Charlie Benante: “Spotify is where music goes to die”
The drummer of Anthrax Charlie Benante shared his thoughts on streaming in the music industry and why Spotify is “where music goes to die.”
During an interview with The Irish Times Benante was asked how much the music industry has changed in the last 40 years.
He responded by taking a clear stance on the matter, saying: “There is no music industry. That’s what’s changed. There’s nothing left. There are people who listen to music, but they don’t listen to it the way they used to.”
He went on to talk about the role of digital streaming: “The music industry was one of the hardest hit and nobody did anything. They just let it happen. It wasn’t protected, nothing at all. Subconsciously that might be why so we don’t make records every three years or so, because I don’t want to give them away. It’s like I pay Amazon $12.99 a month and I can just go to Amazon and get whatever I want. It’s basically a steal theft from the artist, from people that go on music streaming sites like Spotify. I don’t subscribe to Spotify. I think that’s where the music goes to die. We put the music on there because we have to play the fucking game any industry. As artists, we have no health coverage, we have nothing. They screwed us so bad, I don’t know how we’re going to get out of this. We would probably make more money selling lemonade on the corner.”
Benante was asked if he supported Metallica’s lawsuit against Napster in the early 2000s: “They were absolutely right. You saw where it went. All the people saying, ‘fuck Metallica, they’re rich bastards.’ They were protecting their art, their intellectual property so that some asshole doesn’t come and take their art and they make money while you create the art and give it away.”
The Anthrax they will be in concert in Italy on December 6th at Alcatraz in Milan.
