Internet Killed Music? I Think NOT!
Roberta over at Earsucker posted a story about Gene Simmons stating that the internet and illegal downloading has killed music. Perhaps it’s killing the music industry and record labels can’t make the money they used to by milking the bands for every cent they are worth then hanging them out to dry when they find the next big thing. Sorry “big label” boys, Those days are over. He goes on to say that there will never be another band like Kiss or The Beatles.
If anything the internet has made music thrive. It has given the little bands a chance to shine. People don’t want another epic “super band”, especially metal fans. I may be speaking for myself but we like the fact that there are a shit-load of great metal bands out there to listen to as opposed to one to five bands dominating the genre. Sure we still have Slayer, Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest (just to name a few) that are still going strong and have a huge fan base, but we also have so many smaller named bands that keep out iPods filled and our heads banging. Even in the pop industry the bands don’t last long enough to be “The Next Big thing”. You see how the labels have dropped the American Idol stars. It is and always has been a vicious industry.
With more and more bands going to independent labels and even making their own labels it seems to me that the bands are taking the industry back. Recording is a lot easier these days and can often be done in home studios with technological advances, it’s too easy. With smaller labels the bands get less pressure to change their sound, often making for a better band and better records without losing the fans that made them. If your doing it because you want to make millions then your doing it for the wrong reasons in the first place. Everyone wants to get paid for their art and services but if you go into it with the mentality that your going to get rich from it then your just lying to yourself. There is a lot less money for the bands these days without the huge label support and advances but I think it helps make the bands remember where they came from and how and why they started.
Kiss got huge with a handful of great hits, a gimmick and marketing genius. Now it’s all marketing for them. Their music to them now is just another tool to sell merchandise. Gene has obviously forgotten who put him where he is. The fans. The same fans that are PAYING for Kissology after Kissology just to watch old boring interviews, repetitive video clips and songs recycled to better fit the times.
There are too many great bands out there to worry about “The Next Big Thing”.
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POSTED IN: Bands G Through M, Editorials & Announcements
6 opinions for Internet Killed Music? I Think NOT!
dale schmucker
Feb 10, 2008 at 1:19 am
sorry gene, the internet is not killing music. It is the same songs in a different package. how many times can you hear detriot rocks city!!!!! also all the boy and girl bands that are out there playing the same crap!!!! and they have no talent at all. some bands like jessica simpson, britney spears and mandy moore suck. that is why the music industy is in the shape it is!!!!!
Izzy
Feb 10, 2008 at 10:00 am
I think there is even more to it then that. I have to disagree with Dale on one thing. Jessica Simpson has got incredible vocal skills. Same thing with Mandy Moore. I cannot knock the musical abilities of many of the pop bands out today ( Justin Timberlake put out a groovin album that never becomes boring…but then again I do love all kinds of music, not just metal ). Anyways, my point is I blame the fans alot on this one. The people who currently spend money on music do not care about an entire album. They buy/download a single, and then two months later it is on to the new latest hit. It is the fans who no longer support a band/musical genre like we used to. We all ( by we all, I mean our generation, the 30 yr olds ) went out religiously to buy every Metallica or Anthrax or Slayer album the day it came out, whether we heard anything off it or not. Who does that now? That is why the industry is dying. The only genre that doesn’t ever seem to suffer sales declines is country (the one form of musiic I am not too keen on). So at least there will always be a lot of that out there :(
Scott
Feb 10, 2008 at 10:47 am
I think your right to a certain extent. We the fans are partly at fault. But thats only because the bands and labels are at fault as well. How many times have you bought a CD because it had a cool song on it in hopes that the rest of the cd was great too. Then your disappointed to learn that the cd is full of fillers. Far too many times for me to count.
I think that plagues pop more than it does metal though. I mean really. When was the last time you bought a Metal cd and found only one track on the whole thing that was worth listening to (Besides papa roach). Not to mention the fact that the price of CD’s in stores have not changed in the last 18 years. If anything they have gone up.
So with that said, this dawns on me. Perhaps metalheads are a major part of the problem because we didn’t download a single here or there…we downloaded the whole damn CD!
Shame on us…a little.
Brendan
Feb 11, 2008 at 1:05 am
Just a thought - comparing legitimate songwriters such as the Beatles with a rock “brand” (simmons’ words, not mine) such as KISS is sheer blasphemy. God that guy is a big old sack of douche. Him and Lars Ulrich should have a contest to see who’s the bigger douche, and they can just keep on one-upping each other and we won’t have to hear from them.
dale schmucker
Feb 11, 2008 at 8:57 pm
jessica and mandy might have great vocals skills (and yes I enjoy all music). but out side of music scene they do dumb stuff to get notice. who is going to take them and the music seriorusly if all you here are neg. stuff from them. I also need to get this off my chest. look at amy winehouseat the grammy’s awards.she a habituail substance abuser(to which I hope she gets help). her tattoo’s are ugly, she could not even get a visa into the u.s.a. she had to sing from london. other sing stated she dont deserve the grammy’s because of her antics yet she won 5 grammy’s. what are we teaching the youth anymore. and I know what everyone is thinking. drugs are part of rock and roll no matter what the age. but how is anyone going to take amy or any other musician serioly if music in general dont clean up there act.
Dwayne Charrington
Feb 11, 2008 at 9:53 pm
I think what Gene Simmons meant to say was
“He is washed up, he doesn’t know anything about the music industry anymore. He only makes comments about the music industry to get publicity. He doesn’t care about his fans anymore and is driven by the need to milk his fans by selling half decent merchandise that was probably made in a sweat shop by 12 year old kids.”
Gene I’m sorry to break this to you, we are in 2008 not 1978. The music industry isn’t what it use to be 20 - 30 years ago. As for the Beatles comment how can he even say that honestly? The Beatles were around many years ago and were very influential.
How can he say that there will never be another Beatles? The times were different back then, people appreciated music differently than they do now.
Have you ever seen the scene kids at a My Chemical Romance concert or The Used concert? They go crazy for them yelling out stuff like I love you.
The reason people went crazy for the Beatles back then was because there was no other band like them back then.
Gene Simmons needs a reality check, or perhaps all he just needs is another cheque from his used fans he seems to milk more and more each day.
- Dwayne Charrington.
http://www.dwaynecharrington.com
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