A short documentary with glass blowing and bebop jazz.

And he gave me the best entry I think I’ve had and the shortest. He said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you the chairman of the board: BB King!’ Everybody stood up, everybody. You could hear a pin drop. I ain’t never had this happen to me before ever in life. They all stood up and then started to applaud. But man, that got to me so much I just couldn’t stand it. I just stood there and started crying. Do you know, out of my forty-five minutes of playing I had about three or four standing ovations. And when I got ready to leave they stood up again. And that was the beginning of playing to different crowd of people. In that night, instead of about 90 percent black we had about 95 percent white – first time ever. And that was a feeling I don’t know how to describe but I wish I could.

If we are going to discuss the ideal structure of the new music industry, we need to know how recording artists make a living today or we’re just spouting hyperbole. So, in the interest of evolving the discussion, I am making myself into a data point. I encourage other artists, if they are able, to do the same.

November 1973, the first day John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd met each other.

Belushi: “This is a nice record. What is it?”
Aykroyd: “A local blues band, The Downchild Blues Band.”
Belushi: “Blues, huh? I don’t listen to too much blues.”
Brief silence.
Aykroyd: “John, you’re from Chicago.”

This is amazing.

I’ve never understood it. My whole life I’ve seen hearing people make a fool of themselves singing their favorite song or gyrating on the dance floor. I’ve also seen hearing people moved to tears by a single song. That was the hardest thing for me to wrap my head around.

And:

When Mozart’s Lacrimosa came on, I was blown away by the beauty of it. At one point of the song, it sounded like angels singing and I suddenly realized that this was the first time I was able to appreciate music. Tears rolled down my face and I tried to hide it. But when I looked over I saw that there wasn’t a dry eye in the car.

Pretty much.

Check out the figure for music sales over time.