STRYPER's MICHAEL SWEET Says He Walks Away With 'About $7,000-$10,000' For Every Album He Makes

Michael Sweet says that he doesn't make music "for the money."

The STRYPER frontman made the comment in response to a question from a fan about Sweet's latest solo single, "Better Part Of Me", which follows an "old-school metal" direction that is not far removed from the band's recent output.

Asked by the fan on Instagram whether Sweet wanting to "keep all the money for himself" is the main motivation in releasing "Better Part Of Me" as a solo project and not as part of a STRYPER album, Michael responded: "I don't do it for the money. There's just not enough to be made to even think about that. I put about 2 solid months of time (spread out over 3 months) into each album. I walk away with about 7-10k (depending upon whether it's an MS album or a STRYPER album) yet I invest my entire life into it. I make a little in royalties/mechanicals on the back end but at the end of the day it's not a real money maker, especially these days. The music 'business' has for the most part dried up.

"I never got into this for the money," he continued in a post on his Facebook page. "It was always about the love of it. Music is in my DNA, in my blood literally. I'm made of music and always will be. That's why I do so much. If I could I would record 3-4 albums a year. I enjoy the process more than anything else. It's what I do and who I am. I'm constantly trying to juggle between the on time of STRYPER and the down time of STRYPER. STRYPER is my priority but we also have a lot of time home. I won't sit around with a remote in my hand. After a tour the first thing I think of is 'what's next?' I guess I am a workaholic to some degree. I also have a never-ending flow of songs in my head and I need to create and get it them out of my head so I can wipe the slate and do it again. That's just me."

As for why his new solo music sounds similar to STRYPER, Sweet said: "When I read or hear things like that, my first thought is and always will be, 'Well, I do sing, play, write and produce for STRYPER.' Since 1983."

He added: "I have many opportunities beyond STRYPER. I pass on a lot of them but I also follow through with some of them. Since this is my 10th solo album, you know that I've always taken chances and thought outside the box when it comes to solo albums. This time around I decided to stay closer to home in regard to making an old-school metal album. Damn if you do, damn if you don't, right?"

"Better Part Of Me" is taken from Sweet's upcoming tenth solo LP, aptly titled "Ten", which is scheduled for release on October 11 via Rat Pak Records in North America and Frontiers Music Srl in Europe.

"Ten" features an all-star guest lineup that includes Jeff Loomis of ARCH ENEMY, Todd La Torre of QUEENSRŸCHE, Andy James, Tracii Guns of L.A. GUNS, Rich Ward of FOZZY, Joel Hoekstra of WHITESNAKE, Gus G. of FIREWIND, Howie Simon, Ethan Brosh, Marzi Montazeri of EXHORDER, Will Hunt of EVANESCENCE , John O'Boyle, Mike Kerr and Ian Raposa of FIRSTBOURNE and more.

STRYPER's latest album, "God Damn Evil", was released in April 2018 via Frontiers Music Srl.