Warner Makes Kid Rock Their Attack Dog; He Turns on Them

Atlantic came to him saying he needed to say something publicly because "people are stealing from us and stealing from you." Rock's response? "Wait a second, you've been stealing from the artists for years. Now you want me to stand up for you?" So, instead, he started spreading the opposite message: "I was telling kids - download it illegally, I don't care. I want you to hear my music so I can play live."

It's for this reason that he's also avoiding having his music go up on iTunes, because it's based on the old model: "an old system, where iTunes takes the money, the record company takes the money, and they don't give it to the artists." He's disappointed that the recording industry has really squandered an opportunity: "So the internet was an opportunity for everyone to be treated fairly, for the consumer to get a fair price, for the artist to be paid fairly, for the record companies to make some money."

"Back in the day, we all know the stories of the Otis Reddings and Chuck Berrys and Fats Dominos who never got paid," Kid Rock told the BBC News website.

"So the internet was an opportunity for everyone to be treated fairly, for the consumer to get a fair price, for the artist to be paid fairly, for the record companies to make some money."

With
his tongue firmly in his cheek, Kid Rock also says he doesn’t agree
with the one-sided argument against file-sharing: “I think we should
level the playing field. I don’t mind people stealing my music, that’s
fine. But I think they should steal everything. You know how much money
the oil companies have? If you need some gas, just go fill your tank
off and drive off, they’re not going to miss it.”