She’s not afraid to play Trump’s game.

Unlike the Democrats. They’ve been so busy playing it up the middle, afraid to have an edge, that they’re at risk of losing.

Not that you can say that, because the groupthink posse will come and excoriate you.

You probably don’t have a profile. But if you do, you’re subjected to hate 24/7. Who are these nobodies filled with all this vitriol, who take time out of their day to reply to someone they do not know? I’ve never e-mailed someone who wrote a blog or a newsletter, never posted a comment on the “New York Times” or the “Washington Post” or any other site. Because I’d be one in a zillion, it would have no effect.

But in today’s world everybody believes they’re important and they’re entitled to have an opinion. And what they hate most is when you color outside the lines, when you break the rules, because they can’t. They’ve compromised their entire lives, kissing ass. Or maybe they tried to fly solo and couldn’t make it, because they were afraid to put in the hard work, suffer the slings and arrows as they got better at their skill.

Groupthink. On one side, you’ve got Trump. You’re either with him or against him. Part of Fox Nation or a libtard. On the other, you’ve got an educated elite telling those with less schooling and/or less economic success that they know better and they should be followed, you need to sign on and shut up, as for your individual problems…get to the back of the line, and the people there never get in the door, no action is ever taken, because they don’t have any money.

But Cardi B has money. And a platform. But unlike the entertainment wankers afraid of alienating one potential customer or some corporation who might sponsor her, she’s telling her truth, right away. She’s not contemplating, she’s not triangulating, she’s experienced in the ways of the internet, unlike Biden and Harris and the DNC. Come on, does this year’s campaign look much different from 2016’s? You have a candidate few are passionate about saying what their minions expect and the only people excited are those hoping to coast on the coattails of the candidate if she or he gets elected.

The truth hurts.

DeAnna Lorraine decided to reach out and bite. Cardi B was sitting at home, basking in her fame, and this nobody who got trounced by Nancy Pelosi took a swing at her, and Cardi B swung back with the truth and now it’s all over Fox News.

Yup, according to the DNC insiders, according to the intelligentsia of the left, if the Democrats just stayed home until election day, didn’t protest, just crossed their fingers and hoped for change, the odds of success would be better. You see, according to their theory, protests are driving people to vote for Trump. YES, THE ONES ALREADY COMMITTED TO HIM!

Meanwhile, Biden says he won’t defund the police and his statement is so quiet the right’s lie that he plans to dominates. He could have said yes, we need drastic change, we’re gonna do what they did in New Jersey, because sometimes you’ve got to start over, but that’s too dangerous for the consiglieres, don’t make waves, don’t push any edges, just sit on your hands until November.

Meanwhile, Trump runs circles around Biden with a zillion falsehoods and a ton of outrageousness.

DeAnna Lorraine messed with the wrong woman. Lorraine has 382,300 followers on Twitter and Cardi B has 13.7 MILLION! In other words, whatever Cardi B has to say reaches many more people than anything Lorraine has to say…anything Joe Biden has to say, he’s only got 8.9 million Twitter followers, and if you read Joe’s feed you come to believe either it’s ghostwritten or Biden is the most boring man in America. Twitter is for edge, you don’t pull your punches on Twitter, you go for the JUGULAR!

So, DeAnna Lorraine tweets:

“America needs far more women like Melania Trump and far less like Cardi B.”

Hmm… Melania gets a pass. She’s a foreigner in a party that hates immigrants. She wears a military outfit and unscripted, she’s got nothing to say, she’s eye candy and that’s it. Furthermore, she puts up with her husband cheating on her again and again and again.

But you can’t say any of this. She’s off limits. Whereas it’s open season on every Democrat.

But Cardi B tweeted back…

“Didn’t she used to sell that Wap?”

CRUDE! Maybe you see it that way, but didn’t our president say to GRAB ‘EM BY THE PUSSY? Why does he get a pass and Cardi B does not?

But the Democrats can’t employ this language, they’re afraid of being denigrated, afraid of fighting back, for fear of alienating one potential switch voter when the latest research says there are almost none of these around. That’s right, very few minds are not made up. On the left it’s all about bringing out the vote. But, the Democrats believe they can convert metal fans with the words of Katy Perry.

Everybody uses this language. Our president uses this language, but the Democrats can’t?

Then Cardi B tweeted a censored, topless picture of Melania and said “This pic giving me ” yea you fuckin wit some wet ass pussy ” vibes…just sayin.”

WHEW! JUST SAYIN’!

It was a drop the mic moment. Lorraine wanted to keep the war going but Cardi B had better things to do.

Come on, do you think Trump married Melania for her MIND?

No, you can’t say that either. There’s a double standard. Republicans are off limits but on the left it’s open season. They’re literally fighting with assault rifles on the right, and they’re debating whether to use water pistols on the left. And you wonder why the left loses…it is not in touch with America, it’s so busy triangulating as to be unbelievable, it buries the issues of the average American and if you cross a line the PC police will shut you down. Things are out of whack, but once again you can’t question the wisdom of the DNC which keeps getting it wrong. They made progress DESPITE themselves, with AOC and others picking up the reins. You see the people want change, and they want stars, and AOC is a bigger star than anybody on the hit parade. Talk about enduring slings and arrows, she never backs down, doesn’t worry about picking her moment, she just GOES FOR IT! Then again, she’s in her twenties and the boomers don’t want to give up control of their Democratic Party, to the point where they’ve nominated a milquetoast even older than Trump!

Cardi B was for Bernie. But she’s still on the case, she’ll compromise for Biden, meanwhile the Biden bros can’t stop pissing on everybody who supported Sanders. Maybe they should look to see how Bernie made such inroads, how he resonated with the youth. And as far as the youth not voting, that may be true, but when Cardi B is on the case, she excites young potential voters more than any phone bank.

A rock star is someone not beholden to the system. Someone who does it their way. Someone who is a leader, not a follower. Someone who trusts their instincts. SOMEONE WHO SPEAKS TRUTH TO POWER!

Now this is the America we want to go back to. Someone who strips to make ends meet, lifts herself up (via the internet) and ends up rich and on the national stage trading barbs about the first lady. This is the upward mobility we hope for. But what are the opportunities if your skin isn’t white? You can try and play the white man’s game but they do their best to keep you down to the point your best avenues are entertainment and athletics. So, don’t criticize Cardi B for where she came from, how she made it, and unlike Melania SHE WAS BORN HERE!

It’s easy to take a stand at the end, when everybody else has already weighed in. It’s quite another to push back and defend your turf when you’re at the top of your game, when you’re number one on the chart, when all eyes are on you, when you’re not “off-cycle.”

And then you have entertainers taking general stands, stuff that might come from the right place but doesn’t stick because it’s so bland.

Cardi B is all over Fox News, they believe she crossed a line. But WELCOME TO THE CLUB! No one on the left cares and the whole story will be plowed under by new news soon, like the pardoning of Roger Stone, which is monumental as opposed to this molehill.

Cardi knows the game, because she’s playing it ever damn day. Today you go to the people yourself, you don’t have your PR person call up some news outlet to print a story or have you on a TV channel that few watch. Trump redefined the game and the Democrats believe it’s beneath them. There are those unwritten rules, like in baseball, where you must take the pitch on a 3-O count. Are you following this kerfuffle? Once again, the oldsters are aghast, whereas the youngsters know no one plays it that way no more.

When the revolution comes, and it could happen as soon as November, victory will not be had in the courts but the street. Yup, I don’t care how rich you are, it’ll be about manpower. Take your pick, if either Biden or Trump wins there are gonna be some very unhappy campers. And who are those on the left gonna listen to? Probably Cardi B and LeBron James. People who’ve been talking the talk and walking the walk from day one.

Here’s looking at you kid.

SHUT UP AND SING!

My inbox is filling up with writers wondering where the music industry is, why did this happen in sports and not in music?

Because music still has a plantation mentality.

NBA players no longer work on Maggie’s Farm. They get a percentage of revenue and if an owner crosses the line, he gets whacked, like Donald Sterling. Notice that the owners lined up with the players today, unlike in the NFL. You see there’s no game without the players. The NFL thought by making an example of Kaepernick they could cower the rest of the players into submission, put them in fear for their jobs, make them believe they’re replaceable. But then came George Floyd. This is what happens when you’re on the wrong side of history.

And speaking of sides, I’m halfway through the new book “Hoax,” Brian Stelter’s delineation of the alignment of Fox and Trump and their reality distortion field. It’s really inside baseball, if you’re not interested in TV ratings and all of the players, your eyes might glaze over, but the book makes very clear that Fox and Trump are joined at the hip, and they’re all about superserving an audience they’ve riled-up and angered to the point a Trump supporter went and shot people last night in Kenosha, well, at least he was arrested…innocent until proven guilty, right? Well, that only happens if you’re white. If you’re black…you did it, it’s your fault and let’s throw you in prison after giving you inadequate legal representation and let you rot.

So, the main complaint, other than the lack of touring, in today’s music business is streaming payments. The focus is on Spotify, the big kahuna, but the truth is the big four outlets, Spotify, Apple, Amazon and Deezer, pay just about the same, economics dictate it. And many people complaining can’t understand the difference between an online radio play and on demand one, they don’t know how much of the publishing they own, they just feel ripped-off. But then there are those who are legitimately complaining BECAUSE THE LABEL IS TAKING ALMOST ALL OF THE REVENUE!

There’s no manufacturing anymore. No shipping or returns. But the labels ask for more rights, 360 deals, even now when their revenues are going up.

Not that the public has sympathy. The PR people and the acts themselves keep telling everybody how wealthy they are, when the average consumer is struggling, especially now.

The game is to control distribution. And on one hand the major labels have sacrificed this in the streaming era, on the other they control the big playlists, and how you break acts.

And they also have relationships with TikTok.

You should read this article from “Rolling Stone”:

“Inside TikTok’s Hidden Hit Machine – The viral-video app’s music team has given crucial assists to artists like Roddy Ricch Doja Cat, and Saweetie. But can it keep powering the music industry – especially amid uncertainty about TikTok’s fate in the U.S?

You’ll read the above article and realize success is to a great degree dependent upon relationships, and the labels and the big artists have them with the TikTok gatekeepers. You’ll also sit and wonder…if I don’t make dance music, if I don’t make action music, is there any place for me on TikTok? PROBABLY NOT!

So, on one hand we’ve got evolution, the young ‘uns are hooked on this new platform that can blow up acts. But only a certain kind of act…what if you don’t make that kind of music?

Not that dance/beat music can’t have a message. But it was the TikTokkers themselves who overloaded the system with false demands for tickets to see Trump in Tulsa. That was spontaneously generated. As for the acts…it’s too dangerous, it’s going to mess with their privates and their sponsorships. But wasn’t the essence of music the message? If it’s just about products…hell, the Kardashians are doing that so much better, no musical act has come close.

And African-American acts rule the recording business. Shouldn’t they be aligning with these athletes, shouldn’t they be there first? How come the athletes have more of a conscience than the musicians? Then again, the athletes play on teams, in music it’s every person for themselves, now, more than ever.

The athletes are speaking truth to power. The owners are richer than they are (but if you’re a superstar and you play long enough you can own a team, but not a label), the networks depend upon them. How dare they throw a spanner in the works?

Meanwhile, the NBA is playing in a bubble, keeping its athletes safe from the virus, whereas in baseball it’s believed minor concessions can keep the players safe and in the NFL it’s believed God is on the league’s side, and therefore the players are inherently immune.

This is not the sixties, far from it. Yesterday Squaw Valley announced it was removing “Squaw” from its name. There’s a whole change of consciousness, and if you liked the way it used to be, if you want it the way it was, if you want to make the past great again, it’s got to be very scary.

Everything is up for grabs…and I mean literally EVERYTHING! From names to our country itself. What we’ve learned this year is be prepared for the unexpected, that no one can predict the turns of life and society. Once you think it’s one way, it’s another.

Now baseball has postponed games. Talk about a racist sport. But the old white men are its number one fans. How are they squaring this?

And our nation is so troubled that we know just when the hoopla begins to fade, another incident will transpire, Kenosha is just part of a continuum, unfortunately.

And in theory a record can reach everybody. But we have disinformation in the music business too. All the ink, all the press is about a certain white woman who came back to save the business. But despite being #1 on the inane “Billboard” chart, that superstar only has two tracks in the Spotify Top 50, at #39 and #49, and the album’s only been out a month. As for the Global Spotify Top 50…that person doesn’t have a single track in it!

And in an unmanipulated marketplace, i.e. Spotify’s stream counts, last year’s Grammy sweeper’s new track is at #49 and going down, after only a month in release.

In other words, in music it’s what have you done for me NOW! You can be over almost instantly and everybody but the PR spinners, no different from Fox News, knows. But you could come back, it’s always possible.

And then the acts who sustain on the road frequently don’t appear in the Spotify Top 50 ever! Meanwhile, “Hamilton,” which has substance, still dominates five years out, demonstrating what happens when you put sustained effort into a production that has some meat on the bone.

Meanwhile, we’ve got a bipolar African-American who has lauded Trump inanely running for president and sucking all the air out of the room. The sideshow has become the main show.

Artists are born, not marketed. It’s a sensibility. It’s a talent. One that the music business has been giving up on for decades, since the heyday of Tommy Mottola…the executives want control, they view the talent as fungible, they only want malleable entertainers. Or, they’ll work with you for a bit, drain all the money and then kick you to the curb. Then again, they keep forming panels, organizations… Action, not meetings. Meetings look good but usually accomplish nothing.

Life is about the individual. One person can make a difference.

But in music, everybody is looking for someone else to take the step before they get on board, they don’t want to be caught in the crossfire.

Then again, do we really want to hear from most of these people?

NO!

Music is a business. But when done right, it can be so much more. But in the race for dollars its essence is being sacrificed. Music stars used to be outsiders, now they’re part of the fabric, to their detriment!

Of course there are exceptions to all of the above, but so far there’s no musical movement. Acts are willing to raise money for someone else…but they’re too afraid of alienating any potential consumer to do otherwise. How many Americans are hard core Trumpers? 30-40%. Nothing is changing their opinion. Side with the protesters at your peril. But now the basketball players, who make more money than almost every musician, have put it all at risk. But they know their power. Basketball is America’s game, not football. Basketball is fast, made for today. It’s less of a coach’s contest. You can watch it and understand what is going on. The players live on Twitter, they’re accessible.

So what do you? Do you embrace the talent or quash it?

That’s the choice of the owners.

But first the talent has to take a stand.

Spotify

Pandora

Tune in today, August 25th, to Volume 106, 7 PM East, 4 PM West.

Hear the episode live on SiriusXM VOLUME: HearLefsetzLive

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app: LefsetzLive

It starts with porn.

In the sixties and seventies, porn was controlled by a small cabal of producers and distributors. With the advent of the videocassette in the late seventies and early eighties profits went through the roof as a limited number of old and new players controlled the business utilizing professional actors. There began to be cracks in the system as the cost of production sank with the availably of cheap recording equipment but distribution was always a snag. And then came the internet.

People used to talk about this a lot. In the early days of the web. How porn creeped into every nook and cranny, how it happened in porn first. But as the net was built, as it became more profitable with Amazon and Facebook, porn went back to its naughty newshole and got little coverage…but it was ravaging the web. But this time, the story was the amateurs.

At first amateurs had their own brands. Distributing their product on their own websites. You could do it yourself, but the back end was not sophisticated. And people were reluctant to give up their credit card numbers.

Then the big boys went free. In other words, intermediaries like Brazzers and PornHub became clearing houses for porn and the value of the majors and their product went down and the amateurs got little monetary reward but major distribution. Meanwhile, porn stars were still trying to eke out a living with their own websites. But now came the beginning of clips. Yes, once everybody had broadband, it was about video, and you could record yourself on your phone and sell clips on Clips4sale or ManyVids, but there was no sense of community. Meanwhile, cam girls was now a thing. But it had a dirty imprimatur. You could Chaturbate, you could buy your time, but it had the appearance of a sleazy transaction. But all these cam sites were filled with amateurs, they ruled.

So, let’s recap. As a result of the cost of production and distribution coming down, the usual suspect content creators and distributors lost power as new players entered the marketplace, and then the scene overflowed with amateurs. Not everyone made a buck. Or they made a little buck. Or some bucks for a very short time. But there was money in it, however it was divided.

Then came Patreon. Built on the concept of Kickstarter, you could subscribe for a month and get a varying amount of porn product depending upon how much you laid down. Like Kickstarter, it was all about moving people up the tiers. And, it was peopled by amateurs.

Meanwhile, the straight distribution outlets wanted to go clean. Tumblr was built on porn, but now it excised it and promptly fell of the radar screen, eclipsed by Pinterest, which came later, even though it was not the same thing, a pinboard/scrapbook for women as opposed to an edgier smorgasbord with video like Tumblr.

But there was Instagram. But facing blowback, Instagram kicked off anybody who was verging on porn. And it was hard to get back on. But, Instagram was how you advertised. This many people don’t understand, in the amateur economy, in the bubbling-up economy, Instagram is where you get noticed. People think it’s YouTube, but much less so these days.

But then came OnlyFans.

OnlyFans was for porn. Do what you want, charge what you want, we do not screen content, drive everybody to our site, this is your home. OnlyFans was ruled by amateurs, gave nothing away for free, and was all about hooking customers into subscriptions, paying a low monthly fee hopefully forever. And, it was about fans. People had their favorite porn stars that they’d discovered elsewhere over the years, and they were all driven to OnlyFans, a hassle-free environment, by the purveyors.

And now non-porn people have grasped the wisdom of OnlyFans and are embracing it to make bucks.

Cardi B. You’ve got to give the rappers credit. While the old farts sit around and complain, it’s the youngsters who embrace the new tools and test the limits and broaden their reach and fatten their wallets. You pay Cardi B $4.99 a month on OnlyFans. And you’ve got to subscribe to see the content. It’s incumbent on Cardi B to satiate her acolytes, but these fans also know they’re part of a limited club, not everybody is a member, and this makes them feel good, like an insider, in a world where everybody is alienated yet looking for collegiality.

Now, Bella Thorne has made $2 million in a week on OnlyFans.

Do you have a fan base? Then OnlyFans is a giant opportunity, assuming you broaden your horizons. Come on, for $4.99 you show video of recording, of your home life, you answer questions, it’s up to you, how do you intrigue your audience? Or, ironically, if you’re a smaller act charge even more. And people want to give it to you! That’s part of being a fan, keeping the act alive. This is not tip jars, a flawed concept. And this is not music only. This is your own little playpen. It’s al about creativity. And the only middleman is OnlyFans itself, which is really just a layout and payment system. It’s up to you. You’re either successful or not based on your work.

And it was never solely about the music. There was merch. There were fan clubs. It’s just that now it’s easier to distribute that stuff and make bank.

In other words, if you’re complaining about streaming income, you’ve got to embrace new ways of making money.

Once again, this is not about Kickstarter and Patreon and levels of membership and tchotchkes. There’s no product shipped, everybody is in it together, the superfans with the casual fans. The goal is to get everybody to continue to pay.

And since it’s all behind a paywall, you’ll get little ink. But most ink today is worthless anyway. PR people get stories in newspapers that are ignored and forgotten within twenty four hours, if not instantly. Today it’s all about word of mouth. And you want to belong.

So, this is an opportunity for all acts. It’s not a pool of money that’s broken down on streams. Your fans subscribe, you get the money, minus administrative fees, which are far from gigantic.

Think about it.

P.S. Of course some of this OnlyFans content leaks to the general web. But content creators police this. And finding it is oftentimes a chore. This is how Spotify got people to pay when file-trading was free, it was convenient! Some people will never pay, but you’d be surprised how many people will pay if it’s easy and not too expensive relative to desirability.