"You've got to be willing to question the system.

That was what Napster was about. That powered all the change at the turn of the century until a little over a decade ago when the tech companies solidified their power.

This is why Trump won and is winning. He questioned orthodoxy.

Meanwhile, the Democrats have put their faith in the system to save them, I wouldn't be so sure.

The triumphs in the past fifteen years have been made by those who were innovative, who were not wedded to the album cycle. Drake released a "mixtape." Some acts put out multiple albums per year. They realized in an attention economy the fear wasn't a stiff, but being noticed at all.

Meanwhile, we keep getting cries from oldsters to save the album. To preserve everything that once was. Never mind that most of that paradigm has been blown to smithereens.

The music business used to be run by the labels. They made the investment, everything was about recordings. They took unknowns, spent heavily and turned some of them into stars.

They haven't done that in eons. If you build it yourself they are interested. So if you're sitting at home wondering why you're not successful you haven't realized that the onus is upon you to break yourself. And most acts signed to the label don't get big advances/recording budgets to boot, those days are through.

Yet even youngsters can't understand that their cheese has moved. Somebody has to be at fault, if it's not the labels then it must be Spotify. There must be some reason they're not successful.

No, the reason is them. Their music, their effort.

Used to be you couldn't say that, but there's been a realignment in America. I'm sure you saw that yesterday Newsom came down against trans athletes in female sports. He also decried meetings wherein everybody uttered their pronouns before the work could begin. Gavin got the memo, he's more of a rock star than most musicians, because he's been willing to pivot, check the wind and go in a different direction.

This is why music is moribund. The people involved believe it's all about money. Not whatsoever, it's about POWER! And until you see it that way, you and your music will be marginalized.

It's not enough that your music be good, great, you must stand for something, hopefully in the music, but also as a person. You must be an individual. That's what an artist is. Outside judgment. Which is why the TV competition shows are outside artistry. As for winners like Carrie Underwood... That's commerce, not artistry. There's no there there when it comes to Underwood. For someone who has been around the world she seems to still have the viewpoint of the small town in Oklahoma that she grew up in. We live in the information age, you must gather information, for viewpoint if nothing else. And, as an artist, YOU are in control. If you can't say no, you're not an artist.

Same deal with the Democrats. The outcry is deafening, from the public, from the press, yet we still see no movement. They expect the system to save them. So how's that working out so far? I find it hilarious when they start talking about the 2028 election...as if there's going to be one. Corporations don't last forever, and neither do countries/governments. But the Democrats have been so busy playing by the rules, coloring inside the lines, that they've not only lost power, but the faith of the people they're supposed to represent. Think about that, the elected officials are disconnected from their constituents. How's that supposed to work? The Democratic party is on the precipice of extinction... And what's its answer? We have a two party system, the Democrats are forever, OH YEAH?

So you've got to change your mindset. America was built on the concept of the rugged individual, who entered new territory and did it their way.

But our entire nation is upside down. It's ruled by an elite that played by the rules. Manipulated the educational system so their kids could go to good schools and get traditional jobs. Where's the innovation? Sure, we had all the tech stuff earlier in this century, but no more.

As for the Republicans...they're going backward. They want tax cuts for the rich and they're eviscerating the IRS. The latter makes no sense. They're scaring the hoi polloi that they're going to get audited when the truth is most people employ the standard deduction and the rich skate. Our nation runs on the revenue of the IRS, in what fakokta world do you undercut it?

One in which down is up and vice versa.

And sure, so many people are deep in their niches. There's more news than ever before, the truth has a harder time surfacing. But rather than argue with these people you need to divine the truth and use it to your advantage.

Yes, it's all about the individual today. You are playing without a net, in all endeavors. Not only in art, but employment. You think your job is forever, that it's safe, but then you lose it. Like a Boy Scout you must be prepared. And I won't detail how that organization has gone off the rails and is on the verge of extinction. Like I said, nothing is forever.

As for James Carville saying the Democrats should play dead and wait for the Republicans to screw up... Once again, that evidences faith in the system, which may well be fallacious. One of the most striking headlines I've seen recently is what if the courts rule and Trump doesn't obey the judgments?

And you can bury your head, be somnambulant, but if you're a thinker you're aware that the public is hungry for the new and different, for leaders, for DISRUPTION!

Stop accepting conventional wisdom. Napster was outright copyright infringement, but we wouldn't have gotten Spotify without it, the business wouldn't have changed. Furthermore, sans Spotify and YouTube chances are you wouldn't even be in the music business.

Also, accept reality. The revenue goes to those at the top. Because the audience only wants the best and has easy access to it. And if you're going to play that game you must be as good as those at the top and if not, you're cottage industry, which is okay, but don't bitch that you're not a wealthy household name.

And the top is ripe for disruption. Sure, there are stars, but not a whole lot of disruption, innovation. The system isn't built for it. Everybody's baked into the old constructs. It's your job to revolutionize it. The Beatles were rejected at first. Jon Mellencamp delivered "American Fool" with "Hurts So Good" and Mercury didn't want to release it. If you're waiting for a green light, if you're waiting for approval, you're doomed.

Of course you can play their way, but that's a road to marginalization.

First and foremost this is about thinking, ideas. Which is why hit records don't come from the musicians in the Philharmonic, nor Berklee. Innovative ideas can come in an instant. But you must be open to them.

And you must be confident in your route.

Everything is up for grabs today, EVERYTHING!

And the spoils go to those who abhor and ignore the system and do things their way. Remember that." list takeaways in short