Gene Simmons Blames Fans Not Labels For Music’s Downfall
(TeamRock Radio) Gene Simmons has defended record labels, insisting bands like KISS wouldn’t have existed without them. Repeating his view that “the fans are killing music” via illegal downloads, the Kiss bassist adds that record labels were once the only business model in the world that gave money to artists without them ever having to pay it back.
He tells Planet Rock: “Record companies were a gift from heaven. Yeah, they’re greedy, but they wanna make money just like you do. But they gave you money – millions. And if it wasn’t for record companies, there’d be no Sex Pistols, there’d be no punk, there’d be no nothing. There would be punk, but it would be in a small club. It would never become huge.
“Record companies gave bands money that they never had to pay back. If the band failed and the records were a complete disaster, the advance money was all yours. What other business would give you that? If you go to a bank and they give you a million dollars, and your business goes under, they don’t care it failed – they want their money back.”
On how the fans are to blame, Simmons adds: “I blame the fans. Because the fans have decided en masse that they should get free music, download, fileshare.”
Credit www.antimusic.com
