Notes

By Bob Lefsetz

I want you to watch this, you'll learn more about the music industry than you will in four years of college. You'll see why Jimmy Iovine wins.

JIMMY'S VIDEO


He's smart.

And he's a motherfucker.
What did John Hummer so famously say? "Before they close Napster they'll have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers." Well even though he played in the NBA, Hummer couldn't win in this street game. You don't fuck with the music industry. They're not gonna give up with a fight. It's not about the music, it's about the MONEY!

Jimmy rewrites a bit of history here, but what he exudes more than anything is confidence. And if you're an artist, if you want someone to fight for you, you want the most confident guy on the block. Jimmy's confidence and track record ensure that he continues to win. Will he continue to win in the recorded music realm?

I believe he's been in it so long that he doesn't know what he doesn't know. All these guys who grew up in the pre-Napster era think big, too big. It's about marshaling money to open lanes and drive music into the heart of America. But so many Americans are no longer listening. The days of the country being glued to MTV are done. Now everybody is living in their own niche.

Not everybody...

Jimmy's got experience and rights on his side. Rights ensured that he beat Hummer. But so busy teaching everybody a lesson, the music industry lost touch with its audience. It's now about trust and honesty. And if you ask me, Beats headphones don't sound that good. I'd go for Sennheisers any day.

But Sennheiser thinks quality is enough. Give Jimmy credit, he created a whole new genre, upscale headphones when the market for such was moribund.

That's the power of music, that's the power of Dr. Dre.

Listen to Jimmy tell the tale of breaking Lady GaGa. When he talks about beats you realize he knows a thing or two about music.

But he's old school. Old school is about using leverage to convince. Bending rules.

New school is about leading with quality and building behind that, however slow it might go.

Whereas Jimmy wants it fast.

Now it sounds like I'm decrying Jimmy, giving him shit.

But that's not my intention. I just want to paint the other side. Because watching this video Jimmy Iovine scared me. He did not tone down his personality for public consumption, this is the real guy, mess with him at your peril.

(Meanwhile, the video may be a year old, but in the new era everything lives on online, just waiting to be discovered. Watch to the end where Jimmy talks about the industry giving advantages. New services are not going to succeed on their merits, the music industry, the old rights holders, are going to decide who to enable. And they're gonna go too slow and they're gonna get it wrong more than right and they're gonna charge too much money but to say that Jimmy's got no idea what's going on in the modern tech world would be wrong.)

P.S. The volume on this video is low, don't let that deter you from cranking it up and listening.

THE TIRE IRON AND THE TAMALE

This is SO good, I want you to stop what you're doing right now and read it.

It's all about people, not money. Would Jimmy Iovine stop and help the disadvantaged if there was nothing in it for him? I doubt it. But I don't want to single Jimmy out, too many of today's winners are so busy winning, they can't stop and help those who are losing.

And sometimes it's just not your fault. You get sick. You have an accident. Then you learn who your friends really are.

I've got no statistics. But I will tell you I've always found those with less are the ones you can count on most. Sure, rich people can throw down their money, and that's great, but society is based on humanity. Can you really reach down and help your brother?

This is an amazing piece of writing. Irrelevant of where you stand on immigration, read it.