Make sure your brand is protected. Make sure there are no incursions. Be litigious. Sue everybody. Take their homes, their cars. Don’t let anybody cross that line. The music industry was asleep at the wheel, and didn’t have the balls to sue every fresh-faced, freckle-faced college kid who downloaded material. And so now we’re left with hundreds of thousands of people without jobs. There’s no industry.
Great. Sue first, ask later. A perfect philosophy to go through business and life.
But no, Gene, piracy hasn’t destroyed the music industry. Bad shit has, like 99 per cent of the crap you vomited out back in the ’70s and ’80s. And the market is still going. Go to Ars Technica to read a summary of Simmons’ spewing at the MIPCOM convention in Cannes. It just gets better, in a bad sort of way. [Ars Technica]
The Gremlin
Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 10:22 AMSay what you will about the man or his talent, but truth is that he worked his behind off to get where he is. From that standpoint I can understand his view.
OTOH, the music business is not what it was when he made his fortune, and trying to resist change is not only futile, but stupid.
New artists need to find a way to thrive in this new environment.
Jamie Carl
Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 10:25 AMIt quotes like this that ruin the industry too. I for one will never purchase, or now even download, a Kiss album. Or attended a Kiss concert. Or even watch that stupid reality show that he has.
Bobbobboy
Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 12:59 PMTo be honest i doubt very much Gene would care if you didn’t steal any of his music.
Considering your reading Gizmodo i doubt very much you would have ever bought any of their crap anyway.
Chris H
Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 11:25 AMGo to China and deal with it there before you assault the people who actually bought your stuff. Oh, and the record company execs lavish life style – I understand 30% of total costs were due to furnishing the execs who parasited, sorry, who gave creative company direction.
olearymo
Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 11:34 AMWho’s Gene Simmons?
‘Nuff said.
Paul
Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 12:05 PMWhat has ruined the music industry is that there are only a handful of bands out there that will produce an album that is 12 great tracks. Its a world of grabbing the one good song from the uncountable mediocre bands. No wonder no one wants to buy albums anymore…
Christopher Watson
Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 10:16 PMSo very true. The “album” is dead. There are very few bands that I can think of that still produce “albums” – excluding those emo concept albums. The latest Linkin Park album is one of the few recent efforts I can think of. Biffy Clyro, Muse, NIN, Radiohead – these bands still think of producing an album full of material, not just a few singles they can flog off for 99c each.
Wok
Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 1:00 PMMeh he pretty much sums it up.
The industry (well their part) is full of a bunch of out of touch retards that haven’t kept up and are now left behind.
/me continues to listen to free 1hr DJ set podcast.
Craig Self
Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 1:36 PMThis is a man who has been quoted saying his only reason for getting into the music industry was the money and the girls.
Yeah, thanks for that Gene…..nobody who cares about music cares what else you have to say.
Simon Reidy
Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 2:34 PMThis is from the same burnt out old band that just released an ugly as sin ‘Kiss badged’ LED TV.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/02/kiss-releases-led-hdtv-because-its-criminal-to-view-pauls-sta/
’nuff said.