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Thoughts on Michael Jackson...

There is so much I can say on this subject regarding Michael Jackson, his talent, the effect he had on millions of people from around the world, etc.  Over the last few days though, I'm sure you've seen a ton of those thoughts, probably from people who are able to express them in writing much better than I'd be able to...

Instead, I want to take this opportunity to say that I feel we really need to take better care of people.  Certainly, Michael Jackson made his own decisions about how he lived and, as you know, lifestyle changes happen only when people want it themselves, but with so many artists going out this way, you'd think people would have learned at least how to redirect people a little better, in order to support them in getting the help they deserve.

But instead, we enable entertainers to continue their destructive behavior, milking every last amount of money we can.  Amy Winehouse is a perfect example. There is something about watching a trainwreck which we love... 

Everybody knows what she is doing is destructive, yet we enable it by buying her records and buying the tabloids that cover her.

And everybody knew what Michael Jackson was doing as destructive...

It's a pretty dramatic change to go from this...

 

To this...



Like gaining weight, or learning a new skill, it certainly happens slowly and over a long period of time.  Surely though, in 2009, we can get better at seeing these thing as they're happening.  And, believe me, there were plenty of people who saw it happening.  Morals get fluid when money is involved though...

Everybody has a "Michael Jackson" in their lives.  As people in the music business, which seems to attract people with this type of personality, we probably have several.

I hope you'll take the time to reach out to your friends who are making poor decisions and otherwise acting stupid.  Again, you can't change people...I get that.  You can let them know you support them though and you can stop supporting bad behavior.

Drugs, Big Macs, and Rock n' Roll

Posted some thoughts about drugs yesterday, which got me a few comments from people wondering if I am condoning drug use.  I'm not, but let me clarify some things...

Some people use drugs.  That is a reality of the world and the music business.

Personally, I don't touch the stuff.  I'm also vegetarian and I never drink alcohol.

But as I said, some people use drugs.  And I'm not going to ignore that reality, nor am I going to write everybody off who makes that choice...just like I'm not going to write everybody off who makes the choice to eat meat or have a beer every once in a while.

If I wrote off everybody who wasn't like me on these issues, chances are that I'd be ignoring you.  And that's no good, is it?

This brings up another great topic when it comes to deciding when to fire a band member...

People make their own decisions.  You don't control people.  You only control yourself.

There are some things which you'd prefer and some things which are deal-breakers...  You have to get clear on who you are and what you want to be able to decide which is which.

Would love to hear your opinion on the topic.  When it comes to people in your band, what are the things that you won't put up with?  And what are the things that you prefer, but are a bit more flexible about?

Post your thoughts.

The Dinosaur Known as the Grammy Awards

According to Celia Hirschman of KCRW's "On the Beat" show, they sucked pretty bad...

And I agree!

Not to kick NARAS when it's down, but the Grammy Awards has been lacking in a big way for a number of years.  The problem I see it is that it doesn't know if it should be the old record business or the new one.  They're still into the big parties, big budgets, and big stars, but nobody is backing it up on either the business or the creative end.

But...I disagree with Celia on a few points:

1. NARAS does give out Grammy awards for things like you mentioned...we just don't see them given out on TV.

2. Amy Winehouse is a trainwreck and people care more about watching her die a slow, painful death than perform music.  And from the way she is acting, it appears she feels the same way.  Any talent she has was long overshadowed by her addiction.

And this is the problem with NARAS in a nutshell.  Who cares about taking care of people when you can make money off of them?

I'm not blaming anybody by Amy Winehouse for her drug issues, but when somebody needs the kind of help she does, is it really right livelihood to keep them on the road, push them in the studio, or otherwise make money at their expense?  Again, she is responsible for getting herself clean, but somebody needs to step up and say "no" to artists like this...and nobody ever does.

5 Lies of Music Row

A friend of mine turned me onto a blog at ninetymilewind.blogspot.com, which is really very good.  It's by songwriter Craig Bickhardt, who has had songs recorded by Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, B. B. King, Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, David Wilcox, Poco, and others.

One of the things Craig talked about recently are the "5 Lies of Music Row."  And to bring all you non-Nashville people up to speed, Music Row is an area of town with all the music publishers, record labels, recording studios, and music business offices.  It's not the only music business area here, but it's the biggest and most well known.

Here's the list of some times you might hear during a visit to Music Row...

1. "It's the illegal downloading, stupid."

Craig says...

"People are hip to how much it really costs to record and manufacture a great CD (under $20,000). Yet the major record labels continue to dump ridiculous amounts of money into over-hyped acts and then over-charge consumers for their product. Why spend $17 on a CD that sounds like a collection of Clear Channel jingles?"

Personally, I disagree with this.  While it's certainly possible to record a great album for under $20,000, there is a lot more that goes into a great album than just getting it on tape.  For one, the writers must be developed.  And for another, great albums don't just sell on their own...people need to find out they exist before a purchase can be made.  All of this costs money.

2. "We're looking for something really different."

Craig says...

"Has anyone noticed how quickly country music assimilates the latest sound into it's sea of sameness? Shania and Mutt put a banjo in a track and now you can't make a record without a banjo in it. I'm not knocking banjos, I'm criticizing producers for their lack of innovation. Most great songs in Nashville never get recorded precisely because they ARE different. Most of the best songwriters that I know have no publisher at the moment. They all write very fresh, wonderful songs. This lie pushes all my buttons."

I agree with this one...sort of.

Consumers don't like to be pushed and want something "new, yet familiar," which is why things sound very similar.  But, if you've already got an act that sounds like Shania, why would you want to sign and develop another one?

Again, I feel "new, yet familiar" is the key here.

3. "It isn't a conflict of interests."

Craig says...

"Of course not. Sony publishing and Sony Records don't play favorites with each other. If a producer runs a record label, produces several acts, and owns a publishing company, he can be still be objective about songs. That's why artists like Faith Hill are shocked to discover that great songwriters also live in Massachusetts, because Faith  is hearing the best songs her producer wants her to hear, right?  Good work,  boys."

Agreed. There is a lot of stuff like this going on.  But it goes on in every business.  Is it standard operating procedure or something fishy?  You tell me...

4. "You have to live in town."

Craig says...

"Intrinsically there's NO reason why anyone has to live in Nashville. Many writers are collaborating over the Internet these days, and lots a great writers such as Hugh Prestwood and Jimmy Webb NEVER lived there. Living in Nashville is fine if you like it there, and I did for a while. But now I get regular emails and comments from writers who say that Nashville is ruining their writing. They can't be spontaneous, it's all done by committee, they fear being criticized for writing anything too artistic, and they must collaborate with artists, many of whom are not songwriters, never will be songwriters, and only show up for the money."

Agree that the business of Nashville can ruin a good song.  Everybody has an opinion, which can make things muddy.

But with that said, it does help if you're here. There are a lot more opportunities for people who are able to be in the same room with each other on a regular basis.  And can you be just anywhere and run into other music business people at the post office, the coffee shop, or the gym?

The Internet has helped things, but it won't get you the strong connection that being face-to-face with somebody will...especially with these good ol' boys in Nashville.

5. "Don't worry, I can hear the song."

Craig says...

"No you can't. If the demo doesn't sound exactly like what's on the radio, forget it. You're a musical illiterate. If I brought you guitar-vocal demos of the next Bob Dylan you'd pass. You useless sack of shit."

Agree...sort of.

There are definitely people in the business who have gotten lazy and want to hear everything as a "finished product," but I still run into people on a regular basis who are able to work from just a raw guitar-vocal demo.

Music production, music publishing, A&R, and any other position in this business is like anything, in that some people doing the job which have more talent (or less) than the next guy.  I've met extremely talented people who passed on what later became major hits, and I've met people who, in my opinion, "got lucky" and ended up finding something really great, even though they didn't have nearly as much talent when it came to picking hits.

Regardless, I appreciate Craig throwing this stuff out there and getting the discussion going.  Again, I highly recommend his blog.  Very witty and thought-provoking...

Old Men Who Run the Music Business

More thoughts on old men who run the music business.  This time, from Frank Zappa...

Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails on the Grammys

“While the music industry is doing everything they possibly can to go out of business, can we all make sure to rid ourselves of the Grammys, too? Out of touch old men jacking each other off. ENOUGH!”

Those are the words of Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.

I know how he feels.  I was a member of NARAS, now known as the Recording Academy, the organization which does the Grammys, for about ten years, before getting sick of how slow they were to move on new things such as technology and the changing face of the music business. 

And it did seem like an old man's gig, with people like Michael Greene running the show.  He pissed off Rudy Giliani so much that the Grammy Awards were BANNED from New York.  And there were multiple sexual harassment allegations on him, including one by former executive Jill Marie Geimer, in which NARAS trustees voted to pay out $650,000.00 in order to settle.

But the organization does seem to be changing, even if it's slow.  Michael Greene was forced to resign in 2002 and new leadership is in place.  For more info on what they offer now, visit Grammy.com.