Rick Beato goes mainstream

[GRollins]

I figured that someone would have already started a thread on this, but apparently not...

 

https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/25/us/rick-beato-youtube-everything-music-cec/index.html

 

Grey

[Old No7]

I do enjoy his videos -- and Mike Rowe is correct, his enthusiasm is contagious; coupled with his musical knowledge and industry insights, he's interesting to watch.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

Old No7

[drawback]

I really, really like Beato’s videos. Thanks for posting - it’s a good read. 

[TommyRude]

Good for him.  He’s very likeable

[CyberGene]

I didn’t know he was of Italian origin. May reconsider my stance on him and start watching him again, since I have an unhealthy obsession with Italian made things 😀

[stoken6]

7 hours ago, GRollins said:

I figured that someone would have already started a thread on this, but apparently not...

 

https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/25/us/rick-beato-youtube-everything-music-cec/index.html

 

Grey

I was about to, but wrong timezone... interesting read.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[JoJoB3]

"Goes mainstream"?  It's a YT channel.  It's only been a YT channel. 

I like some of the interviews but that has to do with select subjects. I'm just not so down with him so much, rarely does he shed any new light.
I was hopeful but now it's the least clicked music channel on YT from here.  I'm sure he's a nice guy though.

For example the 'Produce Like a Pro' channel is 1000x more useful and educational (and a gajillion times less pop-top whiney).

[Tusker]

To me, Rick is the complete package. There is a "rock musician' slant to his channel admittedly. I'll learn more from Mattia Chiappa on orchestration or Ryan Leach on composition. But still Rick's channel is a nice place to land  ...

 

Passion? He's got it.

Scars of experience? He's got those. 

Theory? Yup he's got that too.

 

Besides, he's one of the nicest guys.

[ElmerJFudd]

Mainstream as in people out of our sphere may recognize him and check out what we’ve known for years now.   
 

One of our own, after a lifetime of grinding it out as a player, teacher, studio owner, producer/engineer and watching technology kill his studio business, found a way to leverage his passion and experience in music to find an audience through YouTube late in life.   That’s persistence, hard work and winning.   👏👏👏

[nursers]

Rick talks about the CNN article and more:

 

 

[CyberGene]

What we really need is a reaction video to Beato’s video about the CNN article about Beato going mainstream. 
 

Now, jokes aside, I like the guy but it’s this recursive self-hype loop that’s really getting onto my nerves, and it’s not just Beato, seems like the norm for all these YouTube influencers nowadays. 

 

We have a saying in Bulgaria: because of our Elijah I started hating Saint Elijah. 

[HammondDave]

Glad to see Rick getting the accolades he deserves. Love his interviews and his explanations of how the songs were arranged, performed, and recorded. I have used his videos in my undergrad and graduate classes, and my students love them. Plus, as many have said, he is a super nice person. 

[Adan]

32 minutes ago, CyberGene said:

 

Now, jokes aside, I like the guy but it’s this recursive self-hype loop that’s really getting onto my nerves, and it’s not just Beato, seems like the norm for all these YouTube influencers nowadays. 

 

I'm with you on being gobsmacked by the absurdity of this. If the act of interviewing a musician is itself a step removed from the reality of making music, how many steps removed are we now, with the interviewer reacting to a news article about himself.  I didn't watch it, so maybe Beato drops some profundities that make me sound like an idiot, but I'm betting my own discretionary free time that he didn't.

 

To be clear, it isn't Beato that's absurd. Beato is a good interviewer and a good human being. He's just riding this wave of popularity and why shouldn't he. 

 

The absurdity is in how social media works, with the # of views interpreted as indicative of quality is some sort of objective manner. So Beato isn't just a good interviewer, he's 100 times better than anyone else. 

 

Resistance is futile.  All I can do is decide how to spend my own time.

[mrk7421]

After all you guys praise him I have another take on it. His teaching videos are beyond frustrating to me. He whips through scales and modes with a touch of arrogance and touts his children's perfect pitch....and claims that such and such is the world's greatest this or that while frequently interrupting his interviewees. You wanna talk about putting someone on a pedestal? Larry Carlton's solo on Kid Charlemagne is NOT the world's greatest solo.....there is no greatest solo and no one is the greatest anything. Tommy Emmanuel is not the "greatest"..... I could go on and on.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   I guess this is how you "make it" in the post covid world. Obviously he works hard....look at his rows of guitars and amps. I just can't see giving money to someone with a fabulous studio like that....he doesn't need my money. Sell some guitars Rick.....anyone with all that gear doesn't need my support....this guy solicits more funds than T.V. evangelists.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Lastly.....did he really need to remind us what a sad state Keith Jarrett is in right now? Perhaps Keith needs our help. Does Beato profit from this? I just don't agree that show was a good idea                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     I must be in a bad mood today!  No.....not buying this....at all 

[16251]

One thought that keeps popping in my head when watching him is - Who looks better in old age, bald since 21 like me, or grey thick hair? 

[AnotherScott]

19 minutes ago, mrk7421 said:

Larry Carlton's solo on Kid Charlemagne is NOT the world's greatest solo.....there is no greatest solo and no one is the greatest anything. Tommy Emmanuel is not the "greatest"..... I could go on and on. 

 

Yeah, he's prone to a bit of hyperbole and (related) clickbait titles... but he is knowledgable, and has a good video presence.

[eric]

I've learned a lot from Rick's videos and enjoy most all of them...I was keeping up with them a few years ago when they were newer. I've totally lost track - he's very prolific and has a TON of different videos between the song deconstruction and various interviews.

 

At our band river retreat last month, we watched a lot of his things and after a while we concurred that it's best in small-medium doses as his voice/style can start to grate on you a bit.

[mrk7421]

You know who surprised me as being a good interviewer was Joe Bonamassa. A lot of them like Eating shower so much praise on the subject that it is embarrassing. Listen to Rick continuously interrupt Robben Ford....I like to hear someone get out of the way and let them talk.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 I will confess to being a bit envious....I was never very good at self promotion the way Rick and Tim Pierce are .At least if any girlfriends complain about my having too much gear I can point to Bonamassa or Rick's row of guitars and amps ....                                        

[cphollis]

In a world where it's depressingly hard to make a living as a musician, this guy has found his paying gig by sharing his passion.  God bless.

[Anderton]

2 hours ago, Adan said:

The absurdity is in how social media works, with the # of views interpreted as indicative of quality is some sort of objective manner.

 

I meet all the criteria needed to monetize my YouTube channel except one: I don't upload frequently enough. That's because I upload something only when I think it's worthwhile. I see it as having respect for my subscribers, and prioritizing quality over quantity. YouTube apparently sees trying to maintain a certain level of quality as a drawback.

 

But the main irony is that the only way I can stop YouTube from placing ads on my channel is if I can monetize my channel. Uh...run that by me again? I need to be able to make money to not make money?

[HammondDave]

Damn. A lot of sad haters on here. Give credit where credit is due. The guy is a good interviewer, shares a great deal of musical knowledge, and is a good person. He is performing an educational service (for FREE, by the way). Even his guests like him!

 

Don’t like him?  Then start your own interview show and see if you can book the guests he books. 

[MathOfInsects]

I continue to be amazed at how often people who take the position that no one should express a negative opinion about a famous person, freely condemn their fellow forumites in the most demeaning of terms. 

We've run the Beato topic into the ground here, but at this point it should surprise no one here that some of our brethren and sistren have something that vaguely, gently pushes somewhere in the vicinity of something that might best be described as, "Appreciative but not adoring."

 

[o0Ampy0o]

Rick has quirks which peeve people who keep them as pets but he is more human and less trendy slick with his channel. The majority of YT "influencers" have zero personality and mimic behavior of true star personalities. So many try to be funny and try to have an interesting personality when this is out of their league. 

 

I love his kids and everything they bring to their appearances. I like Rick although he can annoy me not getting to the point. He could focus more on being the thing instead of being a promoter but he is sharing his platform generously and also co-building the world of the YT influencer. But I prefer the substance over hype while the hype helps everyone. No one would know of him without both.

 

I am happy for him. It is pushing a rock up hill to construct and grow any business and he is a major player in that new world of internet broadcasting.

[Adan]

Another annoying thing about social media is, for reasons I truly don't comprehend, it seems to force people into binary positions. So, either you think Beato is the greatest thing that ever happened to music, or you're a "hater." I mean, really? So all this time spent listening and reading just erases our brains ability to tolerate ambiguity and nuance?

 

Jerry Seinfeld has a bit about this in his new Netflix special, where he talks about everything is either "great" or it "sucks." Seinfeld, by the way, is still great.

 

 

[Outkaster]

Rick graduated with some friends of mine.  My buddy taught him guitar and knew when Rick was 15 that he'd be a great musician,  I know Rick's brother who is also a great guitar player. 

[HammondDave]

1 hour ago, MathOfInsects said:

I continue to be amazed at how often people who take the position that no one should express a negative opinion about a famous person, freely condemn their fellow forumites in the most demeaning of terms. 

We've run the Beato topic into the ground here, but at this point it should surprise no one here that some of our brethren and sistren have something that vaguely, gently pushes somewhere in the vicinity of something that might best be described as, "Appreciative but not adoring."

 

It’s not a binary classification. There is a difference between forum members who constructively criticize fellow artists and those who appear downright jealous of a fellow musician who has broken ground in on-line educational content and presentation. 

[Reezekeys]

36 minutes ago, Adan said:

Another annoying thing about social media is, for reasons I truly don't comprehend, it seems to force people into binary positions. So, either you think Beato is the greatest thing that ever happened to music, or you're a "hater."

 

I think it's more the ways other people want to put you into that "lover" or "hater" position - it feeds their need for validation or fuels their antipathy, regardless of your true feelings. Kind of a sad commentary. There certainly is no nuance anymore. I like Beato because from what I know of him we share the same general musical "upbringing." Having said that, I've listened to exactly zero of his theory vids and bought zero of his books. The interviews are great though, because he asks the questions an old jazz guy like me would ask! 🙂 

[HammondDave]

Sadly, most artists spend their entire lives trying to be noticed.  Let’s celebrate and encourage those who actually achieve this… especially the ones who perform a public service.  

[o0Ampy0o]

There is a general lack of constructive training regarding how people process the world. Even intellectuals follow trends. The trend has been to pin a label and make everything a simple us or them and me or them. Most things are a shade of gray between extremes but that is too complicated. It is easier to make it one or the other. It is driven by emotion which also tends to take things in reverse order, the opinion comes first then the evidence is sought to justify the POV.

[MathOfInsects]

14 minutes ago, HammondDave said:

It’s not a binary classification. There is a difference between forum members who constructively criticize fellow artists and those who appear downright jealous of a fellow musician who has broken ground in on-line educational content and presentation. 

But that difference is solely and entirely within your own construct and invention. It is a means of justifying criticizing fellow forum members as lofty somehow. The implication is that you are entirely qualified to read and condemn the minds of your brethren and sistren, but anyone with a negative opinion of something you like is just jealous or petty or otherwise unqualified to render judgment.

This is not a terribly respectful posture. I hope we can be kinder to one another while exchanging differing (valid) points of view about the same topics or people.