And I'm left once again...

Broken hearted.  

C'est la vie.

There were lights inside this dream
Someone came here
And turned them out on me
Now it's dark and I can't see
There's always someone with,
With something they need

And I give myself away
And the takers always take
And they wear my skin
Like a cape and fly around
With nothing to say

I crawled inside this room
Looking for somewhere
To heal these wounds
There's knocking at the door
There's always someone
Asking for more

And I give myself away
And the takers take what they take
And they wear my skin
Like a cape and fly around
With nothing to say

I burn myself inside
I found nowhere else to hide
But the burning caught their eyes
And they warm themselves
Around this dying fire

And I give myself away
And the takers always take
And I tried to walk away
But I lost my heart

And I lost my faith

On Giving.

I recently started my second book. The story of Red Hook, the harsh reality that oh so many of us have lived through for whats coming up on a year now. The biggest struggle I've had over this whole period of deep learning is how the world of donations and giving actually works. You would assume a crisis hits, people give and people receive. But, that's a far cry from how these things actually work. The multiple layers of red tape, political interest, local and federal government complications, right down to the tax system 99% of the time gets in the way of the money going where it's really needed. Even more horrible, we as the general public are lazy with our givings. We'll donate to large organizations, which makes people feel good but than they also walk away from the most important part which is making sure the money that was given is actually going to the cause it was given for. We're lacking accountability in our giving. I would assume most would see a $10 donation not worth this extra responsibility but when that $10 donation is made hundreds of thousands of times over it's a real cause for concern.  

Today the Red Cross brought 1.5 Million dollars into Brooklyn for Sandy Relief. I understand yes this money is oh so needed. I'm so thankful. There's so many people still without in what I consider the best city in the world. Yet, the Red Cross raised more than 300 Million for Sandy Relief work. I don't want to seem ungrateful but what about the other 298,500 Millions of Dollars? I'm not trying to imply that Brooklyn was the only place in need after the storm but something about the numbers placed on the table feels like a bandaid being placed on a gun shot wound. It will cover it up for a bit, but certainly not how you treat the problem. 

I'm also not trying to say the Red Cross is the only entity that is lacking this transparency. We've seen it on the ground level here in Red Hook all the way up to a federal level. It's a wildfire of a problem within our systems of donations in this country.

Personal Donation Accountability. 

Thank You Everyone! - A Doggy Update

Hello Dear Friends,

Thank you ALL for your kindness and supporting me through this crazy experience of saving this little dog's life. To say it was a stressful week is an understatement. Thank you all for your donations, social media spreading, hugs, and plain old support. 

It's a really weird position to be in when you played no part in creating a problem but hold the entire responsibility to deal with it. I don't wish a situation like this on anyone.

An update on the pup: He came back to my house stable, on lots of medications, and in good spirits this weekend. The internal bleeding had completely stopped and his recovery was going really smooth. His heart was strong with no off beats, which could have been another life threatening problem from the fall. Basically, the care he received, the care you all provided support for saved his life! Thank you a million times over for this. Now, left is the surgery. His scapula is broken completely in half. If it wasn't a complete break the dog could have went without the surgery and lived with a bum leg but, because the bones are layered on top of each other the pain is unbearable for the animal and he wouldn't be able to survive living with that constant pain. The vet said they will be able to do the surgery tomorrow or Tuesday. 

Yesterday your donations were sent to the vet and the dogs owner came to pick the dog up. The pup was beyond excited to see his owner. Because we only raised half the funding for the accident my hope is the owner is going to step up and pay for the remaining balance, or the ASCPA will come through for him (which they should hear about on Monday) to get this surgery done. At this point I've done everything I can for this animal and it's in the owner's hands now as I need to resume my normal life.

Thank you a million times over for helping this pet and giving in blind faith in the various ways you did. You all are angels on earth. 

Kirby

God I can NOT wait!

I have the best job ever.

This quote from Courtney Love's letter to recording artists summarizes the position of most artists:

Record companies have a 5% success rate. That means that 5% of all records released by major labels go gold or platinum. How do record companies get away with a 95% failure rate that would be totally unacceptable in any other business? Record companies keep almost all the profits. Recording artists get paid a tiny fraction of the money earned by their music. That allows record executives to be incredibly sloppy in running their companies and still create enormous amounts of cash for the corporations that own them. The royalty rates granted in every recording contract are very low to start with and then companies charge back every conceivable cost to an artist's royalty account. Artists pay for recording costs, video production costs, tour support, radio promotion, sales and marketing costs, packaging costs and any other cost the record company can subtract from their royalties. Record companies also reduce royalties by "forgetting" to report sales figure, miscalculating royalties and by preventing artists from auditing record company books.

It's hard to slow down right now SO MUCH to do in such a short time. But during the slower moments... it hits.

Thank you for the perfect timing Hanson.

Get More: Hanson, Get The Girl Back, Music, More Music Videos

BEST APRIL FOOLS JOKE EVER - Bob Lefsetz

Starting May 1st, all Warner albums will be funded by Kickstarter.

Perennially third, the smallest of the three majors saw a need to shake it up, to move ahead of Sony and

Universal in the game of music production. Lucian Grainge bought EMI, believing it was all about market

share, economies of scale...but that's positively old school. Today you drill down into the niches, you

solidify your relationship with your fan base, you grow from the bottom up, not the top down.

Yes, Stephen Cooper has just thrown a curve ball so wide, Doug Morris won't even see it.

Believing it's about radio and retail, septuagenarian Morris is putting himself out to his own pasture.

Didn't he get the memo? Newspapers are dying, young people ignore mainstream media, to try to close

young people via old media is like insisting baby boomers give up their Lipitor. Raw stupidity. Then

again, the music business was always about muscle.

But now it's about data.

Lucian Grainge hired Steve Barnett to run Capitol...he'd have been better off hiring a nerd, someone who

knows the difference between a 0 and a 1...then again, does anybody in the music business truly know

how digital works? I think not.

The nerds have inherited the earth.

And Perry Chen is the new Rick Rubin.

You know, Mr. Vibe. Rick doesn't really produce records, not in the traditional sense. He just drives

artists to capture the zeitgeist. And Perry Chen is riding the wave that Laird Hamilton is unable to get

Rick to surf. Rick keeps losing his deal, whereas now Perry Chen is the king of deals.

And the man who executes is Yancey Strickler. Who once upon a time worked at eMusic, before he

became one of the Kickstarter troika.

Yancey was in L.A. two weeks ago, inking the deal with Cooper.

You see in today's market you can't oversell. Oh, you can try to, but it backfires. You have one hit, and

then your career is..sh**. We live in a land of one hit wonders. But even PSY got a couple of months.

"Harlem Shake" was here and gone in a matter of weeks. You've got to play for the long haul. Something

Doug Morris has never done, but Stephen Cooper is doing now.

It's always outsiders that lead the revolt.

So from now on, every act that raises $100,000 on Kickstarter will automatically get a Warner Music

contract. Assuming the act wants it. Which in most cases it shouldn't, but acts are delusional and want a

deal so they can tell mommy and daddy they've made it.deal so they can tell mommy and daddy they've made it.

But there's another way to get your Warner deal via Kickstarter. If you get 1000 people to donate, you get

a deal too. Since most Kickstarter bands don't have that many fans willing to pony up the bucks, don't

expect Warner to be overwhelmed with new talent.

As for the acts already signed to Warner?

Cooper's stealth hire is Amanda Palmer. Unable to get anybody interested in her music other than her

hard core fans, Ms. Palmer is now going where her talent truly lies, in marketing, in self-promotion. Her

TED speech was just the beginning. Cooper had no idea who Palmer was, but when his niece told him at

the seder to check Amanda out, Cooper did and pounced.

Palmer is now wrapping up her musical career, and will be holding boot camps for all Warner artists

imminently. Unwilling to spend the dough to fly acts to L.A. or New York, Palmer will go on a bus tour

across America, meeting with each and every Warner artist in his or her hometown. The blogosphere will

light up with hype. This is the story true fans are following, not Lady Gaga's golden wheelchair, not

what's on TMZ or Radar, those are positively last decade.

Palmer's gonna teach all those Warner artists the new reality. That your bond with your fans is all that

counts. Build up the hard core. Rip them off for as many dollars as you can. It's all about the cash, baby.

Palmer will teach them how to beg and sell, via Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook, even Pinterest! Finally,

Blavatnik's purchase will pay off.

The labels can't compete with the promoters. It's Live Nation and AEG that truly pony up the big bucks.

But Cooper is smart, he knows that no act succeeds without fans, and that's what his new strategy is all

about, fans.

The old guard is toast.

Tom Windish has made an exclusive deal to represent all new Warner talent. CAA is too self-impressed,

saying it can get acts into movies when we all know it's about TV and the creators are the new auteurs

and can't be told who to use anyway. All the established agencies are missing the boat, they're about

commissions as opposed to talent development. It'll be the death of them.

As for sponsorship... It's toast. Now, the fans will sponsor the acts. It's a direct connection. Heart to heart.

In one fell swoop, Mr. Cooper is wiping away decades of music business b.s. As for the rumor that every

Warner act will be given a copy of Clive Davis's autobiography...that was a plant, by Mr. Davis himself, to

goose sales, there's no truth to that rumor.

But what can Warner do for you, after they've signed you?

Well, you do get a free pair of Google glasses. And a Nest thermostat, assuming you're not living out of

your car. But via a secret deal, Daniel Ek will promote you via Spotify. With Jimmy's MOG/Daisy/Beats

Music tied in with Universal, Ek is desperate. But Ek knows it's all about talent, and he's lining up with the

innovator.

Cooper has also made a deal with Jeff Bezos. Every act will get fifteen gigs of cloud storage and their

music will be available to all Amazon Prime members for free.But it gets even better. Mark Zuckerberg will now allow all Warner artists to spam their entire fan base on

Facebook cost free, in exchange for a record deal for one Facebook employee per year.

And five Warner acts, not those already signed to the label, but those who come to the company via

Kickstarter, will fill guaranteed slots at Coachella. Expect similar announcements to come regarding

Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo. Rumor has it ACL will be excluded, since Austinites don't like to be told what

to listen to.

Yes, what Warner is selling is relationships. Which used to be with radio and retail, but are now with the

tech set.

Crowdfunding is here to stay. And Warner is guaranteeing results. If you pledge and the act doesn't

deliver, you get the equivalent of your pledge in Warner stock. If you're under the age of eighteen, no

stock will be forthcoming, but you can choose from the merchandise/rewards of other Warner Kickstarter

artists.

Cooper is clueless when it comes to music. But he realizes it's no longer about focusing on the few, but

having a relationship with the many. Why sign a band with no following? Why not go with those who have

a start, entice them with perks, and then wait for one of these acts to blow up?

And if they don't, it doesn't matter! There was no investment! The fans foot the bill!

And ultimately, in two years time, it's going to take a while to write the code, Kickstarter and Warner will

offer funding for tour buses and all the accoutrements of success. Yes, Cooper is gonna load the entire

cost of music development and exposure on the fans. And instead of getting 5%, Kickstarter will get 20%

of Warner branded exclusive services.

Just when you thought things were settling down, it's clear that tech and music are becoming even

further intertwined, and it's those who think outside of the box who will win. If you're doing it the old way,

you're on the road to failure.

Warner Music is not.

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Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ 

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Another thing that made my life.