Lefsetz's Reality is Right

Tell 'em, Bob. Bob Lefsetz has it down. He's a veteran of music biz analysis, and in fact "The Lefsetz Letter" has been publishing for the past two decades. That's a lot of one-hit wonders. I've been following his music business blog for a while (which was formerly print, because as on it as he is, Bob was not blogging in 1987), and most recently have been thrilled by his exuberance for country music. He's got a multitude of posts about Keith Urban and Nashville songs which capture my sentiments about love for the Nashvillian style. I always go for a good song about driving and roads (and Wide Open Spaces, of course). Susan Gibson sings the "real" Wide Open Spaces. Anyway! Bob's post earlier this week about "The New Reality" really hit home to J and I as we are in the daily trenches of navigating not only the music-life but the Web 2.0-life as well...and figuring out the best way to join the two. He's right when he says all the trackback links in the world won't give us economic stability. We know we have to have our "stuff" together in terms of...well, I have to be a musician. We can't build a business around an artistic pursuit that we're not very good at. That's my own daily battle. Something I fight with intention, folk music grad school, to-do lists, and old fashioned inspiration. J has the same deal, too. He works in pioneering New Media forms (blogs, web content, networking, community) at a very old media kind of television station. (BETA, anyone? BETA does rock). He's getting skills that are the nuts and bolts of any type of visual media form, but he's learning how to apply them in 2007 terms. And 2015 terms. And 2050 terms. It's swell. He blogs about his life in the trenches over on New Media in the Land of Mañana. In the meantime what are we to rely on? Music is getting cheaper, and free...and that's fine. No one like me wants to (or would be asked to) sign a major label deal. (I'm not one for a complete personality remake and a quick trip to rehab. Ooo, snap). Short answer: we rely on YOU. If you're reading this blog, J and I have a dream of a livelihood that involves you. We're a community. Maybe you know us personally. Maybe you like a song or two or lots (thanks!). Maybe you are totally on board with our plan to tour the country in a bio-diesel bus. Whatever level we connect on, J and I appreciate that immensely. We need you along for the ride. We can promise you, our Rider-Alongers, these things: - an honest pursuit of music and writing...I'm just going to be me, and J is just J. - an appreciation of you as a member of our community. - cool t-shirt designs, because EVERYONE needs a cool shirt. - our response will be to give back. We want to be teachers and good stewards of our gifts. - a lot of not sleeping, a lot of driving, a lot of eye-straining, a lot of finger-bleeding...good times! Hard work is ok by us. - probably some other stuff, too, like Caribbean vacations and diamond encrusted belt buckles...but we'll stop there for now. Like Bob says, "The hardest part is getting noticed." Thanks for noticing. Really. Technorati Tags: lefsetz, music, musicbusiness, community, web2.0, nashville