“The story teller makes no choice. Soon you will not hear his voice.
His job is to shed light, and not to master.”

Thank you Jerry.

Now doesn't this look like FACEBOOK BEFORE THERE WAS FACEBOOK?

Way before the internet, facebook, twitter, blogs, and the idea of “sharing content” across your network , The Grateful Dead were sharing their music with fans across the world through tapes, not computers. They were one of the first bands to allow and actually encourage taping of their live shows. How often did you go to a concert and see “No Cameras” on the ticket? Or even asked to stop recording or taping? Never at a Dead Show, where there was always a “Tapers Section” with tapers even receiving special tickets and passes to do their thing. I recently read an article titled “Management Secrets of The Grateful Dead” which discussed,

the Dead were visionary geniuses in the way they created “customer value,” promoted social networking, and did strategic business planning…Much of the talk about “Internet business models” presupposes that they are blindingly new and different. But the connection between the Internet and the Dead’s business model was made 15 years ago by the band’s lyricist, John Perry Barlow, who became an Internet guru. Writing in Wired in 1994, Barlow posited that in the information economy, “the best way to raise demand for your product is to give it away.” As Barlow explained to me: “What people today are beginning to realize is what became obvious to us back then—the important correlation is the one between familiarity and value, not scarcity and value. Adam Smith taught that the scarcer you make something, the more valuable it becomes. In the physical world, that works beautifully. But we couldn’t regulate [taping at] our shows, and you can’t online. The Internet doesn’t behave that way. But here’s the thing: if I give my song away to 20 people, and they give it to 20 people, pretty soon everybody knows me, and my value as a creator is dramatically enhanced. That was the value proposition with the Dead.” The Dead thrived for decades, in good times and bad. In a recession, Barnes says, strategic improvisation is more important then ever. “If you’re going to survive this economic downturn, you better be able to turn on a dime,” he says. “The Dead were exemplars.”

John Perry Barlow, lyricist for the Dead has a quote that really nails it and I’ll say it again, “the best way to raise demand for your product is to give it away.”

Now you can take a look on YouTube and see pretty much any band’s live show, and of course live concerts are taped on a regular basis. So next time you’re “Sharing With Your Network” you can thank the Grateful Dead for pioneering this idea!

02/24/10 (Wed)  Radio City Music Hall – New York City, NY

Set 1: Jam, Truckin’, Dire Wolf, Mama Tried, Althea, Brown Eyed Women, Till the Morning Comes, Music Never Stopped, Touch of Grey

Set 2: Uncle John’s Band > Scarlet Begonias, Fire on the Mountain, Bird Song, St. Stephen, The Eleven Jam, St. Stephen, Born Cross Eyed Eyes of the World, Morning Dew, Playing in the Band (reprise) E: Brokedown Palace

What a venue and what a show. The new guitar player, John Kadlecik, is the real deal. A lot of die hard deadheads and guitar players are skeptical of him because they don’t want to hear a Jerry imitator. Hey, I get it but I never got that vibe. Most who have actually seen them will agree that this is a great band, hands down. Listen, Jerry is gone and there will never be another so let’s move on to the present. John is the right guy.  He knows every song, doesn’t make mistakes and adds exactly what the band needs. The bottom line for me is that if I still get the chills from it, and still enjoy the music, then I’m there. Warren Haynes was not the right fit for this band as I discussed in this blog post, Warren Haynes is Better with The Allman Brothers.

Another comment on this show is that I really never heard The Eleven Jam – somehow I missed that one. Anyway, they will be on tour this summer and I’ll be there.  I got some decent video so check out this Scarlett Begonias and enjoy!

For now, I look forward to seeing Furthur at Radio City next week.  Here’s a clip from 10/31/80 which was the last time the Grateful Dead played that venue.  Jerry’s replacement, John, is a GREAT player..

And here’s the second set opener Feel Like a Stranger that I don’t remember – but I was there, I think…

My great grandfather, Samuel Samuelson, (yes you read it right) was an immigrant from Lithuania. He first owned a hay, feed and grain store (this was before there were cars) and then a bar. His five sons and a daughter were all born above that bar. Our store, a pawnshop, was actually founded by my great uncle, Aaron Samuelson, the oldest of the brothers. This store was the financier of all Samuelson Family business, whether it was real estate deals or other stores. One was Crown Loan, another Baltimore pawn shop, and Tommy Tucker Five and Dime Shops. In 1936, my grandfather, who was the youngest, bought our business from his older brother Aaron and it flourished. My father came to work in the 60′s and I’ve been here since I was a kid in the 80′s, on summer breaks and Saturdays. When I got here full time in 1994, we were a very successful pawnbroker and jeweler. Sure I liked the guitars and other cool stuff, but it was diamonds that interested me the most. I do believe that the pawn business suffered from the Home Depot’s, Guitar Center’s and Walmart’s of the world. Ebay became a big help to move stuff, but you can also argue that it hurts the pawnshop, as people can find pretty much anything second hand at a good price.

Anyway, I took my last Stratocaster and a nice Paul Reed Smith and I got rid of the other stuff. Just concentrated on jewelry and started catering to my website customers. There was, of course, a HUGE magnetic force of resistance coming from my father, and understandably so. The business had served him and his father very well. Why change? Why screw up a good thing? In 2003, when my brother-in-law, David, came on board, we tore it up. Why? One thing my grandfather always said was, “Change with the times.” There you go. Aside from the fact the I love the jewelry business, you have to change. And it’s for the better.

We partnered with David S Brown Enterprises and A & R Development and not only did we build ourselves a beautiful new jewelry store, but we’re making this block beautiful. PNC Bank, Five Guys, Panera Bread, and other major retailers will be our tenants and this will be a neighborhood that people will want to visit.

So CHECK OUT OUR FLICKR PAGE to take a look at the progress of our new store. Soon you’re gonna walk in and I’ll put up a video of your favorite song on the plasma, and we’ll hang out and talk about diamonds – or about music or sports or whatever you want. Get ready for the new Samuelson’s Experience in 2009 and take a look at one of my favorite videos that gives me chills every time I see it:

Oh yeah, and we have three new websites on the way…