It all comes down to radio. Either it plays your new single or you collapse. Live by the sword, die by the sword. Doesn't matter what you did in the past, if your new record ain't a hit on the radio, you're toast. Just look at Christina Aguilera. Her album stunk up the joint, she got no traction at radio, and she had to cancel her whole damn tour.

Didn't used to be this way. Used to be bands were developed slowly. The audience saw them as more than one hit wonders. These are the classic rock acts. Once we got to the video era, band shelf lifes shortened. Now it's nonexistent.

If you were made by the machine.

If you made it outside the system, if it was about touring and gaining fans slowly, you're laughing all the way to the bank. Recorded music revenue may be way down, but Phish is still cleaning up on the road, despite never having a mainstream radio hit, without having any radio airplay whatsoever, except for pockets of college and Triple-A exposure.

And then there are the electronica acts. Arguably, Tiesto is the biggest touring act in the business. Sure, there are a handful of acts who could draw more, but Tiesto can do it night after night, every show is different, people come for the experience. And most of America's got no idea who Tiesto is, they've never even heard the name.

Today's big Top Forty star, Rihanna, if she fails at radio next time, she's in the same boat as Christina Aguilera. Same deal with Katy Perry. See why the major labels are up in arms, why they're freaking out? You can't sell a record and nothing lasts, how's that for a paradigm?

From Bob Lefsetz' music industry newsletter, www.lefsetz.com

Music can’t lie — it really is the universal language. People can hear your intent. If your intent is to sell records and make money, people will hear that, and it blackens the music. That’s why the live thing has been so exciting, and so spiritual for us. Once the fans are in the room, there’s nothing we can do on-stage that will bring us any more monetary gain. So we’re then free to explore and celebrate the spiritual aspect of the music.

For the 73rd consecutive week, the Blog is proud to bring you another Mystery Jam. As usual, we will be playing for an MP3 download, courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. The rules haven't changed: you need to correctly identify the song and the date to win. Post your guess in the comments. One guess per person per day (with the second “day” starting after I post the hint). The hint will come on Tuesday and the answer will be posted on Wednesday. Good luck...

Tuesday Hint: No hint needed this week.

Wednesday Answer: It's the 7/30/97 "Bowie" -> "Cities" -> "Bowie," specifically the segue into "Cities." So bl002e is our winner for the second time in four weeks. The Blog will be back on Mon. with another Mystery Jam.

Bluegrass topped by a Klezmer tune, mock-classical counterpoint dissolving into free-form a capella vocals, pop lounge songs and light funk, blues guitar licks and bombastic rock vamps — Phish’s [concerts have] all that and more in nearly three hours of benignly virtuosic music.

Welcome to the 72nd installment of the Mystery Jam here at Phish.net. As usual, we will be playing for an MP3 download, courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. The rules haven't changed: you need to correctly identify the song and the date to win. Post your guess in the comments. One guess per person per day (with the second “day” starting after I post the hint). The hint will come on Tuesday and the answer will be posted on Wednesday. Good luck...

Tuesday Hint: Sigh. No hint needed this week.

Wednesday Answer: It was the 11/16/94 "Simple." Nice work by cerqs being the first to get it. See you all next week with MJ73.

Phish lyricisit Tom Marshall has been tweeting up a storm, featuring the release of unheard cuts including the original Backwards Down the Number Line, the original Silent in the Morning, and the original I Am Hydrogen.

Read more...

…we can be long-winded.

Welcome to the 71st installment of the Mystery Jam here at Phish.net. As usual, we will be playing for an MP3 download, courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. The rules haven't changed: you need to correctly identify the song and the date to win. Post your guess in the comments. One guess per person per day (with the second “day” starting after I post the hint). The hint will come on Tuesday and the answer will be posted on Wednesday. Good luck...

Tuesday Hint: No hint needed this week.

Wednesday Answer: Congrats to Blackeyedsloth for correctly ID'ing the 12/7/99 "Gin." The Blog will be back on Monday with another Mystery Jam...

MP3 Downloads Courtesy of LivePhish.com.

Phish has performed in 775 venues thus far. Many have come, many have gone - and this chart summarizes them all, with the total numbers of venues played for the first and last time in each year. Venues were of course heavily "gained" (played for the first time) during the band's 1990-1994 growth - though many were "lost" (played for the last time) in each of those years as well. Indeed, more were lost than gained in '91 and '94 - and then in every year from '97 onward, with the decline in the number of shows and the resurgence of multi-night runs at the same venues.

Welcome to the 70th installment of the Mystery Jam here at Phish.net. Thanks to TAB week, we will be playing for TWO MP3 downloads this week, courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. The rules haven't changed: you need to correctly identify the song and the date to win. Post your guess in the comments. One guess per person per day (with the second “day” starting after I post the hint). The hint will come on Tuesday and the answer will be posted on Wednesday. Good luck...

(Late) Tuesday hint: No hint needed this week.

Thursday Answer: Congrats to bl002e for quickly nailing the 2/17/97 "Carini" and winning two LP downloads in the process. See you all Monday...

MP3 Downloads Courtesy of LivePhish.com.