Revered Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen forecasted a grim future for aspiring musicians during his recent visit to the Houses of Parliament in London, England, where he offered his patronage to ‘Rock The House,’ the parliamentary live music competition founded by British Conservative Party MP Mike Weatherley.
Malmsteen said that because of illegal downloads and social media sites like YouTube, new bands are no longer able to break away from the overcrowded music market: “People like myself are very lucky in having already established a loyal fanbase,” he started. “If I put out a new record, my fans will know about it and buy it. But the younger musicians of newer generations, their future doesn’t look too good. Everyone seems to have a CD out or YouTube videos, you know? Back in the ’80s, if you had a record out, you were hot shit!”
Malmsteem then vented his frustrations on music fans, who disregard artists intellectual-property rights by illegally downloading their music: “Copyright is everything to a musician,” he said. “Just like inventions, the music you write is like your own child. If it gets sold to people, you should be rewarded. No one should be able to take it from you.”
He added: “You don’t go around stealing cars! The rules should apply to music, film, books, etc. Anything that can be distributed should be accounted for. Something has to be done. The machine is broken.”
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