KISS bassist Gene Simmons took aim at music fans who don’t want to pay for their music, branding them “the villains.” The musician said during a recent Q&A session (transcribed by UG):
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“It’s over. Pandora’s box has been opened. And it breaks my heart because the new bands don’t have a chance. There’s a lot of good talent out there. They will never get the chance.
“The big band right now is Foo Fighters. They’re over 20 years old. ‘Well, that’s a new band.’ No, it’s not. They’re older than your grandma. They’ll be around a long time but they started before the record companies [collapsed]. Since then, not a single band can get up there and draw any tickets.
“And that’s because the fans are the villains. Because they’re the ones that won’t pay for it.
“By the way, if you’re a pop fan, there’s little Ariana Grande – she’s a great girl by the way – the fans buy that stuff. If you’re a rap fan, they buy. Country and western, that sells records and music.”
Gene also touched on this topic while discussing his customized $2,000 The Vault box-set experience, saying:
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“Record companies really don’t exist anymore. People don’t buy stuff. And I refuse to be held up by the iCloud and the popcorn fart technology of today. And there are no more record stores anyway. And this is a very expensive item to do.
“Some people have said. ‘It costs $2k, that’s not cheap.’ Yeah. Also, you’re not paying for my flights over here and the hotels and all that kind of stuff [which is included in the whole package]. Nothing’s cheap and that’s just life, the way it is. More importantly – you don’t have to get one.”