Gene Simmons is not holding back in commenting about the current state of the music industry.
Nearly eight years ago, Kiss' bassist boldly declared that rock is dead and he doubled down on those comments in a new interview with Metal Hammer.
"I stand by my words: Rock is dead,” he said. "The people that killed it are fans. Fans killed the thing they loved by downloading and file sharing for free. How do you expect somebody who loves the guitar to come into this creative process? You’ve got to invent yourself. And so rock is dead."
To prove his point, Simmons offered a lesson on rock n roll history. First, he noted, from 1958 there was Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and the Rolling Stones dominating the charts. Then "the surf thing" driven by the Beach Boys followed. Next came the Disco era, which was defined by icons like Madonna, Prince, Bowie, and "all that great stuff," and then the heavier metal bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden.
Those were the legends that defined those last 30 years, Simmons said, but he questioned the bands that have established themselves as the next greats since then.
"But from 1988 until today, who is the new Beatles? BTS? There's no denying BTS are world famous. But am I going to form a garage band to do those songs? No." he said, referring to South Korean K-pop supergroup BTS.
"I think they're well-crafted and professional, but One Direction and NSYNC and all the boy bands don’t change the world," he continued. "It just makes little girls hearts flutter and then they're gone. That doesn't have gravitas. Influential bands, that make somebody want to pick up a guitar, learn how to play songs and be in a band don't exist, because you can't make a living."
Simmons has been notably vocal about his views on the music industry. Last year he also spoke out, stating that the struggling rock scene "is not because there's a lack of talent" but because of downloading and file-sharing that has affected artists' income.
"Young folks, that kid living in his mom’s basement, decided one day that he didn’t want to pay for music," he told Consequence Of Sound. "He wanted to download and file share. And that’s what killed the chances for the next generation of great bands. The fact that the music was for free. So nowadays new bands don’t have a chance."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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