Grammy's = BS

With the Grammy's coming up in a few weeks, I have to weigh in with my thoughts on it all. And in a world where things are being shortened, from 140-character tweets to text messaging concatenations like "bff", I've got to do some shortening of my own that makes total sense...in the context of the "music business" remove the middle 6 letters from "business" and you get "bs". That's what the music business is. BS.

The Grammy's are not about "good music". The Grammy's are about good "music business". There's a world of difference between the two. Measuring music by how much it sells makes about as much sense as measuring the quality of food by it's sales. I don't think any of us would consider the Big Mac the best hamburger in the world. But based only on sales, not taste, it'd be the champ. So why do we use this kind of "popular" label as a measure of the quality of music? Lady Gaga is like the Big Mac. It may sell well, but it doesn't mean it's the "best".

This doesn't mean that "best selling" and "popular" music don't have a place in our society. They obviously do. But let's be honest about it all. Best selling does not mean best.

So what truly is the best in terms of music? There's no such thing. It doesn't matter. Best for me is not best for you. And that's the beauty of music. Music is not a competition. There should never be an Olympic sport in the various genres of music. Why does music need this thing called the Grammy's? How does competition fit into this? It doesn't. And, that should shed some light on exactly why the Grammy's are about "music business" not "music".

I've had a very successful music career. One of the interesting side notes along the way was a band audition for a record contract with a record company executive in Nashville. We were an acoustic band, so we actually took our instruments into this record exec's office and auditioned playing in front of him as he sat at his desk, with two Grammy's sitting behind him on the shelf.

We played 5 songs, then stopped to get the verdict. What he said will always stay with me. "I can totally see you guys on my record label." We thought we'd won. But then the "business" side of the "music business" kicked in. His next question? "When you play out locally here in town (Nashville), how many people show up?" We responded with the number 500. He said, "Call me back when it gets to 700."

Really? The music is good enough, but the economics aren't there? Yep. Not a bad business decision, I have to admit. He knew where his break even point was in terms of an audience that was ready to buy a product he put on the market. He knew good music business. He also knew good music. But the two don't always jive.

Again, that's okay. Let's not confuse the music business with music. Good music is NOT synonymous with good music business.

So let's switch gears. With that perspective on music vs. music business, how are you going to approach the Grammy's this year? What does "best song" mean to you? ...as opposed to what the "best song" means to the music business?

Do you know what the best song truly is? The best song is that one you make up on your own that totally connects with your soul. No sales required. No competition. No gold medals. No stupid golden statued Grammy.

Get real people. Music is not about the Grammy's. Music is about what makes your soul sing. No golden statue required to prove it's worth. The worth is the smile on your face. Do your own thing. Rock on people!