“The digital music revolution has been compromised, according to Kid Rock, because digital music stores and record labels still manage to hoard the lion’s share of music revenue,” Eliot Van Buskirk writes for Wired.

MacDailyNews Take: Music labels, yes. Digital music stores? No. Not from what we’ve heard. Apple’s iTunes operates at break-even or just above. Bobbie, the reason that the record labels still manage to hoard the lion’s share of music revenue is because you and/or your management are incapable of negotiating and signing a lucrative contract.

Van Buskirk continues, “He advises fans to download his music for free from P2P services, although he himself doesn’t have to. ‘I don’t steal things,’ he told the BBC. ‘I’m rich.’ As for everyone else, he says, ‘Download it illegally, I don’t care. I want you to hear my music so I can play live.’”

MacDailyNews Take: So, you got rich solely from playing live and not from record sales, Bobbie? It’s possible, we guess. But, it’s also pretty hard to believe. In all probability, some of your riches came from music sales. Bad contract or not. Regardless, that’s not the point. The point is that iTunes is not taking the money, the labels are, so the boycott of iTunes Store is misplaced. Next time, don’t sign with a label. The label has served it’s purpose: you now have a fan base, so market your music to fans directly via iTunes, Amazon, and the other non-exclusionary online outfits and you’ll keep more money.

Van Buskirk continues, “Rock’s tirade was apparently precipitated by a request from his record label, Warner Music Group’s Atlantic Records, that he publicly denounce file sharing. His response: ‘Wait a second, you’ve been stealing from the artists for years. Now you want me to stand up for you?’ Ouch.”

MacDailyNews Take: We agree 100% with that sentiment. What we do not agree with, at all, is his insistence on lumping iTunes (which, again, operates at around break-even in order to promote device sales) in with the music cartels. Equating the two entities only highlights Bobbie’s appalling lack of knowledge about how the music business works today.

Van Buskirk continues, “‘iTunes takes the money, the record company takes the money, and they don’t give it to the artists,’ added the country rock rapper.”

MacDailyNews Take: Again, Bobbie: iTunes doesn’t “take the money.” iTunes Store’s cut pays for marketing and bandwidth. There’s little or nothing left. It’s the music cartels that take most of your money, precisely as you directed them to do when you signed your current contract with them, you fool.

As for promoting music piracy, Van Buskirk continues, “Rock expands on the idea, positing that anyone who needs something should just take it: ‘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 (up) and drive off, they’re not going to miss it.’”

MacDailyNews Take: Using his “logic,” we can also whip up and print counterfeit tickets to his live shows. Whoops! Bobbie will be out stealing for himself in no time. Like we said, Bobbie’s a fool.

Full article here.

The out-of-touch, wildly-confused dummy’s interview with the BBC is here.