Phil Spector, Leslie West, Gerry Marsden, Sylvain Sylvain, Tim Bogert…

Tune in tomorrow, January 19th, to Volume 106, 7 PM East, 4 PM West.

Phone #: 844-6-VOLUME, 844-686-5863

Twitter: @lefsetz or @siriusxmvolume/#lefsetzlive

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“Do Stand So Close: my improbable adventure as Sting’s guitarist”: https://amzn.to/38OscAw

This is the best book I’ve ever read about being on the road. Yes, even better than Ian Hunter’s long ago memoir.

First and foremost, Jeffrey Lee Campbell can write. Positively astounding. Not a week goes by without someone sending me their music book, and they’re almost never good. Having a story is different from being able to write the story. Furthermore, said writers don’t realize a story should flow, that sometimes you’ve got to leave the best stuff out because it doesn’t fit the narrative.

But not Jeffrey Lee Campbell.

Jeff was the guitarist on Sting’s “…Nothing Like the Sun” tour, which included a six week worldwide jaunt on the Amnesty tour, featuring Bruce Springsteen and Peter Gabriel and more.

Jeff didn’t play on the record, but Sting heard him play as part of an underfunded jazz combo in Europe and decided to give him an audition. Jeff showed up for multiple rehearsals, and eventually Sting said he could have the job if he wanted it. The business people told him it was only going to pay $2500 a week, take it or leave it, but it was much better than selling candy at Broadway theatres.

Yes, that was Jeff’s gig. Along with Aaron Sorkin and Camryn Manheim… You’ve got to start somewhere, and you’re best off starting in New York or L.A. Did you read any of the obits about Howard Johnson? The tuba player made famous by Taj Mahal, who was a fixture in the original SNL band, didn’t think he was good enough for New York, so he went first to Chicago. But when Eric Dolphy heard Howard play, he said he was needed in NYC right away, and Howard moved, and there started a decades-long career: https://nyti.ms/3qshN3z

Jeff was living in North Carolina. He’d attended the music program at the University of Miami, but dropped out after three years. Then he played in local bands until he got up the gumption to move to the city. Where he was nobody. He got the gig selling candy and hanging coats on Broadway, but he had to work his connections until he could finally get gigs playing in wedding bands. What did AC/DC say? It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll?

But actually, it was a short journey for Jeff. He took the gig and…

Proceeded to go on the road for a year. This was before the internet, never mind smartphones. Being in one’s hotel room was lonely, and boring. Jeff played some tennis, at times with Sting, but mostly he drank and drugged and saw nothing of the world, mostly in places he’s never been back to.

You see this was the highlight of Jeff’s career. 1987-1988. He never got such a high profile gig thereafter. He came home thinking he was a big deal, but in the city he was seen as a guy who hadn’t paid his dues, who wasn’t hooked into the local scene, and after running out of money, he went back to playing in wedding bands and… He played some other famous tours thereafter, but not at the same level, with the same prominence. For decades, Jeff’s been a guitarist in Broadway orchestras. It’s a hard gig to get, and not often an easy gig to keep, it’s all about relationships. Being able to play is assumed. Jeff rehearsed for free, spent all that time learning the music to get his first gig as a sub. And he likes being able to walk to work, and the pay is good, but it is not the touring big time.

So, Jeff goes on the road and is always worried about getting fired. And this is a possibility. The drummer is replaced. Yes, you think you’ve got security, but…

And the regulars, like Kenny Kirkland and Branford Marsalis… I won’t say they exactly haze him, but when he steps out, makes rookie mistakes, they rub it in, deeply.

And the sex… Sometimes in brothels provided as perks by promoters. And the endless one night stands. The girls want to get closer, and Jeff provides the experience. And these affairs often take all night, so the next day…you’re dragging. And then there’s the night Jeff did too much and was subpar on stage and was chided by Sting…

Sting is portrayed as a good guy. Not without faults, but…you buy it as a reader, even though Rod Stewart zings the star.

So, there’s a warm-up in South America, and an appearance on SNL, where Jeff gets to wail on “Little Wing,” but he’s always wondering exactly where he fits in, how wide a path he can cut, is he one of the boys or just an outsider who’s going to be one and done.

Jeff does not get hired for the next Sting tour. And he wonders, did he drink too much, party too much? He’ll never know. But he’s been trading on this one year of touring with Sting ever since, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Jeff doesn’t sugarcoat the story. And the best thing is he describes his feelings, and has no problem putting himself down and wondering what he was thinking when he did certain things.

Most people have no idea what truly goes on on the road. They see the band on stage, and believe off stage is a heaven of sex and drugs. But there’s endless travel, which wears on you.

And is Jeff ever accepted?

He’s on the Amnesty tour and one of Bruce’s security people insists he get out of the way, despite Jeff having an all access pass. Jeff refuses to move, and then Bruce comes down the hallway and says hi to him. Jeff got some satisfaction.

And you will too.

Yes, this was over thirty years ago. And now things are different, but on some level they’re the same. Can you afford a private jet, can you base yourself in a central city and then fly out to gigs?

And there are so many great lines, musician aphorisms, many that I have not heard.

Like musicians can make a killing, but they can’t make a living. Either you get this or you don’t.

And as far as money on the road…it is described as an ocean of cash, and if you dip in and take some, no one will ever notice it. I’m not talking about theft, but if you want to stand up for more…it’s not gonna hurt the tour, no one’s really going to notice the loss.

I breezed right through this book. I had a hard time putting it down. If you want to know what it’s like being on the road, a prominent band member backing up a superstar…THIS IS THE PLACE!

We discuss Mr. DiMucci’s early years in the Bronx, getting a record deal, assembling the Belmonts, going on the road, getting on and off drugs, AA, his life in Miami, royalties, his new work and… Dion has been there and back, he’s full of insight, AND HE’S STILL MARRIED TO RUNAROUND SUE!

https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/episode/dion-80826443

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

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/id1316200737

My friend Ralph sends me a cornucopia of newspaper clippings from the U.K. on a regular basis. To a great degree they’re obituaries, or a spotlight on a minor figure who had impact in the world of music, but this week’s package had even more, which I’m going to tell you about now.

There were multiple articles on the success of U.K. music around the world. One in ten songs streamed globally is British. As a result of streaming, U.K. artists now have reach into Asia, Africa and South America that they did not have previously. U.K. artists’ impact is four times greater than the country’s GDP.

But it gets even better.

U.K. labels now have 640 signed acts, a whopping 68% jump from 2010!

As for all that hysteria about the drop in streaming consumption back in March and April…streaming ultimately went up more than 20%! Ain’t that music business reporting, all short term, all hit and run, with no perspective. And streaming is the champion, it represents 80% of music consumption in the U.K.

But this is where it truly gets interesting… Almost 200 artists were streamed in excess of 100 million times. The value of a stream varies, despite all the penny nonsense thrown around. I’d explain it, but either you know how the ecosystem works or you don’t. But I’ll point you to this article: https://bit.ly/3bBYjFz which calculates that a million streams earn $4,370. Well, that means if you get a hundred million streams, you make…$437,000!

Let’s not get into the penumbra, the minor details, whether it was a paid stream or one that came with advertising and…

Let’s not assume you’ve got a lousy deal.

What we’re saying here is 200 artists made nearly half a million bucks from streaming last year. You keep nearly all the money if you’re your own label, but the new standard is closer to a fifty/fifty split of net if you’re signed to a label and if this is the case, this means that over 200 acts made in excess of $215,000 from streaming last year. Of course, we can get into costs, what defines the net, but if you go back to the old days, which people wax rhapsodic about, most acts didn’t even go into royalties, they survived on the advances, what was left after recording costs, if anything.

And now you’re saying that all the money is going to the classic acts, but that is not true. Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles, Adele, Sam Smith, Lewis Capaldi and Dua Lipa were some of the most streamed, along with the Beatles and Queen.

And let’s not forget old acts are still getting paid from streaming, wherein the old days their recorded music revenue ultimately faded to zero, or close to it, because their albums weren’t even available in stores, there was a space issue. If you can’t find it, you can’t buy it…but now with streaming, everything is available at your fingertips, everything is findable.

Meanwhile, over 8,000 acts eclipse one million streams annually. That’s $4,370. Not bad considering back before the internet the major labels only had a few thousand acts on their rosters.

So, what does this MEAN?

Well, the complaints are out of proportion with the reality. Turns out a lot of people bitching were propped up by the labels of yore. They had deals when deals were rare. They were the beneficiaries of advances and marketing and tour support, but most of them never earned royalties. And now, it turns out that most people don’t want to listen to their music, it has not survived, it has been eclipsed by that of youngsters and stars. Or else the oldsters have bad deals.

Once again, a million streams is no longer that high a threshold. 8,000 acts a year reach that total! So if you’re bitching that you’re not getting paid much on 10,000 or even 100,000 streams…turns out you’re really not that popular. And if you think you have a devoted fanbase, you can always go on the road, which acts have done for eons after losing their label deals. The label built their rep, they’re surviving on it, they’re getting few recording royalties, if at all.

As for new acts… Yes, it’s harder to get noticed. Then again, you’ve got the tools to get noticed at your fingertips! In the days of yore, you were hamstrung. It cost a fortune to record and distribute, you could not get your story out, you were dead in the water, maybe you could play the local club. Now, many acts tour the world, or at least their home country, without having a major record label deal at all!

As for those old and new acts still complaining, they can still sell overpriced vinyl at the show, as well as CDs and other merch. Merch can be made cheaply and easily and sold via the web, what a world!

What we’re seeing is evolution. There are tons of new successful acts. Did the acts of the thirties complain that the Beatles were stealing all their money, that they weren’t getting paid recording royalties in the seventies, in the heyday of Queen? OF COURSE NOT!

As for the music being made…

I point you to this “Daily Mail” story:

“Pop songs will get SHORTER in future because the attention span of young people has dropped by 33% since 2000, experts predict”: http://dailym.ai/3nNrzLM

In other words, you’ve got eight seconds to hook the listener, as opposed to twelve twenty years ago. And you only get paid on Spotify if a song is listened to for thirty seconds.

So, you’ve got to get to the hook sooner, to grab people, to make sure they continue to listen.

And streaming pays by the play, so it behooves you to not extend the song, to increase repeatability, which pays you more.

In other words, the medium is affecting the message.

So, if you need time to stretch out…it may be working against you. Don’t shoot the messenger! This does not mean longer songs with delayed hooks won’t dominate in the future, but the populace must be driven to these songs, they must be superior, just like the eight minute “Stairway to Heaven” eclipsed under two minute ditties like the Beatles’ “From Me to You” or the Box Tops’ “The Letter.”

So yes, it’s tragic that touring has been killed by Covid, but the truth is the future is here and it’s so bright you’ve got to wear shades and it’s getting better all the time. As for the quality of the music? I’ll let you decide, but the more money available/earned, the more you draw higher quality people to the enterprise, looking to score.