I LIKE PEACE MORE THAN PUSSY!

Can you say that in 2018? Then again, when this was recorded Omarosa was still in the White House. But that’s what we depend upon from our comedians, the unvarnished truth, the way we would say it. With the F-bombs and the scatological comments. You’re drawn right in, the way you aren’t with the modern work of the classic rockers. Chris Rock ages and his material changes, musicians age and they sing the same damn songs about love under the moon in June. What’s up with that?

Now I’m not saying you’re gonna bust a gut watching this. Not that you won’t laugh, but Rock is in search of something different. Lessons. Education. What kind of crazy fucked up world do we live in where you learn more from a comedy special than you do in school? One in which a private school says it’s got a “No Bully Policy.” Rock says the world NEEDS bullies, and I agree with him. It’s a rough and tumble society and my father could not stop imparting lessons, that’s what he did best. Come to my baseball games? No! Discuss music with me? No! Watch television with me? No! Talk about my emotional state? NO! But when we were together it was an endless class in Life 101, the way the world really works.

And my girlfriends hate it. When I take the air out of their story. When I don’t believe what someone says. When I poke holes in the surface to get to the nougat. Guy drives a Lamborghini with no visible means of support? Either he comes from a rich family or he’s living on the edge with no money in the bank. That’s what life is about, finding out how the world really works. And most people are clueless. Either they buy the hogwash on TV and TMZ, or they believe everything they read in the newspaper. But the truth is it’s all artifice and it doesn’t apply to you. You’re on your own and no one outside your front door gives a rat’s ass about you. Oh, they might SAY they do, but they really don’t, especially if you’re a guy. Lose your job and see how many of those “friends” call or text, NONE! Oh, maybe once or twice to commiserate, but after that they move on to people who can do something for them, that’s the reality of males today, they only want to know you if you can do something for them, or get them in the club. Oh, don’t tell me about the sixth grade buddy you iMessage with all day long. Is he gonna help you get a new job? And when you’re in the shitter and need him to come over he’s gonna wimp out and say his wife won’t let him.

That’s another thing Rock drills down on, marriage.

You’ve got to make like you care. You’ve got to have sex whether you’re in the mood or not. Fucking and traveling, that’s what he says it’s all about.

And there you have enough four letter words to unsubscribe. But Chris Rock’s special was an inspiration, he was growing and being himself, isn’t that what artists do? It’s not about playing it safe, maintaining, but pushing the envelope. And when you get it right there are untold accolades. Along with money raining down.

The paradigm has shifted. You don’t want a sitcom, NOBODY IS WATCHING! That’s right, Marc Maron leveraged his podcast into a sitcom that no one watched and is now over. And the interviewer hates me and that’s all right, because Chris Rock dismisses cyberbullying. I mean come on, some dude you don’t even know, sitting at home in his underwear, is talking shit to a minimal audience?

But back to bullying, one of the insightful jokes is how when a real bully came along, i.e. Donald Trump, we didn’t know how to handle him. That’s right, Michelle Obama said when they go low, we go high. How did that work out for the Democrats? IT DIDN’T!

And Chris says a man is all about his job. You meet a new girl and your guy friends ask what she looks like. You meet a new guy and your girlfriends ask WHAT DOES HE DO??

Do nothing and you’ve got nothing. Even Michelle is bugging Barack, how’s that book going, what comes next?

There’s more wisdom in this hour than there is in a year of network television. Certainly more than there is in white rock. Hell, country music is lowest common denominator family crap and Chris trumps those crackers. That’s right, you can be politically incorrect when you’re right, the truth resonates.

And stings.

We want to hear what Chris Rock has to say.

And on one hand he’s telling us what’s happened to him since we last saw him. He got divorced, he stepped out, he hit on Rihanna. But unlike seemingly everybody else in the public eye, especially those in Washington, D.C., HE’S THOUGHT ABOUT IT! Isn’t it funny you can’t change your mind in politics when in reality life is all about learning, the lessons that help you get through.

As we venerate the youth in a looks-based culture where the old are derided for their age and there’s no center.

That’s right, there’s no center anymore, no water cooler. Not even Facebook. Never mind on every social media outlet everybody’s got their own friends.

And sure, some are communicating, but most want to become famous, and rich.

But few make it. They’re not willing to put in the hard work, the ups and downs with no safety net.

Chris Rock triumphed as a new comic on HBO and then failed on SNL. Took him a long time to claw back. And since he has, he’s not repeating himself, he’s trying new things, especially in his comedy.

White guys telling observational jokes… That’s why Seinfeld is lost in the nineties, he never grew, he never changed his act, he never became something different.

Chris Rock has.

And when you watch this show and the truth spits into your eyes and ears your brain starts to percolate, you start to think. And that’s what being a human being is all about, cogitating, sifting through the input to establish a course of behavior.

And for all the right wing put-downs of the African-American culture, as they step out and get abortions and divorces and then don’t want anyone else to partake of these privileges, it’s Chris Rock who is saying to stay married, that the woman is in charge, she rules the house, but really your family is a band, and if you don’t play the tambourine with gusto…

It breaks up.

It’s already won.

You don’t play the game, YOU CREATE THE GAME!

This is what established players don’t recognize, whether it be in content or distribution. If you want to win in the end you can’t do what everybody else does, you’ve got to risk, you’ve got to create something new that satiates the customer in a way existing products do not.

With Netflix it was all about on demand.

Remember driving to the video shop? What a waste of time/terrible experience that was. You had to get in your car, you got there, and they didn’t have what you wanted.

But now you go on Netflix and they organize the titles in a way that plays to your interests, that’s comprehensible, BUT YOU NEVER HAVE TO LEAVE YOUR COUCH!

How great is that, INCREDIBLE!

Meanwhile, traditional outlets are dribbling out product with endless promos and commercials and as soon as we got an option, we bolted.

That was the magic of Napster. We just got the tracks we wanted. We didn’t want the overpriced CD. And the MP3 was good enough, we don’t need the Blu-Ray, but unlike the record labels, Netflix gives people what they want, you desire high quality, you can pay for 4k.

But the point is Netflix is a tech company, not an entertainment company, and that’s why they’re winning.

One, they know there’s a first-mover advantage. And that if you continue to improve the product, you dominate. It’s only when you become stagnant that you’re screwed.

So Netflix is airing reruns. Then it goes to original programming. But not like HBO, which releases shows in drips and drabs. You get overhyped and then you’re disappointed, like with “Divorce” or “Here and Now.” Whereas with Netflix, if you don’t like this, we’ve got a new show for you tomorrow, or next week.

But Bob you say, LOOK AT THE LOSSES!

Where were you the past twenty years? You overspend for market share and kill all comers and then you roll in dough. Can you say AMAZON?

And there’s this fiction that there can be multiple competitors.

I ask you, when you talk about television, and everybody does, how often does someone suggest an Amazon show… ALMOST NEVER! Showing that outlet’s challenges, although I do believe only Amazon can challenge Netflix.

But, the cable outlets are dependent upon cable system payments. We’ve seen with channels going dark that the cable systems are saying NO MAS! And everyone’s sick of overpaying for sports they don’t watch.

So if you’re dependent upon cable system payments, you’re done.

And if you’re dependent upon advertising you’re done. The public will not sit for it, only the cheapest individuals will endure ads, and then the ads don’t work on them, because they’re so damn tight. No, the people advertisers want to reach are the spenders, which is why everybody’s now advertising on Amazon, check it out, that’s where the dollars change hands.

So the networks and other ad-supported channels are on life support. They’re dependent upon hits, which come and go, and what do I always say…DISTRIBUTION IS KING!

So, just having good content is not enough, you’re reinventing the wheel every season, you’re only as good as your last hit.

As for HBO… That’s a dying model. If the outlet were smart, they’d band together with Hulu or another player and release all episodes on the same day. People don’t like to wait, appointment viewing is passe. We want it all and we want it NOW!

As for Hulu, forget about it, it doesn’t have critical mass, and unlike Netflix, it’s only in America. Sure, the “Handmaid’s Tale” burnished the outlet’s image, but Netflix has more than that, “Narcos,” Stranger Things,” 13 Reasons Why,” “Wormwood”… A record company can’t survive on one act, you need a steady flow of product, which Netflix has. And it’s a virtuous circle, they keep adding subscribers to the point they’ve got more money and they spend it on the best creators!

So they end up with the lion’s share of the viewers.

Which is why Fox wanted out, why it sold to Disney.

But Disney started too late. It’s like Apple Music and Spotify. Spotify was first and eclipses Apple in worldwide subscribers and growth, Apple Music can’t catch up.

And what is Disney’s plan? Three apps? You’ve got to pay for kids, sports and mainstream fare? Come on, we’re sick of paying multiple outlets. We want to pay only one, or two. Disney doesn’t have enough product to fill the pipeline, to get our attention.

As for Apple…

It’s just too late. One hit show does not make a network. Sure, they’ve got a great brand name, but explain Siri to me, the first voice assistant that’s the worst. As for the HomePod, dead upon arrival. Amazon has been iterating like crazy, they keep lowering the price and Apple comes out at a premium, what world do they live in? It’d be like offering a ten thousand dollar flat screen. That ship has sailed, a TV is under a grand!

So Netflix ends up with the lion’s share of the marketplace. On the internet, that’s usually 65-70%.

And then Amazon is the next biggest player and then a few marginal ones.

The whole world goes topsy-turvy. We’re not bonded to CBS or Showtime or TBS or…

The recent Netflix deals show creators would just as soon go to Netflix for more bucks and less interference.

And so would you!

Netflix already owns comedy. All the greats are on the service. To the point when they launched the latest Chris Rock special this week there was very little hype. You’d see it on the service, which you’re already subscribing to. This is not HBO where we bang you over the head with coming attractions. Talk to a movie theatergoer, they hate the endless trailers! They’re a captive audience, but not at home, not with streaming, you’re in total control!

So unless Disney aligns with every other studio and they load up product immediately it’s a Netflix world, with Amazon as a runner-up, since you get their service free with Prime, and anybody who spends dollars has Prime.

This is not a nascent game, it’s about to be set in stone!

How many people have both Spotify and Apple Music. NONE!

And sure, they have the same products, whereas streaming video services do not, but soon all the creators will want to be on Netflix because that’s where all the eyeballs are.

The game is almost over.

And Netflix won.

People hate hip-hop like they hate Fox News.

We’re used to a monoculture in music, a cohesiveness, a comprehensible landscape.

But that’s all been shot to hell.

But the usual suspects act like it hasn’t.

Radio is the land of hip-hop and oldies, along with verticals that seem to exist in their own rarefied air, like AAA and Active Rock.

Streaming is the land of hip-hop.

Country is still beholden to the old terrestrial radio paradigm.

Meanwhile, they keep printing a Top Ten in the newspaper like it matters. Meanwhile, that Top Ten is totally fraudulent. It’s not sales, but a hybrid of sales and streams and certain plays count and others don’t and one cut can equal a whole album and no wonder people are confused.

We keep thinking we’re gonna go back to where we once were.

Hell, there is an iTunes chart. A Spotify chart.

But they don’t reflect what is really happening out there.

Hell, I’ll argue you’re better off looking at concert grosses. That shows true demand, people showing up and paying, fans.

But the point is now, more than ever, the genres don’t mix.

Sure, they rap in country records, but they don’t play hip-hop records on country stations.

But just to complicate it a bit more, fans of country might also like hip-hop. With everything available, people can cross genres easily.

But we keep boiling it down to statistics and it looks like hip-hop kills everything else and everything else is irrelevant.

But that’s not true.

But if you’re looking for your genre to eclipse hip-hop, it’s probably not gonna happen, but you have to play on hip-hop’s terms, which means there must be collaboration, which pays dividends in social media, getting the word out, and you must embrace all the tools of the web/app/internet world.

This is what is holding the other genres back.

Don’t listen to the terrestrial radio hype. Yes, it’s still the best way to reach the most people, the only problem is the active people, i.e. the youngsters, aren’t listening, they’re all on on demand platforms.

You play for the future, not the past. You skate where the puck is going to be.

And that’s all in on demand.

But how do you create demand?

YOU GO WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE!

And most people are online constantly, and if you’re not, you’re toast.

So you shouldn’t compare yourself to other genres. You shouldn’t complain you’re not on Top Forty radio. Top Forty radio is NEVER going to play your non-hip-hop music. Playlists are getting narrower, not broader, and they’re never going to go broad again.

But let’s get back to the hate.

Most people over thirty can’t understand today’s music marketplace.

And honestly, those under that age are not so smart either.

You keep hearing about these records you hate. It agitates you. You want relief.

But it’s just like people watching Fox News. They don’t care about you, they’ve got blinders on, this is all they know. And you can rail about other bands or other songs and they just won’t listen. Meanwhile, you’re wondering how we can live in such a world.

It’s positively Tower of Babel.

But it’s only a zero sum game on the chart.

But not in real life. If people come to see your act, it’s not at the cost of the act in another genre.

No one is making sense of what is going on.

The labels only sign that which is percolating and sells. Never have they been more of an enterprise as opposed to a museum.

The distributors say it’s not their fault, Spotify and Apple and Amazon are just serving demand, they’re not trying to change public consciousness.

Meanwhile, you have trouble finding the music you like amongst the dross.

So feel free to hate hip-hop, many people do.

But don’t bother going on about it, build your genre up, testify, spread the word, and embrace new marketing and distribution tools.

If anybody tells you they know what’s going on in music, don’t listen to them, because NOBODY KNOWS WHAT’S GOING ON! At most, people only know the facts in their own genre.

But you can make news and have success in yours.

As long as you stop complaining about theirs.

P.S. My inbox is gonna fill up with people castigating MSNBC and lauding Fox News, but that’s just the point. This war between believers is fruitless. But thank god music is not quantifiable, not based on facts. You can love what you love and be proud of it, YOU SHOULD!

I lied.

It’s not gonna be at the Four Seasons.

The reason you haven’t heard from me about the conference is because…the Four Seasons is closed because of the floods, they said they were going to reopen on April 1st, then they were noncommittal and now say they won’t be reopening until June 1st. So, if you were just gonna attend for a cheap stay at the resort, you’re out of luck.

But the conference is still happening!

We scrambled and we just signed a deal with last year’s hotel, the Kimpton Canary, so we’re on!

So, what is it you’re signing up for?

Essentially the live podcast experience. Since I last weighed in on this, and told you Troy Carter would be interviewed, we’ve booked Rob Glaser and Daniel Glass.

Rob Glaser began at Microsoft and then started RealNetworks. Hell, he’s even a board member at the PBA, the Professional Bowlers Association, for those who remember their addiction to the oiled lanes and their pursuit of a perfect game.

Also, I’ll be interviewing Daniel Glass, of Glassnote Records. Who has built not only Mumford & Sons and Phoenix into household names, but also Childish Gambino and now Jade Bird.

So you’ll get a chance to interact with the speakers. You’ll hear their stories, how they made it. And you’ll also get a chance to hang with like-minded people and have fun. And fun is the one thing that money can’t buy, but the truth is you can put yourself in a situation to obtain it!

So, the dates are April 29-May 2nd. You arrive on the 29th, you leave on the 2nd.

You should come.

Music Media Summit

P.S. If you have questions on content, e-mail me, if you have questions on logistics, e-mail Jim Lewi at: jim@liveworksevents.com