DEE SNIDER Says Independent Labels, Bands And Venues Are All 'Suffering Death Blows Right Now'

TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider spoke to Inlander about the devastating impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on the music industry.

"The destruction that this is doing to the independent art scene, whether it's music, film, painting, whatever it is, we'll eventually recover, but I don't know when because it can't afford what's happening to it," Snider said. "What we're going to be left with is the corporate world that has the resources to survive, but without independent art on every level — and that's what creates the next fad, the next movement, the next style.

"It comes from independents. The independent labels, independent bands, independent venues, and they're all suffering death blows right now," he continued. "You can't stop rock 'n' roll — I've said it, and it's true, whether it be in basements, garages or bedrooms. It'll never die. But this is a very brutal blow right now. I hope we come out of it into some semblance of dignity and inspiration because we need young minds, fresh ideas."

The coronavirus pandemic upended the music industry, forcing theaters, concert halls and most live performance venues to go dark. This has had a massive economic effect on the majority of professional recording artists and performing musicians, who rely heavily on touring and live performances as their main source of income.

Back in April, Snider said that he was "extremely disappointed" with the way President Donald Trump handled the coronavirus pandemic. "We as a country are going to be paying for this for a very long time in a lot of different ways, and not just with the deaths of so many people, to be expected from this virus, but financially, economically," he said. "And a lot of this could have been avoided. I mean, certain things were inevitable — the virus was coming, sickness was coming, death was coming. That was inevitable, but the way it was handled, many deaths could have been prevented and we could have been ahead of things instead of behind things. Right now, it feels like, in my country, that we're constantly trying to catch up to the virus as it does what it does. This could have been very different, but we didn't learn from the lessons of others, unfortunately."

Snider also talked about the coronavirus's impact on the music business, especially as it relates to concerts and artists' ability to make a living from performing live.

"This virus, this time in history will change everything forever," he said. "It will take us a long time to be comfortable again with going to large gatherings and things like that. This is really scary. And I do think that people will explore other alternatives for getting their art out there.

"As far as concerts go, I think that people will look to find other ways to entertain their audience without going to a concert venue where thousands, or tens of thousands, of people are crowded together in potentially dangerous situations."

Dee is currently promoting "For The Love Of Metal Live!", which will be released on July 31 via Napalm Records. The DVD/Blu-ray and accompanying live album (available in various formats) features audio captured from several Snider festival performances worldwide — from the United States to Europe, Australia and beyond. In addition to tracks from Snider's solo catalog, like "I Am The Hurricane" and "For The Love Of Metal", TWISTED SISTER favorites such as "I Wanna Rock" and "We're Not Gonna Take It", and even a cover of AC/DC's "Highway To Hell", the audio portion of "For The Love Of Metal Live!" also features a brand new original studio track, "Prove Me Wrong".