Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider has responded to KISS bassist Gene Simmons claim that rock is dead.
Snider writes via his Facebook:
Recently, my esteemed colleague, Gene Simmons of Kiss declared that “Rock ‘n’ Roll is finally dead.” Really?
While I have nothing but respect for Gene, he couldn’t be further off the mark. Yes, the rock ‘n’ roll “business model” that helped KISS (and my band for that matter) achieve fame and fortune is most certainly long dead and buried, but rock ‘n’ roll is alive and well and thriving on social media, in the streets, and in clubs and concert halls all over the world. And the bands playing it are more genuine and heartfelt than ever because they are in it for one reason: the love of rock ‘n’ roll.
Spend some time seeing and listening to these incredible young bands and their rabid fans and you will know that rock ‘n’ roll couldn’t be more alive. Yes, it’s not the same as it was for the first 50 years of rock’s existence, but the fire definitely still burns.
And it wasn’t some 15 year old kid in Saint Paul, Minnesota (to paraphrase Mr. Simmons) who killed the rock ‘n’ roll goose that laid the platinum egg…it was greedy, big city, record company moguls who made their own velvet noose to hang themselves with. It was they who took advantage of the consumer (and the artist for that matter) and drove them to use an alternative source of music presented to them.
For example, take the bill of goods the record industry sold the mainstream public when introducing the CD format. “We have to charge more for it, because it’s a new technology and there’s a cost to setting up the infrastructure to produce them.” The consumer believed them–it made sense–so they paid a $18.98 list price for a product they had been paying $7.99 list for previously. After all “you can’t break a CD with a hammer!” (Remember that?)
But when the infrastructure was in place and paid for in full, and the cost of producing a CD dropped to less than a dollar, did the record companies roll back the list price in kind? Not on your life. They weren’t about to do the right thing and cut their increased revenue stream. Those fat cats were enjoying their ill-gotten gains way too much.
So when the general public finally realized they were being had, and the opportunity arose for them to stick it to the man, what did they do? The same thing their Woodstock Nation, baby boomer parents had done when they had their chance…they stuck it and they stuck it good. Does anyone remember Abbey Hoffman’s “Steal this Book”, the massive selling, early 70’s hippy guide “focused on ways to fight the government, and against corporations in any way possible.” Multiply that by a googolplex.
Is it hard to make it rock ‘n’ roll? You bet. Always was, always will be. Will rockers make as much money as they did “back in the day”? Probably not. But that won’t stop them, and they’ll be motivated by a much more genuine love of the art, and great rock will continue to be produced, played and embraced by rock fans.
So in conclusion: Record company executives killed the old rock ‘n’ roll business model…and Rock ‘n’ Roll Ain’t Dead!
Dee Snider/ September 10th, 2014
43 Responses
i commented on genes post” rock is dead” and after reading Dee’s post , i will say both he and gene are correct- gene i’m sure was talking about the business model for rock and roll being dead- and it is- and i think what he meant by the next door neighbor comment was that rock fans in general helped kill the income stream for artists by downloading their music for free- Dee is right that live rock is not dead and i’m sure it never will be – but if your a metal/ hard rock musician/band and… you are really really good, how are you going to pay the rent? once your out of your 20’s living on the road gets pretty tough and if you choose music as your career you will live on the road! there is no longer a real chance at a record contract , label support, advance money, and no real chance to sell cd’s/ albums , of course it could and can be done – but it has become next to impossible- i just want to say watch Joe Bonnamassa’s doc. {how one man beat the music industry}- i believe that’s the title or close to it , that is how it ‘s done now – the catch is you better be really really good-
I’m sure U2 is getting paid by Apple to do this as crossover with the new iPhone and watch rollout.
People didn’t steal songs because they were poor, they did it because they could.
When the cost of making cds dropped did Dee tell his label to cut the prices and also his profit? Didn’t think so…….
(Quote)”People didn’t steal songs because they were poor, they did it because they could.”
Exactly, you nailed right on the head. It does not matter who you are or if your rich or poor. If you offer someone something for free they will take it. Nuff said.
Yup, unfortunately (literally) this is why any media that’s distributable my digital format is losing real and potential revenue – you can get all of it for free. We probably all know someone who not only takes music, but torrents movies and video games too. I know someone who NEVER pays for anything – just “torrents” it. Has to be thousands of dollars worth of music, movies, games and other software by now. Yes, I copied music from friends when I was younger but that’s also how I found out about many of the bands I love. However, if I really liked it I would usually go out and buy it. I wanted lyrics, artwork, all that stuff. Now, I just buy it. Maybe most people don’t care but I feel better about myself not stealing it, and it prevents me from piling up a bunch of digital clutter I won’t use. I think another real problem is especially for younger generations (I’m in my 40’s now), free music has ALWAYS been available, so why would they pay for it? There are people who genuinely believe paying for music is a rip off, that it SHOULD be free, and we’re idiots for buying it.
It’s simple economics folks. Music is a good/service like anything else, and if you’re not paying for it then ultimately that’s less revenue for the people that produce it, and if the level of revenue gets too low they go out of business and find something else to do. You’re not just screwing the record companies, but the artists themselves. I’m not talking about the U2’s and Bon Jovi’s of the world either, I’m talking about the local metal band downtown that kicks ass every weekend and would probably not be the next Metallica in today’s environment, but might have a shot at making a decent living and cultivating a healthy fan base nation or maybe world wide. But, the numbers make it look like there’s not enough money to be made so nobody ponies up any support for them, after a while they hang it up and get regular jobs, and another good or even great rock band never happens.
I used to really be into TS back then. Hell, I still crank ’em out now & then.
Here’s the big problem. Even though TS’ music is hardly audiophile, their remasters are some of the worst ones I’ve ever heard. I’m glad I didn’t buy them all on one shot & really gotten screwed.
Show me something really worth buying & I will.
Until then, I’m happy with the hi res. needledrops of the vinyl that I still own. I’m glad that there is a community of music lovers making stuff like that available since the record labels & artists don’t seem to care. Why should I?
Dee is right, and his points are flawless. I love how he didn’t mention downloading for free…you could figure that out for yourself lol
Let’s see Dee and Twisted Sister put out a new cd and achieve the success of the first few up to and including Stay Hungry! Be lucky if it sold 10k copies in it’s first week! I’ts dead, couldn’t be any more dead then it is now! Bands are charging ridiculous ticket prices because their CD sales suck, but the people are not packing in the shows because they can’t afford it, or are out of work! Gene is just mad because after all the successful runs at MSG……………they could barely play to a PNC arts Center show in Jersey with Def Leppord and that was to get more asses in the seats as jus as many people were there to see Lep as they were to see Kiss. Same in 2012 when Motley Crue opened. Kiss can not sell out shit anymore on the Kiss name alone…………..they have to bring on another big band to make it interesting.
I think the guys in Leppard and the Crue have said the same thing. It’s the business model in 2014 , if you tour every single year, not a KISS problem. Check KISS’ tour stats, even the original line up was slipping from touring every year, going down about a thousand for each show on average attendance for each show after the Reunion. They’d be down to about 6,000 a night if still together. You guys that continue to bring up the Reunion as a measuring stick really don’t take the plug being pulled on the PC tour early and attendance averages going down for each tour after that into consideration . I’ll bust your bubble even further, those massive audiences of casuals, the type that made fun of you in HS for liking KISS weren’t there to see certain people, they were there because the make up and the stage show was brought back and KISS was the cool thing to do that year. Ace’s album falling out of the top 100 after 2 weeks and his inability to even book a tour proves there’s no demand for him at all.