Wolfgang Van Halen recently shared his thoughts on the current state of the music business. He expressed his concerns about industry challenges in an interview with 98 Rock radio station.
Van Halen’s comments addressed the difficulties facing musicians in today’s streaming-dominated landscape. He also discussed the impact of artificial intelligence on the industry.
“You certainly learn more and more. It’s not the greatest business, but what is nowadays? I think especially in the day of streaming, you’re the product. You don’t really have much choice in how you get used,” Van Halen said.
He continued to express his frustration with technological developments affecting the music world.
“And then you’ve got all this A.I. stuff that’s kind of ruined stuff even more. So you have to really love playing and creating music to do this, because that’s the good part. Everything else is the bad part,” he explained.
Van Halen concluded his remarks by referencing a Hunter S. Thompson quote. He offered advice for navigating the industry.
“I believe there’s that one Hunter S. Thompson quote that’s really… I don’t think I can say it right now, but, yeah, I think you just keep moving. You learn and you surround yourself with people you trust, and hopefully, you throw a little dash of luck in there and you can somehow find your own niche, so to speak,” he said.
Van Halen’s criticism of the music industry reflects broader concerns shared by many artists about the current state of the business. It also highlights concerns about emerging technologies.
The musician has been particularly vocal about artificial intelligence’s impact on creative industries. Society of Rock reported that Van Halen has called generative A.I. “really stupid” and a “waste of time.” He emphasized that such technology should focus on practical uses rather than replacing human creativity in art.
His concerns extend to how record labels are implementing these technologies. Van Halen has criticized record labels for pushing A.I. adoption as a cost-cutting measure. He stated: “It’s about paying fewer people to do more work for less money. The people at the top see the line go up—and that’s all they care about. Every industry ends up like that eventually. It’s not about the music anymore, it’s about how fast you can crank it out.”
These comments align with Van Halen’s broader philosophy about the music industry’s priorities. Blabbermouth noted that he has consistently emphasized that musicians must genuinely love creating music to survive in today’s challenging industry landscape.
Van Halen’s perspective carries particular weight given his unique position in rock music history. He is the son of legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen and a successful musician in his own right with his band Mammoth WVH. He has experienced both the legacy pressures of the music industry and its modern challenges firsthand.
