Linda Perry insulted the audience.

Unfortunately, I didn’t hear the beginning, I walked in when someone from the audience was singing. After that, Perry said she was looking for rock stars, and no one in the audience was one.

She said you can feel it, you can see it, the way they dress, the way they handle themselves…and then she spread her arms and said I’M A ROCK STAR! I’M A ROCK STAR 24/7!!

She convinced me. And I can’t say I’m her biggest fan.

But do you know how hard it is to make it, and to continue to have success? NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE!

Perry radiated uniqueness, with attitude.

Then she started lamenting today’s scene. Nile Rodgers did this too. Is today’s music really that bad or are these oldsters over the hill?

I’ll let you answer that question.

But there’s a yearning for what once was.

Perry bemoaned the focus on social media. It was all about the RECORD!

Oldsters know this, but youngsters don’t, they focus on social media.

This guy Rick Barker, a supposed social media guru, came next. It was billed as “How To Become A Social Media Ninja In Under An Hour.” But he didn’t have an hour, so he just hit the highlights. Actually, he said you could watch his presentation free at rickbarker.com/ondemand Go for it!

I had no doubt Barker was personally successful. He was driven, with attitude, but when he started telling the assembled multitude how to leverage Instagram Live, and to tweet twenty times a day because people don’t see it, I wanted to stand up like the Nazi in “The Producers” and say…THIS IS EVERYTHING WRONG WITH THE MUSIC BUSINESS TODAY! THE ENDLESS HYPE TURNING US OFF COMPLETELY!

It was the opposite of Linda Perry.

And when Rick gave a commercial at the end, selling his services, with a cell phone number for emergencies, I realized he was just another hustler like everybody else. He said he was Taylor Swift’s first manager, could be, but I’ve never heard of him. And if you’re on the verge of superstardom his techniques would probably work, but like Linda Perry said, there were no rock stars in the audience.

I have social anxiety. So I don’t introduce myself to people and oftentimes run in the other direction when I see people I know. But when Fran DeFeo buttonholed me and insisted I come to the green room to hang with Merck…

I only knew Merck in e-mail, so I agreed.

I did not know I was going to meet Dave Stewart.

The thing about celebrities is you have a mental image of them, often at odds with who they really are, especially musicians (as for “creatives,” I hate that term, EVERYBODY is creative, and it’s just a way for those struggling to label themselves, I’ve never heard anyone successful refer themselves as a “creative.”)

And after telling Dave I saw the Eurythmics on their first American tour, at the Palace, we engaged in conversation.

I guess since he’s produced so many hits, I expected Dave to be edgy, but he was soft. Like you could immediately become friends. We bonded over his great work with Stevie Nicks. If you haven’t listened to “In Your Dreams,” you should, it’s the best solo work she’s ever done, the only thing that comes close is “Bella Donna.” That’s the problem with oldsters, even if they cut great new stuff it can’t get traction.

And Dave told me one of the albums he did with Stevie was cut in a week, live in the studio.

I remarked how it was about capturing the magic, more than perfecting the sound.

And Dave told me the acts often had a vision they were so busy trying to achieve that they missed the destination.

I said it was our mistakes that made us human, that endeared us to people, that we had to leave in.

And I thought the conversation was over, we’d entered the ballroom, but Dave wanted to continue. He said the intro to “Sweet Dreams” was a mistake, and then he demonstrated it to me, slapping an air drum, pushing out the sounds from his mouth.

I relate to musicians best. The business comes second, if it comes at all.

And after being interviewed about his new company Hipgnosis, Merck and Nile Rodgers brought Dave up on stage to sign his new Hipgnosis contract. And then he started to talk…

About his teens asking if he’d heard of this act Etta James!

He laughed, said that’s the beauty of the internet, it’s all available.

And he said he was still writing songs, that he and Nile came up with one on the drive over.

He’s a lifer.

And so am I.

One half of the Concerts West team, John is responsible for putting Celine Dion in Vegas. He’s also promoted the Stones and Prince and many other household names.
John’s a hustler with a sense of humor, he tells a good story, and if you want to know what it takes to make it in concert promotion…

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Howard Stern says he has changed. How much?

Honesty, credibility, vulnerability…these are the building blocks of a career, these are what bond people to you.

Distribution is king. After all, Stern gave this interview to the “New York Times,” the paper of record, the one with gravitas, the one that has lasted.

Sure, you can say something on a website, but most sites are evanescent, they have no history, and therefore not the same imprimatur, but if it’s in the “New York Times”…

The right might hate the paper, but it reacts to it. That’s power. And power is the key in the twenty first century. We think it’s about money, but it’s not. Sure, money buys you power, but it does not deliver hearts and minds, and it’s those that move mountains, that define our country.

If you’ve been listening to Howard’s show, you know that he’s been promoting his new book for over a month. But what I did not expect him to do was to reveal new feelings, to open his soul, to tell the truth in the promotion off the air.

Now let’s go back to distribution. Only when he appeared on “America’s Got Talent” did the rest of the world recognize Stern’s power, which is why he gets all the A-listers on his show these days, Stern’s fans are not passive, but active. If they like something, they buy it, they experience it, and have an opinion about it. This is the opposite of the late night TV world…that’s soft entertainment to put you to bed. Maybe that’s why Colbert is triumphing, speaking his truth, people feel like they belong to a tribe when they watch his show. Same deal with Rachel Maddow on the left and Tucker Carlson on the right.

But they don’t have the reach of Howard Stern.

The politicos create tribes for what they say, Stern’s tribe is in love with the man as well. Because he reveals himself, warts and all, in a guarded society.

Sure, people go on social media and say everything. Then again, at this point most only put forth their best selves. Isn’t that the essence of Instagram? Nobody’s life is that fabulous. As a matter of fact, inner life is littered with potholes, regrets, questions, depression, but those with a sustained audience don’t reveal this stuff.

Usually an interview is negotiated. For a cover. What questions can’t be asked. That’s not interesting.

As for Stern asking about people’s sex lives…to hear a celebrity talk about this is to realize they’re just like you and me, no better. Sure, maybe they have opportunities we don’t, but at the end of the day we’re all the same.

Dedicated listeners will tell you Stern’s show has changed. And it has, whether you like it or not. But kudos to the man for changing, in a world where you cannot contradict yourself or apologize unless it’s to get the world off your back. In America, you have to do the same thing forever, you can never admit you’re wrong. And in this interview, Stern regrets his mistakes, his two previous books, and he explains why. This is not fodder for the news, this is truth, this is vulnerability, this is honesty, and it draws you closer to him.

Admitting your mistakes… Howard does.

And back to that change… We want to evolve. Being 60 is not like being 30.

Then again, Howard talks about being 30, fighting for listeners on terrestrial radio, afraid they’ll tune out, ratings were everything.

It’s like talking to any professional, there are rules we’re unaware of, Howard’s revealing them.

Even if you don’t know who Howard Stern is, you’ll be riveted by this interview. Because he knows these people, he’s not afraid to say it straight, this is what he’s built his whole career on!

Now if you don’t listen to the show, you might not understand the religion. But the truth is…

Most people pooh-pooh the man, then they get hooked and it’s all they can talk about. All the peripheral characters, who cares? And then you do.

But you’ve got to pay. People keep talking about entertainment being free, news being free, that’s hogwash, if you want the good stuff you have to pay. You pay for Netflix, right? You’re paying for HBO? If you’re not paying you’re out of the loop.

The key is not to bitch about theft, about people wanting stuff for free, but to create something so great people want to pay. That’s the essence of concert merch, correct? People want to feel closer. If no one wants to pay for your work, you’re doing it wrong, or just haven’t been doing it long enough.

Funny world we live in. Everybody’s criticizing everybody else and their choices, to the point where many cower. Hell, I heard an interview with Pete Townshend the other day and he said he would never say this stuff on Twitter, it would cause a conflagration. To be in the mix and let your freak flag fly takes a lot of courage, which most people don’t have. They say they want the attention, but when they get it, when eyes are upon them, they fold, or they react. If you see someone in a Twitter war you know they’ve lost the plot, this is exactly what the trolls want.

I was surprised by the Stern interview. I expected a rehash of the usual topics. But to find out Howard had a cancer scare…now you know why he missed work that one and only time. Talking about his family. Talking about Trump. This is a guy who’s been there, but has always taken the position he’s a schnook, just like us.

That’s right, we’re all schnooks. We’re trying to hide it, we’re faking it, but we’re all insecure. And when someone reflects our schnookiness back to us…

We breathe a sigh of relief. We feel like we belong. In an ever more alienating world.

It’s about people. It’s always about people. Life is a struggle. You’ve got to keep on keepin’ on. But it’s constantly reinforced that we’re inadequate. We’re not attractive enough, rich enough, we don’t know the right people, but the truth is we’re all right.

That’s the essence of Howard Stern’s message.

And that if you work really hard, REALLY HARD, you might just get what you want.

But almost no one’s willing to work that hard, even though they believe they’re entitled to the rewards.

Hell, Howard is always imparting lessons on the show, how to manage your money, your relationship…

And we’re all looking to learn.

You can start with this interview.

I don’t like fantasy. I never read a comic book, other than “Archie,” and the only shows I watch on HBO are Bill Maher and Jon Oliver.

So I don’t watch “Game of Thrones.”

Last week I was on the Howard Stern WrapUp Show. There’d been a kerfuffle during the main show, over the dark “Game of Thrones” episode. Jon Hein said it was brilliant, Howard said it sucked. Furthermore, Howard said Jon Hein lost credibility for defending the episode. This was the first segment of the WrapUp Show, I couldn’t comment.

Tonight I had dinner with Jake in Toronto. He told me he’d caught up with “Game of Thrones,” all 67 earlier episodes, it took him three weeks, because he wanted to be part of the conversation.

Leo, the same thing. He texted he was on a GOT marathon.

I’m not about to dig in, but I do feel left out. Doesn’t bother me, but how many topics do we all have in common these days?

There’s Trump. Jake talked about how the far right was gaining traction in Canada, how Ford was cutting services, how Alberta had gone really right. He believed the trigger was Trump. Nothing happens in a vacuum. If a butterfly flaps its wings in Japan…

But that’s the world we live in today. We’re looking for points of nexus, where we can weigh in, be part of the conversation.

Used to be music, everybody had an opinion. Now we don’t even listen to the same thing. Give credit to GOT, it appeals to all ages and demos, but there’s not a single song that does. Even Little Nas X’s “Old Town Road.” It’s number one this week, but I’ll posit at least half of America has never heard it. How do we create the heat, how do we get everybody to pay attention?

Of course we have niches, but concomitantly we have superstars.

Maybe you saw the story in the WSJ about the touring 1%. “Sixty percent of all concert-ticket revenue world-wide went to the top 1% of performers ranked by revenue in 2017.” That’s double what it was in 1982.

You can read that article in the “Wall Street Journal,” it’s no longer behind a paywall:

Music Superstars Are the New One Percenters

But by having no soft paywall, the WSJ takes itself out of discussion for most people. So it has less cultural relevance. Sure, it speaks to business people and right wing acolytes, but…

Then again, the readers of the WSJ are the movers and shakers who influence the world. So if you don’t read it…

You’re left out.

Now if you really want to know what is going on in the world, read the WSJ, NYT and the WaPo. But most people don’t have the time, so they’re left out. Happens all the time, I get into a political discussion with someone and all they know are the headlines, which is about as deep as they go on TV. You can’t get the news from television, there’s not enough in it.

So, let me restate this. The best way to reach everybody is to have free access. Call it the Spotify free tier or YouTube. These are good things, otherwise most people would be closed out, they’d never be aware of your product, because 100% of the people don’t pay for any one product online. Maybe 70% use Google, but that’s free.

So, we have the haves and the have-nots.

In news, music, across the board in today’s internet world.

Those acts in the top 1%, most of them are legacy acts which broke before the balkanization of music. U2, Springsteen, GNR, the Stones, Coldplay. They benefit from the ubiquity of the old world, it’s much harder to break through today. Furthermore, Beyonce and Adele made it at the tail end of the old world too. As for Bieber, he was an internet phenom, and 1D…that was a combo of TV and the net, I’d say the new model, but since that time TV means ever less.

So the winners are those where everybody has an opinion, where they know the music.

But, speaking of Lil Nas X… His track “Old Town Road” eclipsed Taylor Swift’s “Me” for number one. “Old Town Road” had a 100 million streams this week, “Me” half that. (Sales are de minimis, forget them.)

So we live in a world where the supposed biggest act in the world can’t even eclipse the fad. So, despite wall to wall coverage, on TV and in print and online, most people did not have a need to be part of the Swift conversation. What does that say about less successful acts?

Well, it does say that we’re interested in the new and different, ergo the success of Lil Nas X, but even “Old Town Road” hasn’t reached everybody. How do we reach everybody?

The major labels are satisfied reaching the niche. They missed the internet and now they’re missing marketing in the late teens. There’s an alley right up the middle appealing to more people, but they release niche product. And the audience has been burned to the point where people don’t even bother to check out the new stuff.

But this is season 8 of GOT, over ten years, we don’t invest that long in the music business anymore. We throw it up against the wall and…almost everything is evanescent.

Same deal with “Breaking Bad,” it didn’t break until it was on Netflix.

People want to be part of the conversation. The key is to deliver product they’re interested in. We’ve learned what appeals most is edgy stuff, unrestrained by censors, that has deeper meaning, that affects your emotions, and that it takes years to reach everybody, I didn’t hear of anybody doing GOT binges until this year, the final year, when the hysteria has reached fever pitch.

Hell, we don’t even tune into the Super Bowl for the game anymore, it’s about the penumbra, i.e. the party. Even the commercials are forgettable.

You see if you stay in your own lane long enough, doing the same thing over and over, you fade, it’s inevitable, you’ve got to cannibalize yourself to stay on top. It’s innovation that intrigues people. Hell, baseball attendance is dropping precipitously, used to be a day out in the sun with beer, now it’s a car payment.

As much as we are divided , we’re looking to be brought together.

We all don’t have to agree, but we all want to be able to weigh in.

It’s those who create product that brings in everybody who will win in the future. That’s where the money is. The niches can be self-sustaining, touring clubs with no manager, but America is based on scale, and if you want to scale, you’ve got to dream and play big. You can conquer the world if that’s your target. Especially producers who step to bat so frequently. But too many are afraid and brain dead. And the truth is only the creators can touch the public with their vision, in a world where we venerate the suits.

But we will have more touchpoints that we all can talk about.

Human nature demands it.