Subject: Re: Neil Young Returns To Spotify<\/p>\n
Hi Bob,<\/p>\n
Finally!<\/p>\n
A little perspective from a Label Owner \/ Artist Manager…<\/p>\n
I understand the conceptual pushback from artists. \u00c2\u00a0And I won’t adress that here. \u00c2\u00a0For my company, I have seen my revenue (on my 2,000 song catalog) increase as a result of streaming. \u00c2\u00a0Yes. \u00c2\u00a0It took a few years\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
As Streaming has become the predominant way of listening, and millions have decided to pay for subscriptions, the proportional net of the “deal\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is not much different from the Physical income model. \u00c2\u00a0It just skews to everyone now instead of just the biggest selling albums at any given time. \u00c2\u00a0The main difference is that now the fan pays a modest flat fee to enjoy practically the entire music universe on demand, and we get paid “forever.”<\/p>\n
Simultaneously, the label no longer needs a staff to manage and sell all the physical product, nor to manufacture (ok\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 Vinyl for some, and a trickle of CDs), ship, maintain inventories, process returns, account for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153breakage\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, hope to get paid by stores like Sam Goody or Transworld (remember those clowns, who paid in returns!), pay for extortionate \u00e2\u20ac\u0153programs\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, create\/disseminate POP, get caught up in bankruptcies (including a few one stops asking to claw back money paid for product in addition to not paying for product they bought but had not yet paid for, true story). \u00c2\u00a0Plus most albums (including the Majors) were never released in foreign territories. \u00c2\u00a0 I could go on\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.<\/p>\n
In summary, a lot less effort, for, in my case, more money and, much more important, ubiquitous\u00c2\u00a0world wide availablility. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0The Net effect has been great for Labels.<\/p>\n
The Label deals with their artists is another, complex, story that differs from artist to artist and from company to company.<\/p>\n
Best Always!<\/p>\n
Rob Gordon<\/p>\n
_____________________________________<\/p>\n
From: tres sasser<\/p>\n
Subject: Re: The Medium Affects The Message<\/p>\n
Bob,<\/p>\n
That was fantastic and so on the money! \u00c2\u00a0 I produced an artist and sent a few tracks to a very high up blues\/hip hop label friend of mine<\/p>\n
who promptly called me back and said “this artist is phenomenal!\u00c2\u00a0 Best thing I’ve heard in years.” \u00c2\u00a0I said, “great, let’s set up a time\u00c2\u00a0for you to see his live show and you guys talk.”<\/p>\n
He stopped me and said “Man..I checked out his socials and he’s only got 200,000 monthly listeners.\u00c2\u00a0 His numbers aren’t high enough.”<\/p>\n
I then said “So you’re\u00c2\u00a0telling me if I bring you the most AMAZING artist ever and their numbers are low you wouldn’t be interested?” \u00c2\u00a0 “That’s right,” he said.<\/p>\n
I told him “that’s a huge part of what’s wrong with the music business.”<\/p>\n
It’s so frustrating to find undiscovered talent and work on it and capture it, all the time knowing the music is secondary.<\/p>\n
But I believe music will find a way to overcome the system, shatter the ceiling and let genuinely\u00c2\u00a0talented artists shine.<\/p>\n
Again, great article!<\/p>\n
Tres<\/p>\n
_____________________________________<\/p>\n
From: michael rosenblatt<\/p>\n
Subject: Re: Universal Publishing Joins TikTok Takedown<\/p>\n
My favorite line about the music business was written by Stan Cornyn in his book Exploding…”When it comes to racing into any new technology, the record business finishes just ahead of the Amish.” He wrote that 23 years ago, was true then is true now.<\/p>\n
_____________________________________<\/p>\n
Subject: RE: The Judee Sill Movie<\/p>\n
Hey Bob,<\/p>\n
Can’t wait to see this documentary! I knew Judee well and loved her music. I cut one of her songs, “Ridge Rider,” on a solo album by Russ Giguere of the Association. I saw her perform a number of times and even went on the road with her briefly. She was a true original, both as a writer and as a person. Although you’re right that she never had any big hits, I urge everyone to listen to her composition, “Lady-O,’ beautifully recorded by the Turtles. It’s one of Howard’s best vocals and the harmony singing is amazing. It made it onto the Billboard charts, but in the lower echelon. I’m hoping this film will help to elevate her place in the pantheon of California singer-songwriters.<\/p>\n
Best,<\/p>\n
John Boylan<\/p>\n
_____________________________________<\/p>\n
Subject: Re: The Judee Sill Movie<\/p>\n
Man. Judee Sill. Her music is the truth. Nate Wood, the drummer of our band Kneebody showed Judee\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s music to us about 20 years ago. (You should check out Nate too! He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of the most incredible musical minds out there). Nate\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s from Laguna Beach and his parents are Steve Wood and Beth Fitchet Wood from the band Honk. I remember him telling us that his folks knew Judee from around in the music scene in the early 70s and that back when they met her they knew her as a bassist. At the time they had never really known that she was making such incredible music. It reminds me of the music scene now – people I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve known for years that I know in a certain context as a sideman or side woman that have all of this music in them and when it comes out and they step away from their gig they really do blossom. Anyway Steve and Beth showed him her music that they never knew that she had been making at the time and he showed it to the rest of us. And I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to think we’ve all been huge Judee Sill ambassadors ever since. We did a concert of her music in brooklyn about 15 years ago and it was so much fun to get into those songs. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s some of the most beautiful and original music I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ever heard. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such a world that she created that is so a part of the era that she was in but totally unique. She was completely on her on path. Just listening to the harmony and odd lyrics and specific twists and turns of the melodies it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clear that she was one of the most unique and incredible artists. And bless David Geffen for putting that out. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also so clear why she didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have the commercial success or whatever was expected in that sense. You can hear that in the live recordings where she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s solo on tour on an opening slot (was it for Graham Nash\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6?) and she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rambling to the crowd about the fugal line that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s written after the guitar solo in Archetypal Man mentioning that she intended for it to be for oboe but sang it instead – and you can hear what plays as a joke for her kind of falling flat with the crowd. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s heady nerdy stuff – and sounds like you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re listening to a chess grandmaster speak about deep strategy instead of flirtatious happy go lucky stage banter. It reminds me of what people said about Nick Drakes painfully awkward solo performances or some of the times I got to hear Elliot Smith live and watch him deal with the heaviness of expressing this beautiful thing that is coming from inside. Her music is all so deliberate and couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be any other way than how she heard it. And yes her story is pretty unbelievable and tragic and sad. Thanks for writing about her. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m so glad that a film was made and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m looking forward to seeing it.<\/p>\n
Kaveh Rastegar<\/p>\n
_____________________________________<\/p>\n
Subject: Re: The Judee Sill Movie<\/p>\n
Thanks so much, Bob, for the wonderful review of our film, Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill. When co-director Brian Lindstrom and I began what became a nine year labor of love to tell Judee\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s story, we knew that we had an excellent head start with a small but beautiful and inspiring body of work, and if we could harness that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be in good shape. All through the process, we met generous participants who expressed hope that Judee might soon get her due. Interviews with Judee\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s close pals, like Tommy Peltier, Russ Giguere, Vicki Randall and JD Souther, helped us in our effort to portray a fun-loving, charismatic and complicated person, far different than the dark, gloomy figure that emerges from her Wikipedia profile. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bittersweet, of course, that she can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be here to experience the appreciation herself, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s easy to imagine how thrilled she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be by all it.<\/p>\n
Andy Brown<\/p>\n
co-director Lost Angel<\/p>\n
_____________________________________<\/p>\n
From: Steve Page<\/p>\n
Subject: Re: God & Country<\/p>\n
This is a quintessential example of how out of touch people are trying to market old media in 2024.<\/p>\n
I’m on my phone, by pure happenstance, I opened this email and read enough of it to be interested in the project (having previously never heard of it, despite being vaguely familiar with Oscilloscope). TIME SPENT: 1 min 30 secs<\/p>\n
I click the trailer link you provided. I watch about 30 secs of the trailer, OK, still interested. I click the link that says “Learn more about God & Country” because it’s the only thing promising to give me more info. Nowhere on this YouTube page does it tell me: when it will be released or how I will be able to watch it. TIME SPENT: 30 secs<\/p>\n
Now I’m on the mobile iteration of the film’s site. I’m presented with the same trailer that just brought me here… a wall of text explaining the film… and a single hamburger menu top right. Still, I’ve not been informed where or when I will be able to watch it, including taking the unthinkable effort to scroll down to the bottom of the page. TIME SPENT: 30 secs<\/p>\n
I click the hamburger menu. At this point, I’m still engaged mostly to find out if the information I’m seeking even exists, not necessarily because I still actually want to watch this project. I’m presented with site navigation, none of which says RELEASE DATE, HOW CAN I WATCH… I click on “Theaters”\u00c2\u00a0 as my best option… ***note, one of the navigation options is: “Share Tools & Resources” … as if I’m going to be doing their marketing for them when I can’t figure out when it will be available. LOL. TIME SPENT: 15 secs<\/p>\n
On the “Theaters” page, I can plug in my zip code – OK great, I live in the dead middle of Los Angeles so I figure it will at least be playing at some off hours at an AMC, maybe Vidiots, or a smaller theater featuring it for promotional purposes. However, it warns me ahead of time that “if you want the film to come to your local theater, INQUIRE WITH THE THEATER DIRECTLY”… LMAO… I plug in my zip code.. scroll down beyond an empty retrograde map UI…. “No screenings found”. TIME SPENT: 15 secs<\/p>\n
So after a grand total of ~3 mins of my precious time and a determined effort to learn more about this thing that I’m vaguely interested in watching (exclusively because I happened to read some of your personal endorsement), here’s what I’ve learned:<\/p>\n
– it’s not streaming anywhere RIGHT NOW (I had time today, I could’ve watched it tonight! I could’ve been so blown away by the film that I actually logged back on to the site to click on “Share Tools & Resources”!)<\/p>\n
– it’s not playing in any theaters near me (and I live in arguably one of the best zip codes in the *world* for access to seeing cinema in a physical theater)<\/p>\n
– crucially, I did NOT learn when I might be able to see it, even if my interest carried over beyond the 3 mins it took to find out I couldn’t watch it<\/p>\n
The entire marketing effort of this project culminated with a CTA for me personally to do the distribution leg work for them… to call\/convince a local theater that they should show it. This is when I already have a never-ending list of other content I’m behind on and that came out TODAY on a platform I already pay for. I’d say I found this experience shocking… but it’s not… and instead I’ll probably just forget it even exists by tomorrow morning.<\/p>\n
_____________________________________<\/p>\n
Subject: Re: Eric Carmen<\/p>\n
Thanks Bob for the super words on Eric Carmen.<\/p>\n
I was one of the original execs at Arista where I ran International. When \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcAll By Myself\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 from the EC album started climbing I wanted to bring Eric to Europe.<\/p>\n
I begged Jimmy Ienner, my contact for Eric, (Donnie Ienner still worked for his older brother then) numerous times to get Eric to put a band together and play Europe. The answer was Eric doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to do it. So I asked for Eric to come and do some TV. Again the answer was no. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcAll By Myself\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 was a hit but the album and more important Eric could have been huge.<\/p>\n
Please note I took Barry Manilow on his first trip to Europe to do TV and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still a star attraction there. I then took Pattie Smith and her band on their first tour of Europe. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHorses\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 broke huge after that and Patti can still tour the world today.<\/p>\n
PS: Our Marketing guy at Arista then was Jon Peisinger who started Vestron Video after he left Arista. He did a deal for a film nobody wanted called \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcDirty Dancing\u00e2\u20ac\u2122. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s how Jimmy Ienner ended up producing the soundtrack and having Eric cut \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHungry Eyes\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n
Best,<\/p>\n
Aaron Sixx<\/p>\n
_____________________________________<\/p>\n
From: Mario<\/p>\n
Subject: Re: More Carmen\/Wallinger<\/p>\n
Bob,<\/p>\n
Have you ever heard Eartha Kitt’s incredible rendition of All By Myself? A perfect piece of performance art. Man, I imagine every songwriter strives to write a classic. One so good that many others want to do it. One that generations to come will continue to visit and bring their own to. Mr. Eric Carmen did just that with this song. Here’s Eartha’s take in case you’ve noit seen it:<\/p>\n