1

It was a phenomenon.

I haven’t seen anything like this EVER! Maybe the initial Taylor Swift tours, but that appealed to a different demo, the arena was full of young girls, whereas last night it was a positively adult crowd, albeit leaning female. And they SCREAMED!

I mean this was more akin to the Beatles than anything else I’ve encountered. Sure, the yelling quieted down quite a bit between songs, and I didn’t see anybody crying or fainting, but the mania was still there. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

Now the show started off with Charles Wesley Godwin. And at this point, the opening acts are substandard, no one’s doing their best to create an interesting bill, unless there are co-headliners, and I’ve been overwhelmed with commitments and I wasn’t planning on seeing him, but there was the issue of the parking.

The Wiltern does not have enough. There’s a structure, but it needs to be double the size to accommodate all the customers. As for the neighborhood… I don’t think I’d want to walk more than a block after eleven p.m., no, make that nine. Not that there are any spots anywhere near the venue. Furthermore, I know people who’ve had their automobiles broken into parking on the street, so…

On one hand I didn’t even want to go. But Zach Bryan is the hottest new act of the year, one of the hottest acts extant, and I’d made a commitment and…

I listened to Charles Wesley Godwin’s music AND IT WAS GOOD! I said to myself this guy would be worth seeing. And if I got there early enough I could get a spot in the structure.

I got there just after eight. They took my thirty bucks, but there were no more spaces, they parked me on the ramp itself. But at least I was inside.

Well, not right away, you see there was a LINE. Huh? I mean the headliner didn’t go on for almost an hour and a half, and traffic in L.A. is hell, and why were these people here so early?

As for the crowd itself…

You know a country crowd in L.A. They come from San Bernardino way. Not city denizens, but those who work with their hands, who are not loaded with bucks, who don’t quite look like they just came off the farm, but certainly do not look like they just came off of Melrose.

This was a Melrose crowd. People had on their LOOK!

Especially the women. They were dressed up in their finery, they weren’t just going to hear some music, they were going to a show and they were part of the show itself. And there were more than a few cowboy hats and the guys were just as clean-cut and I think I know who this audience is until…

The Wiltern is a ridiculous venue. They call it a club, but there’s not a person in the world who wouldn’t call it a theatre. And there’s still a balcony, with seats, but the floor is GA, i.e. general admission, i.e. standing room only, i.e. crowded, i.e. good luck seeing, never mind hearing.

I mean if you’re tall, maybe. But the slope of the floor is very gradual, and the stage is not that high, and if you’re in the back, with the best sightlines, you’re under the overhang and the sound just sucks. How could we treat people this way? Bring back the seats, that were there for DECADES!

As for the idea that people love to stand, I call b.s. And it’s not age, I lived through the sixties and seventies, when the Troubadour and the Roxy and the Fillmore East all had seats, never mind the arenas.

And the dirty little truth is no matter what the promoters tell you, they oversell when it’s GA. Believe me, if someone yelled FIRE! last night, a few people would have died, that’s how tightly packed the venue was.

But if it’s a hot act, people will put up with anything, they want to be there.

So eventually I was connected with one of the few seats on the floor. The script has totally flipped, now you’ve got to be connected with the venue, not the label. The label has to buy tickets, they only buy a few, and they’re far from the best. But I was steered to a private area on the side with seats, not under the balcony overhead, and I could see and hear and Charles Wesley Godwin went into his final number…

“Almost heaven, West Virginia

Blue Ridge mountains, Shenandoah River”

Yes, it was “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” A John Denver hit from 1971 that was pooh-poohed by all rockers, yet this young audience knew it by heart! Yes, they were young. Mostly twentysomethings. As far as the usual showbiz suspects, I only saw one, Mark Shimmel, the booker of the Dick Clark shows, like the AMAs and the ACMs…it’s a whole new generation.

So the crowd is singing along at the top of its lungs, and when the number is over, the guys in attendance start yelling USA!, USA!, USA!

Freaked me out, and Shimmel noticed it too.

What appeared to be a young Hollywood/Echo Park crowd was really…

I have no idea. They didn’t look like Trumpers. How many were Trumpers? And exactly who are we fighting these days, messed with my sensibilities.

2

Now half an hour later Zach Bryan hits the stage…

WITH EIGHT PLAYERS!

Well, seven plus himself.

Let’s see, there was a drummer. And a slide player who doubled on banjo. And a bass player who started on a standup double, before migrating to an electric. And a fiddle player. And a lead guitarist. And another guy who doubled on keyboards and guitar. And way in the background, another guy on a blond Les Paul.

Hard drives? NOWHERE IN SIGHT! This was positively real, positively organic. And the players were the contemporaries of Bryan, who is twenty six, we had none of the cognitive dissonance we see with the old acts, who are grizzled, yet supported by youngsters.

And anybody with any road knowledge knows that carrying so many players adds costs and eats into your profits. I can’t imagine Zach Bryan is making any real bucks here. But it’s about the sound. It’s totally different from the Spotify Top 50.

And Zach starts strumming, AND EVERYBODY IS SINGING ALONG!

Now that may be de rigueur these days, but you’ve got to know, Zach Bryan’s first major label album, “American Heartbreak,” was only released on May 20th of this year, AND IT HAS 34 SONGS!

I mean that’s quite a commitment. Especially in this multi-input era. You’ve got streaming television, social media and other music, and you played these thirty four tracks enough to know them by heart?

But wait! Zach Bryan put out another album, “Summertime Blues,” on July 15th, with nine more songs!

I’m positively stunned.

I remember seeing new acts in the old days. Seeing James Taylor right after the release of “Sweet Baby James”…people hadn’t memorized the material, if they even knew it. Back then people were drawn to shows by the hit, they didn’t know the rest of the material. Now it’s completely the opposite. Credit streaming, with everything available. But still, the commitment!

And all the b.s. of the regular music business… You know, CDs and vinyl to goose the “Billboard” chart numbers…it’s absent.

This is like the old days, the sixties and seventies, more the latter.

But wait, as much as these people knew the material, IT’S STILL AN INSIDE SCENE! As many people who are hip to Zach Bryan as there are, most Americans are still CLUELESS! I mean the mania is hiding in plain sight. And there’s been press, stories about Bryan’s quality and success, but press means little these days.

And it is all about the music, and the music is GREAT!

Sure, Bryan has a bit of a twangy voice, but the songwriting is up there with the greats. Proving that the audience recognizes, and rewards, greatness. In an era of schlock, of mediocrity, of paint-by-numbers good, the left field great can still triumph.

And Bryan built it himself. With indie records. Aren’t we supposed to sell our souls to the devil to make it, get in bed with the company men? It’s supposed to be too hard to do it alone, especially if you come from nowhere.

And this guy was in the military, which is not known as a creative haven, the innovative players from the Navy… You’re supposed to have your head up your rear end so far, be so into boozing and womanizing, being a bro, that you’ve got no sensitivities. Yet Bryan…

And, in the middle of a number, Bryan stopped the show. Dead quiet. And pointed to some people down in the pit. And the crowd started chanting USA!, USA!, again, but Bryan put his hand down to shush them. And security came down and escorted the offenders out of the venue and then Zach picked up again in the middle of the song. Why is it the big stars don’t do this? They never accept responsibility, they say they can’t see, that they’re unaware, they’re afraid of upsetting the audience, but not Bryan.

And it’s number after number and…

It’s more akin to the Grateful Dead than anything on country radio. Deadheads won’t like this, but the truth is the Dead’s material was in most cases far from stellar and live they were untogether, whereas Bryan has superior material and his band was tight and firing on all cylinders.

And it is a rock story. Those of you pooh-poohing Bryan, believing he’s a country nitwit, are unaware that he charted twenty songs at rock radio from “American Heartbreak” alone. Only three made it into the top twenty, and the highest one is only twelve and…

There are six charted rock songs from “Summertime Blues,” with one going to number ten, albeit the next highest only being twenty six and…

Only seven charted country singles. With the highest chart number being twenty four.

So if you think Zach Bryan’s success is a result of country radio airplay, you’re sorely mistaken.

And terrestrial airplay is nearly meaningless anyway. You mean the people too cheap to pay for SiriusXM and/or Spotify are going to pony up all that money for a ticket? I don’t think so. The people in attendance looked like they never listened to the radio. To listen to terrestrial radio is even worse than to have your text show up in a green bubble in iMessage. Come on, when was the last time ANYBODY told you they heard something on terrestrial radio? Maybe they listen to NPR, or news, but music? Other than the radio station people blowing back in my e-mail, I don’t know who in the hell is listening.

3

I’d be lying if I told you I knew the material as well as the audience, but…

“He was a boy who was a dreamer

And he flew so high and proud

In a world full of people out to cut his young ass down

No one ever understood a single word he said

And they cast him to the wolves when he wasn’t well and fed

Boys we’ve got a riser, a riser in our midst

And he will get the last laugh if it’s the last thing he did

And he used to roll around in that red dirt mud

But now he’s skipping town, and that riser’s out for blood

Don’t stop goin’, goin’ south

‘Cause they’ll let you play your music real damn loud

Don’t stop headin’, headin’ south

‘Cause they will understand the words

That are pouring from your mouth”

“Heading South”

These are better words than Springsteen has written THIS CENTURY!

All this veneration of Bruce, who seems mostly spent, now doing a covers record, whereas Bryan is spewing truth, writing like Bob Dylan, constantly.

This is the opposite of the Spotify Top 50, which is less about music than branding, where we have to constantly hear that the “singer” is better, richer, more connected than we are, whereas Zach Bryan is relatable, one of us. Hell, he hit the stage in a t-shirt, something that looked like he hangs out in, rides his motorcycle wearing, that is not a designer pick for the show, it reeked of authenticity without any posing, after all it was baggy and stretched.

“And that boy, he called his daddy to tell him what he did

As the masses screamed the lyrics of a messed up kid

And then he told that old man he was never coming back

To be cut down again in a town like that

Then he surely came to learn people come to watch you fall

But he’s out to make a name and a fool out of ’em all

They’ll never understand that boy and his kind

All they comprehend is a f…ing dollar sign”

“Heading South”

Steely Dan are never going back to their old school, and neither is the protagonist of this song. Captain of the football team? Class president? Popular? That’s not this guy, he’s singing about ALIENATION, which used to be the key element of music, that’s why people related to it, why it was so powerful, it wasn’t passive entertainment, pablum.

“We get dressed up just to go downtown

In some ego-filled late night crowd

It seems to be where I feel most alone”

Alone together. This is how I feel. I’m there, but invisible, if anything an object of derision.

That’s from “Burn, Burn, Burn.”

“To you I’m just a man, to me you’re all I am

Where the hell am I supposed to go”

These lines are from Zach’s “Something in the Orange,” his most popular song on Spotify, with 128+ million streams. The former line is akin to the words of Jackson Browne, but the latter shows vulnerability men almost never evidence. They bury their feelings, they buck up, but Zach Bryan is singing how they feel, which is what they’re looking for, no one else is verbalizing these feelings, especially someone who doesn’t look like an art kid.

And the final number, the encore, was an endless take of “Revival,” with Charles Wesley Godwin and his band and a few stragglers on stage to boot, it looked like nothing so much as Mad Dogs & Englishmen. Although it was definitely American.

And everybody got an extended solo, evidencing these nameless players could, play, that is. It’s like WHERE HAVE THESE GUYS BEEN? Kenny Chesney is out with great players, but they’re far older. In a hip-hop, electronic world, these guys took the other path, the one that’s become overgrown with weeds over the years. Sure, there’s the pandering Nasvilleites, but that’s not Zach Bryan.

“Your transgressions are mine as well

Anger grows in my bones if you could not tell

But I’ll find comfort in company

Lord forgive us, my boys and me”

That’s what we’re all looking for, bad company, and I can’t deny.

And that’s what it was like last night. All the people…the watching was incredible. Who are they, where do they live, what do they think, would they be fun to hang with?

The girls hanging over the railing behind me, were they drawn by Zach himself? He’s not a classic party boy, but that’s not what real people are looking for, they’re hungry for authenticity.

Now Zach Bryan won’t be new for that much longer. And when he’s around for a couple of years, that’s when the backlash usually begins. But oftentimes there’s a reason for that, not only is the material not as good, they’ve sold out, become part of the other, hanging with celebrities, loving everybody.

That ain’t Zach Bryan, just listen to his music. He’s angry, bubbling inside, in search of meaning and happiness, knowing it’s an all life endeavor, that you can never rest on your laurels, and compromising yourself to be a member of the group, to get ahead, is anathema.

I’m hipping you to all this.

But maybe you’re already hip.

Zach Bryan is an artist. And his music is not retro, but positively of the now. Check it out.

Zach’s set list at the Wiltern: https://spoti.fi/3F0CYV3

“Alpha: Eddie Gallagher and the War for the Soul of the Navy SEALs”: https://amzn.to/3D03pIY

Every American should read this book.

The best book about combat I’ve ever read is “Black Hawk Down,” the Mogadishu story. They made a movie of it, which ain’t bad, but isn’t in the league of the book. The movie solely depicts action, whereas the book also depicts thought, what was going through the minds of the soldiers engaged in battle. The chaos, the fear, you felt like you were right there.

The depiction of battle in “Alpha” is not quite as good, but that does not mean it’s not fascinating, and riveting.

“Black Hawk Down” was constant action. Whereas “Alpha” is about SEALs in Iraq in the battle for Mosul and there are many battles, much action. And ultimately, most Americans don’t care. Yes, Iraq has been written off. The entire Middle East. That was what we did back at the turn of the century. It didn’t work out so well, so we’ve forgotten it. People died, their families will never be the same, but at least it didn’t happen to me, or you.

And that was what Vietnam was all about, it could definitely happen to me or you, and therefore there was pushback. Was this a cause worth dying for? Many people didn’t think so. Draft cards were burned, men moved to Canada, there were national protests. I’m thinking we may not see this kind of movement, this kind of change, until it’s a life and death matter for half the public again. One could argue the issue of abortion rights affects all women, but it’s somewhat murky, not black and white, you can still get the procedure done in some states, there are different rules everywhere, and we’re not quite sure all the pro-choice people are excited and united.

That’s the modern world. No one has a handle on what is going on.

Have you been following the news? It’s all about the horse race, what is happening in election battles. Every day it’s a new story, a new spin. A month ago abortion was the key issue, today they say it’s the economy. A month ago the Democrats were on the rise, today outlets are saying the Republicans are on the cusp of victory, at least in the House. I don’t believe a single word of it. I know what the issues are, but I do not know what the temperature of the country truly is, for that I’m waiting for the election results. And, of course, there are the issues of the right to vote and the counting of votes…but we’re gonna have to wait until Election Day to see what goes on there.

What happened in America in the sixties and seventies is exactly what is happening in Russia right now. As long as someone else is fighting the war, you’re not too upset. But if they want YOU to go… You leave the country and… Do you really want to be a pawn in Putin’s game? The same way men felt they were pawns in Johnson and Nixon’s game? Will Putin pay a price, we’re just not sure. Changings of the guard happen overnight, like the failure of Lehman Brothers. Oh, there’s a long run-up, but most people are not paying attention, and then a tipping point is reached and…

The “Washington Post” just published a story:

“Leaders of democracies increasingly echo Putin in authoritarian tilt – From Italy to Brazil to the United States, political leaders increasingly are echoing Russian President Vladimir Putin and one another by embracing far-right authoritarianism”: https://wapo.st/3geDlkn

Want to be truly frightened? Read it, that’s a free link. If you can make it to the end I applaud you, it’s just too disillusioning, too disheartening.

And that’s the essence of “Alpha.”

WHAT?

Man, if you lived through the sixties it’s hard to fathom all this veneration of the military, never mind law enforcement. They were the enemy. But most Americans alive today were not conscious in that era, they know little about Vietnam. We have a level of nationalism previously unknown in my lifetime. And once you get a gang going…

Yes, talk to people in other countries, America is seen as a bully, a gang.

So what you’ve got here is the Navy SEALs, the most lionized members of the military. Used to be pilots, but that’s been superseded, especially since the SEALs killed Bin Laden.

You see it’s damn hard to become a SEAL. Almost no one can pass the test. Read about it, you wouldn’t even want to try. And the belief is those who make it through, who get their Trident pin, are the best and the brightest.

IS THIS TRUE? Just because someone is physically fit, does that make them intelligent, never mind a choir boy?

So the book starts off with training. A SEAL platoon before it ships overseas. And what every SEAL wants is action. That’s what they’re trained for, they don’t want to be sent to some peace time territory. It’s the opposite of the regular citizen. They don’t only want to shoot, but kill. And…

There is very little supervision. The SEALs are the rock stars of the military. They don’t have to wear uniforms. They make up their own game plans. They change course on the fly. Essentially, they’re beholden to no one.

As long as…

As long as what?

As long as nobody speaks. It’s a cult. Of loyalty. And loyalty is more important than truth.

That’s America today. Not only in politics, but business. Pay fealty to the king and keep your mouth shut. Laws are broken? What difference does it make if no one talks. And if you’re ultimately found out, you hire attorneys far superior to the ones employed by the government and you skate, or end up with a slap on the wrist.

So they get to Mosul and…

The head of the platoon, Eddie Gallagher, starts breaking the rules from day one.

This is the first half of the book. The combat. One thing is for sure, reading it you have no desire to be there.

So, are the SEALs self-motivated purveyors of excellence, or bad actor renegades?

I’ll let you decide.

But in this particular case, two courts decided. Military and public opinion. The rule of law and Fox News.

I followed the Eddie Gallagher story, but I couldn’t remember how it played out. There’s so much to keep in your brain these days.

But if you want to know how the game works today, read how Eddie’s wife raised money via the internet and President Trump was worried about his image and…

It all comes down to doing the right thing.

That’s what they tell you, from kindergarten if not before. Do the right thing. Tell the truth. Be a man. Or a woman.

And then you get out in the world and that does not apply, whatsoever.

Be a whistleblower at your peril. Stick your neck out and watch all your friends, even the supportive ones disappear.

And the bad actor, whether it be a person or a corporation, has relationships, and data on you, after all no one is perfect, and if you stand up for the truth you could lose your gig, be haunted for the rest of your life.

Not wanting to tell the truth goes up the military ranks. No one wants the trouble. Everybody just wants the problem to be pushed under the rug, to go away. The enemy is the whistleblower, not the bad actor.

“Alpha” is one of the rare books where the courtroom drama is even better than the action that precedes it.

As for the action that precedes it, I’m gonna let you know right now, you’re gonna be a bit confused. You see there are so many names. Of soldiers, of groups, of weapons. Reading on a Kindle I could search and remind myself what each was, but having said that, you could probably read the book without remembering and it wouldn’t make a difference, you get the feel and know who the relevant players are as you get to the courtroom drama.

So I’d say the first half of the book is very interesting.

But about halfway through, it becomes RIVETING! You can’t put it down. Yesterday I spent the afternoon finishing it. Sitting in a chair for four hours straight. I didn’t even get up for lunch. I didn’t want to break the spell. And sure, I wanted to know what happened, but “Alpha” is more than that. The moral issues, the practical issues, the political issues, the humanity and lack thereof, all these questions are swirling around your brain and even after you close the book they’re still with you.

Is it hopeless?

Well, if everybody in America read “Alpha” maybe it wouldn’t be.

Because “Alpha” is America. There’s a hierarchy of power and you report to your superior. Of course there are exceptions, the artists, the super-rich, then again Bob Dylan said we all have to serve somebody.

And if you stick your neck out, you’re gonna get blind-sided. And they don’t prepare you for this, they don’t want you to know they’d rather make an example of you, make you think doing the right thing is morally superior and truth wins in the end and then you get your head lopped off.

The book ends on a positive note.

And then you read the “Times” stories about Hell Week and you wonder if it’s cultural, and nothing can change. You can be positive, but is it really a negative world?

Read “Alpha” and come to your own conclusion. It will make you think, but it’s anything but boring.

It’ll shake you up.

Tune in tomorrow, Saturday October 15th, 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

The problem with Netflix isn’t the price, but the content!

Man do they have it wrong.

In a world with a plethora of streaming options, one is ready to cancel any at a whim if there is not programming they want to see. Don’t tell me about dripping out product… No way I’m subscribing to Apple TV+ for multiple months to see “Bad Sisters,” I’m just waiting until it’s over to partake.

Or not. When the buzz is done, do I need to see it?

The “Squid Game” mania… Talked to anybody who’s watched the series recently? I certainly haven’t, it’s old news. Sure, some series survive, I’m aware of all those stories about the “Friends” reruns, but “Friends” was created in a completely different era. Today’s productions have a very short shelf life. You watch them and move on. All you’re doing by dripping out the episodes is leaving people on the sidelines, who won’t even bother to subscribe. As for lowering the price, how does NOTHING sound. Ad-supported for free sounds good to me. Make the damn commercials so onerous that only the truly cheap will take this option. Michael Eisner said 10% of the public will never pay, never ever. A lower price ain’t gonna work, never.

As for the lower price…

It’s not like we live in a vacuum, with no data. The freemium model has existed for years. You give away a hobbled version and people get so addicted they’re willing to pay for the real thing. This is Spotify’s model. 45% of people who use Spotify’s free tier ultimately convert to the paid tier: https://on.wsj.com/3MzKaZU People have the money if you have a desirable product. And if you don’t, there’s no lowering of the price that can entice me.

Does Apple have two tiers of prices? OF COURSE NOT! Apple leaves the low-priced goods to the rest of the companies, and ain’t it interesting that Apple is the only company that consistently makes money on handsets.

Turns out all those other people, those on Android, don’t want to pay for goods. Yes, Apple has a smaller market share, but almost all of the income from apps. I mean first and foremost, you go for the people who PAY!

Netflix was seen as a premium product. Now the brand has taken a hit. Having a Netflix account was a badge of honor. And maybe it’s less strong since competitors have entered the marketplace, but everybody knows Netflix has the most new product, and it’s all about new product, because new product ultimately becomes old product, and money can be reaped forever, especially with the Netflix model, where they buy out all the rights.

Did people think “Mayberry” was gonna run forever? Ron Howard will be long in the grave and people will be watching the small town shenanigans. Does every series have legs? Absolutely not, but you’ve got to make many to find out. This is the flaw in the Zaslav model. Once you start cutting production, you’re cutting yourself off at the knees. You need a lot of product, because even the best idea on paper might be a turd in the final result. And you never know what will catch on with the public. People will be watching “Stranger Things” for decades. Did anybody anticipate that? NO!

So, you pay attention to the seers on Wall Street and you’re cooked. Look at Amazon. Everybody bitched about its bottom line, but Bezos wouldn’t cut back, he wouldn’t yield. And then came Prime and then came AWS (Amazon Web Services). Neither was in the original plan. In cost-cutting mode you never take the chance, but if you’re willing to spend, new opportunities develop and come to fruition. Once you cut spending to improve your numbers…death. Especially in new model, tech companies.

Netflix shouldn’t cut back production to save money, it should stay the course, because only with hit product will people pay every month.

As for paying, many many people are watching without paying. They’re hooked on the product, but instead of hoovering up that money, Netflix is trolling for those who haven’t opened their wallets, who can live without the service, HOW DUMB IS THAT?

Everybody believes they’re getting away with something when they share passwords. It’s kinda like Napster. Users knew it was free, but there was no modern alternative. Also, staying with Napster, users saw it as a protest against the outdated business model, of $15 for a CD with one good track. If you’re not pissed about the streaming world, you’re not a user. I used to pay one price for everything on cable, it was expensive, but it was my choice. Now I feel like I’m being pecked to death by ducks. I can only watch one show at one time, but I’ve got to subscribe to all these services? I’m not canceling because they’re too expensive, I can afford it, it’s just an insult. Sell me all the services, Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Apple+, Discovery+…never mind Sundance Now an BritBox and Topic…for one price, just name it, I don’t care. If I’m paying for the complete cable package it’s not like I’m pissed that I’m watching one channel at a time.

What’s gonna happen if Netflix cuts off password-sharers. They’re gonna disconnect? THEY’RE NOT PAYING TO BEGIN WITH! People pony up for what they want, and these people already want it. Who do you want to try and convince to pay, those already in your store or the random person on the street? Those inside the store, those sharing passwords, are already interested!

So I’m sitting at home, thinking whether I want to pay $6.99 for Netflix with ads. I’m not paying to begin with. It’s a hurdle I don’t want to jump.

But there are plenty of free services out there: Freevee, Roku… Most of it is junk, but you’ve got to pay for the good stuff. Rolex doesn’t sell a model with a Timex inside.

I just don’t know who the people are who are going to pay for something they aren’t already. I’m not paying for Paramount+, I’m not paying for Discovery+. because they’re complete rip-offs, also-rans. You want me to pay to watch one good show when the rest is recycled dreck? I can live without that program. I want you to go out of business, or merge, or license your product to one of the big kahunas.

That’s what these services don’t understand, WE CAN LIVE WITHOUT ANY OF THEM! Streaming services are not the most important purchases in our lives, they’ve got to earn our money. It’s a yes/no proposition, it’s black and white, it’s not a matter of price. Look, a movie costs fifteen to twenty bucks but I’m going to haggle over paying fifteen bucks for a service with tons of product for a MONTH? No, it’s just a matter of if I’m interested in what’s being purveyed.

You can’t be all things to all people. That’s a bad business model. It doesn’t work for anybody. You’re inherently dumbing-down the product. Want to make more money Netflix…RAISE THE PRICE! You’ve got to give me something for it, maybe one theatrical release a month, free, immediately, but my wallet is open for the desirable, most people’s is. Are we really arguing over a handful of bucks, do they really think that’s why people are not subscribing to Netflix?

And the cable companies make you subscribe for a year, but Netflix is month-to-month. SiriusXM offers year-long discount products. Better to commit the person for a year at a lower price then try to get them pay month by month, it’s one decision instead of twelve. And if you commit for a year, odds are you’re going to watch, get hooked, you’ve made the deal. Do you buy a product, use it once and then discard it? No, if it’s expensive enough you try to make it work, you Google instructions, it’s going to take a lot for you to put it in a corner to collect dust. You’re INVESTED!

So now streaming TV is just like network. That’s the model. Netflix was a NEW model, but now it’s undercut itself, gone backwards.

This reminds me of the early 2000s in the music business. We’d have all these focus groups with teenagers asking them about the value of music, what it was worth. And almost every one said $10-$15 for a CD was fair. But the dirty little secret was when we asked how many people bought CDs at this price? NONE! They were opining about something they weren’t involved in, and they were telling the questioners what they wanted to hear as they continued to download music from Napster. We could never convince these kids to buy CDs again, we had to come up with a new model. It’s not like if the CD was five bucks they’d buy it, THEY DIDN’T WANT IT AT ANY PRICE!

Just like the people not subscribing to Netflix.

Everybody knew there would come a time when Netflix would run out of potential subscribers. Everybody convinced themselves that we weren’t there yet, that we were living in an unending go-go era, but once you have one smartphone, HOW MANY MORE DO YOU NEED?

You saturate the marketplace and if you want more money you extend the brand, like Spotify, or merge with another company. Patagonia doesn’t do this, but it was privately owned. It wasn’t about the short term insanity of the stock price. And Patagonia’s value, financially and in esteem, has only gone UP! And when they limited sales, saying they wouldn’t sell their vests for corporate retreats, owners of Patagonia products felt even better about their purchases, and went out and bought more, Patagonia was something to BELIEVE IN! And still is.

I used to believe in Netflix.

Now I just see a bunch of businessmen bending in the wind to placate the financial community which has its head up its rear end. It was the bleeding edge product that kept me testifying. But they got rid of the person responsible for that. It would be like HBO firing its development staff and hiring ABC’s. MAKES NO SENSE!

We live in a soulless world where brands are kings, even more than people. Ask me who I believe in most. It certainly ain’t anybody in the Spotify Top 50, I believe in Apple more than them. Apple makes the finest products and doesn’t enter every field. I can feel good about owning Apple products. And Apple is the most valuable company in the world! And their products are more expensive than everybody else’s!

So there are Apple-haters. No problem, it just makes my belief in Apple stronger, especially since most of the haters are having a knee-jerk reaction. Sure, you can customize Android more, but how many people actually want to do that? But even worse, most of the phones can’t be upgraded, Android has the greatest market share, with everybody on a different operating system. Which yields a worse user experience. Apple just pushes the update to everybody.

Does Apple make mistakes? OF COURSE!

But at least Tim Cook has balls. When asked why he didn’t make iMessage RCS compatible, that is work with Android, so the person’s mom could see videos better, he said “Buy your mom an iPhone.” He didn’t weasel, he owned it. And I want to tell you, when I see a green bubble I judge the person. They didn’t get the message? You’re still using an Android? Don’t complain, it’s useless, this is how we iPhone users feel, ALL OF US!

Meanwhile, Reid Hastings and Ted Sarandos are afraid of both the Street and the public. Let’s make it more palatable, let’s play by your rules. Didn’t you win by BREAKING those rules?

This is a product few are interested in. But Netflix felt pressured by Wall Street…

Never a good motivation.

Now Netflix is another bottom line TV company when it used to be so much more. Viewers were in bed with Netflix. I don’t want them under the covers ANYMORE!