DEE SNIDER Says Music Industry Needs To 'Start From Scratch' And 'Create A Whole New Playbook'

In a brand new interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider was asked if thinks there's any chance that the music industry will eventually figure things out and find a way to make its business model more viable. He responded: "They have to. But probably the best route they should take… I think they've been playing catchup for a long time — they're constantly trying to readjust and adapt. I think that, probably, the truth of the matter, the answer is to start from scratch and create a whole new playbook. Forget everything… They keep trying to adjust what they knew… Throw it out the window and say, 'Okay, we're starting out. Now how do we create a new music industry, forgetting everything that went before?' Just get it out of your mind. Because it haunts people, it clouds their judgement, and they keep trying to recapture… and it all comes down to economics; you recapture that. Well, forget that — start with a blank piece of paper and say, 'Okay, now we're making a music industry. These are the elements we have, this is the way music is created, this is the way music is transmitted, this is how it's shared and enjoyed.' Build a whole new business plan off of that. I don't think anybody, at least that I'm aware of, has done that, started with just a blank slate and just started over. I think that's really what needs to be done. Just level the fucking building and build something brand new."

Asked if he can see some interesting effects from streaming — not the financial side, but just the awareness of new generations and further generations that know Dee Snider that might not have in the past — he said: "I have no idea. I saw a hashtag, Twitter in three words hashtag and I wrote, 'Verdict still out.' I don't know if it has value, if it has a place. You probably saw that Dave Draiman [DISTURBED] has removed himself from Twitter and social media. You know, he's been a punching bag, he tried to make statements, like I have in a way, but even more so, political and really try to raise awareness and do things and he just got tired of hearing fucktards. Hashtag, #fucktards. [Laughs] So, I don't know, for me. I know it has value for some people and I know Andy Biersack and BLACK VEIL BRIDES, they've figured it out. They've made it work for them. And no, it's not the old business plan, it's a brand new one. He comes from there, you know, Andy, he started in social media and built it from the ground up out of that. He gets it, controls it, uses it, works it, loves it, embraces it and has figured out how to make it work for him. It's great. So God bless him."

As previously reported, Snider has recorded four songs with Grammy and Emmy Award winner Damon Ranger, whose credits include Katy Perry's "Roar" and working with Kanye West.

A new Dee Snider rock song called "To Hell And Back", which the singer recorded with his solo band, including former SILVERTIDE guitarist Nick Perri, made its online debut earlier in the month. The track will be included in a new album that Dee is currently working on that will also feature material from Snider's past, including his worldwide hits with TWISTED SISTER.