…so sayeth Gene Simmons of KISS:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/08/showbiz/music/rock-is-dead-gene-simmons-esquire/index.html

I’m not a huge fan of either Gene Simmons or KISS (though they made several songs I don’t mind at all!) and I believe his comments were spur of the moment and perhaps not as articulate as they could have been, but I tend to agree with him.

Yes, music styles change from year to year and generation to generation and what fans loved back in the 1970’s (arguably KISS’ heyday) may not fly today.

However, I don’t think his comments are simply about a style of music.  His comments are about the fact that because of the internet and MP3’s and piracy, it is incredibly difficult for an up and comer to make any money at all with their new music.

The Beatles, arguably the biggest rock n’ roll band ever, didn’t appear out of nowhere.  They spent years practicing their craft in small venues before finally landing a recording contract.  Even after they released their first album, they had to continue working hard and creating more material before finally “hitting it big.”

Would they have succeeded in this day and age?  What if their new songs were readily available through torrent sites and, instead of buying records, many people simply downloaded the music illegally?

Its not too much of a stretch to imagine that if this were the case, “bottom line” record companies might view the emerging band as not worthy of investing more time on.

Is it possible there are other bands that might become as legendary as The Beatles out there but because of the state of music releases, they may not have the chance to grow and shine?