Nile Rodgers says even David Bowie would struggle to make it with the state of the music industry today.
The music legend — who co-produced Bowie’s seminal 1983 album Let’s Dance and has worked with the likes of Madonna, Duran Duran and Beyonce — gave evidence at the House of Commons to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee this week.
Asked about streaming services and the low levels of remuneration for artists, Rodgers admitted that, in his five decades in music, he thought modern technologies would make his life “better,” but there is something “dreadfully wrong” in the system.
“I’m 71 years old,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for 50 years of my life.”
“In 50 years, you would have thought with the advent of all the new technologies, people like me would have a much better life, things would be easier, we’d all profit together — and that’s not the case,” the legendary producer said. “There’s something dreadfully wrong with that.”
He then used the late “Modern Love” hitmaker as an example of a music genius who wouldn’t stand a chance if he were starting now.
Rodgers recalled how Bowie “paid” for Let’s Dance to be made after he was dropped by RCA.
“They gave [Bowie] all that time to try and make a hit,” Rodgers said. “He called me up, and we made [Let’s Dance].”
“[The labels] took on this financial responsibility,” the Chic co-founder said. “And they would carry the artists they believed in that — at some point in time — would finally break. Those days are truly over.”
Bowie predicted in 2002 that the music business — and how people would consume songs — would change within the next decade and become like “running water.”
”The absolute transformation of everything that we ever thought about music will take place within 10 years, and nothing is going to be able to stop it,” Rodgers aid. “Music itself is going to become like running water or electricity.”
