GENE SIMMONS: New Rock Artists 'Don't Have A Chance'

In a brand new interview with Billboard.com, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons and guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley were asked how much time they still spend these days writing new music.

"I think at this point I write when there's a reason to write," Stanley said. "To sit down, there are so many outlets to be creative and certainly the recording industry or what's left of it is really in shambles. The only reason to record at this point or write songs is to make a statement about the current band, and that we don’t only rely on our old catalog. I think we're very fortunate to have come out when we did, and to not be relying upon an industry that has basically committed suicide."

Added Simmons: "We've been around for 41 years, but you know what Paul just said is actually true. Don't misunderstand, we're not complaining. We have very good lives, the arenas and stadiums fill up, we can go anywhere in the world and we have a ball. It is really — maybe profoundly is the right word — but it's really sad for the new artists. Where's the next Elvis, where's the next BEATLES, where's the ZEPPELIN? They're out there but they don't have a chance. They don't have a chance because once upon a time we had record companies, and they would support you and have point of purchase material and they would give you advances. In other words, they gave you the air to breathe to find yourself and spend the time to learn how to run…. And that's what's missing. So the next big band, the next ZEPPELIN, what are they gonna do? Give away their music for free? They're gonna be living in their mom's basement, unfortunately, and they're never gonna get the chance that we did, which is the saddest part of all for the new bands because there should always be a new generation of bands."

Simmonstold Esquire magazine in September — in an interview conducted by his son Nick — that "rock did not die of old age. It was murdered. Some brilliance, somewhere, was going to be expressed and now it won't because it's that much harder to earn a living playing and writing songs. No one will pay you to do it."

Simmons went on to elaborate that as a result of file-sharing and other issues, record label support for rock music was not available like it was when KISS was coming up, concluding, "It's finally dead. Rock is finally dead."