Kid Rock Lashes Out Against iTunes, Endorses Illegal Downloading

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In an interesting interview with the BBC, Kid Rock> explained why most of his music isn't available on iTunes. "The internet was an opportunity for everyone to be treated fairly, for the consumer to get a fair price, for the artist to be paid fairly, for the record companies to make some money," Rock said. "[But iTunes is] an old system, where iTunes takes the money, the record company takes the money, and they don't give it to the artists." Rock went on to explain that he doesn't mind people downloading his albums illegally as long as they buy tickets to his concerts. "I was telling kids: download it illegally, I don't care. I want you to hear my music so I can play live. 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." Rock added, though, that he doesn't participate in that philosophy. "I don't steal things. I'm rich."

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Song Stories

“Everyday People”

Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.

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