Slipknot / Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor recently spoke with The Irish Times, discussing Slipknot's latest album, We Are Not Your Kind, and the state of the music industry. An excerpt is available below.

Q: The model of music has changed since when you started out. There isn’t the same revenues from record sales. As a successful band, could you survive just on your royalties from streaming sales? 

Taylor: "You could if the streaming system wasn’t set up the way it is. You are being paid less than pennies. In the United States they have passed the legislation (the Music Modernisation Act 2018) but it is being appealed. I am hoping that it will be struck down. If the streaming systems paid more online with how publishing in radio pays - people could make a living. I have had friends of mine who have had to retire and they are popular bands because they can’t make a living. Mid-card bands and lower, it is hard for them. It almost pays better to play the local pub and do the door deal. You make more money doing that than making an album. Labels don’t take the same chances but they are taking the lion’s share of the money because of the way it is set up. Until the artist is paid fairly, it is going to be a constant f**king battle. I saw this coming years ago. I haven’t got a problem with streaming. I have got a problem with how these streaming services rip off the artist and I’ll say that until the day I die."

Q: Do you think Metallica had a point when they sued Napster all those years ago?

Taylor: "Absolutely they did. Even the Unabomber had a point. I’m not saying those people should have died. What he said was that technology was going to be the ruin of a lot of people’s lives whether it be social media or people using technology to invade countries. It’s out of control. There are no checks or balances."

Read the complete interview here.

WhatCulture recently launched its very own WhatCulture Rock Show, and their first official interview features Corey Taylor. He discusses Slipknot's song "Solway Firth" being used on The Boys TV series, the band's new album We Are Not Your Kind, and his upcoming solo record in the clip below.

Taylor on his solo album:

"It's been cool to kind of start building the momentum for a potential solo run. It's definitely going to be rock-based, but it's going to be rock meets so many different things. There will be harder-edged stuff, but there also will be big, expansive, huge, world-changing guitar songs that you're going to want to sing along to. That's just who I am, and I'm not going to fight who I am. I've got 26 songs written, and I'm not done yet."