Is cannabis the new music?

The week before CMW, Neill Dixon had a cannabis conference. With 3000 attendees! It’s the wild west, nothing is settled, it’s like music in the days of Napster.

Then again, Robbie Robertson spoke about the sixties. How you had to listen to a record to learn which way the wind blew.

Robbie told a good story. About being on tour with Bob Dylan. How Bob was a folkie and they were rockers and Dylan wanted some of what they had. So they went on tour, and people HATED IT! Normally when you get a bad reaction, you change up the set list. But Bob refused to do this. But it was Bob’s show, so Robbie wasn’t that worried about the response, other than dodging thrown objects. Night after night, he wondered whether it was them or the audience. After the tour the audience caught up with the music. Dylan was pushing the envelope when fans want you to stay in your own lane. That’s death. And Dylan survives when the folkies…many of them are literally dead, or retired or playing to tiny audiences.

But we’ve got no one testing those limits today.

Scott Cohen gave a futurist presentation. Hire him to speak at your conference. After Sony started telling him and Richard how to run the Orchard, Cohen ankled the business. And was hired by Max Lousada at Warner, even though he wasn’t looking for a gig. I don’t want to give away the secrets of our conversation after, but he remarked how the streaming services have all the data and the labels do not. And the money is in the data.

Yes, we have not reached the end of the line in music, there is still runway. Scott talked about AI helping amateurs to make music, so they don’t have to practice for a decade to do this. Like amateurs with Instagram. They’re not professional photographers, they don’t know what an f-stop is, but they employ filters and have a good time.

As for Dave Grohl… I sat there wondering if he gained this personality from all those years on the road, being with a bunch of guys in the van, on the bus… To survive in that atmosphere you have to know how to poke fun, to duck for cover, to deflect. And even though he’s overexposed, Grohl was the master of the quip. He was interviewing his mother, about her book about the mothers of musicians. He told her stuff she never knew and was consistently entertaining, you could not hate him.

Then at the urging of Larry LeBlanc, I went to the Palestinian panel. He’s been bugging me to go to this conference on the West Bank, I’ve been anxious. And it was all copacetic until someone asked about Roger Waters and cultural boycotts and this woman on the panel said cultural boycotts don’t work, that the Israelis stole their land and committed genocide and if you think there’s gonna be peace in the Middle East, you’re dreaming.

And then I went to the pitch panel, a mini Shark Tank.

Cracked me up. This woman pitching an app called Side Door about hooking up musicians for house concerts. Did she ever hear of SCALE?? It’s not like Bon Jovi is gonna play in your backyard, certainly not for less than seven figures. The company takes 10% of revenue, how you make any money…

And then there were the guys pitching music for health purposes. They’ve got some AI, artificial intelligence for those out of the loop, that will help soothe people and they projected some insane eight figure revenue total in five years and after reading the Theranos book, I couldn’t stop laughing. Did they pull that number out of their ass? Does anybody believe these business plans anymore?

But there was this one company called Squiggle or something similar. Their concept is to make electronic music… Let’s just say instead of playing one tone at a time, you can have the tone go up or down and…

You’d have to see it.

And they put up the numbers for music software and it was very convincing, but when they said they were gonna do $35 million in five years, I wondered.

This came up at dinner. Someone wanted to create an app. THAT WAS TEN YEARS AGO! I told this person to hang with people who’d already had tech victories, to learn the lessons. But the curse of the amateur is they don’t want to know much, they think they’re the first person to ever tread these waters, they don’t know that investors are only interested in grand slams as opposed to bunts or singles.

Maybe we should have had Linda Perry there to set them straight.

But Neill is now doing four cannabis conferences a year. He’s the smartest guy in the room, he pivoted.

If you want to succeed, to paraphrase Sam Kinison, YOU’VE GOT TO GO WHERE THE MONEY IS! If there’s not big money to be made, most people are not interested.

Then again, Scott Cohen said that the labels are now populated by thirtysomethings who worked in tech like drones and didn’t get stock options and now want to have fun and make a difference.

The truth is music’s in a lull, it’s the last throes of the baby boomers.

The world is gonna change, it’s just a matter of figuring out where it’s going.

Like Neill Dixon.

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.