In a new interview with Max Alt Rock magazine, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford was asked for his take on modern radio, streaming and the current state of the music industry. He responded: “It’s still the Wild West.
“I was approached several months ago to put together a video that was going to be utilized for a presentation to Congress.
“It’s always been the same — you get the pie chart, and the artists always get the smallest amount of the pie,” he continued. “I’ve never understood that, because without us, you wouldn’t have an industry. All we’re asking for is fairness, but ever since the Internet took off, there has not been the proper guidance or legislation. There needs to be a universal agreement that is fair for everyone, and it’s coming.”
Rob‘s latest comments echo those he made in a 2015 interview with New Zealand’s 3News. He stated at the time: “If you look at the breakdown of streaming, if you take what the artist gets once the breakdown happens, it really is just pennies out of the pie. It’s like a piece; you slice it up. The bands get the tiniest bit. And then we have to divvy that up between how many members there are in the band. So it’s a bit of a battle that’s going on. But I really hope that fairness will prevail.”
Halford added: “The big [streaming services] like Spotify, they appreciate the position that they’re in. They’ve got buckets of money, and they go, ‘Well, we’re still getting…’ Well, come on, guys. I think, you just gotta be ‘fair’s fair’ here. Without us, you don’t have a streaming company. That’s it, plain and simple.
“So it’s a struggle, it’s a battle, but I think the artists will prevail and I’m hoping that we’ll see some common sense from Spotify and the others to make it all work for everybody.”
Halford‘s autobiography, “Confess”, was released today (Tuesday, September 29) via Hachette Books. The book has already been described by the U.K.’s The Telegraph as “one of the most candid and surprising memoirs of the year.”
