Blame Jethro Tull.

In 1989 Ian Anderson’s successful yet hated band of rotating musicians won the “Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards and all hell broke loose. That Grammy was supposed to go to Metallica, for their album “..And Justice for All.” And the only people more vocal in their displeasure over perceived abuse than rappers and the hip-hop community are metal and their diehard metalhead fans.

Something had to be done.

And Mike Greene did it. Ergo the so-called “secret committees.”

Since the end of Greene’s tenure atop the Grammy organization the outfit has been on autopilot, believing that appeasing major labels and CBS means it is on the right path. Meanwhile, the entire nation has been digitized and revolutionized, hip-hop embraced the internet and became dominant and right wing populism took hold. Talk about burying your head in the sand.

Not only do you have to take action to curb past inequities, you must look around the corner to assure you’re on top in the coming years. This is how Mark Zuckerberg has won. Facebook purchased WhatsApp when most people in the U.S. had never heard of it, never mind used it, the citizens of the country having never been outside its borders, where WhatsApp was dominant. Zuckerberg also purchased a fledgling Instagram to cement Facebook’s power in the social media sphere.

Greene’s efforts were laudable. But since he’s been gone they’ve been ripe for abuse.

Kind of like earmarks.

In today’s “Wall Street Journal,” Katie Porter lobbies for the continued halt of the utilization of earmarks: https://on.wsj.com/2Q0ivbo Which are notorious for allowing representatives to attach local benefits to broad bills. Porter, a woman, famously left-leaning and anti corporate corruption, went into the devil’s den to make her case, the aforementioned “Wall Street Journal.” Porter wants sunshine on the issue. The Grammys always want darkness.

The problem is, just like with earmarks, the Grammy secret committees have been abused by members for their own benefit. Come on, let’s nominate our friend. If you know anything about musicians, it’s all about quid pro quo, you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours. It’s about relationships and favors owed. And in the down ballot categories the benefit of a Grammy nomination, never mind a victory, far exceeds the reward in the major categories, where the performers are usually household names and a Grammy is just a cherry on top. Actually, one could argue winning hurts you. Even Billie Eilish realized this when she mouthed that it not be her who won her umpteenth Grammy. There is backlash. When you’re atop the heap there’s nowhere to go but down. And sure, the hoi polloi suddenly knew who Eilish was, but her victories hurt her bond with her fans, she was no longer only theirs, and ultimately her credibility and even her career. Forget the chart numbers, if we go to the data of choice, the most accurate in the music business, i.e. Spotify streams, her recent singles have had nowhere near the impact of her previous hits. “My Future” has 179,746,629, “Therefore I Am” has 313,355,435 and “Lo Vas a Olvidar,” only 46,456,148. Meanwhile, “Bad Guy” has 1,709,432 and “When the Party’s Over” has 1,104,294,539 and “Lovely” has 1,333,036,817. In music you don’t want to be too successful, people burn out on you, they hold you to a higher standard, you’re a target for abuse.

So, with the continued use of secret committees, the Grammy organization has lost touch with the music landscape. It has become self-serving, contrary to its mission. And it refuses to air its laundry, provide any facts and figures, we must trust the organization to evaluate and potentially fix any irregularities. That’s right, in Grammy court you don’t even get a hearing! Which is why the Weeknd has pulled his music and possible future performances from the Grammys for all time: https://nyti.ms/30CUJnU Meanwhile, the Weeknd’s “snub” and boycott have generated more ink than the awards show itself.

Deborah Dugan blew the whistle on these secret committees. As a result she got fired. Isn’t it interesting that she was a woman. As for her replacement…they couldn’t find another woman? Harvey Mason, Jr. is another old boy caretaker, taking control of the ship as it is listing. Sometimes radical change is necessary to survive, and stasis, even minor corrections, doom you.

We live in an era of data. You can see anybody’s stream count on Spotify.

But the Grammys are opaque.

Then again, music is not like movies. There’s no way anyone could possibly know all the music released in a year. As for the preponderance of categories…there’s no other awards organization that compares. But you can’t eliminate any of them because you’re going to hurt the feelings of lifers without purchase in the national mind-set who need these awards to feel good about themselves. Marlon Brando refused to show up for the Oscars, Woody Allen too, when they were favored to win and did! They didn’t need a phony victory lap to believe in the quality of their work and their mission as artists.

But we can’t draw any lines. The Grammys are just like millennials. Everybody’s entitled to a trophy. Unless you’re an actual winner. Could it be that Grammy voters have contempt for the Weeknd because he is so successful and they are not?

The Brits, a successful enterprise of the BPI (British Phonograph Industry), whose show has been produced numerous times by Ben Winston, only has ten categories. It’s comprehensible. Voters can familiarize themselves with the entrants. Then again, the U.K. has consistently punched above its weight in music, for decades. The only genre they missed out on, that was developed in the U.S., was hip-hop. Ironically the genre that is continually under-recognized by the Grammys.

Radical change is needed.

But the old boy network said Deborah Dugan wanted change too fast.

It’s clear who was right.

This is what happens when elected officials lose touch with the populace.

The only way to fight right wing insanity is through humor.

Today the “Washington Post” did a lengthy story about children trying to bring their mother back from the dark side, from believing in falsehoods, like Trump won the election, etc. Her kids mailed her the facts, she came back with disproven videos. You see there’s an entire disinformation network doing its best to keep the truth from citizens while it simultaneously fills their ears with crap. You can check the story out here: https://wapo.st/3thpBGW But it will have no effect, it’s like watching four years of MSNBC, I hope it makes you feel good, because it’s not going to move the needle.

But John Oliver just might.

Once again, distribution is king. And right now the channel is so overcrowded that great can’t surface. Furthermore, the platform of choice is Netflix. If you sell your project to another streaming outlet when Netflix has put in a bid and wants it, we know you’re not a true artist. A true artist wants their work to be seen and heard first and foremost. Money is secondary. If we had true artists with stature in today’s musical landscape right now there’d be an anti-NFT song climbing the charts. But no, everybody wants to know how they can make that bread too. Remember when Neil Young won the VMA for “This Note’s For You”? It wasn’t a hit by traditional metrics, but in terms of mindshare…it’s got more than almost anything else that was released that year, it’s got staying power, that’s what happens when you speak the truth, because like Leonard Cohen sang, everybody knows.

So most leftist outlets criticize Tucker Carlson via facts. Not knowing it’s all about emotion. And style. The key is to get under Carlson’s skin. And if Oliver’s takedowns were on cable news or Netflix instead of HBO, you know Carlson would respond soon.

Tucker doesn’t respond to the traditional news media, he shrugs off their commentary, by eviscerating the platforms wholesale. But John Oliver, a man who consistently bites the hand that feeds him, every week he seems to take down AT&T, knows how to do it. And the truth is, stunningly, when Oliver makes a statement, there are usually effects. Last week it was about Florida’s concerted effort to limit unemployment payments. It’s pretty ugly. But the problem is the perpetrators are on record. Yes, you think you’re preaching to the choir and nobody knows, but the truth is you’re leaving digital bread crumbs that can be followed, one to another.

Watch this Oliver clip: https://bit.ly/3bJtjTq

By time it’s over you will no longer debate Dr. Seuss. Oliver lays it out so clearly, and so convincingly, that the case is closed. And in doing so, he nails Carlson. Who does have a thin skin. Remember when he freaked out about the possible release of the address of his Maine vacation house? It was a preemptive false strike: https://wapo.st/3qJ8jQY, but Tucker thought it was true, he was freaked out about being canceled, the same way he canceled Taylor Lorenz this week: https://bit.ly/3tkWYsp But the truth is Carlson is just fighting a culture war so his viewers won’t pay attention to the real issues.

And is the real issue Andrew Cuomo’s harassment of women?

OF COURSE NOT! It’s about Covid-19 and Democratic power. You could take down Andrew Cuomo and a Republican could gain the seat. But Cuomo lied about nursing homes! Well, the truth is most of the public doesn’t care about that, they believe Cuomo was on the front line of the pandemic and he cares about them. Republicans are willing to overlook any behavior, all aligned with the Trump doctrine and its adherents, but Democrats are detached from what their voters believe.

We’ve seen this movie before, in Virginia, with Ralph Northam: https://nyti.ms/30Ct1HZ Caught in a racist photo, Northam refused to step down and Blacks stood behind him, BECAUSE HE WAS GOOD FOR THEM!

But you won’t get any of the talking heads, worried about today as opposed to tomorrow game, to bring this up. Wow, this is a great story, we’ll get ratings, let’s run with it. The bubble-headed bleach blonde comes on at 5. Whoops, can you even say that forty years later, even if it’s true?

The Democrats are all about winning the battle and losing the war.

As for due process…

Read this story: 

“They Didn’t Show THIS On TV! See The Creepy Messages Mia Farrow Sent Woody Allen During Custody Brawl”: https://bit.ly/3rVCFBz

Turns out Farrow was sending messages and even posting a sign that Allen was a child molester BEFORE she taped the interview with Dylan that is the linchpin of the HBO series. What are you gonna do with that?

I don’t know. But the government refused to prosecute Woody. But we’ve been convinced public opinion, swayed by the media, trumps the legal system.

Now maybe Woody Allen should be canceled for his relationship with Soon-Yi. But…

Then again, we know Trump did it, but he wasn’t convicted, at least not yet, and his constituents don’t even believe he did it, CRAZY!

So, did Cuomo do it? Shouldn’t we have due process first? And does this automatically disqualify him from office? I’m not saying I endorse the alleged behavior, but we’re all flawed, but if that’s the case you’re excised from the Democratic Party.

The Democrats are losing this war. Just like with “fake news,” the right has embraced “cancel culture,” twisting its meaning to the detriment of the left.

This is where we are in America today. The penumbra is more important than the core. We consistently lose the plot. Everything’s for show. No one is playing the long game.

Before Cuomo is forced out, one must determine not only who will replace him, but the odds a Democrat will win in the next gubernatorial election.

And there’s a very good chance this will all blow over before the next election, like with Ralph Northam.

I’m not the only one asking these questions. Turns out the “New York Times” is too: https://nyti.ms/30DPrsd

But we live in an era of groupthink, where everybody’s afraid to go against the grain. And then a bloviating bully speaks his truth and gets elected president. Ever think about that? Trump tapped into something, and not all of it was racism.

So, hopefully John Oliver will continue to take on Tucker Carlson, he’s done so twice already this season. You know Tucker was not popular in school. He feels inadequate, his hot spots are right under the surface. That’s the battle we should be fighting, that’s the danger, the right wing. Cuomo is imperfect, maybe he should go.

But maybe he should not.

Most famously the manager of Dire Straits, Ed Bicknell started out as a drummer before becoming an agent and a manager and a drummer once again (you can hear him with the Notting Hillbillies!) Ed takes us all the way from the fifties in the U.K. to the agency world of today, with stops at the Shadows, the Beatles, Gerry Rafferty and so much more. Ed tells a good tale, you’ll love hearing the history from him. (Recorded live at the International Live Music Conference.)

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ed-bicknell/id1316200737?i=1000512535921

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2SjCIemyt4JkrAbdu5kpTl?si=5XjECzMwQKyjhLkN3hTP_A

https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/episode/ed-bicknell-82306638

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/The-Bob-Lefsetz-Podcast

     

1

We haven’t had this spirit here since 1999.

That’s when Napster blew up.

But this is different. Napster was about employing technology to benefit users while simultaneously proving to rights holders that their business model was flawed, charging $15 for a CD with one good song on it. NFTs are about the money, pure and simple.

If you remember, in the sixties there was the canard that music should be free, that it belonged to the people. Funny how that was the last breakthrough era in the music business, when art was for art’s sake. Sure, hip-hop too was a breakthrough, but that was always based on remuneration.

I’d be lying to you if I said I really know what’s going on with NFTs. But one thing is for sure, there’s a mania. It started two weeks ago with Grimes netting $6 million and then Mike Shinoda came on board and now it might be completely over, at least when it comes to music. Kings of Leon had to extend the window to purchase, since products did not reach the reserve. So if you’re sitting at home now, trying to come up with something to sell, there’s a good chance you already missed it.

What do we know about internet fads? They’re rarely replicable. Radiohead released “In Rainbows” with a name your own price scheme, but no one could repeat the band’s success with it thereafter. This paradigm has been repeated for years. There’s not only a first mover advantage, oftentimes the first mover is the only one who gets paid!

But that does not mean there cannot be speculation.

That’s the only reason to buy an NFT. For the theoretical ability to sell it at a higher price later. Otherwise, it’s just a certificate of authenticity, that means little to anyone, at most the buyer can kvell, assuming anybody’s paying attention, in an era where attention is at a premium and even household names are not.

But in an era where nincompoops on the internet run up the price of GameStop, where supposedly savvy people lost a bundle in the dot com crash of twenty years ago, where twelve years ago not only did Wall Street break the economy, it didn’t even quite understand the products it was selling, it’s not hard to believe there’s a mania about selling air. And that’s what an NFT is, not much more than air.

2

This is a fast evolving story. Today it’s all about the energy used in NFT transactions. Turns out it’s staggeringly large. Experts have weighed in previously, but today even Andrew Ross Sorkin did in the “New York Times”: https://nyti.ms/3l2cNkO I could walk you through issues of scarcity and mining but unless you’re planning to enter the marketplace, you probably don’t care. But to make it simple:

“depending on which study you read, the annual carbon emissions from the electricity required to mine Bitcoin and process its transactions are equal to the amount emitted by all of New Zealand. Or Argentina.”

That’s pretty staggering.

Yet there are many advantages to a digital currency. Once again, I point you to Marc Andreessen’s article in the “Times”:

“Why Bitcoin Matters”: https://nyti.ms/2iyy0Ep

And this is a great illustration why as an amateur, you should be wary of playing with professionals. Andreessen wrote that piece SEVEN YEARS AGO!

But now Bitcoin’s time has finally come. And you missed out, buying in at a cheap price.

As Peter Thiel and so many have said, if you want to make bank, go where others are not. Forget being a rapper, create a different kind of music. And remember, conception is not king, execution is. So, an idea that is hiding in plain sight might be viable, it’s just that no one has put any effort into executing it.

So suddenly there’s a lot of attention on cryptocurrency. Bitcoin rose and then crashed, but then it rose again! That’s when people start paying attention. One peak can be ignored, but not two peaks.

3

This is about the blockchain. Just like cryptocurrency, we’ve been hearing about the blockchain for nearly a decade. But we’ve never seen a practical utilization thereof, one that matters to us. But, if we can sell things without the banks, without the wait, without exorbitant fees, anywhere in the world, that’s a huge benefit. But maybe this applies mostly to PHYSICAL ITEMS not DIGITAL!

Don’t forget, digital put a huge crimp in the music business. It thought it was ahead of the game with CDs, but they turned out to be rippable and could be reproduced ad infinitum at no cost. People wanted the files, but they were free. Until Daniel Ek converted the world to an on demand formula, where it was about access as opposed to ownership. In the twenty first century ownership is quaint, in many cases passé. The younger generation not only doesn’t want to own a car, members don’t even want to get a driver’s license! Uber is on demand, without the headaches and costs of ownership.

So ownership is positively retro.

As for previous digital goods, they were instantly usable. Like clothing or weapons in video games. You got a better experience. It’s hard to argue you get a significantly better experience from owning an NFT.

4

But look at the prices! John Legere bought an NFT from Steve Aoki for $888,888.88. But there’s a physical item attached, a framed representation of the artwork. And that makes the purchase a bit different, it cannot be replicated ad infinitum.

But one also must note that rich people have diversified portfolios. And they win some and lose some. You can only make the big money if you’re willing to lose money. Look at Masayoshi Son and Softbank. It’s a constant seesaw, giant wins and giant losses and…never forget about the tax write-offs.

5

Once again, music is the canary in the coal mine, where it happens first. Not only is there disruption,, but opportunity. Artists are better off financially than ever before in the history of music. Sounds incredible, but think about it. If you’re successful, not only can you make huge bank on streaming services, you can tour at inflated ticket prices in an era where experiences are king and sell tchotchkes, even online, whilst hyping it all for free utilizing internet tools. Don’t listen to the naysayers, most are wannabes or has-beens. In the old days they’d never get to play. Or if they won in the old days, they wouldn’t be able to sell music today because no one would stock their records in a world of limited shelf space and constant new production.

Those bitching loudest come from furthest outside. Furthermore, most are unsophisticated. Did you take notice of the fact that Grimes is Elon Musk’s significant other? Who’s yours? Think about it.

So it turns out with the blockchain economic opportunities open for artists. Not that Hollywood has realized this, Tinseltown is still trying to hold back the future as Silicon Valley keeps nudging it forward.

But the truth is we’re in a post-distribution disruption era in music. Wherein it becomes about the content. TV streaming platforms are realizing this. That only a few outlets can emerge victorious, so they’re ramping up production knowing that new work is the way to fight churn. They also know one hit can make up for a dozen losses. And the hit is almost always different from what came before. Sure, Disney built on “Star Wars” with “The Mandalorian,” but who could have predicted the success of “The Tiger King”? Or even “Stranger Things”?

But making TV is expensive, the barrier to entry is much higher than music. But we haven’t had a “Tiger King” or a “Mandalorian” in music for a long time, and that’s what we are waiting for, NFTs are the sideshow, music is the real item, what everything grows from. Place your effort into making great, innovative music. But that’s much harder than playing the NFT game, or the wallstreetbets game. If it’s easy, everybody can do it. If it’s hard, only a few. And that’s where the rewards lie, with hard work.