In einem tollen Interview mit Billboard Magazine spricht der Strokes-Frontmann über die Fehler in der eigenen Karriere (und mag ausgerechnet meine Lieblingssong vom Solodebüt gar nicht) und vor über das Musikbusiness dieser Tage, das er als Künstler wie Chef des eigenen Indielabels Cult Records aus verschiedenen Perspektiven beurteilen kann:

“In terms of what a label should be… no one knows what’s going on or what to do. Even a major label, they have their relationships, but it’s all about Spotify. I don’t use Spotify. I think all those streaming services are… I don’t like them. They’re the new MTV, the new gatekeepers, so labels make deals with them to basically… they’re all just ripping everyone off. I don’t know. I don’t think labels have a clear identity right now. I’m not there on the forefront trying to figure out how to exploit and make money. I’m more interested in doing something like The Grateful Dead did: go town to town, be friends with the cool radio stations, play the cool venues, make relationships with cool promoters. You can have your online existence, but trying to suck on Spotify’s sweet sweetness is just a waste of time for me.

(…) I mean I get it. If you want to hear music in a simple way, it’s $10 a month, I get it. You’re not gonna buy songs on iTunes, I understand that, but.… Yeah I basically rip things and put them on a non-Apple device, because they don’t even let you have MP3s anymore, it’s so stupid. It’s gone so backwards. The whole process of music is so stupidly complicated right now, for all the technology.”

What’s the ideal role a label should play in 2019?

“Resources and manpower. But how they even have so much money is… you might as well just find an investor. I mean, it’s not a smart financial thing. Finding a great talent and nurturing them has its place, and that’s where [labels] could technically survive, but really what they’re doing is trying to play the system and make as much money [as possible]. There’s making money and then there’s developing artists. Developing artists is hard and complicated and annoying and thankless. Trying to scam the system and make deals to rip people off is easier.”

(aus dem Billboard Magazine)