Justin Timberlake vs. Oprah
I don’t really know who this Lefsetz dude is, only that he’s some side of music-industry insider who sends out a lot of email rants. Today’s was an issue of cred/no cred, so I thought I’d share a few:
Credibility
Oprah— She features it on her show, people buy it. Not only James Blunt, but that inane “Secret” book. Maybe because she struggles with her weight, or she swore off tabloid issues long before everybody else, or maybe because some truth slips in now and again, which she doesn’t apologize for, Oprah could be the most trusted public figure in America.
Guitars— You can complain about drum machines, and bad synth programming, but no one ever bitches that there’s guitar
iTunes— Not the store, the software. Let’s say they wipe the DRM from the tracks… People will STILL buy from the iTunes Music Store, because no other jukebox software performs as well, never mind synchs with the iPod.
Ceine Dion— Seems incredible, I know. But even the most dyed-in-the-wool rockers who’ve seen her Vegas show have testified. She did it her way. She got off the road, she sees her kid every day, that’s positively rock and roll.
Ew.
Also on the cred list: Timbaland, Wikipedia, Google, Ian MacKaye, Tool.
No Credibility
Starbucks— Sure, get a bunch of Paul McCartney CDs in the stores and a few will move based on impulse, but not because people believe the disc has got the Starbucks imprimatur, and that it’s good. Starbucks sold too much crap under its name. You might get positioning, but there’s no positive endorsement.
RIAA— Oh, people hate the organization for suing its customers. But it’s got no credibility because it doesn’t own up to how you get music today. Trying to sue people back to the nineties is not a way to get them to see your point and believe in you.
Justin Timberlake— Even Janet Jackson has more credibility. At least she didn’t lie and apologize for the Super Bowl boobie fracas. Sure, Justin never had much cred when he was a boy band star, but now he’s a guy who’s constantly playing the game. Sure, people might like his music, but they don’t believe in HIM!
BLASPHEMY. I believe in you, JT. <3
Also on the no cred list: The CD, MTV, Paris Hilton, Heroin, Ticketmaster, American Idol, SNL.
