brings home the bacon. But it turns out he’s the secret sauce, the man who quotes Whitman, he’s got a personality, he’s 3-D, he cares about others, it takes a long time for his impact to reveal itself, but it’s major.

And then there’s the above referenced competition between the sisters. The hopes and dreams are usually in the first-born, they ultimately feel entitled. If you’re in their wake, you’re subsidiary, you find your own role in their shadow.

And the thing about life is it never turns out the way you think it will. Can you accept the twists and turns? Many people cannot. It’s kinda like tech, be a Luddite at your peril, you’re going to miss out. At some point you have to accept people’s choices, or forgo interaction, and the latter can not only render a loss, it can be soul-crushing.

So do introverts have a place in this world?

Actually, introverts will love “Hello Beautiful” the most. They will connect. They want someone to peek inside, to understand them, yet they have a hard time reaching out for what they want. Then they find someone who gets them… We all want someone who gets us.

I mean you can live on the surface, but…

That’s why many famous marriages end, not only celebrities but the people in your circle. From the outside they’re gay and alive, smiling, going everywhere, but inside their relationship might be hollow, it’s more of a business deal than a relationship.

This is not a hard book to read. And once you get about a quarter of the way through you’ll barely be able to put it down.

Unlike Jenna’s book club, Oprah’s has an imprimatur of quality. And “Hello Beautiful” is a very good book. Will it be an award-winner? I wouldn’t think so. But it’s not a mystery, it’s not a typical genre book. “Hello Beautiful” is about life. And you’re living. And what transpires in the novel is not always expected, just like in your life right now.