Gene Simmons Says Radio Treats Artists ‘Worse Than Slaves’

Kiss legend Gene Simmons testified before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee today, and he had some pretty harsh words for the way musicians are treated by terrestrial radio.

“Let’s call it for what it is — an injustice that has been going on for decades,” the bassist remarked, referring to how artists remain uncompensated when their music gets played over the airwaves. “When you work hard and you get to the top, what do you got? Zipperooney. That’s not the American way.”

While songwriters receive compensation when their material gets played, performers do not. The radio industry’s long-standing argument has been that the promotional benefits of airplay is payment enough for acts, however as satellite and streaming companies have adopted royalties for performers, pressure has mounted on terrestrial radio to do the same.

Gene Simmons Slams Radio ‘Injustice’

Simmons’ appearance in Washington, D.C. was in support of the Music Fairness Act, which would require radio stations to license artists’ songs for airplay.

“If you against this bill, you are un-American. You cannot let this injustice continue,” the Kiss rocker declared. “It looks like a small issue. There are wars going on and everything. But our emissaries to the world are Elvis and Frank Sinatra, and when they find out that we are not treating our stars right — in other words, worse than slaves. Slaves get food and water. Elvis, Bing Crosby and Sinatra got nothing for their performance. We have got to change this now for our children and our children’s children.”

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This isn’t the first time new legislation has been proposed to deal with the matter. For decades, artists have tried to create a path for compensation from radio airplay. On the flip side, opponents of the Music Fairness Act claim it will put radio stations out of business. The industry has struggled to maintain relevance amid the rise in satellite, streaming and other on-demand listening options. Still, Simmons believes the issue is obvious.

“This is an archaic injustice that’s been around for a long time, and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t get in the middle of it,” the bassist insisted, while encouraging members of both parties to support the bill.