Gene Simmons Says Today’s Musicians Are Treated “Worse Than Slaves”

Gene Simmons believes musicians are treated “worse than slaves” because they do not receive payment from radio stations when their songs are broadcast.

The KISS musician made the claim while speaking before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Intellectual Property Subcommittee on Tuesday (09.12.25) during a hearing focused on the American Music Fairness Act, which seeks to require radio stations to pay artists for airplay. Simmons argued that legends such as Elvis Presley and Bing Crosby were treated unfairly under the current system.

He told the committee, “Bing Crosby recorded perhaps one of the biggest songs ever made, White Christmas. What could be more American than that?
“Written by Irving Berlin. It has been played on radio, AM and FM, millions of times. Every Christmas, we and the rest of the world are listening to ‘I’m dreaming of a white Christmas.’ That song belongs to America.
“Everyone earned money, the radio station sold advertising, the plumber who repaired the plumbing was paid, the disc jockey was paid. The only person who never received anything for those plays was Bing Crosby, which is astonishing.”

He continued, “It is America’s music that leads the world. Elvis Presley, the king. Elvis performed hundreds and hundreds of songs. Sadly, Elvis never received a penny for all the times, all the millions of times his music was played across the globe.”

Gene then pushed his point further and compared the situation to slavery, saying, “It might seem like a small issue. There are wars happening and many problems, but our ambassadors to the world are Elvis and Frank Sinatra.
“And then when they discover we are not treating our stars correctly, meaning worse than slaves… Slaves receive food and water. Elvis, Bing Crosby, and Sinatra got nothing for their performances.
“You have to change this now for our children and our children’s children, and I know you will. The president will sign this once all of you, respectfully, pull this together and push it forward. Let us do what is right. God bless America.”

This discussion follows only months after an open letter supporting the American Music Fairness Act was delivered to Congress. Artists who signed the letter included Aerosmith, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Joan Jett, Mariah Carey, Ozzy Osbourne, and Stevie Nicks.