It’s no secret that the music industry has changed manifold since the Who released classics like Tommy and Who’s Next. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, singer Roger Daltrey gave an honest, candid take on how modern technology has changed the playing field — and why it could actually prevent us from hearing new material from Pete Townshend and himself.
Daltrey admitted he’s working on a musical solo project but has no idea if he’d ever release it. And what about another Who record? “We’ve talked about it, but it’s not going to be easy,” Daltrey said. Quotes like this give insight into why he feels this way:
“Why would I make a record? I would have to pay to make a record. There’s no royalties so I can’t see that ever happening. There’s no record business. How do you get the money to make the records? I don’t know. I’m certainly not going to pay money to give my music away free. I can’t afford to do that. I’ve got other things I could waste the money on.”
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But what about digital music? “You get paid for streaming, my ass,” Daltrey said. “Musicians are getting robbed every day. And now it’s creeping into film and television, everything now. You notice, the Internet is a slowly but surely destructive thing in all ways.”
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The Who singer is convinced the internet has failed to improve people’s lives. “Look up for a while,” is his advice. “Live in the real world.”
On that note, he spoke on the Who’s upcoming live prospects. He’s excited to affirm the band’s legacy at Desert Trip, playing alongside old friends like the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney, but tempered expectations for any newsworthy collaborations. “We will say, “Hello, good to see you again,” and go our separate ways, and that’s how it is.”