Kid Rock Hopes His Summer Jam Doesn’t Have To Be On iTunes

anthonyjmiccio | June 18, 2008 9:30 am

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Kid Rock must know better than anyone that “All Summer Long” would cross over bigtime if he’d just bounce across our TV singing it while earbud-accessorized silhouettes dance around him, but in the name of Fats Domino he must refuse. “Back in the day, we all know the stories of the Otis Reddings and Chuck Berrys and Fats Dominos who never got paid…I will be on iTunes eventually because I can’t avoid it, but I like to always stick to my guns and prove a point and do something original and because I believe in it.” This might help explain why the song has yet to hit the Hot 100, and has only scraped a few peripheral charts. At least he’s OK with you stealing the fucker so you can sing along at shows–this way, he doesn’t have to suffer the indignity of a weak royalty rate.

The performer – whose real name is Robert Ritchie – said his record company Atlantic had asked him to “stand up for illegal downloading” a few years ago because it told him “people are stealing from us and stealing from you”.

“And I go: ‘Wait a second, you’ve been stealing from the artists for years. Now you want me to stand up for you?’

“I was telling kids – download it illegally, I don’t care. I want you to hear my music so I can play live.”

Asked whether he was worried about illegal downloading, he replied: “I don’t agree with it. 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.”

But he said he did not implement that advice himself. “No, I don’t steal things. I’m rich.”

If I was rich I wouldn’t even speak the word CD-R, so I hear ya, Kid. The hunger for a big hit may be getting to the Kid already; “All Summer Long” is already available on iTunes in Europe, and the track will be soon available for download in the UK as well.

Kid Rock boycotts iTunes over pay [BBC]

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