Yesterday’s Lefsetz letter I like.

Highlights (not even in numerical order! Ohh…) ;

7. Mainstream publicity reaches the mainstream.

And the mainstream is last, they’re the followers, not the chance-takers. The movers and shakers, the early adopters who’ll spread the word, ignore the mainstream press. Better to reach a few fanatical bloggers than the “New York Times”.

4. If you don’t make Top Forty music, you must go on the road.

That’s where you build careers today, that’s where you maintain them. But if you’re doing something new, you’ve got to break all the rules. People don’t expect the solo band member to replicate the group hits, they expect to be disappointed. So they don’t want to go, they certainly don’t want to overpay. So you’ve got to underplay and undercharge as an investment in your career. And you’ve got to over-deliver, so when you come back again, soon, patrons will bring their friends, so you can build. It’s a lot of hard work, something that’s anathema to the superstars going solo.

6. You have to ask yourself if you’re a musician or a star.

Mick Jagger is certainly a star. But no one thinks he’s a musician. Most people believe he hasn’t done anything great since the sixties. You can no longer coast, unless you’re going on the road and playing those ancient hits. You’ve got to prove it every day.

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Featured Image (c) Peter Beste