VINNY APPICE On Diminishing Record Sales: 'People Wanna Download Everything For Free'

Earlier this month, legendary drummer Vinny Appice (DIO, HEAVEN & HELL, LAST IN LINE) interviewed by Germany's Rock Bottom. You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about what it's like to perform in much more intimate venues now compared to how it was in the '80s and '90s, Vinny said: "It's a lot smaller. [Laughs] It's just the music business has changed. Back in the '80s, rock was huge. [There were] a lot of record companies, [and there was] a lot of money in the record companies, so it was a whole different thing, the business — and it is a business. And now it's changed a lot, and there's a lot of bands that were big that go out and play clubs now and theaters. It's just the way it is. But a show is a show. Any musician will tell you pretty much [that] once you go on stage, even if [there are only] two hundred people, three hundred people right there, it becomes great. It's not as big as the arenas. And then just the comfort level is different, as far as traveling. Little tours are not as comfortable. Big tours, you know, it's easy — easy."

Appice also addressed the fact that physical and digital music sales are continuing to fall as the music business inches closer to an access-over-ownership model.

"The Internet's changed everything," he said. "People wanna download everything for free. They don't realize it's hard to do that, because it costs money to make the record and get in the studio. Especially something that sounds good. We go to a proper studio. Like with my band LAST IN LINE, we go into a really nice studio with Jeff Pilson, who's producing, and it sounds great, but it costs money. We can do it at my house for free, but it's not gonna sound as good. The things cost money. And the Internet changed all that, so people like to get things for free — books, music… The album comes out, and two days later it's on YouTube. It sucks, for us [as musicians]."

Appice joined BLACK SABBATH in 1980 during the "Heaven And Hell" tour and appeared on the albums "Live Evil" (1982) and "Mob Rules" (1981) . In late 1982 he left BLACK SABBATH with vocalist Ronnie James Dio and formed the band DIO. They recorded "Holy Diver" (1983),"The Last in Line" (1984),"Sacred Heart" (1985),"Intermission" (1986),and "Dream Evil" (1987). In December 1989, Appice left DIO. In 1992, he returned to BLACK SABBATH for the "Dehumanizer" album and tour. He then rejoined DIO and they recorded "Strange Highways" (1994) and "Angry Machines" (1996).

Appice rejoined his BLACK SABBATH bandmates Ronnie James Dio, Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi in 2006 as HEAVEN & HELL, touring and releasing one studio album, "The Devil You Know", before Dio's death in 2010.

Under the moniker APPICE, Vinny and his brother Carmine released "Sinister", their first joint studio album, last October through SPV/Steamhammer.