the TrueFans AMP— Issue 100

"We wanted to be a band that didn't follow the rules, that didn't play it safe. We wanted to make music that would last forever, that people would listen to and feel something deep in their souls." 
— Robert Plant

In This Issue... 16 pages (about 24ish minutes to read) You'll Get... 

• Recommends— Becoming Led Zeppelin

• Your BIZ— The Next New Thing in Music Will NOT Come from New York, Los Angeles, or London— from Ted Gioia

• The Greatest Singer Songwriters of All Time— Led Zeppelin— The Alchemists of Rock

• in partnership with Ted Gioia and the Honest-Broker

• Guest Article— The inspiration behind 10 popular songs that celebrate literature through music. From Dictionary .com

• PS from PS— The TrueFans AMP™ at 100

Here’s the playlist

• Recommends—  Becoming Led Zeppelin

For Musical Artists: Singers, Songwriters, Bands & True Fans Everywhere

Our Short Take: If you're a Music-First Artist or a rock history lover, this IMAX-powered origin story is a must-see. Becoming Led Zeppelin tells how one of the most influential bands in music came together— not with hype or scandal, but through passion, purpose, and a deep love of sound. It doesn't cover the whole story… but what it does cover, it does right.

The Good Stuff...

It's an Immersive IMAX Experience— Made for the big screen, and it shows. The live footage, photos, and especially the audio mix feel alive. You're not watching Zeppelin— you're there with them.

Artist-Approved & Deeply Personal— All three surviving members— Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones— tell the story in their own words. Candid. No narrator. No talking heads.

Never-Before-Seen Discoveries:

• 14-year-old Jimmy Page on British TV? It's in there.
• Robert Plant nearly homeless before Zeppelin? Yep.
• John Paul Jones trained as a church choirmaster... Who knew?
• Behind-the-scenes on how session work shaped Zeppelin's unique sound... You'll hear it from the source.

Focus on the Music— This isn't about hotel room destruction. It's about the artistry— from their first jam sessions through the making of Led Zeppelin II. You'll come away with a renewed respect for their art and their craft.

What's Missing (On Purpose)

Stops at the Ascent— The story ends around 1970. No coverage of their later years, Bonham's death, or post-Zep history.

No Band-On-Band Chemistry— The interviews are solo, not group. You won't see them interacting today.

PG-Rated Storytelling— If you're hoping for wild rock-and-roll tales, look elsewhere. This one is clean-cut and legacy-focused.

Why This Matters...
If you're a working musician, aspiring artist, or Songwriter, Becoming Led Zeppelin offers something rare: an honest, inside look at what it takes to form a truly original band— and how trusting your instincts, mastering your tools, and finding the right collaborators can change everything. 

It's a reminder that greatness begins with becoming— long before the world catches on.

Highly Recommended
Not perfect. But powerful. This is inspiration fuel for any serious Musical Artist. For those creating music today, this isn't just history— it's a masterclass in artistic intention, sonic innovation, and fearless self-belief.

And... Watch it loud!

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• Your BIZ—  The Next New Thing in Music Will NOT Come from New York, Los Angeles, or London— from Ted Gioia

Edited highlights from Ted's conversation with The Ankler
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… earlier this week, I participated in a live Substack conversation with Richard Rushfield of The Ankler. He's one of the smartest journalists covering the film and entertainment scene. We spoke for a full hour.

At one point, Richard asked me how private equity and other outside interests (financiers, Silicon Valley, etc.) are changing the entertainment business.

Here's what I said (lightly edited):

These businesses are no fools. I spent many years in Silicon Valley. I dealt with a lot of private equity people.

In my cohort at Stanford Business School I was put in a section of 60 students, and we shared all our classes together for two terms. Two of my classmates out of that 60 are now billionaires from private equity. One is Joe Lacob, who now owns the Golden State Warriors. The other is Tom Steyer, who ran for president recently. 

These are two of the wealthiest people in the world— and I wonder why them, not me? [Laughs] Why didn't I make a billion? Here I am still peddling subscriptions.

But I know these kinds of people. They're smart. They know what they're doing. And now people with these kinds of backgrounds are getting into entertainment.

They're treating it like a serious endeavor. But they're making a mistake. 

And it's the mistake big businesses always make.

They want to turn everything into a repeatable formula— because that's what businesses like to do. You find something that works. You're Mrs. Fields and you develop a successful cookie recipe— so you keep baking cookies. You're Colonel Sanders, and decide that your chicken tastes good. So you're going to use these 18 herbs and spices again and again.

You find the formula— and then you just repeat it. In a way that's the whole story of private equity. [and today's music business as usual— NML]

Now these people are doing the same thing in entertainment. And that works for a while. But not forever— especially not in a creativity business.

They've tried every trick in the in the book to keep the formula alive. So they'll say: "We're not going to do a sequel— now we'll do a prequel. Or we'll do a spin-off or we'll do the same story but in an alternative universe."

They use every possible tweak to the formula. It's the same reason why, when you go to the market, you find 42 different flavors of potato chips on the shelf.

But at a certain point, the market reaches exhaustion.

So they've been smart— but they're not as smart as they think they are. And they are going to hit a brick wall. It might have already happened.

You've seen the financial results at Disney— they just announced more layoffs. Netflix won't even release subscriber numbers anymore.

The world has changed.

But what hasn't changed yet is they don't have a new formula. They don't have a new strategy— but they need to get one. Or else people like you and me from the alternative media will eat their lunch….

This is where my work as a music historian has helped me. That's because I've studied periods when music was stagnating— and I've analyzed the situations that finally led to change. 

They're very interesting situations.

For example, in ancient Egypt, there was a little village called Deir el-Medina, where the personal love song was invented. The first expressive songs of human emotion and feeling were invented in this village in Egypt.

But it wasn't the home of the pharaohs. It was where the artisans lived— and it was a multicultural community... People from various parts of the world came there to work, and spurred a creative blossoming. I've studied the same thing with the rise of troubadour music in the south of France or even the rise of rock in Liverpool, when the Beatles emerged. 

These things don't happen in the center. They happen at the fringes. 

So the creative ferment takes place in a port city like Liverpool— just like opera came out of Venice, another port city. Jazz came out of New Orleans, another port city.

Musical innovation tends to happen at crossroads and port cities. It's spurred by outsiders not insiders. It rises from centers of multiculturalism and diversity— where different ideas come together. 

The ruling class recognizes this, but it takes about 40 or 50 years. So fifty years elapse from Bob Dylan emerging as a rebel critic of the system, to becoming a Nobel Prize laureate. Almost fifty years elapse between Mick Jagger getting censored and becoming Sir Mick Jagger, an honored knight. 

You eventually have this process of legitimization but the new style always starts on the outskirts— in the port cities and border cities.

Where are our port cities now? Where would you be looking?
Because of the internet, every place is now a port city. Everybody in the world now has complete access to every other place in the world.

I think... 

The next new thing that will shake up the music world is going to come from  outside of the traditional centers of power— which are New York, London, and Los Angeles

I think they will come from outside and maybe far outside. Maybe out of Africa. I tell people to look at what's happening in Indonesia. Or what's happening in China. Or in India. I fully expect that the next big thing is not coming from a studio boss in Hollywood or New York. 

It will be a surprise, just like the Beatles were a surprise. Just like jazz was a surprise….
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To learn more about Ted Gioia, scroll down to the in partnership with... box below.

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• The Greatest Singer Songwriters of All Time— Led Zeppelin— The Alchemists of Rock

"Led Zeppelin didn't just define rock and roll— they redefined what was even possible in the genre. Their music is the sound of thunder, fire, and the gods themselves." 
— Dave Grohl

Few bands have ever loomed as large over the history of rock music as Led Zeppelin. Formed in 1968, the group— guitarist Jimmy Page, vocalist Robert Plant, bassist/ keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham— forged a path that would change the face of modern music. Drawing from blues, folk, psychedelia, and hard rock, they created an explosive, powerful sound that would become the gold standard of rock and roll excess and innovation.

"Led Zeppelin set the bar so high no one else could touch it. They were the gods of rock." 
— Slash

Music That Shook the World
From the start, Led Zeppelin's music was big, bold, and built to break boundaries. Their debut album Led Zeppelin (1969) was a roaring introduction, but it was Led Zeppelin II that cemented their legend, featuring Whole Lotta Love, which catapulted to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the most recognizable riffs in rock history.

"Their music was fearless. They created a template that every rock band has tried to follow since." 
— Jack White

Throughout the 1970s, the band released monumental albums that sold tens of millions of copies: Led Zeppelin IV (which includes Stairway to Heaven), Physical Graffiti, Houses of the Holy, and Presence. They combined studio mastery with live performance prowess, often playing sold-out stadium tours that redefined the scale and spectacle of rock concerts.

Jimmy Page once said of their music: 

"It was never just about the riffs— it was about the magic we conjured when we played together." 

That magic continues to resonate through generations.

Studio Wizards and Stage Gods
Jimmy Page's pioneering production techniques changed the way records were made. He layered multiple guitar tracks, used ambient mic placements, and created expansive sonic textures that gave Led Zeppelin's albums a larger-than-life feel. John Bonham's drumming was not just powerful— it was orchestral, adding nuance and weight to every track. Robert Plant's voice, meanwhile, soared and wailed, infusing the band's songs with primal energy and tender beauty in equal measure.

"When you think of raw power and beauty in rock, you think of Zeppelin. No question." 
— Dave Grohl

On stage, Led Zeppelin became legendary. They played marathon sets, improvising and stretching songs into 30-minute explorations. Their shows at Madison Square Garden, Earl's Court, and the record-breaking Knebworth concerts in 1979 remain among the largest and most celebrated in rock history. They transformed the idea of a rock concert into a spectacle, laying the groundwork for the arena rock era.

Influence and Legacy
Led Zeppelin's impact goes far beyond sales figures (over 300 million albums worldwide) and sold-out tours. They laid the foundation for countless genres— hard rock, heavy metal, and even progressive rock— and inspired millions of artists to push the envelope creatively. Their commitment to artistic control, refusing to release singles in the UK, and focusing on complete albums as statements was revolutionary and changed industry norms.

"Every time you hear 'Stairway to Heaven,' you remember why you picked up a guitar in the first place." 
— Joe Perry

The band's songwriting, particularly the partnership of Page and Plant, fused blues storytelling with mythic and mystical themes. They tapped into ancient lore and personal pain alike, and their willingness to experiment gave us iconic tracks from the gentle beauty of Going to California to the bombastic ferocity of Kashmir.

They inspired everyone from Aerosmith to Guns N' Roses, Nirvana to Soundgarden, and even artists outside of rock. Their refusal to play by industry rules— like not releasing singles in the UK— set a new standard for artistic control. Their mythical image, from the symbols on their albums to the mystery around their personal lives, created an aura that artists still try to emulate.

"Jimmy Page is the greatest rock guitarist ever. Period." 
— Brian May

Personal Highs and Lows
Behind the scenes, Zeppelin lived the myth of rock gods: Plant endured personal tragedy with the loss of his young son, Karac, in 1977. Bonham struggled with alcoholism, ultimately leading to his death in 1980, which brought the band to an abrupt and tragic end. They chose not to replace Bonham, famously stating, "We could not continue as we were."

Awards and Honors
Led Zeppelin has received countless accolades, including induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005, and Kennedy Center Honors in 2012. Their legacy endures not just in record sales and awards, but in the DNA of nearly every rock musician who followed.

"Zeppelin's music is timeless, mystical, and always thrilling. They were magicians." 
— Stevie Nicks

The Zeppelin Standard
To this day, Musical Artists cite Led Zeppelin as the pinnacle of rock musicianship, songwriting, and raw power. Their influence reverberates through the decades, proving their place among the greatest Singer Songwriters and musical innovators of all time.

NOTE: This is a repeat of last issue's 'In partnership,' but since we've got a great piece from Ted in our 100, we though it best to say it again. Ted Gioia is THE Best!

in partnership with Ted Gioia and the Honest Broker

• Guest Article— The inspiration behind 10 popular songs that celebrate literature through music from Dictionary .com

Music and literature have always intertwined, and Musical Artists have a long tradition of drawing inspiration from their favorite books to create musical homages. From timeless classics to modern novels, these songs pay homage to the written word in their own way, attempting to capture the ideas behind each book in a melodic form.

Find out the inspiration behind 10 popular songs that celebrate literature through music.

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1. Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush from Abigail Keenan
Kate Bush's haunting ballad Wuthering Heights is inspired by Emily Brontë's classic novel of the same name. The song— written by Bush at age 18— was her debut single and strived to capture the tumultuous love between the novel characters Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, echoing the book's gothic themes through an ethereal composition punctuated by a gliding guitar solo. Even more, some of Catherine's dialogue from the novel is directly quoted in the lyrics.

2. The Trooper by Iron Maiden from Roberto Catarinicchia
Iron Maiden's lyrics for The Trooper are inspired by Alfred, Lord Tennyson's epic poem The Charge of the Light Brigade— which, in turn, was inspired by a historical cavalry charge that took place in the Battle of Balaclava in 1854, during the Crimean War.

With a galloping rhythm that evokes the fast-paced action of the soldiers of the Light Brigade and powerful lyrics that pay homage to Tennyson's prose, The Trooper transcended genre boundaries, and is now one of the most popular songs of the band.

3. Sympathy for the Devil by The Rolling Stones from Sander Sammy
One of the band's many rock'n roll anthems, The Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil is mostly penned by Mick Jagger, but it draws inspiration from a couple of sources. In particular, the song derives ideas from the writings of French poet Baudelaire and a novel by Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov called The Master and Margarita, a satirical dark comedy where the devil visits the Soviet Union. Interestingly, it was English singer Marianne Faithfull who gave Bulgakov's book to Jagger, believing he could be interested.

4. 1984 by David Bowie from Parker Coffman
As you would guess, David Bowie's 1984 is inspired by George Orwell's dystopian novel of the same name. Originally, Bowie intended to produce a full-fledged musical out of the novel's plot, but the owners of Orwell's state never authorized it. The song's lyrics obliquely hint at the novel's plot, while playing with the themes of surveillance and government oppression.

5. The Ghost of Tom Joad by Bruce Springsteen from Unseen Histories
Bruce Springsteen's folk-rock ballad The Ghost of Tom Joad references John Steinbeck's 1939 classic novel The Grapes of Wrath. Besides borrowing the title character of Tom Joad from the book, the song's lyrics depict the struggles of the working class, echoing the novel's portrayal of poverty and social injustice in the Great Depression era. Springsteen also drew inspiration from Woody Guthrie's similar song The Ballad of Tom Joad, trying to stay within the protest song tradition.

6. Ramble On by Led Zeppelin from Douglas Bagg
Led Zeppelin was known for often finding inspiration in classic fantasy novels, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that their folk-rock hit Ramble On was directly influenced by J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The song's lyrics reference characters and locations from the novels with a modern twist, cleverly leading the audience to realize that Middle Earth's dangers and delights are both closer than they seem.

7. Mrs. Robinson by Simon & Garfunkel from Charles DeLoye
Inspired by the character Mrs. Robinson from Charles Webb's novel The Graduate, the song was first composed for the 1967 movie of the same name. Film director Mike Nichols was obsessed with the duo, and reached out to ask them if they could write one or two songs for the film's soundtrack. While initially doubtful, the partners eventually went through with the request, delivering one of their most iconic songs in the process.

8. White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane from Victor Larracuente
Borrowing imagery from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, Jefferson Airplane's psychedelic anthem was an instant hit among the hippie crowd of the late 60s, and reached the top of the charts soon after being released. The song's lyrics mirror the surreal and nonsensical elements of Carroll's iconic works while reframing the White Rabbit character as a symbol of countercultural exploration and curiosity.

9. Tom Sawyer by Rush from Tyler Palmer
Rush's Tom Sawyer is a loving exploration of the main character of Mark Twain's classic novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The song's lyrics celebrate the adventurous spirit and autonomy of Twain's iconic character while implying that it is referring to an adult— hypothetical version— of the character, who is thus posed as a role model for confronting modernity's hardships. The iconic song was acclaimed by both critics and fans, and is still one of the most recognized songs from the Canadian rock titans.

10. Don't Stand So Close to Me by The Police from Robin Worrall
The Police's Don't Stand So Close to Me draws inspiration from Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita. The song deals with a controversial topic that mirrors the theme of Nabokov's novel and references the novel directly in the lyrics. While the song received some backlash for both the subject matter and using some off-putting rhyme techniques (like rhyming "shake and cough" with Nabokov) it still reached the top of the charts, and was the best-selling single of 1980 in the UK.

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About DictionaryScoop .com
Singer Songwriters are more than musicians— they're wordsmiths, lyric sculptors, and modern-day song poets. DictionaryScoop .com is your backstage pass to the fascinating world of words. Whether you're chasing the perfect rhyme, mining for metaphor, or just in love with language, Dictionary Scoop delivers fresh, fun, and surprising insights into the words we use (and the ones we forget to). It's not just a dictionary— it's a creative spark.

A pre 4th of July Celebration of Rebellion, Community, and the Audacious Belief that all Musical Artists Deserve Better

There's something almost mystical about hitting 100 of anything. It's the century mark—  that sweet spot where momentum transforms into movement, where persistence crystallizes into purpose. As TrueFans AMP™ hits its 100th issue, we're not just witnessing a newsletter milestone; we're celebrating the birth of a revolution that's rewriting the DNA of how music creators connect, create, and cash in on their craft.

The Frequency That Changing Everything
For 100 weeks, the TrueFans AMP™ has been more than a newsletter— it's been a lifeline thrown to Musical Artists drowning in the tsunami of streaming algorithms, label gatekeepers, buy-my-course hustles, and the soul-crushing myth that success requires surrendering your creative autonomy. Each issue has been a battle cry disguised as an informational email. Inform. Involve. Inspire. Indeed. 

From Pirate Radio to Digital Revolution
My journey has been a music industry odyssey— from spinning vinyl on pirate radio ships off the English coast to major label boardrooms. From managing tours for prog-rock legends to broadcasting from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But here's the beautiful irony: every traditional success in my 40+ year career led to one profound realization...

the system is rigged against the very people who make it possible.

The TrueFans AMP™ newsletter has become my way of saying, "I've been there, done that, and I'm NOT pretending it works." It's the antithesis of industry advice columns that tell you to "get discovered." Instead, it's a weekly dose of practical rebellion— a handbook for artists who want to own their success story.

The Architecture of Authentic Connection
What makes TrueFans AMP™ different isn't its contrarian stance— it's its surgical precision in dismantling the illusion that more fans equals better fans. Issue after issue, we have hammered home one revolutionary concept: 1,000 True Fans beats 100,000 casual listeners every single time.

This isn't just philosophy; it's applied mathematics of the heart and wallet. When you build authentic connections with people who genuinely care about your music, you're not just creating an audience— you're building an ecosystem where art and commerce dance together instead of fighting for the spotlight.

Enter TrueFans CONNECT™: The Next Movement
As we celebrate 100 issues of foundation-laying, the horizon reveals something even more audacious: TrueFans CONNECT™. This isn't just an evolution of the newsletter—it's the materialization of what the AMP has been preaching.

Imagine a platform where the 1,000 True Fans model isn't just a concept but a living, breathing marketplace. Where artists can:

TrueFans CONNECT™ represents the technological incarnation of everything we've have been advocating— a space where the human-to-human connection that makes music magical gets amplified, not automated away.

New Music Lives: The Ecosystem Expands
But the vision extends beyond individual Musical Artist success. New Music Lives™ as a platform is positioning itself as the headquarters for this musical rebellion. It's becoming:

The development roadmap hints at features that could fundamentally alter how music careers are built: direct-to-fan live streaming, collaborative creation tools, fan-funded project development, and revenue-sharing models that actually share revenue fairly.

The 100-Issue Wisdom: Lessons from the Frequency
Looking back across 100 issues, several revolutionary themes emerge:

The Death of the Gatekeeper: Every issue has chipped away at the myth that success requires permission from industry executives. The AMP has consistently shown that the most successful Musical Artists are those who stopped waiting for validation and started creating value.

Community Over Commodity: Rather than treating fans as numbers in a streaming algorithm, the newsletter has consistently advocated for treating them as individuals with whom you can build lasting relationships and partnerships.

Value Creation Over Content Creation: The subtle but crucial difference between making music that serves algorithms versus making music that serves humans.

Sustainable Success Over Viral Moments: Building careers that last decades, not careers that depend on the next viral moment.

The Next 100: Where Revolution Meets Reality
As TrueFans AMP™ moves beyond the century mark, it's clear this isn't just sustained momentum— it's exponential impact waiting to happen. The newsletter that began as a  way of sharing hard-won wisdom has become the philosophical foundation for an entire ecosystem.

The planned developments suggest we're entering a phase where theory becomes practice at scale:

TrueFans CONNECT™ will likely evolve into the primary destination for artists ready to implement the 1,000 TrueFans model with technological precision.

New Music Lives™ will expand from newsletter publisher to platform provider, giving artists tools that embody the principles the AMP has been teaching.

The Community Effect will amplify as success stories from the newsletter readership become case studies that attract more artists ready to break free from traditional models.

The Frequency of the Future
Here's what makes this 100-issue milestone so electric: it's not really a milestone at all. It's a launching pad.

The newsletter has spent 100 weeks proving that Musical Artists don't just deserve better— they can achieve better. TrueFans CONNECT™ and the expanding New Music Lives™ platform will spend the next phase proving that these principles can scale without losing their soul.

We're celebrating 100 issues of a newsletter. And... we're celebrating the birth of a sustainable alternative to an industry that's been failing its most important participants for decades.

The frequency continues. The revolution amplifies.

And the best part? You're not just reading about it— you're part of creating it.

Until we speak again...

Thanks for reading. Give us your feedback.

And PLEASE, if you've got any Singer Songwriter friends, pass the AMP on, because... It’s Time... for a Change. Big Time. Past Time...