The Lefsetz Letters

In my illustrious musical life, I have had many influences and people I would like to thank. When it comes to the internet and the anarchy it has caused, however, the voice of Bob Lefestz stands out among others.

Author of the Lefsetz Letters, Bob has been writing for about 20 years (according to his site) about the music industry, originally as a newsletter, and now as a wanna-be blog. Lefsetz is so prominent in the music industry that his blog is the 10278th most popular blog on technorati.com. Not only does he have many fans who are common folk like myself, but his voice also carries to the top of the biz. He garners the attention of some of the biggest artists, executives and producers in music, even sometimes posting their emails, both negative and positive, that he receives from them, like this one from rapper/country artist/ex Pamela Anderson-er Kid Rock:

I was reading your article saying that country music fans r some of the best fans in the world. I said to myself…."Shit, I’ve known that for ten years" !!!!!!

Kid Rock

Now, Kid Rock may not be the biggest or most talented name in the music biz, but he does read the Lefsetz Letters, and even takes the time to respond. So he might know a leetle more than me, and be just a tad bit more respected.

Part of the reason people love Lefsetz is his candid approach to a variety of topics. He doesn't shy away from throwing anyone, from the biggest stars to the infallible gods who are often given a pass (ahem, Clive Davis and Simon Cowell), under the bus. But his true strength comes in his ability to take industry news and personalize it. Recently, Paul McGuiness, manager of the super group U2, insisted that the US government force ISP's to charge its users a monthly fee if they want to download mp3's from their server. Bob replies:

I’m crying foul. I’d love it if the ISPs offered legal music. I’d pay ten bucks a month for all I can eat and keep. I already pay Time Warner $165 a month, ten dollars more is fine. But, they don’t tell me how much TV I can watch, they don’t shut my Internet down, they don’t insult me, they stay out of my way.

If only the label stayed out of my way. If only the acts they purveyed didn’t stop beating me over the head in the media, telling me how great they are. If only the "hippies" in Silicon Valley Mr. McGuinness rails about were (not) in control of music. Then maybe we’d live in a better universe. I always loved that hippie music better than this pop crap anyway, didn’t you?

Bob is putting himself in the shoes of the average music fan, the people who hate the music industry for punishing us for their own short term thinking. His biting sarcasm really makes the reader take his point of view, understanding just how backwards his thinking can be.

Despite the great commentary and ability to poignantly poke holes in arguments, his blog is not really a blog at all. While he does post often, his blog is read only, so only comments he selects are published for others to see. This kind of, ya know, goes against the whole concept that web 2.0 is supposed to be an aggregative discussion place. His desire to keep the riff raff off his page is kind of a throwback, meaning that Bob sees his opinion as intrinsically more valuable than others, simply because we can always see his opinion, but only the reactions of others if he chooses to divulge them. Beyond that, the man doesn't have a blog roll, or much information about himself. It's just Bob's thoughts; and they are valuable in their own right. But the "riff-raff" might have some compelling thoughts to contribute.

Bob's blog is kind of an inspiration to me because I like how he discusses issues in the music industry using his own experiences as starting points. I am definitely going to try and do this as much as I can in my own writing, because the personal experiences fans have with music is what makes it wonderful escapism and inspiration.

But I can't write like he does. Simply put, I know my limitations. I know that I have not been around as long as Bob, I know I do not understand the past, present and future of the industry like Bob does, and finally, I simply want to be open to more discussion. Despite his intellectual superiority, he doesn't use the beauty of blogs as well as he could, closing off his thoughts from those of his peers. Everyone has something to say, and I want to hear about it, not simply tell people my point of view.

To check out more of his ranting and ravings, check out these articles that piqued my interest
Hall & Oates at the Troubadour
this one is an unlikely personal ode to the great pop duo Daryl Hall and John Oates of the 80's, showcasing his blunt and entertaining personal opinions about what kind of music is effective.
Next Up:
The MySpace Deal
This piece is about how the music industry is behind the ball on record deals, and is definitely more of a professional blog, with analytical analysis and statistics to back up Lefsetzs' arguments. That being said, it still has his narration, making it more interesting.

Finally, this post was simply unfathomable to me because I have never seen another person Lefsetz's age get my generation like he does here...
Liberty City

Enjoy, he knows whats up.