Lefsetz: Sprint’s Jay Z – Tidal Deal a Joke

Why does everybody have to be a businessman?

I get that artists have been ripped off from time immemorial, but the acquisition and promotion of Tidal has proven that when it comes to understanding technology, artists are clueless.

However they are greedy.

That’s what this is all about, money. Forget the wannabes. Forget the middle class. If you think the winners care about them you probably think the Koch Brothers care about the little guy. The truth is when you make it in music, you’re exposed to a whole class of people much richer than you are, with lifestyles you can only envy. So you want some of what they’ve got.

Like your own private plane.

Like a vacation on a private island.

Like access.

You see, these artists want a seat at the table. Worst case offender? Bono.

Bono loves to hobnob with the government elite, believing he can make a difference.

Maybe if he writes a hit song about how the upper class is ripping off his audience he can have an impact, but he won’t do that because the dirty little secret is no one wants to offend those in power, those who can give them some of what they want.

Hell, that’s how Trump won – he channeled the anger of the proletariat, people who were pissed that everybody paying them lip-service ultimately didn’t do a thing for them.

Oh, don’t get your knickers in a twist, whether you support Trump or not. I don’t want to hear it, and the truth is no one is listening to each other anyway.

The left wing says no one went to the inauguration; the Trumpers say just as many did as for Obama and the facts have become irrelevant. It doesn’t even matter – you believe what you want to believe. The truth is irrelevant, because everybody’s hunkered down in their bunker, throwing grenades while they’re worried about losing a little bit of what they’ve got.

How did we get here?

Pure, unadulterated greed. The right wing is famous for this, but even the left wing…they make their billions and give a few away. Which doesn’t put a dent in the fabric of our society, because the game is broken!

Used to be artists spoke truth, especially to power.

Assuming you grew up before nitwits like Mariah Carey took over the airwaves and made it about pipes and dancing and all the stuff that’s entertainment without substance.

That was back when there were no American billionaires. When a musician could be as rich as anybody. But now all those blowhard billionaires – they didn’t inherit the money, they made it – and they want to lord it over us. Believe you me, they’ve got no idea how the underclass lives. But if you’ve got cash in America, you’re entitled to an opinion. How can that be?

So no one with a brain is gonna become a musician. No one with a good education, who can hold two conflicting thoughts in their brain at the same time. So we end up with these wankers who sell out to corporations and are envious of those with more.

So Jay Z thinks he can win at streaming.

First and foremost, he doesn’t know the first rule of the internet, which is one company ends up with seventy percent of the market. There’s no room for Tidal, because Spotify’s already gobbled up the market share. And if Jay Z read a book – which no musician seems to be able to do, since they’re so busy networking – he would know that Peter Thiel wrote that you go into a business where no one else is. That’s how you make your money.

Or, Jay Z could have read all the hype from Masayoshi Son, head of SoftBank – when he bought Sprint – saying he was gonna win (which he didn’t). It’s right there in the business page, again and again and again. But if you’re a musician, do you have time to read and keep up with the paper?

So Jay Z found a mark, whoop-de-doo.

Did you notice no cash amount was put forth? If it was high, that would have been in the press release, but it’s not.

As for telco/music streaming tie-ups, they’ve been around forever, and none of them have yielded significant results. Hell, Beats planned to triumph that way, but failed miserably before it was sold to Apple.

And no one seems to be in touch with the audience. You go where your friends are, and there’s a first mover advantage, and if you keep improving your product you win.

But then who would expect a musician to know all this?

A musician is supposed to make MUSIC!

But they’re even afraid to do that. U2 works with songwriters du jour and the biggest star in the world is Max Martin, and he’s talented, but whatever happened to reaching down deep and writing your own music, making your own statement?

Now I’m gonna be inundated with music from wannabes. The great unwashed who believe they’re entitled to attention will spam anybody who might give them a chance, not knowing that in today’s world only the great triumph and we are immune to hype.

Whatever happened to our country?

Everybody’s self-promoting as opposed to focusing on their art; and everybody who got a trophy for finishing last in soccer believes they’re entitled to win at their heart’s desire.

Huh?

We do need new; we do need winners, but few can succeed. Work at it, it’s a long hard road, but know there’s no easy way there and no one can give you your one big break. It’s a cumulative effort and it takes time and now…

I’m completely off point.

And the point is those who have won, are not focusing on music. Or, if they are, they’re playing it safe. And, most wannabes are imitating them, so music is circling down the drain.

When did we last have a new sound?

Tidal’s a bust, a disaster – it cannot succeed – it’s as dead as BlackBerry.

As for exclusives… No act is gonna give one because then Spotify’s gonna blackball them, not give them the push they want, which everybody wants. You don’t piss off your biggest distributor. And if you do it for the cash, you’re truly dumb, because cash comes and goes, but careers, when done right, last.

So, can we stop focusing on bands as brands?

Can we stop hearing about musicians becoming tech investors?

Can we get music back into the schools, so we can have some building blocks, so someone can be inspired to become a great artist?

That’s how Adele made it – Max Martin too. They went to state-sponsored music schools. But in America, we believe the government wastes money and there should be no taxes and the arts are an afterthought.

Give me a break.

If you want to be a businessman, get an MBA.

If you want to be a musician, practice your instrument, write songs.

And know that one great song trumps a corporation any day of the week.

Remember when Jay Z took that cash from Samsung to make a stiff album?

He thought he won.

But he was just a pawn in their game.

Imagine if Jay Z had written an ANTI-SAMSUNG SONG! All hell would have broken loose.

But no, you kiss up to the man, because he might rain down some coin.

Makes me sick.

I just wish there were some talented people with backbones who could say no.

But we haven’t had that spirit here since 1969. When you slaved to get a deal and recording was expensive and if you got it right, you can still tour today.

How many of today’s bands/brands will be touring tomorrow?

Hits, schmits. What’s building your career is honesty, credibility and talent. We need to believe in you.

Get out of the boardroom and into the studio.

Most startups fail, as do most bands.

But most startups are eclipsed. When did you last use your iPod?

But a great record with a great message?

That’s FOREVER!