Noel Gallagher thinks social media has ruined music.
The former Oasis rocker believes musicians can no longer develop naturally by building up their careers before making it big, because social media and the internet allows for people to have their break too early.
When asked if he pays attention to the charts, Noel said: “No, it’s dreadful. It’s dreadful. It’s all about what sells. It’s not about furthering an artform or the culture, it’s about record sales – now! They need them f****** now.
“Queen were going for four years before they got their break. The Beatles were going for two years before they caught a break. You don’t just roll out of bed at 16 and you’re great. I wasn’t great until I was 27. I was writing songs since I was f****** 14, so way over 10 years. I mean, admittedly, we weren’t given the chance to be rejected because nobody was interested in the first place, but the way the business is now, it’s f*****.”
And Noel says social media has “killed everything”, because it’s full of things that are “fake”, as well as “division and hate”.
He added: “Social media has killed everything. The internet drives the neurosis of the world. The only thing real on the internet is the hate. That’s it. Everything else is fake. The only thing that’s real is division and hate. And I’m embarrassed to tell my children that my generation invented that: Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, and all those other f****** ****s, that’s what my generation did. And sadly, it can’t be undone now because it’s so embedded in society.”
The 54-year-old musician even claims his children – Anais, 21, Donovan, 13, and Sonny, 10 – don’t know what album artwork is because they don’t buy physical records anymore.
Speaking to Buzzmag, he said: “My daughter and two lads have grown up, and if it’s not on their phone, it doesn’t exist, mate. I came in from a meeting once, with the artwork for a record under my arm. One of my kids said to me, ‘What’s in the big envelope?’ and I told him it was the artwork for my album. And he said, ‘Artwork, what’s that?’ I told him, the artwork for my album cover. ‘Cover, what’s that?’ I replied, ‘The cover of a f****** record!’ – and then I had to explain to them all in their terms. ‘Oh right, I get it. OK, so when you go into iTunes, and you see that little picture, the little f****** picture? Well, that’s the artwork!’
“And do you know what one of them said to me? ‘You have meetings for that little picture’” I said, ‘Meetings? It cost a hundred f****** grand!’ But to them it’s just a picture on their phone.”