Is Bob Lefsetz Being Paid By Spotify Or Rhino? And Why Trust HIm On Taylor Swift??

“Bob Lefsetz: Welcome to My World” is a weekly column he writes as part of his hugely popular newsletter. Affiliated with Rhino Records, he writes about some band that is in the news and  who Rhino releases their back catalog, and does a playlist you can stream on Spotify (here).

According to Hypebot: “We all have to eat, and many of us have wondered how the music industry’s leading curmudgeon, Bob Lefsetz, paid the bills. A seldom spoken of part-time gig with Rhino Records didn’t seem hardly enough for the man who’s free email newsletter and blog probably have more readers than Billboard”

OK, so let’s follow the money.

1. Lefsetz works for Rhino
2. He writes a column about a Rhino signed band.
3. Spotify stream the music mentioned in the article.
4. Either Spotify or Rhino pay off Bob Lefsetz.

All well and good. Greedy? Sure. Untrustworthy? Absolutely. Something that should be mentioned every time he sends it out as an email with his Rhino every Frida. Say, a big title reading:

THIS IS A PAID ADVERTISEMENT.

It would be only the right thing to do.

But, what the hell, the guy has to eat so who cares.

I don’t.

Until one member of the three part partnership has a falling out with a famous pop star: say Taylor Swift. And Lefsetz doesn’t just jump to their defense, he over jumps to their defense. Lefsetz overstates the case against Taylor so loud and so clear it is both strange and scary.

Look, I don’t wanna get into this again (though if you find yourself shilling for Daniel Ek –a guy worth more than Mick Jagger and Taylor Swift combined- you’re probably doing something wrong) but the right thing for Lefsetz to do in this case was either

1. Recuse himself entirely

Or

2. be upfront about it. Say “Hey, Rhino or Spotify  pay me a ton of money and stick my picture on Spotify who stream songs I tell em to do from Rhino’s catalog AND THIS IS WHAT I THINK ABOUT STREAMING ON SPOTIFY.”

Whether Swift is weak or powerful, Lefsetz’s actions towards her have been horrible. It feels like bullying and nasty nasty bullying and now we know it is for someone who he  is, at the very least, indirectly  making money off, which makes it very  hard to stomach.

This guy is an aggressive, greedy piece of work. Hey, maybe Taylor is right about Spotify after all. Any side Lefsetz is on, I want nothing to do with.