“Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has lambasted the iTunes and Facebook culture for helping to take the danger out of rock ‘n’ roll,” Electronista reports.
“In an interview with Antiquiet, Corgan vented his disdain for the ‘cuddliness’ of social networking and iTunes,” Electronista reports. “He thinks that the phenomenon of iTunes and Facebook could be holding back the next generation of genuine rock talent from ‘kicking their own door in’ as bands such as The Clash and Nirvana had done in the past.”
Electronista reports, “His comments, ironically, come at a time when his band’s latest album Oceania is a featured album on the iTunes Store and can be streamed for free ahead of its release.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Not just ironically, but hypocritically, too.
He needed attention. What a tool. Sorry people aren’t buying your crap ‘music’ any more billy.
and when someone does thought iTunes, apple gets a cut.
I hated the f—ing Smashing Pumpkins when they were relevant. Now I could care less.
Were they ever “relevant”? They definitely didn’t “kick any doors in” as far as I’m concerned, despite Corgan’s attempts over the years to provide the “edge” with his provocative talk on various issues. Their name is apt – they were “smashing” only if it was “pumpkins” being smashed.
Besides, I’ve never had much time for rockers who whine about the “greedy corporate culture” that they are perfectly happy to make use of to provide them their fame, fortune and the platform they use to pontificate on the state of the world.
Just shut up and play your guitar, Billy. Being good at that doesn’t turn you and others of your ilk into any kind of great thinkers.
Billy who? Kicking in doors? Really? Morrison and the Doors kicked in some doors. Hendrix assaulted our senses. Joplin broke the establishment. Not much has happened since.
Ooopps! I’m sorry, Billy. You seem to have confused me with someone who gives a rat’s ass what you think. What was the name of your “band,” again?
I thought they were those guys that sit on trebuchets, and get hurled 200 feet on Pumpkin’ Chunckin’.
It’s hard to be an aging hipster.
Breaking news!!! Irrelevant musician talks shit about people who are relevant.
Is there an actual point to what he’s saying? I can’t find one..
If anything, iTunes can and should be a method for bands to get MORE exposure and opportunity to build a national and worldwide following. They wouldn’t even have to print CDs, just have their music available for download. Do a free Indie song of the week.
iTunes doesn’t filter out new rock. The thing preventing a “new” rock band from “kicking the door in” is themselves and the music labels, who are content with producing the same recycled pop sounds and American Idol sound-alikes as fast as they can.
@Bizlaw is absolutely right. Corgan’s remarks make no sense. If you want to kick a door down, go ahead. You can record anything you want and sell it any way you want. Big labels only let music in when it suited them. At least in iTunes anyone gets a shot. But hey, Corgan, if you’re so into preserving your art, post your recordings to your website and let everyone download them for free. Then you will have beaten iTunes.. congratulations!
Good one, thanks.
Just HOW is iTunes responsible for lack of “danger”? Huh? Because we won’t buy any crappy track he puts on the album….is that how?
Stop blaming others for your lack of talent pumpkin. Now go away and make something I might pay for.
Smashing Pumpkins? Billy Corgan?
Exactly. Irrelevant purveyor of incoherent anti-tonal noise ranting with incoherent noise.
The market has spoken and those pumpkins have been smashed for the last time.
No worries. Anyone whose creative juices can be inhibited by the likes of Facebook is likely to have anything worthwhile to say. Facebook is for pussies. 🙂
And Ping.
Corgan is full of crap, a self-opinionated loudmouth who only cares about himself. He was slagging off Radiohead for being highly regarded, as if that’s the band’s fault. It’s not like they vote their own albums to the top-end of all-time lists. He ignores the fact that young, up-and-coming bands are gaining from iTunes and Facebook, along with Bandcamp and Soundcloud, as a means to get their music to as wide an audience as possible, without the indifference of ever-changing record label A&R staff, which dogged many an artist on major labels. Aimee Mann’s sad history with labels should be taken as a salutary lesson.
A local band to me I saw recently, at a smal festival. Never heard of them before. They are on iTunes and Bandcamp, their new EP is available on both, and via their Facebook page you can download five tracks in MP3, FLACK, AAC, and Apple Lossless. They do all their own promotion via Fb, and recently supported InMe. It’s fine for Corgan to mouth off, he’s had a long and successful career.
Anyone who likes heavy, melodic rock, along the lines of Muse, check out facebook.com/mortedelamer
And no, I have zero commercial interest, only musical; I just liked them, and I’d like them to do well, if only to prove Corgan mistaken.
“…could be holding back the next generation of genuine rock talent…”
I’ve been waiting for genuine rock talent long before iTune and Facebook were even conceptualized! Idiot.
+∞!
You Mr. Now Now are responsible for cleaning the coffee off my keyboard!
Best comment of the week, sir!
Really? We haven’t had any genuine rock talent so far, huh?
You’re the idiot. You just insulted millions of musicians around the world, dead and living, and next you’ll be telling us you were born deaf, as well as retarded.
From this moment forward, any post with your name, black or blue, will be ignored. Change your name and we’ll still know it’s you.
Now, Now… you can’t fixed stupid.
Another clueless jackass. Does not know his head from his anus.
courtesy of Stephen Lynch:
http://www.whatarerecords.com/sl/keys/
That’s right, bite the hand that feeds you. Douche.
Hey “Billy Boy”
Why don’t u Spend more of ur Time Learning to Write some good Music 4 once in ur Life and S.T.F.U. Because u Have no idea what ur Talking About.
(Another Clueless Dumb Ass Musician)
Well at least his pro wrestling promotion looks cool. Lol.
Corgan knows what he is doing. Just grabbing some headlines as his new album is coming out this week. Looks like he has stirred up a reaction here.
Apparently Billy believes in hypnotic rays coming through the Internet, turning us all into compliant little sheeple, shepherded by our dumbass Corporate Oligarchy.
Kind of funny Billy that I don’t feel even a twinge from those hypnotic rays. Entirely to the contrary. And I still revere Apple as THE exceptional company today amidst a sea of self-destructive BizTards.
So, maybe go take a vacation and get some perspective?
Billy reminds me of uncle fester
The last time Billy Corgan was relevant.
Forget the insults- I simply don’t understand his logic.
Billy who?
Write and perform music people want to buy, put it on a medium that they want it – they will buy it. People don’t pay $12 – 20 for garbage. Well, sometimes they do… But not many.
Ya wanna know what is taking the danger out of rock and roll?
Record labels and prima donna rock stars.
As a photographer I get asked to shoot bands a lot. They always ALWAYS want to enforce this ridiculous restriction on me to only shoot the band’s first three songs only. After that the band is too sweaty and disheveled for their PR people.
I have a bunch of classic shots of the Stones and Beatles on my iPad so I can show them these iconic images. Mick covered in sweat grimacing like he has ‘roids, Keith Richards passed out on the floor looking almost dead, that kind of thing.
I always tell them if you want me to shoot I get unfettered access. Period.
The bands usually love it, the labels not so much.
Rock and Roll isn’t dead, it’s just in the wrong hands.
Wow… For an ‘irrelevant’ musician he did not only get a headline on this site but over 30 angry responses…maybe he’s more relevant than you guys think.
Corgan is all for iTunes he premiered his album there… He just mentions that the digital age has been tough to deal with creatively. Which happens to be a FACT.
Where areThe Beatles of the 21st century, Nirvana’s or Smashing Pumpkins for a matter of fact? Exactly.
Coogan can’t even get along with the other band members. When he called them up to revive the group, Iha and the others either said no thanks, Billy, or split after a short while.
Billy who?
Corgan. Grammy award winning composer, has sold more than 35 million albums and was also a New York Times best selling author.
Currently releasing a critically acclaimed new album after an extremely successful 25 year career.
The question should be: Who the hell are you?
Hey Billy: Joe Strummer would have loved iTunes.. it gets the music to the people! that’s the point of it all. I can download an album faster than I can find my car keys! iTunes will soon release all albums, with or without a traditional record label involved. 30% to Apple is a BARGAIN! Of course you must have really enjoyed getting bent over by your record label… it’s affected your thinking! The only “danger” facing rock and roll is buying one of your recent albums! barf~
Corgan added, “Now Myspace, that was edgy. Why can’t iTunes just be more like that?”
I find it increasingly interesting that old bands are being negative about iTunes. What it is, is iTunes has open the door and embraced independent artist in a way never before witnessed on such a global scale. iTunes is showing the old crap bands like the Smashing Pumpkin Heads that you don’t need a major label contract to be successful on a global scale.
Don’t think I right check out some of my favorite indie artists on iTunes: November-7, Inkubus Sukkubus, Noctura, Gypsy Soul and this is just a very short list of some of my favorite ones and I didn’t include any well known artist that have turned indie over the past few years.
Proving that you don’t need to be signed to a label and you don’t need to be the CASH to have as success and enjoy it as much or even more then most bands strapped to a label telling you what to do, how to do it and making as much money off of the signed band as they can before canceling their contract and dropping them like a hot rotten pile of steaming bull $h!t Billy Corgan is spewing out of his hole.
Pretty harsh you guys, hostility as Apple fanboys is pretty silly and undermines your remarks – he perhaps could have spoke in a different way, but the click-culture where you can pick and genre and click to hear music is great convenience but does have a dark side – or at least a side different from what was once the case.
I think the ease of getting music has made it less valuable for both listeners and artists alike. And the rampant copying (and ITunes allows you to add your own files and populate your own iPod with copied music BTW) also makes it less inviting for recording musicians today. Anyone notice the relentless touring of aging bands in recent years? Its because they are not getting a lot of revenue from record sales or iTunes sales. Sorry, but that is the new state of the music industry, right or wrong.
If there was ever a has been its billy corgan.. I’d prolly be pissed too if I was him. Pissed at life. He’s probably still drinking… Ne’er mind him