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I’m back. Again.
I know … I know …
If it’s any consolation, it wasn’t much of a holiday. My wonderful Mum got rushed into hospital so I flew over to be by her side.
Thankfully the wonderful people at Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham managed to stabalise her and she even managed to come home in the time I was there.
I cannot tell you how traumatic it all was – or how grateful I am to the NHS as it genuinely was touch and go – but what this means is a week from today, she will be going back into hospital for major heart surgery as she has a weak valve and that is the cause of all her recent ailments.
I’ll be there and staying for a month so this blog will be intermittent over this time so as I know all this coming and going is probably playing with your mind [cough, cough], I thought I’d ease you back into my rubbish with this simple fact.
The founder of Spotify is worth approximately 3 billion dollars, which is about 2.4 billion dollars more than Paul McCartney – one of histories richest and most successful composers and performers – despite having never written a single song.
Which all goes to show that while creativity may have the power to inspire, it’s the people who know how to monetise its power and control it’s distribution that makes the real money.
Might be a lesson adland could do with remembering.
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Sounds scary Rob. Glad your Mum is doing better.
Comment by DH March 2, 2015 @ 6:37 amThanks mate. She is … but next Monday is the biggie.
Comment by Rob March 2, 2015 @ 8:20 amDidn’t you use to call McCartney the Andrew Ridgely of the beatles?
Comment by DH March 2, 2015 @ 6:38 amcampbell is the fucking wiggles of advertising.
Comment by andy@cynic March 2, 2015 @ 7:40 amI wish I was as rich as the Wiggles.
Comment by Rob March 2, 2015 @ 8:21 amI did and I copped a lot of shit for it. Almost as much as the time I wrote to Guitarist magazine as a precocious 15 year old and said I was glad Richie Blackmore broke his finger smashing up a Fender Strat as that was just plain mean and stupid. Hahaha.
Comment by Rob March 2, 2015 @ 8:21 amtwat.
Comment by andy@cynic March 2, 2015 @ 8:37 amThat’s as unfair as planners being paid more than the creatives who create the work they live off. Not you of course Rob, oh no.
Comment by DH March 2, 2015 @ 6:40 amfucking creep.
Comment by andy@cynic March 2, 2015 @ 7:39 amGod Mrs C is on the mend. I’m sure you being there helped. Will she be meeting Otis on your next trip? As for McCartney vs Spotify, is it that different to the situation they had with their record companies? I always felt musicians cared more about the freedom to record than how it was distributed, which is why so many artists ended up being ripped off by managers and labels. Both need each other but the problem is few respect each other.
Comment by George March 2, 2015 @ 6:46 amYou have forgotten that record companies are taking on risk when signing an artist. Studio fees. Tour costs. Band salaries. They are all initially paid out by the record company. It’s high risk investment. Spotify have cleverly identified a model that exposes them to minimal risk, it’s a very different situation to the record company, both past and present.
Comment by Lee Hill March 2, 2015 @ 7:10 amI wonder which business you started out in Lee? Ha. Good point though … even if the business practice of recouping those ‘investment/loans’ has often left a trail of destruction as far as the eye can see.
Comment by Rob March 2, 2015 @ 8:23 amVery sorry to hear about your Mothers visit to the hospital and I am very pleased to hear things worked out well. If there is anything I can do during her next hospitalisation, please let me know. As for Mr McCartney, I have it on good authority that once you have made your first couple of hundred million, it ceases to matter so I guess he is OK with the situation, however unfair it may be.
Comment by Lee Hill March 2, 2015 @ 7:06 amyou could give me a free flight to go see them. upper class, not that economy shit. my presence would be better than fucking morphine.
Comment by andy@cynic March 2, 2015 @ 7:39 amQuick search engine activity reveals that Spotify has 60 million annual users (15million paid subscribers) while the Beatles have total certiifed sales of 262 million over their entire existence. So, Daniel Ek should be richer than McCartney and not just for the fact that he didn’t impise Mull of Kintyre on us.
Comment by John March 2, 2015 @ 7:08 amI have $9 in my account, fuck both of them.
Comment by Billy Whizz March 2, 2015 @ 7:16 amOf course, the % the artist earns from concerts and merchandise [unless they sold out to Live Nation is massive and drives far greater revenue than record sales.
Comment by Rob March 2, 2015 @ 8:24 ambang goes all your freebies you fucking idiot.
Comment by andy@cynic March 2, 2015 @ 8:38 amfingers crossed, Rob, for you and your mum. Scary place to be, and Im glad youre there to be witih her…
Comment by judyt54 March 2, 2015 @ 7:38 amlook after your mum, shes the best fucking thing about you. and otis but mum needs the attention for now. i have to ask. this isnt some fucking ruse to get even more holiday from uncle dan is it?
Comment by andy@cynic March 2, 2015 @ 7:41 amBest justification for 50 Cent, P Diddy, Dr Dre and Kanye approach to business I’ve read. Best wishes to Mrs C.
Comment by Bazza March 2, 2015 @ 7:55 amYes, to be fair, they were real music pioneers … though progrock band, Marillion, arguably were first to look at new music biz revenue models by crowdsourcing their albums and tours from the early 90’s.
Comment by Rob March 2, 2015 @ 8:25 amHmm, what about the Grateful Dead in the 70s . Or Miles Copeland negotiating a tiny advance and high royalty rate for The Police’s first deal in the early 80s?
Comment by John March 2, 2015 @ 8:15 pmGood point, especially as I forgot that Queen created their own company in the late 70’s and ended up being the highest paid company directors in the World. Obviously that is a very long time ago, their salary back then (approx £700,000 each if I remember, excluding royalties) is chicken feed by today’s exploitative director pay. I’ll go now, I’m showing my fan anorak.
Comment by Rob March 2, 2015 @ 10:19 pmI imagine their dividends were slightly larger. Oh and let’s add the Stones and Prince Rupert Lowenstein to the list.
Comment by John March 3, 2015 @ 12:06 amyou couple of sad fucking muppets.
Comment by andy@cynic March 3, 2015 @ 5:59 amGlad your Mum is doing well. It must have been very frightening. Sending her and you best wishes. Good post too.
Comment by Pete March 2, 2015 @ 10:59 amBloody petrifying Pete and I don’t mind admitting – I’m super nervous about the operation – but she needs it, she’s super-tough and an amazing surgeon is doing it so I’m staying positive.
Comment by Rob March 2, 2015 @ 4:44 pm[…] viaA Double Reminder Why Life Can Be Unfair … | The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod [Help Me Grow!]. […]
Pingback by Talento não tem nada a ver com ganhar dinheiro | Everybody and su madre March 2, 2015 @ 11:51 pmOnly interested in your mum being OK, this is very good news
Comment by northern March 3, 2015 @ 5:20 pmMe too Northern. Monday is the big day …
Comment by Rob March 3, 2015 @ 6:15 pmeverything will be crossed
Comment by northern March 3, 2015 @ 6:40 pm