According to Gene Simmons of Kiss, rock is dead.
"Rock is finally dead," he told Esquire.
"The death of rock was not a natural death. Rock did not die of old age. It was murdered."
Simmons blames file sharing and the fact that no one values music "enough to pay you for it."
"It's very sad for new bands," he added. "My heart goes out to them. They just don't have a chance. If you play guitar, it's almost impossible. You're better off not even learning how to play guitar or write songs, and just singing in the shower and auditioning for The X Factor.
"And I'm not slamming The X Factor or pop singers. But where's the next Bob Dylan? Where's the next Beatles? Where are the songwriters? Where are the creators? Many of them now have to work behind the scenes, to prop up pop acts and write their stuff for them."
Simmons added that 1958 to 1983 was music's pinnacle. Simmons can name only two bands that have carried on the spirit of that era, since that time: Nirvana and, surprisingly, Tame Impala. Yes, Tame Impala.
"The craft is gone, and that is what technology, in part, has brought us. What is the next Dark Side of the Moon? Now that the record industry barely exists, they wouldn't have a chance to make something like that. There is a reason that, along with the usual top-40 juggernauts, some of the biggest touring bands are half old people, like me.
"My sense is that file sharing started in predominantly white, middle- and upper-middle-class young people who were native-born, who felt they were entitled to have something for free, because that's what they were used to. If you believe in capitalism — and I'm a firm believer in free-market capitalism — then that other model is chaos. It destroys the structure.
"I find that many of the more patriotic people are immigrants."
Foo Fighters shared Simmons'"Rock is finally dead" interview on their Facebook page, adding "Not so fast, Mr. God of Thunder..." Dave Grohl and company will release their new album, Sonic Highways, November 10.
