Gene Simmons said the question of whether artificial intelligence will help or hurt music is no longer relevant, speaking on NewsNation. The KISS bassist has become an advocate for the American Music Fairness Act, which he says will force radio stations to pay artists for their songs.
Simmons was asked directly about AI’s impact on the music industry. He explained his view on adapting to new technology and stressed the importance of mastering tools before they take control.
Question: “AI, do you think that’s going to be good or bad for music?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Gene Simmons told NewsNation. “The future is here. You’ve got to learn how to use it. Otherwise, it will use you.”
Simmons then described his efforts to advance the American Music Fairness Act through Congress. He said he had appeared before bipartisan support in front of the Speaker of the House, Congresswoman Blackburn, and Senator Schumer. “I appeared at the behest of the Senate in front of bipartisan support, [the] Speaker of the House. Spent time with him, Congresswoman Blackburn, Mr. Schumer, and all the rest of them.”
“There’s a bill in front of the president, and I had some facetime with the president when he presented us with the Kennedy Center Award—the highest in the land, I might add, in December—and we spent some alone time talking about the [American Music] Fairness Act, and that’s about to pass,” he said. “Astonishingly, Elvis, Crosby, Kiss, Garth Brooks, your favorite Taylor… when the artists are played on AM and FM radio, when you hear their songs, they receive a total goose egg, not even a single penny. However, radio, AM and FM—just AM radio by itself—made 14 billion dollars last year.”
He stressed his commitment to the cause regardless of opposition. “So, the Fair Music Act, which will pass… I’m going to be a big, you know, angry bee in the butt of everybody who stands in its way. And I don’t care.”
Simmons made these comments during his appearance to promote the American Music Fairness Act, which would require radio broadcasters to pay artists when their songs are played on air. His advocacy highlights a growing push to change how the radio industry compensates musicians.
The American Music Fairness Act was introduced to Congress on January 30, 2025, and aims to establish copyright holders’ exclusive right to perform sound recordings through audio transmission. The United States is the only major country where radio stations do not pay royalties to artists or copyright owners, even though streaming services and satellite radio do pay them. This gap costs American artists tens of millions of dollars in royalties every year, particularly because overseas radio payments are based on reciprocal royalty agreements.
In December 2025, Gene Simmons testified before the U.S. Senate to support the American Music Fairness Act, calling the current system an injustice against music creators. The KISS co-founder testified at a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing and expressed his backing for legislation that would force AM/FM radio stations to pay royalties to copyright holders. Simmons is one of more than 300 artists who have signed a letter to congressional leaders urging passage of the bill. The legislation is led by Senators Marsha Blackburn, Cory Booker, and Thom Tillis, and would align corporate radio broadcasters with all other music streaming platforms that already compensate artists.
The bill includes protections for small and community broadcasters, allowing qualifying stations to pay as little as $10 per year. In July 2026, 58 major recording artists, including Mariah Carey, Barbra Streisand, Lee Greenwood, Smokey Robinson, and Pink, sent a letter to Congressional leaders calling for urgent passage of the legislation. The three living original members of KISS—Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Peter Criss—reunited at the Kennedy Center Honors on December 7, 2025 in Washington, D.C., less than two months after the death of their longtime bandmate, original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley.
