BUMBLEFOOT Talks About Transformation Of Record Industry And How Artists Get Paid For Their Music

In a new interview with "Chase The Heat With Johnny Scoville", former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal spoke about how streaming services have significantly changed the role of record labels in the music industry, shifting their primary revenue source from selling physical albums to earning royalties through streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. He also discussed the advances in technology which have made high-quality recording equipment more accessible than ever, enabling musicians and producers to create professional-grade music from the comfort of their homes. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The record company, they loaned you at a 900 percent interest rate, the money to go into the studio, which now you could do on your laptop, but at the time it was a lot of money and a lot of everything. Everything was very expensive. So all the numbers had a couple of extra zeros on them. So the label gives you half a million dollars. Sounds like a lot of money, but by the time you're done with the studio and paying the engineer and the producer and all the expenses that are incurred to go along with it and everything, there's not very much there. You don't really get to put anything in your pocket, and you owe that money back. So now you have to work it off. That's how it used to be. So now you have to pay it all back, and you do that through record sales and through whatever else you can do that's gonna incur money to pay it back. And really, it was record sales, was the main thing. If you had a bad deal and they owned a piece of your publishing, then any radio play, they'd be getting a cut instead of the songwriters or the publishing administrators and all of that. I mean, it's a very complicated, convoluted thing, but it all has to get paid back. And the way the labels used to do it is, let's say they sold half a million dollars' worth of albums. They wouldn't say, 'Okay, you're paid off.' They would say, 'Well, you were getting a dollar out of 10 dollars. So out of this half a million, you only really paid us back 50,000, and you owe us the other nine dollars per album.' Yeah, there was a lot of things that went on. Plus, you only get paid on 90 percent of the albums 'cause they assume that 10 percent are gonna break as they're delivered to the record stores. There was all kinds of stuff in there. And then your manager that's taking care of everything for you, he is getting 15 or 20 percent. And he gets it — maybe, if you have a bad deal, he's getting it gross and not net. He's not in the trenches with you. So he's sitting back collecting money while you're out there working hard. So, everyone could work out bad deals for you. And if they're getting gross receipts and not net, they're not on the team. They're not in the trenches with you. So it doesn't matter to them. So there's a lot of bad managers that would just send you off to do your thing, and they're making way more money than any bandmembers are, pretty much just not doing a lot — just saying, 'Oh, this person called.' 'Oh, okay.' 'Call them back.' So there was a lot of that kind of stuff. These days it's different. It's more about a direct relationship with the people who like your music or want your music. So it's very direct between you and them, which is good."

Thal's new instrumental album, "Bumblefoot ...Returns!", is set for release on January 24, 2025. "Bumblefoot ...Returns!" will arrive 30 years after Thal's debut solo instrumental album. On the new LP, Bumblefoot revisits his roots with a 14-track masterpiece that spans genres from metal to orchestral to blues.

The album's opening track, "Simon In Space", serves as its first single, delivering an electrifying ride through chaos and intensity. In addition to the single, an animated music video created by Bumblefoot and animator Radek Grabinski is also available, as well as a retro-inspired video game, which is coming soon.

"Bumblefoot ...Returns!" features collaborations with iconic musicians, including Brian May, Steve Vai, Guthrie Govan, Derek Sherinian, Jerry Gaskill and others, showcasing Bumblefoot's innovative guitar techniques, such as his signature fretless guitar and "thimble technique."

On the album, Bumblefoot shared: "It's been 30 years since releasing the debut 'Adventures Of Bumblefoot' on Shrapnel Records, and I haven't done a fully instrumental album since. Writing during the pandemic, these songs became a soundtrack to my life — from heavy fretless growls to bluesy tributes to legends like Lonnie Johnson. It's a reflection of the moments that shaped me."

He added: "Working on WHOM GODS DESTROY's album inspired growling heavy fretless parts like 'Simon In Space'. Watching a blues documentary inspired 'Moonshine Hootenanny'. Losing loved ones led to writing 'Funeral March'. Songs become a soundtrack to our lives."

The album is available for pre-order now on vinyl, CD, and cassette, with exclusive merch bundles at bumblefoot.com.

Thal joined GUNS N' ROSES in 2006 and appeared on 2008's "Chinese Democracy", an effort which contained music that had been written before he came into the group. The disc took 13 years to make and was only a modest seller, moving just around half a million copies.

Thal never officially announced his departure from the GN'R, but a source confirmed to Detroit music writer Gary Graff back in 2015 that the guitarist had been out since the end of the band's second Las Vegas residency in 2014.

Thal later revealed that he was focusing on his solo career and other projects after spending eight years playing in GUNS.

Thal spent a few years recording and touring with SONS OF APOLLO, which also featured drummer Mike Portnoy, keyboardist Derek Sherinian and bassist Billy Sheehan. SONS OF APOLLO released its second studio album, "MMXX" (pronounced: 20/20),in January 2020 via InsideOut Music/Sony.

Thal is also a member of ART OF ANARCHY, which released its third studio album, "Let There Be Anarchy", in February 2024 via Pavement Music.

Joining founding ART OF ANARCHY members Jon Votta (guitar),Vince Votta (drums) and Thal in the band's new lineup are vocalist Jeff Scott Soto (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, JOURNEY, SONS OF APOLLO) and bassist Tony Dickinson (SOTO, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA).