The Impact of Music Piracy on Rock 'n' Roll: Is Rock 'n' Roll Dead?

Is music piracy killing rock ‘n’ roll? With the ease of digital downloads and free music-sharing sites, the detrimental aspects of these platforms have wreaked havoc for up-and-coming artists and bands trying to survive in an altered economy. The old ways of the ‘traditional’ business model that once was a solid base of support for new artists is now floundering in its struggle to succeed leaving newcomers in its wake with very little chance of success. A rather dark prognosis, eh?

The musician, rocker, and member of the legendary band Kiss, Gene Simmons, has been pretty vocal over his concerns of the nasty effects of piracy and its impact on rock music in general. He believes that the decline of the rock genre has notably been impacted, by piracy in the digital age. He famously has been quoted with statements like, “In a certain way, rock is finally dead, rock and roll ‘is’ dead because the freckled-faced kid next door to you, who is a good kid with a good family and everything, has become entitled, feels entitled to be able to download and file share and get all of this music for free.” He also carried on, “Rock did not die of old age. It was murdered! And the real culprit is that kid’s 15-year-old next-door neighbor.”

Over the last decade or so, piracy has slowed quite a bit, but with platforms like Spotify, many have been accused of allegations of unfair shady practices of which some have linked to piracy. On The Zak Kuhn Show, Gene Simmons stated that, “It is [still dead]. And people don’t understand how I can say that. What I mean is… from 1958 until 1988, that’s 30 years… It was a very, very rich musical menu. It could go up and down. [But] from 1988 until today, it’s something like almost 40 years, certainly 35 years. Who are the new Beatles?” Gene also pointed out the lack of recognition of iconic rock stars in rock history by today’s youth, like, who’s the bass player of Nirvana for example. The Beatles, however, everyone knows even if they really don’t like their music or rock music in general.

At 75, Gene Simmons has witnessed the evolutionary changes in the rock music scene and believes that the last decade has marked its demise.

On the digital side of the music industry, the beast we all know as streaming has become a dominant force, but it often leaves independent artists at a disadvantage. Then you have the major labels, with their substantially fat contracts and terms, that dominate platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and SoundCloud, making it very difficult for independent artists to gain their fair share of the profits.

I recently commented in a past R ’n R newsletter article about a Boston-based antitrust outfit that published a study questioning the fairness of the top streaming services, particularly Spotify. In their study they highlighted the advantages for artists signed to major labels. Despite significant revenue growth from streaming, many independent artists feel they are not receiving their fair share.

The music industry has shifted quite dramatically with the rise of streaming platforms, changing the dynamics within the music industry. This has altered the how music is distributed and how it is consumed by the masses. The evolution of the music industry into the digital age has also created a challenging environment for up-and-coming, independent artists, which has furthered the struggles of the rock ‘n’ roll genre. So, in this age of digital everything, is rock ‘n’ roll really dead? Is it a murder victim, and piracy suspect number one? Only the sands of time will be telling, my friend.

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