This is no hype, so you can believe this. With very few exceptions, rap aka Hip Hop records (today they are the same thing) haven’t delivered substance in years. PE’s new album, “How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Sold,” brings meaning and feeling back to this lackluster genre. The album brims over with social relevance, soul, quality, and most importantly a sound and energy that will remind true fans of why Hip Hop became such a powerful art form.

The album reminds me of a combination of PE’s first three classic albums. Chuck D’s booming voice is as powerful on this album as it was over twenty years ago. He doesn’t waste words- everything he speaks is vital. Overall, his lyrics are more relevant today, than ever before. The tracks address social plagues such as racism, greed, and violence, however, it’s clear that the most prominent target in PE’s crosshairs is ignorance. Not only ignorance propelled by major media and government, but that which has been perpetuated from within the genre itself. This isn’t a blame game; Chuck calls it like it is- as usual, pulling no punches.

But what about the music?

All the meaning in the world can’t make an album great if the music isn’t just as potent. On this album, Public Enemy delivers the goods. The music has such a classic feel. The production is comprised of what Hip Hop was supposed to be- music without boundaries- a sound that taps into all niches of music. This is what made Hip Hop so universal in the first place. Nowadays, the genre is so predictable and definable. Today, most of the musical ground covered on a typical Hip Hop release can be poured into narrow snifter- presumably for Remy Martin or Courvoisier. What makes this album so exciting is that PE creates such a dynamic soundscape on “How to Sell Soul to a Soulless People who Sold Their Soul”: Hard rock and acoustic guitars, driving drums, classic breaks, soulful vocals, and powerful vocals are plentiful.

The monster track on the album is “Black is Back.” Chuck has never been as relevant, authoritative, and compelling as he is on this phenomenal example of what Hip Hop should be. Every syllable demands attention. The drums, guitars, and cowbells are perfect. The song is current today, yet at the same time reminiscent of a long lost gem from the golden era of rap- spectacular and flawless.

Throughout the album, Flava Flav does what he does best- be Flav. His hype man ranting on choruses, and unorthodox rhyming is a contrast that helped make PE a phenomenal. The album does feature a very special guest appearance from KRS ONE on “Sex, Drugs, and Violence”- it works so well and is in the tradition of Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story.” It features children on the chorus singing about their love for these three things in their favorite rap lyrics.

To respond to Chuck’s question in the song “Can You Hear Me Now?”; Yes, loud and clear for 20 years!

Pick up Chuck D’s “Tribb to JB” which was featured on Insomniac’s Best Gift for the Hip Hop Fan in Your Life

Rakim: The high point in hip hop for me was back in 1981. To bare witness when hip hop was in its rarest form, to be there when pioneers were setting it. It’s like the first time you smoke weed, you don’t get that feeling after a while.



Insomniac: I know there’s tons of people that pioneered this. But, can you think of at least two or three people that inspired you to do this? 



Rakim: Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee, Grandmaster Flash.



Insomniac: What are people going to hear your new album, that haven’t been hearing with Eric B and Rakim?



Rakim: I feel I’m on the next level. I’m more mature now- I grew. If anything, they’re gonna get Rakim at his next level. It’s still me I guess that’s what kept me around this long. I had to give them a shot of what they’ve been missing and what they’ve accepted me for and take it to the next level. 


Insomniac: Why did you stay away from the spotlight for so long?



Rakim: I had problems with the contract. To make a long story short, he had an idea that he’d do a solo joint and I do a solo joint. So I signed his contract and let him do his. He did it, handed it in, so I don’t know what happened when it came time to do mine. He had a problem signing the contract. So I had to go through a little less than year of chasing him around trying to get the contract right. 



Insomniac: From Eric B?



Rakim: Yeah.



Insomniac: What’s the scenario between you and Eric B now?



Rakim: We’re not business partners anymore. I wish him the best, but we’re no longer a group. I’ll have to do my thing. When I started working on another album the staff got fired again, demos leaked out. So it took me about a year to do the album. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be here, it was just that forces were holding me back. 



Insomniac: Do you feel that your sound is going to be missing something you don’t have without Eric B around? 



Rakim: To be honest man I did most of the Eric B and Rakim beats.

Insomniac: So your saying he was more like a DJ?

Rakim: Yeah. He would come through, he would add on. Like I would come through with the bass line. He would put the beat up.

Insomniac: You said you had some projects that leaked out when you were on MCA. Is that where some of the white label bootlegs came from like that “State to State” and who would do that people inside or people outside?

Rakim: People inside. People that were working on the staff. MCA fired the whole staff. They were selling the demos to mix tape DJs, then they starting selling it to radio. That kind of hurt, you know.

Insomniac: So many years out of the business have you been so prosperous financially or did you have another career on the side.

Rakim: Nah. I’ve been blessed man. Money I’ve made from my albums, going on tour when we was doing shows at 20,000 seat venues, making $30,000 maybe $25,000 a night, $60,000 if the show sold out. Then not buying 200 cars. I guess watching my money made it last me this long. I don’t do anything on the side. My girl doesn’t have to work. You know, like I was saying, I’ve been blessed. I make sure that I’m always where I need to be.

Insomniac: What do you feel about the music industry today?

Rakim: I got two opinions. I’m glad as far as brothers took it to the next level… brothers got creative. You got DJs doing mad tricks now and making records sound like nobody ever made them sound before. MCs are using more flow and more style. A lot of people might not agree with the lyrical content, but I feel where it’s at right now. We’re getting a little conscious of what we rap about. Right now we can put hip hop back where it’s supposed to be.

Insomniac: What makes Rakim happy?

Rakim: Life. Life itself. Watching my kids grow.

Insomniac: How many kids do you have?

Rakim: I got four kids.

Insomniac: A lot of people, and I happen to be one of the people that agrees with this only because of the experiences I’ve had, call you evasive,
someone that’s hard to reach, hard to find. Why would that be?

Rakim: I try to find time for myself at all times. My family you know. I guess another thing is over the years like when I first came out in 86 I was in clubs every night, union square. What I did was as I got older I stepped back now. After being on tour for seven years you don’t get tired of it but you don’t want to do the same thing every day. The way I preserve myself to the public I wanted to preserve hip hop to me. I don’t want to get tired of it. I listen to music everyday regardless.

Insomniac: What are you listening to these days?

Rakim: When I’m in the lab I go through my crates. I got jazz in my crates, I got old joints in my crates. I listen to whatever sounds good. I like a lot of smoothed out R&B, hip hop and R&B. Whatever relaxes me or takes me where I want to go. I just wanted to preserve it. I stay in tune with the streets. That alone is what helps me relate to the hip hop.

Insomniac: Why do you think there were so many rumors Rakim moving weight?

Rakim: I guess because of the jewels that I had when I first started, the places people saw me. People saw me in Brooklyn where they couldn’t hang out with all my jewelry on. People couldn’t understand it. Or, maybe it was the people I hang around. I never sold drugs, I never even sold weed.

Insomniac: That’s the thing I always found amazing was that the Rakim I know, if anything, he’s always been negative on drugs. Not necessarily giving a big speech, but saying- selling drugs is a handicap. You’re not someone who has always been in the spotlight as far as talking and making yourself seen. Do you feel that is one of the biggest misinterpretations about Rakim.

Rakim: Yeah, I think that’s the most misunderstood thing about me. When people see you with certain people, in certain places they kind of wonder. At that time they were wondering where we was getting all the jewelry from, how we had Benzes and Jeeps. What they don’t understand is we were the first rappers with a million dollar contract and that was early. It would be stupid to walk around with a streetlight over your head being in the [music] business and then go somewhere and try to sell drugs.

Insomniac: What happened to your Rolls Royce?

Rakim: Nah, that was Eric B. He had a Rolls Royce.

Insomniac: If someone was to follow Rakim what would they see?

Rakim: I guess they’d see the mystique that they couldn’t understand. I guess they’d see Rakim. They’d understand the righteousness, the creative process a little more.

Insomniac: Where would they see you spend your time?

Rakim: They would spend time with me in my head. Even when I’m in my lab, I’m not really there. It’s like where I’m at I don’t really want people to focus on that, I want them to concentrate on where my head is at.

Insomniac: Let’s talk about that a little bit. A lot of people, including myself feel that you have the ability to save hip hop music. What do you feel about that?

Rakim: That’s deep. That’s a lot of weight you know. But I feel that I can definitely contribute to that. If they want to put all that on my back I think I’ll handle it. You got to take the bad with the good because the bad makes the good that much better. As far as peoples’ struggles coming out of where we live we got to deal with that. At the same time we have to find some balance man. You can’t do 10 tracks on your album talking about how F*%k’d up it is in the ghetto. There’s a place for everything

Marshall “DJ Mars” Thomas is avidly credited for rocking Atlanta clubs to the core. But what separates this stand out DJ from the rest is his penchant for business. Notably, DJ Mars formed the World Famous Superfriends Organization (WFSO), the largest deejay crew in the southeastern region of the United States. In addition, DJ Mars is the tour deejay for multi-platinum artists Ne-Yo and Alicia Keys. On the morning of heading to Philadelphia, PA, to prepare for the Alicia Keys tour, Insomniac Magazine interviewed DJ Mars regarding deejaying Atlanta and holding down first rate tours.

How and where did you get your start in the entertainment industry?

Unofficially in high school in Springfield, MA. Officially, I started when I enrolled at Clark University in 1991, in Atlanta, GA.

Since you are originally from Springfield, MA and relocated to Atlanta, GA, what were the differences that you noticed back in 1991?

Springfield at the time was like New York City. The musical outlets for underground Hip Hop were college stations.

Atlanta was pretty much the same, the college stations played hip hop. WRAS (college station for Georgia State) played the underground Hip Hop on Sunday Nights. WRAS is influential because the station transmitted at 100,000 watts

Since you are the president of WFSO, how did you form your crew?

I formed WFSO in Atlanta because deejays did not exist on the radio. In Atlanta, people turned on the radio just to listen to it. Radio stations in Atlanta think that the deejays don’t matter. Deejays were not promoted on the radio. In addition, their names were not on the flyers.

In New York, you turned on the radio to listen to (Funkmaster) Flex. I am not used to not knowing who the deejays are. In addition, I come from up north and was not feeling the ways that the Atlanta stations were treating the deejays.

Who are the original and some of the current members of WFSO?

Original members: me, DJ Doc, DJ Trauma, DJ Drama, DJ Fahrenheit, and Special T.
Current Members: DJ Bobby Black, DJ Skills, DJ Scorpio and DJ Tec.

Currently you are the deejay for Def Jam, specifically Ne-Yo. How do you prepare for playing for a concert tour differently from playing in a nightclub?

(As of the date of the interview) Officially, I am on tour with Alicia Keys. There is no room for mistakes for a tour deejay. Fans want to be entertained instantly. For example if Ne-Yo has a wardrobe change, I have 3 minutes to keep the crowd hype. If I do not keep the crowd entertained, Ne-Yo has to work twice as hard to get the crowd involved. For most tours, I start and close the show.

On SOHH you mentioned that women dance and purchase the music that is misogynistic, and should stop if they want respect. Has there been a point that you choose not to play certain tunes?

To be honest, certain aspects of Hip Hop are getting to the lowest level of ignorance. There are certain songs that are just ignorant. I won’t name certain songs because the artist and I live in the same city, which is Atlanta.

Personally, I feel that some of the performers of and people listening to these and other songs are slaves, but; I have to play them because the people are demanding it. Basically, the people especially the women have to make a change and stop supporting and encouraging ignorant behavior.

What is your take on the mixtape scene and the circumstances that happened with one of the original members of WFSO, DJ Drama?

The mixtape scene is necessary, because it is how unsigned artist got promoted. Mixtapes been around from the mid 1970s and “it ain’t going nowhere”.

Regarding DJ Drama, it was a waste of time. DJ Drama’s mixtapes were sanctioned by the record labels. I don’t get it, especially with Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) being involved. On the outside, it looks like RIAA was charging Drama with copyright infringement.

Do you have any last words for any aspiring deejays?

Figure out what you are good at and exploit those attributes. If you are good at blends, sell compact discs (CDs) that contain your mixes. If you have a good voice, try getting on the radio. For deejay that performs tricks and battles, they should promote their own parties.

The deejay market is so segmented that each individual has to know their strengths and weaknesses. I have seen deejays that are make good mix CDs, but cannot rock in a club. Therefore, know your limitations.

DJ Mars, thanks for the insight. Flair of Axiom Blue, this is a good look.

Interview by Tommy D.R.E.A.D.

TR-909

Linn Drum

Altered TR-505

Oberhiem DX

Converted Korg DDM110

Drumulator

Throughout the years, NARM has consistently proven to be one of the most valuable music business events in the industry. Attendees include music wholesalers, retailers, one stops and distributors, as well as suppliers, labels, and others involved with bringing music to the retail (both physical and digital) marketplace. Some of the featured performers scheduled this year include blues legend BB King, electronica favorites The Crystal Method, five-time Grammy award winner Michael McDonald, and many others.

To register to attend this year’s major music industry milestone, visit: NARM

I had the pleasure of speaking with NARM President Jim Donio, and he shared his thoughts about the current state of the music industry, and the value that NARM delivers to its members. Mr. Donio was named as the organization’s top executive in 2004, however, he started his career with NARM twenty years ago in 1988.

Here is the interview with Mr. Donio:

I: Can you tell me a little bit about your duties as the president of NARM?

Jim Donio: I am the president of the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) and the mission of the association is to advance the business of music in all respects. That encompasses many different vehicles, formats, and delivery mechanisms today to get music to the music fans. So we represent the various facets of stores, be they physical or online, and our members also include record labels, distributors, new media companies, mobile companies, various types of suppliers (that provide related products and services that are important to the industry as well), educators, artists’ managers, etc. So it’s a very eclectic and diverse community and my job is to ensure that we’re providing the appropriate business opportunities and forums for different segments to come together and talk about their mutual challenges, to address their differences, and have an opportunity to have dialogue to work out solutions that make sense to advance the business. We also oversee lots of consumer research we do to help our member companies make more informed business decisions so we do a lot of that. We put together major events like our convention and my responsibility, in terms of the convention, is providing the overall creative vision for the event and then I work very closely with the music companies to assemble the musical program for the event. I do work very closely with the record companies assemble those program elements.

I: I know obviously there’s a digital component to NARM and I was wondering if you feel that it’s been a challenge?

Jim Donio: It’s an opportunity. I would say that it’s a way in which we can truly reflect on the present industry and what the marketplace looks like and what the future will bring for our industry. For the foreseeable future we’re going to be dealing with a hybrid market place which is going to have physical product and digital product in a balancing situation as we continue to make this shift in consumer experience and consumer preferences. There will always be some type of physical product. It’s currently a CD or a DVD, and going forward I think there will still be a physical component; the question is what will that be. You know we’ve just done some research on new physical formats and actual hybrid products so that’s very interesting, and the opportunities are very interesting in that respect. The constituency of NARM is everything from physical stores that are selling primarily physical products all the way up to Best Buy, I-tunes, Amazon, and AT&T. So, it’s a very unique membership that we have and, for that reason we look at incorporating new media and incorporating digital as a great opportunity for us. It’s a great way that we can continue to help the industry to develop and migrate from a business model that’s been strictly physical to where we are currently which is coming up with an appropriate blend of physical and digital and seeing where that’s going to go moving forward. So the digital NARM conference that we started last year is now our primary face to face vehicle to bring some of these new companies into the community to share their information and for them to have a way in which they can now meet with our existing companies and look at where the opportunities exist for all the different segments up and down the channel and up and down the pipeline to improve their businesses by selling digital entertainment.

I: Can you talk for a moment about some of the existing hybrid products that you found within your research?

Jim Donio: Some of the products are already in the marketplace. The Warner Music Group introduced, about a year ago, something called MVI (Music Video Interactive), which is a DVD based product. Hollywood Records introduced last year a product called CD-View Plus with the Jonas Brothers. …a traditional CD product that has enhancements. It doesn’t come with a booklet. You go online for the liner notes, photographs, additional information about the artist, etc. Some artists and labels have released jump drives, which is a product that connects to your computer and stores information, music, photographs, etc. on the drive…then you can pop it into your computer, and access the entertainment that way.

There are lots of opportunities that exist in that respect. Now there are digital cards in stores, where the album cards are made available instead of the physical CD if that’s the consumer’s choice. And, there may be the basic music that you would find on the CD, but in many cases there might be additional content or additional opportunities that will connect you. You know you take the card home, you put the information into your computer and you access the music but it also becomes a portal to take you to other opportunities. There are other products and technologies that are in development now that we’re also looking at that are part of our research that provide that same kind of experience. We’ve got a lot of work still to do as we move our way through all these new products, formats, and opportunities and continue to determine what consumer’s really want. There’s just so much going on right now. This is an unprecedented transformation for the music industry- lots of innovation and great ideas. We’re still dealing with a situation of ramped piracy, which is a very significant challenge for the industry, and continues to be a great concern. Retailers and labels of all shapes and sizes are really having to redefine themselves, look at their profile and come up with what is appropriate for their business model going forward. In the midst of all that we have this tremendous innovation and lots of great ideas that are coming forth. None of us have a crystal ball to know exactly what’s going to succeed or what’s not going to succeed, but I think the positive energy around all of this is that the industry is opening up new doors and looking at these new avenues.

I: What do you feel the future holds for small independent mom and pop retailers when competition of from mass merchants that have deeper resources and visibility?

Jim Donio: Don’t underestimate the consumer population. The consumer population is so diverse and so eclectic and they want to have choice. There’s nothing that can replace the experience of going into a physical store environment and actually engaging with people and having discussions with people about the kinds of music you like, and promoting discovery that way. Maybe seeing a new artist or band perform in a store, meeting them, having them interact with you, making it an experience of actually discovering the music, purchasing the music, enjoying the whole experience of that. You can’t replicate that in the same way you can in store environments. Independent stores are so adept at that and have always been and I think that will continue to be. I think there continues to be great, great opportunity for independent stores. Many of them are exploring what their digital footprint can be and what kinds of digital experiences they can incorporate into their brand. There are many successful independent store brands, hundreds of them, across the country, that in fact [on] April 19th many of the independents across the country have pulled their resources and are joining forces for something called Record Store Day. That’s going to be on Saturday April 19th across the country, and they’ve gotten tremendous support from the artist’s community. Metallica is actually going to appear at one of the stores in California. There’s great energy and great opportunity around the importance of music stores in our culture, in our lives and they will continue to migrate and change over time just as they have over the past 50 years.

I: If you could talk for a moment about mobile opportunities. How is the digital component of NARM going to address the mobile marketplace? And, can you discuss some of the providers and carriers that are going to be represented?

Jim Donio: There definitely will be represented companies like AT&T, Nokia, Motorola, and Sprint are all involved with NARM and will certainly be involved at our digital conference- Digital NARM. We have a session called the Mobile Movement and that is definitely going to explore…where mobile is right now. [It will ask the questions.] What are the opportunities? What are the promotional vehicles that are used in the community to become more integrated, more involved in how music is delivered to the consumer. We’re a tremendous threshold for enormous developments in that area. NARM wants to be at the centerpiece of that.

I: As far as the independent label is concerned, I think that a lot of the barriers have come down- specifically online, with the viral video sites out there like YouTube. However, on the retail side it seems as though the barriers are greater than ever. There is less retail real estate, and physical space is more valued. So, indie labels are vying for space with marketing dollars that can’t compete with that of the bigger competition. I was wondering if you could lend insight into what independent labels can do.

Jim Donio: All of that is true. I think that there are challenges there for independent stores and independent labels as well to try to break through to provide and come up with an edge, an opportunity to set themselves apart. It continues to be a climate where it is difficult. I think the fortunate thing is so many of these companies are very savvy and have found a way to carve out niches for themselves- both the smaller stores and the smaller labels as well. I think that is to their great credit in these tough times. You know these tough times aren’t unique to just the music industry, we’re in a very tough economic climate overall right now. You’re looking at oil prices, gas prices, the cost to travel, credit situation, the home market; you know the climate that we’re in, not just the music climate, the overall climate is providing people with challenges under personal and professional circumstances. I think greatly to the credit of the smaller businesses in our industry, that they manage to really be lean and mean and find a way to set themselves apart. With the independent stores doing this record store day, I know the independent record label community is pulling together an event for July called Independence Days. They’re going to do a few days of activities. They’re going to focus the spotlight on independent music from the label side. These are the kinds of things that I give both of those communities great credit for because as you’ve articulated it isn’t easy. It is not easy in this business right now and you’ve got to find ways to set yourself apart. You’ve got to find ways to streamline your business in these tough economic times. To their [independent stores/labels] credit they’ve done that, they’ve continued to do that and they share a passion for the business which you must have. To deal with all these challenges you have to love what you’re doing.

(Images courtesy of NARM)

Here’s another event noting the end of mass media, as we know it. Radiohead recently made individual tracks from their song “Nude” available for download on iTunes. These tracks consist of various components of the song: vocals, bass, guitars, effects, and drums. Digital downloads of the five individual tracks which make up “Nude,” and the actual song itself, were made available as a digital package for $5.99. Fans were encouraged to download the tracks and create their own remix of “Nude” using software such as Garageband. The combined sale of these stems, as they are called on iTunes, helped “Nude” debut on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart at the 37 position. This chart is comprised of data from the sale of music and radio play, however, according to Billboard, at the time of their first charting, “Nude” was only receiving airplay on three or so stations. So, the song’s basis on the charts is mainly due to the 60,000 paid downloads it received last week.

What’s ingenious about Radiohead’s offering is that it was a hugely successful way to merchandise a single song, digitally. In a world where music consumers are less likely to purchase an album, and instead opt to pay .99 cents for a song, Radiohead has effectively sold a single for $5.99. Again, this is really a tribute to connection that this band has with its diehard fans. Since most artists aren’t able to sell entire digital albums to their fans for $9.99, it is more than likely not possible for these artists to effectively sell this type of digital single package of sorts to fans.

Ultimately, creativity, options, and strong connections to fans are proving to be the components of success in the new music economy. Radiohead is doing a great job of ushering in this new era- one where Clear Channel, mass merchants, and major labels are not the gatekeepers for the success of a music release.

(Photo credit- RoadsidePictures Flickr creative commons )

“I remember we used to do…on the trains like this, December to December. One of the few here, old enough to remember.” -Breez Evahflowin

Not sure if you heard about the new Nine Inch Nail’s album. They’ve made it available in many different configurations and options– including a version that’s free. The interesting story here isn’t how many fans will download it for free, or even the masses that will buy the CD. The amazing thing is the 2,500 people that bought the $300 package– grossing the band $750k. It’s about those die-hard fans that are willing to support this type of thing.

Seth Godin discusses this phenomenon in his latest book- “Meatball Sundae.” He writes about authors who publish their own book that covers all of the Beatles’ studio sessions. The book’s price was a $100- nearly four times more than a typical book. They ended up selling a few thousand copies directly to die-hard fans. This grossed the authors more revenue than most books that sell many thousands to average fans.

Can the success of NIN and the Beatles’ book example translate into success for the traditional music industry? The first problem is that major record companies have no interest in selling just a few thousand pieces of product. The second issue is that the generic music fans, that labels have spawned throughout the years by releasing mediocre music, are too fickle to support artists on a long-term basis. New (mass) music fans have been afflicted with what I call Media A.D.D.. (No meds from Pfizer for this as of yet.) These fans, for the most part, don’t have the attention span to follow careers. This is the reason for success in the ringtone business. These new fans don’t have time for an entire song. Their mentality is- “just gimme the hook.” 30 seconds is all they want. In fact, they’ll pay a premium to cut all of the fluff out of hit songs, and get right to the hook. This sad situation has become reality when it comes to listening habits of the masses. Good news for bands or artists that have developed strong ties with a small group of fans- maybe just a couple thousand deep- make them potential long-term winners in the music business.

NIN’s Reznor is a possible Jimmy Buffet of sorts. Jimmy hasn’t been a relevant artist when it comes to the masses in years, but he’s very important to his dedicated, baby boomer Parrot-head fans. The goal for an artist looking to maintain a career in today’s music economy is to build a strong, uncompromised, slow-boil connection with their fans. If an artist can do this, then they might be able to sell limited-edition, higher-priced packages (i.e.- $300 fan packs or $100 books) that give more to less of an audience. On the other hand, the traditional corporate-released artist, whose name is known by the masses, will continue to sell plenty of .99 cent downloads, and if they’re lucky, plenty of $3.00 ringtones. However, since most of these relationships with fans have not been nurtured properly (ala decades of bait and switch albums that don’t deliver past the first hit single), their short-lived careers won’t permit them to reap revenue from those pricey mobile jingles for very long. On the other hand, those who develop strong, meaningful connections with two or so thousand fans, will hopefully be able to monetize that connection for years to come. -I.V.