In a recent interview, Gene Simmons – who recently tested positive for COVID-19 – spoke once again about the decline of the music industry and the rise of piracy in the internet age, even stating that fans are responsible for "killing the music business".
In his speech, Simmons pointed out the difficulty new artists face due to the current industry model, which has had to adapt to the changing way music is consumed. “New artists will never have the chance we had because record labels gave us millions of dollars – after we became successful – in advances, non-refundable, with a royalty system and everything else. Because of that, we didn't need to work every day,” said Gene.
“Nowadays, if you’re a new band, you can’t make a living because of those freckled college students – who, by the way, hate me – because what I’m saying is that’s theft. You’re stealing when you download and share that music. It doesn’t affect me; our band came before that, when it was real business. But new artists break my heart. It’s like babies being born without access to food. You’re taking the food out of their mouths so they have to work to survive and don’t have enough time for art.”
Concluding his thought, Gene Simmons added: “Who killed the music business? The fans. It wasn’t some foreign power, it wasn’t aliens; the fans killed it. And who do I blame? The record labels for not prosecuting the first guy who walked into the henhouse and stole some eggs and a chicken. As soon as you let the first fox into the henhouse and take some eggs without paying, the rest of the foxes follow suit.”
In January, Gene Simmons reinforced his opinion that "rock is dead" and blamed new bands for "not taking the time to create glamour, excitement, and epic things."
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