Another poster mentioned this on another thread. Julie who started The Velvet Rope became a good friend in America; closed it or sold it to become a mother; her child must now be in his or her twenties! Anyone still in touch with her if she's still in New York? Just as Bill Gavin inspired me to start The Tip Sheet, Julie inspired the online forums with her brilliant Velvet Rope.

I'm sad the music industry has become so dull. Because most of the top people had no interest in music as such, only as a product, they employed similar people who quickly realised that, since they had little idea of mass appeal hits, the best way to succeed was to specialise. Nothing wrong with that except a) specialist sellers tend not to have cross over qualities and b) specialists can happily make crap and sell it to people if it ticks the image box for those attracted to the style and not the actual sound. I remember seeing merchandise (T shirts; posters) selling to rock fans in the 80s and boy bands, girl bands and thinking "Uh-Oh...". The same when, in the 80s, clever videos turned average songs into huge hits when the music was, frankly, ordinary.

Likewise those behind the scenes. The majority in the 60s and 70s were in it through love of the music. I never knew a single successful music maker who would not happily have given away all the money for the joy of making good music. Bruce is an example.

But as we grew bigger, we became hugely profitable. And those in it became less interested in music; more in product.

Not any longer which, perhaps, is a good thing. As the money makers drift away like profits, perhaps we can start making and breaking great populist sounds again.