In a recent interview with Heavy Metal Perú, W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless opened up about the deep impact the streaming era has had on how people consume and value music today.
According to Lawless, the way fans interact with music has dramatically shifted over the years, with streaming services contributing to a culture where music feels easily replaceable and undervalued.
“It’s a real problem because music has become disposable. Music is not what it used to be years ago. And years ago, if you wanted a record, you had to work, save your money and then go buy that record. Today, fans don’t do that. The music is — it’s like into the kitchen and turning on the water. It’s there all the time. And that’s sad, because it doesn’t put value on the music because the artist, he trades his labor for the fan’s labor. That’s the way it used to be.”
He went on to describe the changing dynamics between artists and their audiences, emphasizing how the respect once placed on music is rapidly eroding.
“That does not exist anymore because, like I said, the value that’s put on the music from where the public really exists, that respect for the music is not what it used to be. And it’s really sad, and it’s changed the music business tremendously.”
While Lawless acknowledges that live performances still hold their ground, he fears that the recorded music industry has already lost much of its soul.
“Now, from a live perspective of the shows, thankfully that has not changed, because if it had, we wouldn’t be talking right now; it would be over for everyone. But as far as music itself, it no longer has the value it once had, and that makes me sad.”
When asked whether he believes this devaluation will continue to get worse, Lawless offered a historical perspective on how technology has repeatedly upended show business throughout the last century.
“If you look at show business, technology changes show business radically every 20 years, because technology changes. If you go back a hundred years ago and you look at silent movies, then talking movies came along and it killed silent motion pictures… Then television happens… Then MTV happens in the ’80s… Now you have the Internet being what it is, and now you have A.I. and things like that.”
For Lawless, survival in the industry is now dependent on an artist’s ability to evolve with technology — or risk fading into obscurity.
“So every 20 years the technology radically changes. And for any artist that cannot make the change, they die. So show business has shown us for at least the last a hundred years that it’s going to change radically every 20 years.”
Although uncertain about what the next chapter looks like, Lawless made it clear that technology will continue to shape the future of music, for better or worse.
“So for you to ask me what I think is gonna happen — there’s no way I could even begin to tell you, because there’s so many factors that go into that change of technology. So it’ll all be technology based from here on out.”
