MO OSTIN:

My name is Marvin Heiman and I was Curtis Mayfield’s partner and Manager for 30 years until Curtis died.

We owned Curtom Records and in late 1974 I met with Mo Ostin at Warners Bros., Ahmet Ertegun at Atlantic Records, Capitol Records to decide where we wanted to go with Curtom since our deal with Buddah Recirds for distribution was up.

When I met Mo, Joe Smith, Lenny Waronker, and others in Burbank I knew right away. So, in 1975 Curtom was  now with Warner Bros Record. Neil Bogarts Casablanca Records was there too and Neil was going to handle our record companies promotion. Then, Neil left with his label but Mo gave me the okay to hire Black record promotion people in all of the major markets.

Mo was an unbelievable guy. Sincere, honest, and willing to go the extra mile for the artists.

Mo and Evelyn had me for dinner in there home several time as I continued to live in the Chicago area, I spent 5  days a month in Los Angeles. Mo gave me Joe Smith’s old office next to his with a shared bathroom.

Mo and Warner Bros Films came to me with a script “Let’s Do It Again” I loved it and sent it overnight to Curtis. His response was Let’s Do It!. We got the Staple SIngers to do the soundtrack and the album. Curtis wrote the  music and produced the album and the film music track. It starred Sydney Poitier, Bill Cosby, and JJ Walker. The title song “Lets Do It Again” was a smash record going to number 1 on the charts. It was a great movie soundtrack which at that time was Curtis’s second movie music, album, and soundtrack after the smash “Super Fly.”

Working with the Warners people was wonderful. Anything we needed it was provided. Mo became my Mentor and friend. His devotion to artists was unbelievable.

I remember when Mo and I were negotiating the Curtom/Warner distribution deal. The final agreement was  about 100 pages. My attorneys read the agreement and missed on a specific area and so did I  Mo had agreed to this as well., Within a few months this came up as something was to kick in that Curtom would receive another $170,000. It was not in the agreement. I called Mo and he remembered that specific area. He sent me a Warner check in full for the amount. That was Mo Ostin.

I could go on and on what Mo meant to Curtis and myself but I will end with Mo Ostin was an artist friend, most honorable man, and my friend.

Rest in Peace.

Marvin Heiman

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From: Eric Greenspan

When I was a teenager, I read Rolling Stone Magazine from cover to cover and was captivated by the Warner Bros. ads.  They  their advertised  a compilation double album called the Big Ball for $2  (It introduced me to artists like Randy Newman, Captain Beefheart, Joni Mitchell, Arlo Guthrie, Norman Greenbaum,Van Morrison, Fleetwood Mac, Small Faces, The Kinks, Neil Young, James Taylor, The Mothers of Invention and  The Grateful Dead .  I still remember sitting in my bedroom and listening the  albums and reading the liner notes cover to cover and then going to buy records at Sam Goodys in New York on Monday (records were $5.99 but on Monday they were 50% off).  I still have my vinyl copy of that album.  

You mentioned that when their contracts end artists would leave their record company and go to Warner Bros.  When the Red Hot Chili Peppers left EMI Records they fell under Mo’s spell and released Blood Sugar Sex Magik.A life changing album.  Flea founded the Silverlake Conservatory of Music and in 2019 the Silverlake Conservatory of Music honored Mo.  

One other anecdote – when the manufactured Cop Killer controversy exploded, and the Warner stock price was taking a hit, the logical economic decision would be to remove the record from the catalog.  Mo would not do that.  Ice-T had the meeting with the label and said he appreciated the support but it was his fight and not theirs and so he asked Mo to remove the album from distribution  because it was ultimately his fight and not theirs and Mo would never ask him to pull the record.  Ice T was a mensch but I can’t imagine him doing that for any other executive other than Mo Ostin.  

An incalculable loss for the industry.

RIP MO

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From: Hugo Burnham

OK…my story is so small – but it meant so much to me. Gang of Four were signed to WB (by Jerry Wexler) and they were so fantastic to us…especially Donna Russo and the NYC office. When we lost a bass player and a manager, we were talking for a bunch of them. Mo and Lenny invited me to meet in LA (I was the de facto manager in the interim). “We love Gang of Four. We will work with any manager you choose…but please, please don’t go with Bennett Glotzer.” Like idiots, we did. BUT – years later, I’d just got the A&R gig with Qwest (Q said, “I need someone who understands all that noiseywhite shit!”), and went to the WB Grammy party. I saw Mo…slid up to him, waited, and then said, “Excuse me, Mo, I’m…” he gripped my arm – 

“Hugo! Lovely to see you! Welcome back!”

I cried a little then. I’m crying now.

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I was lucky enough to work at Warner Bros as a staff engineer starting in 1980 and worked with producers Lenny Waronker and Russ Titelman recording so many great artists like  Rickie Lee Jones and Randy Newman who could only have been signed and successfull at WB where the artist always came first. I only met Mo a few times , but he was always friendly and never “corporate” and from my perspective it was obvious that he set the tone for the entire label. His passing certainly marks the end of an era , and even tho the music business changed for the worse a long time ago, his death reminds me just how much it has changed . I’m glad I got to be a part of the great company he ran so well for so man years, and wish both he and it was  still around.

Mark Linett

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Bob:

Had to chime in on Mo’s passing.  He was truly a wonderful inspiration to all.

In ’73 after working for ABC/Dunhill, I had the fortune of moving over to Warner Bros. Records and starting in the Merchandising Dept.  At the time, we were located in the 3701 Warner Blvd building.  (Jack Warner’s machine shop).  I remember vividly seeing Peter Yarrow running through our building with tremendous excitement.  Mo Ostin & Joe Smith were at the helm.  Two totally different approaches; Mo the consummate diplomat and the nicest executive you would ever meet; Joe the ultimate toastmaster, akin to Don Rickles…without the insults. (most of the time!)

From ’73 to ’82, in my years at Warner Bros., it had to be one of the most exciting times within the music industry.  Transitioning from singles to albums!  Watching Mo at our various conventions was nothing short of a marvel. He always was able to finesse each event, so that all felt included.  It was truly a gift.  From our varied artist roster, to the top notch executives we interacted with each day, my drive from Santa Monica to Burbank, always had me in awe as to what was in store for the day.

Eventually, I became a Product Mgr. and one of the key liaisons with the label and mgmt/artists.  Seymore Stein/Sire, Albert Grossman/Bearsville, Mike Curb/Warner Curb, Andrew Wickham/Warner Country, and multiple artists on Warner/Reprise. (Fleetwood Mac, Dire Straits, Emmylou Harris…too many to list.)  They all had the connection and attention of Mo Ostin.  It was a privilege to work with and represent the ideal of what our label stood for: artist development!  Bob Regehr and Carl Scott led the charge.

In ’82 when the label did some re-structuring, the Product Mgmt dept was down-sized.  Mo had called me into his office to discuss the transition.  I thanked him profusely for the opportunity of working at the label.  I added one note of dismay…he asked “What’s that?”  I said, “I will miss my 10 year mark with Warner Bros. by 4 month.”  He said, “I’m sure you’ll be fine; you never know what the future will bring.”

He was right, as I spent the next 16 years at Geffen Records!  After closing the label in ’99, I had the fortune to work at DreamWorks Records (yet again) with Mo Ostin, Lenny Waronker, Michael Ostin & Robbie Robertson. Even though it was only 4 years until we closed the label, Mo was right…”you never know what the future will bring!”

I feel blessed to have worked with a true icon in the music industry.

Mo, you will be missed.

Robin Rothman

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SANDY ROBERTON:

Hi, Bob.

I’d really like to thank Tim Palmer for such a genuine and

comprehensive tribute to Sandy Roberton. I’ve worked with Sandy for

the last fifteen years, emailing or talking almost every day. He was

always a great manager and he became a great friend. Everything Tim

said was spot on. He had boundless energy. In his final weeks, he

would CALL ME and apologize that he couldn’t talk for long because he

was rushing from one procedure to the next. We would discuss ongoing

projects but also commiserate about how annoying the music business

has become, how stupid Trump is, Brexit, Russia and on and on. I’ll

really miss him.

Peter Katis

________________________________

Sandy Roberton is a cut above. When I was still super green in the music biz, just moved to NYC and working at Beggars Group in the late 90’s, Sandy would always make time when he was in town for lunch, which he always bought. I met him because at one time he’d managed Jim Rondinelli, the producer of my management client June’s first Beggars Banquet album.

I will miss his good humor and encyclopedic knowledge of the cast and characters in the music production world.

x Dick Huey

________________________________

so sorry to hear this news

Sandy was a role model to so many of us in the artist management space.  After I left Ocean Way, I reached out to him. I knew his girls who worked at Worlds End and I thought it would be cool to work there. After the interview, he encouraged me to start my own co.

Earlier this year we spoke on What’s App. We were discussing getting some of his geniuses promoted.

His roster was like family to him and he was hugely proud of his daughter and family.  Sending love to you and his big circle of friends and family in Uk and US

Godspeed.

Claris Sayadian-Dodge

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________________________________

MELISSA ETHERIDGE:

From: Ava Raiin

I really enjoyed this interview. Melissa was my former boss (I sang backing vocals on the “this is me” tour) and this felt like nights on the back of the bus on the way to the next city.

Thank you for making space for her. She has impacted my life immensely thought I don’t think she even realizes it. She introduced me to a different perspective, from the art of performing and connecting with the audience, sharing music I

never heard before, sharing the Four Agreements which she follows (she even dropped one or two on the podcast: for example, what ppl think is none of my business/don’t take things personally ), she was always happy to share everything with us. The experience will remain at the top for me, and I’ve played a lot of tours, she holds a special place in my heart. Happy you got to share her brilliance with the rest of your audience.

________________________________

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BEYONCE:

Nelson George

Read a smart look at the release of #Renaissance on @ Lefsetz letter. Her fans will hate it, but it avoids the hype around the album. That news outlets now demand overnight reviews of major releases harms real criticism. It took years to make an LP. But it’s judged in one night.

@nelsongeorge

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From: John Rolfe

Hi Bob,

In 2018, I was following a Twitter discussion based on a Dig!Boston article about why Paramore should have headlined a day of Boston Calling in lieu of The Killers. The author openly came out for the fact that she wrote it in support of more female-fronted headliners. Some guy on Twitter responded to her with numbers and an analysis on how The Killers were more popular and how it made more business sense, essentially bulldozing all the arguments in the article. In return, the author alongside another Twitter user bashed the guy for “mansplaining”.

That same author now writes for Pitchfork, an entity who gave the new Beyonce album a super high rating (note that their ratings are allegedly collectively decided by the whole writing team).

Music journalism is in a terrible place, partially due to people like described above who indeed try to bend the world to their perception, facts be damned.

________________________________

Thanks for providing the empirical evidence to support my contention in recent posts on Medium for Socially Drive Music. Over the many years, I’ve worked with some of the most acclaimed songwriters in the world, including John Lennon, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Edwin Starr, Tony Macaulay, BA Robertson, Tom Snow and many more. Diane Warren’s work embodies her love and kindness and is an antidote for racism. Her comment about Beyonce listing twenty-four people as songwriters on one of her album tracks is understandable, appropriate, and has nothing to do with race. I’d add that twenty-four people are not writing a song as much as they are contributing to a production.

Let’s stipulate that, where music was once a wellspring of creativity and inspiration, music being featured in “Top Hits” playlists today is predominantly a wasteland. It’s tantamount to yesterday’s “Bubblegum” music, but more pernicious due to its superficial or unconscious irrelevance to current events and its pervasive use of gratuitous profanity. Extolling Beyonce’s newest track, “Break My Soul” for its supposedly profound meaning about “The Great Resignation” is like arguing that Tony Orlando and Dawn’s “Knock Three Times” was actually a thesis about the merits of rent control. At least the latter had an original melody. Yes, Beyonce is a talented singer and her team can create enticing productions with a tip of the hat to House Music (Robin S “Show Me Love and Big Freedia “Explode”), but where are the new copyright gems that will be remembered and covered?

Stephen Love

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Bad Bunny is much bigger. 

Only artist who has broken our website in the last 20 years during his onsale. 

Absolutely insane demand for this guy. It’s truly incredible. 

Kevin Vahidi

Senior Director, Venues & Promoters, Ticketmaster

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From: Steve Lukather

There is NO entry level to the recording business anymore. You plug in the drum machine you are a writer. You roll a joint  in the room you are a writer. You say ‘YEAH’ . You are a writer etc.. AD NAUSEUM!

Some idiots think they are musicians cause they ‘play the drum machine’!

Please get a breakdown of who wrote what on that song. Name names. Details. Who wrote exactly what! I wanna know. Don’t you?

If in fact today’s rules applied back when I was a studio musician doing 20 some odd sessions a week back when human beings played together in a room and made music, or did a quick overdub post tracking, 98% of the time I was handed a chart with chord symbols on it and they count off the tune. NO rehearsals, NO demos. You better play something and something great. Create a hooky part as I did on shit tons of hit records.. ON the spot! Example. Human Nature by Michael Jackson. Track was done and there was no guitar. Quincy called me in and said ‘Luke ya gotta make this funky for me’ and I came up with the part you hear on the record on the spot. Turns out the writer my old friend Steve Porcaro hated my guitar part but it’s there for posterity. Q was kind enough to give me arranger credits and it got a Grammy nod but not a win for that category.

Fuck I should have gotten writers’ on ALL the tunes I played on by today’s rules and I would have Elon Musk money and would be writing this from my personal space shuttle from my own personal planet!

24 writers??  hahaha

That just shows you the greed and bullshit that exists today. It’s NOT racist. People negotiate the % splits BEFORE the first note is played. A  #1 record with 24 writers??? Being a tad sarcastic, that will net you like 42 cents each in todays market.

It’s EGO!!

Song comes on the radio and a person says ‘Yeah I wrote that’ NOT telling anyone 23 OTHER people did too.  What…did everyone contribute a WORD? Cause there are like 4 chord changes at best on any of these songs.

I dig Beyonce. Nothing personal here. It’s the CONCEPT this can even be done and that people get away with it!!!

I love Diane Warren, a friend for like 35 years. We have worked together many times over the years and she is an incredible woman and funny as hell I might add! If she is a racist then I give up.

She just called it like she sees it and she tells the truth. Truth hurts doesn’t it.

Trailer: https://bit.ly/3BWetXc

1

Did we need another look at Woodstock ’99?

Not really, last year’s HBO movie was sufficient.

I imagine some young people might watch this Netflix series for the trainwreck value, to get a peek at what once was, as for older people, aware when the festival took place… I recommend it only because it shows where we were then and how we’ve evolved to where we are now, and that’s informative.

John Scher never takes responsibility. In either of these productions, HBO’s or Netflix’s. I guess that’s a prelude for what was to come. If you deny it, did it really happen? Even if we can see it happen with our own two eyes? Donald Trump has gotten away denying footage, and let’s see how much money Alex Jones ends up paying. So we’ve got two paths today, denial and overt apology, which sometimes serves the same purpose, if you fall on your sword quickly and dramatically enough, you can shift yourself to the other side, into the heart of the people, and get away with it, at least that’s the theory. But since everybody accused by #MeToo has been tarred with the same brush, more men are now denying their behavior. As for the public getting over the transgression, there are people on social media keeping it alive.

There was no social media back in ’99.

But the internet was nascent.

Yet, AOL ruled, almost no one had a high speed connection. The mainstream was caught flat-footed that same year when Napster burgeoned. And the mainstream has been trying to catch up ever since. Except for the tech companies that got ahead of the public and ultimately reign to this day.

And then there’s Michael Lang. A terrible businessman with a somewhat charismatic personality and an incredible sense of optimism to the point of being delusional. It’s like Lang was stuck in 1969, but times changed.

The music in 1969 brought us together. The original Woodstock featured acts of different colors of different nationalities. Kids were optimistic about their futures, despite the war in Vietnam. They felt like they had power.

And there was a social safety net, there was no homelessness, you didn’t think you were going to starve. And there was little income inequality. You could make it from here to there, and the rich didn’t lord their wealth over you, and there weren’t all the billionaires of today telling us they know better. Today, people revere the rich, in 1969 they revered the artists. Oh, what a long strange trip it’s been.

So if we have to point to one person responsible for Woodstock ’99 it would have to be Ronald Reagan. Who legitimized greed. I know his supporters will deny this, telling us the astrology-addicted Reagan was a saint who could do no wrong. The Wall was gonna fall no matter what. But Reagan lowered taxes, let Wall Street go wild, made greed the national religion.

That’s what Woodstock ’99 was all about, the money. They started with the money and worked back from there.

And they had the brand name, “Woodstock.” Believing it would translate just like Ford Motor which has labeled an SUV a Mustang.

But times had changed dramatically.

Today we have scores of festivals. But they rarely have 250,000 people in attendance and although the music is a drawing card, people go for the overall experience. Today they won’t accept hot dogs and pizza. They want gourmet food. And the festivals are so expensive to begin with that no one complains about the prices, if you go you know it’s going to cost you plenty. But now you’ve got a card, you don’t even need to bring cash. And promoters have become experienced. Don’t go to a festival put on by a newbie, there will be problems, I guarantee it.

Today you go to the festival for the badge of honor, to be able to say you went. You shoot selfies and post and… That’s how far we’ve come, everyday life is not good enough, we’re looking for high level experiences. And the music industry provides these.

As does the food industry, and many other verticals.

Used to be it was only about music.

Now you can sell tickets for Coachella without even announcing the acts. Sure, the lineup is important, but less important than ever before.

2

The acts at Woodstock ’99 were much bigger than the acts of today, MUCH bigger. Everybody knew who they were. From Sheryl Crow and Jewel to the Chili Peppers, Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit.

What made them big?

MTV!

MTV made you a worldwide star, often overnight.

No outlet has that power anymore, NONE!

Woodstock ’99 was your chance to see all these acts in one place. Kind of like the original Woodstock. Whereas today no one expects to see all the big acts on one stage. It’s impossible, never mind they play different music that doesn’t appeal to everybody.

Today you can have a music festival and it doesn’t even make the news, other than in its local burg. Music festivals are no longer big news.

As for the kind of music featured at Woodstock ’99…it was ROCK!

Now rock is a sideshow. You couldn’t get 250,000 people to show up for a lineup of today’s Active Rock bands. Or maybe you could, promoting it a la the Gathering of the Juggalos, a place for like-minded people to get together, a gathering of the tribe, a tribe with almost no traction outside its relatively small number of members.

And the hit acts of 1999 were far different from the hit acts of 1969. In 1969 the acts had a social conscience, they were against the oldsters, the policies of the government. In 1999? The acts were all about the money and at best they proffered frustration, against the system that delivered so few possibilities to the audience. Believe me, no one would have had a hit with lyrics telling people to break stuff back in 1969. We were coming together, not pulling apart.

So the energy was different.

In 1969 you wanted to do drugs and mellow out.

in 1999 you wanted to drink beer and rage.

Michael Lang believed in core values his audience didn’t. They didn’t have a clue! Times change, as they have again. 1999 is twenty three years ago, watching this movie is almost quaint. Not only is there no social media, there’s no mobile phones, never mind smartphones.

That’s a big difference between the centuries. 1996 was the year of AOL. And 2000 was the year of the cell phone. The internet and mobile telephony existed prior to these dates, but this is when they gained more acceptance.

So when you went to Woodstock ’99 you were out of touch, with everybody but those in your direct environs. This has not been the situation since. You not only call or text your parents, you do so multiple times every day!

And even owning your own car is no longer a huge desire. No, people don’t take buses, but they believe they can fly and then Uber everywhere.

As for control… Woodstock ’99 was a forerunner that we’ve only just realized.

3

Up until Covid-19, there was a belief that America was under control. That we had politicians with our best interests at heart, and a police force to enforce the law.

Now not only do people take pride in defying the law, the police force, even the elected officials are not concerned with general welfare. Yes, the Republicans just voted down a $35 cap on insulin and if you want to really have your head spin, read this:

“How Republicans Are ‘Weaponizing’ Public Office Against Climate Action – A Times investigation revealed a coordinated effort by state treasurers to use government muscle and public funds to punish companies trying to reduce greenhouse gases.”: https://nyti.ms/3bAc2Po

And it’s not only Republicans. Kyrsten Sinema killing carried interest legislation? The rich get richer. And the rich control elected officials. And you? You’re screwed, so why not burn down the house.

But you shouldn’t. Because there are cameras everywhere and you’re gonna get caught. Like the rioters on January 6th. They go to jail while the instigators are still free… White collar crime? Go for it. Once again, the rich skate. Assuming they’re smart enough not to leave a record. And even if they do… They just erase the texts with impunity. Yes, they’re going to get away with it. It’s just like you erasing the hard drive at the 7/11 after you’re accused of shoplifting. Good luck with that.

Tell me to get vaxxed?

NO! What are you gonna do about it?

Well, polio is now coming back. But not for me! Not yet anyway. Screw everybody else but me. Yes, you’re on your own, as a result of the evisceration of the safety net by the Republicans in cahoots with Bill Clinton. We know you’re just a lazy nitwit looking for a handout. So, if you have no power, how do you respond? Take action, loot! Which is what happened two years ago during Black Lives Matter. How else were people going to respond, take their money out of their nonexistent bank accounts?

And the law and order people don’t obey the law and don’t keep the order. Trump let the 1/6 rioters run free. Screw order. And there are good people on both sides…

And then there is truth… Forget Trump, just watch John Scher and Michael Lang bloviate in either of these films!

4

But Michael Lang is dead.

John Scher helped build the modern concert industry. He’s still a lone wolf, but just about all his competitors sold out to the man, for the big check.

Time moved on but everybody still thinks it’s the music business of yore. That hit acts have infinite reach and the music is a healing force that is top of mind for everybody. Ridiculous! Music at best is the evanescent soundtrack to your video game, your gourmet meal, it doesn’t even represent the same thing it did in 1969. Peace and love? My ass. I’m a BRAND!

And the acts just use music as a platform. Just like the promoters of Woodstock ’99. Money was paramount. The experience…was barely thought about. You buy a ticket, we’ve won.

And with the internet and social media the individual is now powerful. Sure, we still have musical stars, but there are social media stars just as big. You can build it at home. You can broadcast at home. Performing a trick is easier than practicing an instrument for twenty years and touring the country in a van.

So the major labels consolidated. Those with power have gotten bigger, and the U.S. government has allowed business to run unfettered. The craziest is the antitrust e-book decision that forced Amazon to RAISE PRICES! For the good of the people? That’s another thing… Elected officials are way behind the public, never mind techies… They don’t understand the problems and by time they take action the issues they’re addressing are passé and new ones have arrived.

It’s chaos I tell you, just like Woodstock ’99.

The boomers are done. And the Gen-X’ers are running on fumes. Music is a youth business. I don’t care how much you listen and go to shows, the youth listen more and spend more dollars. So the focus is always on them. You go where the money does, just like Instagram going from images to clips. Stay static, and you die.

And since the barrier to entry in music is so damn low, it’s constantly being disrupted. The labels have no control whatsoever. At best they can sign what has already broken online. As for starting from scratch… It could take you years just to break even, never mind make a profit.

Everything you believed in, everything you thought, is gone. Sure, we still have festivals, but they don’t resemble Woodstock ’99, and the music doesn’t resemble that at Woodstock ’99, never mind Woodstock ’69. Times have changed, but boomers still think they rule.

Especially in the touring business. Which is run like Amazon and Facebook. All the innovation comes from outside the big players. And the upstarts either sell out or the biggies go into competition with them and crush them. The big get bigger. Hell, just look at Michael Rapino’s compensation, no one ever made this much money in touring before. As for Lucian’s Grainge’s payout… It’s just heinous.

Talk about wanting to break things.

And no one has accounted for masculinity, never mind ignorance. All this talk about #MeToo at the end of this Netflix production is just that. Do you actually know men? The only ones who’ve been reached are the ones whose behavior was fine or just barely over the line. The rest… The ones with a brain just kept it underground, and the ignorant…

Are all over this Netflix series.

You’ve got to check out the9thinning on TikTok. His clips are akin to the old Jaywalking bit on the “Tonight Show.” He goes around and asks people basic questions that they can’t answer.

This one is my favorite:

https://bit.ly/3JJeqA3

Yes, he asks people wearing music t-shirts about the bands that are pictured…and the people are CLUELESS!

You couldn’t even buy t-shirts when rock was beginning to burgeon.

Then you had to go to the show.

The t-shirt was a badge of honor.

Now it’s a fashion statement.

The Ramones were edgy unaccepted punks who started a movement. Now they’re responsible for baby attire for the progeny of people who didn’t cotton to the Ramones to begin with, because they were too dangerous if they even knew about them at all!

Music is not the counterculture anymore.

There is no counterculture. And the main culture is wealth. How can I get rich? And the opportunities for the underclass are few, so they throw the long ball, take ridiculous chances, it’s better than coloring between the lines like the powers-that-be want you to, at least you have a chance of making it.

But really, you’re angry.

The rioters at Woodstock ’99 were angry.

Hell, I’m angry. More angry than ever before in my life. I mean if Orbán had spoken at a Republican conference in the sixties, there would have been riots in the street. Today, not only does authoritarian Orbán testify, they took away a woman’s right to an abortion in many states and our elected officials keep telling us to vote to enact change. Just like telling Woodstock ’99 attendees to stay calm in 90+ degree heat on tarmac sans enough water and…

It’s just that the Woodstock ’99 attendees were not as defeated as we are today, they still had a modicum of hope. They didn’t yet realize the game was rigged. These are the same people who were told owning your own home was the best investment and lost their property in 2008 when the executives at the banks who caused this loss were financially rewarded for it! Angry and depressed yet?

Woodstock ’99 wasn’t a one-off. It was a petri dish, which cultured the infection which has continued to be spread and be ignored.

We ARE Woodstock ’99.

But we believe if we weren’t there we’re safe. If it floods in St. Louis and Kentucky who cares, at least it isn’t me! It’s the opposite of the Woodstock ethos…love your brother? SCREW ‘EM!

When Don Henley sang we hadn’t had that spirit since 1969 he was right. He knew, BUT YOU IGNORED HIM!

And just about everybody is ignoring the future now. Never mind the future, the present!

Yes, our rock stars were seers, laying down truth.

Today they’re just uneducated moneygrubbers looking for a way to get rich. They’ll do whatever it takes. Be outrageous for effect, to get noticed. Sacrifice their integrity, their morals… Hell, everybody else is, why not?

Everybody else is tearing down the festival grounds, why shouldn’t I?

Everybody else has a gun, do I need one too?

Everybody else sold out to the man. 

It’s everybody for themselves in America today. Woodstock ’99 was just a harbinger of all this.

BE PREPARED!

If I say anything negative I’ll instantly become a pariah, I’ll be inundated with hate on social media and…

“How can there be 24 writers on a song?

Diane Warren tweeted this about a Beyoncé track four days ago.

And was instantly labeled a racist. It was said she didn’t understand African-American culture, one of collaboration, and then she APOLOGIZED! (And disappeared from Twitter for a few days.)

Is Diane Warren a racist? I’ve never seen evidence of this. Diane will work with anybody who can make one of her songs a hit. FURTHERMORE, Diane has previously worked with Beyoncé!

Now let’s say you make your living as a songwriter. Things are tough enough already, unless you have a hit you’re struggling. Used to be even an album track paid serious dividends, assuming it was on a hit LP in the physical era. But today, even though music is released as albums, they’re cherry-picked by the audience. And if you’re super-lucky, more than one track will break out. The rest of them have far fewer streams. And if you’re the writer of one of those…you might need to keep your day job.

Also, how do you write a song with 24 people?

Oh, we know, you sample this and you sample that, everybody in the room where it happens wants a piece and…the truth is Beyoncé has so many income streams that she’s willing to sacrifice some publishing money. But really… 24 writers?

I believe it’s reasonable to question that number, which appears laughable on the surface. I won’t go any further, talk about the craft of writing songs, in both the Black and White worlds…

But…

There are white acts that have a plethora of writers on their songs.

And there are black acts that only have one or two.

RACE IS NOT A FACTOR!

But you can’t say that.

I’ve been tracking the success of Beyoncé’s new album “Renaissance” since its release last Friday. To see if streams were commensurate with hype. And although initially the album peppered the upper echelons of the U.S. Spotify Top 50…

And then yesterday afternoon I saw a tweet by Om Malik, presently a VC. Linking to a piece on his blog:

“In Beyoncé we trust?”: https://bit.ly/3bCek0z

Om said:

“I have been listening to the album — on Spotify. Unlike the critics and reviewers, I am not having an eargasm. Except for two songs, Church Girl and Move, the album left me underwhelmed. She has done better work and will do better work in the future.”

This is the first negative word I’ve read about “Renaissance.” The hosannas in mainstream media have been overwhelming. It’s as if the Beatles got back together and released a record every bit as good as “Sgt. Pepper,” even better!

Now I’m a student of the game. One thing I keep noticing and hammering is most people don’t care. About Beyoncé, about ANYTHING! We no longer live in a monoculture, we live in a niche culture. You can promote it, but that does not mean people will consume it. And the rollout of “Renaissance” is the best ever in the streaming era, it was everywhere. Is it successful?

Om goes on:

“Still, I appreciate Beyoncé bringing attention to house music and its legends. As someone who has been a house music fan since the earliest days, this made me happy. But that doesn’t mean I will go ga-ga over the album, which is a bit ho-hum, at least to my ears. My reaction is very different from that of critics and reviewers. According to Metacritic, it scored 93, and 19 out of 19 reviews are positive. Fans gave it 9.4. I understand that taste is subjective, and not everyone likes the same thing.”

And then quotes “The Economist”: 

“Many superstars enjoy unquestioning critical veneration. This is driven by a number of factors—chief among them journalists’ fear of a social-media backlash. There is also the fact that the biggest stars rarely let their records go to reviewers before release, resulting in articles written on the fly, in which no one wants to be the person out of step.”

Now there’s the truth. This is not the sixties or seventies, where music criticism is an art form. Now it’s all positive all the time. I get “Relix,” the reviews are worthless, THEY’RE ALL POSITIVE!

And seemingly everything in “Rolling Stone” gets three stars. How do you tell the difference? Assuming you even see “Rolling Stone,” since it’s behind a paywall.

But if you go against trend, against the grain, be prepared, you’re going to be criticized, ostracized… One thing I like about Diane Warren is she has edges, she has an opinion, and sometimes it’s negative about herself. She’s 3-D. But if you’re 3-D in today’s world you’re gonna ultimately cross somebody whose goal is to have the world conform to their perception. Other opinions? NO!

So music criticism at large is passé. Because what “The Economist” says is true. Reviewers no longer get free product, there are no press junkets, being flown to a gig like in the old days, today the only thing you get is access, and if you say something negative, anything at all, you’re shut out.

So let’s go to where the rubber meets the road, Beyoncé’s streaming performance. And let me make this clear, Spotify is the only platform that matters. Apple and Amazon have many fewer subscribers who stream less and they both skew older. They don’t represent the cutting edge. And if you quote sales numbers, at iTunes, that’s absolutely ridiculous. If you’re buying tracks today… You get poor quality and if you like ownership…do you really believe the format is forevermore? You’ll be able to play vinyl. MP3s, AACs? How about WMA? The standard in the Windows world twenty years ago, history today.

So on Spotify, the highest charting Beyoncé track is “Break My Soul,” at #8. But this was the advance single, released six weeks ago.

Then you get “Alien Superstar,” on the way down, at #13.

“Cuff It” at #23 on the way down.

“Energy” on the way down at #27.

“Summer Renaissance” at #31 on the way down.

“Church Girl” at #34 on the way down.

“I’m That Girl” at #44 on the way down.

And finally “Cozy” at #45 on the way down.

Eight tracks in the Spotify Top 50, that’s PHENOMENAL! But other than “Break My Soul” they all have that red triangle, representing downward movement. As in people are checking out the album because it’s new, but the newness is wearing off and most people are really just only interested in the hit. There could be another hit down the line, but right now no track is jumping out.

But like I said, Beyoncé’s highest charting track, “Break My Soul,” is at #8 with 772,806 streams a day.

HOWEVER, #1 is Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit,” with over twice that number, 1,657,720.

And next comes Harry Styles’s “As It Was,” with 1,070,951. Harry’s a superstar. Not that he gets anywhere near the ink that Beyoncé does. Then again, does he have the same cultural impact?

#3 is Bad Bunny’s “Me Porton Bonito,” with 1,045,427 streams a day.

And this is where it becomes interesting. Not only is Bad Bunny #3, he’s also #5, #11, #19, #25, #29, #36 and #48. That’s also eight tracks in the Top 50. But Bad Bunny’s album came out May 6th. And six of Bad Bunny’s tracks, all except #5 and #48, have green triangles, showing they’re on the way up.

So I ask you, who is bigger, Bad Bunny or Beyoncé?

Not that it’s a competition. Yet it is, because streams are where all the money is. As for cultural impact, ultimately that’s unquantifiable, and they’re both not on the road and… Shouldn’t there be a lot of ink about Bad Bunny? Sure, there’s been a good amount, but are we going to say the media is racist by underrepresenting the Latin market?

Interesting question.

#4 is Kate Bush’s “Stranger Things” phenomenon. It’s going down with a red triangle but it still has 1,019,995 streams a day.

And then comes a Drake track. And then a Joji track. And then finally you hit Beyoncé.

If Beyoncé is so big, shouldn’t she have the #1 record, or close?

But it turns out the media is out of touch with the listeners. For all the over the top ink, turns out people would rather listen to something else.

But Bob, you say. Bad Bunny is an international act. It’s unfair to compare his success to that of Beyoncé’s, it’s a different market. But is it really? Those Bad Bunny numbers above are U.S. ONLY!

So let’s look at the Global numbers.

“Break My Soul” is at #16 with a downward red triangle.

“Alien Superstar” is #42 with a red triangle.

And “Cuff It” is #50 with a red triangle.

As for Bad Bunny, he’s at #3, #5, #8, #9, #11, #20, #25, #35 and #47.

And I won’t even bother to recount the fifteen tracks ahead of “Break My Soul” on the Global chart.

Is it racist for me to print the above numbers?

Is it racist for me to question the public’s acceptance of Beyoncé’s new work?

This is business. Have we gotten to the point where we can’t analyze the numbers for fear of offending someone? Not only the act’s superfans, but those in the media, in the business, in the…

It’ll be interesting to see what happens with “Renaissance” in the future. Will the label be able to break another hit? One thing is for sure, with almost all albums, after the hysteria of the initial release, after the multitude of tracks disappear from the Spotify Top 50, they don’t reappear en masse, usually only one at a time, or two. So what about the rest of the tracks on the album? Were they even necessary? Check the Spotify numbers, as you go down the track listing you see ever fewer plays, unless a deeper track was a single. Which is exactly what is happening with “Renaissance.” The first five tracks have between twelve and fifteen million streams. Tracks 9-15 all have single digit millions. In some cases, less than half of numbers 1-5.

Has Beyoncé aged out? Has it been too long between records? Is it better to constantly release new music to keep yourself in the public eye, to keep your hand in the game?  Is the media trustworthy?

These are all viable questions. And really, they’ve got very little to do with Beyoncé herself. This is not character assassination, this is business evaluation. What is going on in the market?

One thing I’ll tell you is happening is nobody’s a guaranteed success. Even Drake’s new album put up less than stellar streaming numbers. The new and different is what appeals to people most. And their judgment of what is good may be completely different from the media’s and the gatekeepers’.

And really, on streaming services, there are no gatekeepers.

It’s not about being discovered on playlists when it comes to superstars. It’s about raw acceptance. Is everybody starting from scratch every time they release music? Or in a much less advantageous position than perceived? Does the public actually want an entire album? Is there a quality issue, I mean look at the Kate Bush numbers. Or is it just simply the song was in “Stranger Things” and that cuts across exposure lines better than anything else in media, print, social or playlists.

The world changes. To keep up with it you have to keep asking questions.

I’m asking questions about “Renaissance.”

That’s taboo.

Mo, Lenny, and Russ, along with the WB staff were truly responsible for the early success of Prince. But Mo was at the helm. When I told them that we wanted three albums firm when we signed him, Mo gave the green light – no other label would have done that. When I told them that an 18 yr old kid from Minneapolis, who had never recorded an album, was going to also produce his first album and play all the instruments – he was given the green light. No label at the time would have done that. When Prince told WB not to pigeon-hole him as an R&B artist because he wanted to make music for all people – they believed in his vision. No other label at the time would have done that. But Mo was at the helm at WB, and he created that environment. After Prince and I parted ways Mo always made a point of coming up to me to say hello at various events – he didn’t have to do that. And I know for a fact that after Prince and WB parted ways (Prince changed his name to a glyph to get out of the deal among other salty actions) that if he would have called Mo to come back, Mo would have welcomed him with open arms. No hurt feelings. That was Mo Ostin. And I am sure that there will never be anyone like him again in the music business.

Owen Husney

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Tony is so right on. There never was a more menchy guy in the business.
I represented Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham when they joined Fleetwood Mac. I told Mo that I didn’t want them to be exclusive to Warner’s for any solo work they would do outside of Fleetwood Mac. Unlike other record companies at the time who insisted on complete exclusivity, Mo understood and gave me the point.

As they say, the rest is history.

Owen Sloane

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I knew Mo but not well. He was always easy to be around and down to earth, friendly. Bring you in his office and just hang for a few minutes. How ya doin, how’s the new album? Like that.

To a young kid at the beginning of a career (for however long) that mattered.

A great man In a business that that was kinda jive. He turned Warner Brothers into an artist friendly environment. That’s how I remember Mo.

RIP

Tom Johnston

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We met Mo Ostin back in 1987 or 88, right after my group Take 6 was signed to Warner Nashville. I remember how music centric and wonderful a person he was to us. This coming from the head of WB in Burbank in regards to an A Cappella, Gospel, Jazz vocal group, signed to the country music division of WB!
That should tell you a lot about him, as well as how the music business at that time was about MUSIC.
He was from a bygone era and will be truly missed!

Claude Mcknight

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I remember when Phil Walden moved Capricorn distribution from Atlantic to Warner because Mo and Joe gave him a joint venture partnership as opposed to a straight distribution deal. As close as Phil was to Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler he just couldn’t refuse the deal and Capricorn had their greatest sales and profits at Warner. The entire Warner team was top of the line at that time.

Willie Perkins

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Loved reading Tony’s story. Remember it well. I met Mo when I was very young man. My father was friendly with him, had worked with Sinatra and they played golf at El Cabellero CC in Tarzana occasionally. I remember him telling me about Jimi Hendrix and Alice Cooper and I almost fainted. I didn’t know people signed people. He was so humble even then. Later on when we were managing Devo I got to work with Mo, Lenny, and the whole team. It was a dream come true. We were in the studio once and Lenny came to hear some tracks and he told them they were being too conservative. Can you imagine that? He said it sounds like you’re trying to have a hit. Don’t do that. Just do what you love. That’s how Warner Bros. was in those days. Frankly when I worked at the film studio it was a similar vibe.  When I signed Scritti Politti with Elliott Roberts we had huge offers for their American deal. But Mo wanted them and frankly I don’t even remember negotiating. We just made a deal. I had lunch with him and Eric Eisner one day and we were talking about my then very young kids and Mo said as far as school is concerned there’s Harvard Westlake and then there’s everybody else and believe me all three of my kids graduated from Harvard Westlake.  He was the final word on so many things. And such a great dad and man. Michael is a testament to what great values the Ostins represented. And you could write books about Evelyn. She was the gold standard.

Bill Gerber

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In early 1999 I was a “wet behind the ears” Toronto-based music lawyer doing one of my first major deals with Mo Ostin at Dreamworks. After the signing ceremony Mo and the team had reservations for lunch at a restaurant in Beverly Hills. Mo and Robbie Robertson invited me to drive back to the office in Robbie’s new BMW. Robbie wanted to show me how the audio worked in his new car. I was freaking out!! What would I ask them? How would I keep up in a conversation with these 2 legends? What could I possibly add to the discussion? Would they just ignore more me and talk amongst themselves?

 

No. Both Robbie and Mo were genuinely curious about my music history. My music history??? What band was I in? What was the music like? How many people were in the band? Where did we tour? WTF??

 

They spent the whole drive drilling me about my old group and putting me at ease. It’s a method I’ve employed ever since when I meet a nervous young artist or manager.

 

Over time I was able to ask Mo a bunch of questions.

 

A mensch, a guiding light, a true gentleman that impacted so many.

 

Chris Taylor

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Hi Bob,  Thanks for the great write-up on Mo.  I was lucky enough to be on Warner Bros Records Nashville staff during some of that magic. I met Mo a few times. You could tell in the first two sentences: 1. He was very very smart. 2. He was a good, honorable person.  In all the time I was there, I don’t think I ever heard one bad thing said about Mo from anyone..

You’re so right. If only we had more Mo Ostins.

Reprise is pronounced like “leeds” BTW

Danny Kee

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Hi Bob,

Greetings from the other side of the Big Pond. I worked as Head of A&R for Warner Reprise (alongside brother labels Elektra/Asylum and Atlantic) in South Africa for close to 21 years. Every year I would fly to the US to visit the labels and catch up on new music, news etc. My favourite was Warner Reprise at 3300 Warner Boulevard. It was there that I met Mo, and many other legendary record men like Russ, Lenny, Stan and my boss, the late Tom Ruffino. Every time I met Mo he would remember that I was from South Africa and would say something like “Hey you`re doing a great job for us down there” and I, this country bumpkin from Africa, would beam with pride because I truly felt like family. He even congratulated me for releasing an obscure album by Jerry Williams, we were probably the only territory to do so. And the same is true of all the WBR people who worked there in the Seventies thru Nineties. I was taken to gigs, introduced to loads of new and exciting music. Mo made all of this possible because of who he was and how he related to staff & artists. There will never be another Mo, they broke the mould,  I`m proud to have worked for him and WBR.

Benjy Mudie
Warner Reprise, South Africa
1976-1997

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Mo Ostin and Lenny Waronker.

I remember meeting Mo and Lenny in 1988 in Burbank.

My label Rhythm King had just had the first computerised hit records in the UK with Bomb the Bass and S express at  No 1 and Seymour Stein bought me in to meet them.

We spent two hours taking music, Mo was interested in this new computer music form and Lenny wanted to talk about song structures.

Seymour was pacing around outside, worried as usual!

The next day Mo took me to the lakers game.  He had a permanent seat right next to the goal on the court.

He was famous on TV as the guy who threw the ball back into play.

Neither of these men were corporate.

They were people persons.  Music people.

Curious and open.

They took an interest and bet on people.

And built one of the greatest labels on earth.

Martin Heath.

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I absolutely love this! Thank you for writing it!

I was blessed to know Mo. I moved to LA in the 80’s and was close to his son Randy. I spent many weekends at their Malibu beach home and Mo would be in the TV room glued to the basketball game.

One day the door bell rang and in walked George Harrison and Ringo. 

George ended up staying the weekend and couldn’t have been more genuine and kind. There was never a shortage of people popping in and it was always interesting.

I remember telling him early on, how lucky he was to have been born when he was. He truly was the kindest man and you were spot on when you said, “Maybe because he worried about careers more than sales.” That was Mo!

Today he is in heaven with his loved ones and Michael is the last one standing. It must be hard for him.

Thank you again for writing this

Melissa

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I was  working for a not to be named major record label  and was in New York for the post  Grammy party ( you know the big extravaganzas  labels used to throw)

The party was divided by the artists and the few top brass executives – while everybody else stood behind the velvet ropes. An artist friend called me and told me to bail and come to the Warner Bros party- and when I did there was Mo Ostin – the label  President who was just hanging with all the artists and the regular folks- no velvet rope in sight. When I introduced myself to Mo he gave me a huge warm hug and talked to me about my dad – who he knew and loved because they were frat brothers in college. I remember several superstars waiting to talk to him but he  was fully connected to me and didn’t do the typical brush off. This is why Mo was so loved. He was kind and he was real.

Tracy Gershon

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The Chairman has left the building….

Jed Weitzman