The 2025 Kennedy Center honoree spoke at a Senate subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C.

Kiss bassist Gene Simmons says music artists are treated ‘worse than slaves’ because radio doesn’t pay them

The 2025 Kennedy Center honoree spoke at a Senate subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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December 10, 2025 6:00 p.m. ET

Gene Simmons is slamming radio. Credit:

Ethan Miller/Getty

Kiss bassist and frontman Gene Simmons wants to feel more love from the radio — in his bank account.

While the group's songs, such as "Rock and Roll All Night" and "I Was Made for Lovin' You," still receive airplay, the artists aren't compensated for it.

Simmons spoke in support of changing that Tuesday when he appeared at a Senate subcommittee on the American Music Fairness Act, which would require payments to artists, rather than the current law, which requires only that the songwriter receives royalties.

“If you are against this bill, you are un-American,” Simmons told the politicians. "You cannot let this injustice continue. It looks like a small issue … There are wars going on and everything, but our emissaries to the world are Elvis and Frank Sinatra. And when they find out we're not treating our stars right — in other words, worse than slaves; slaves get food and water. Elvis and Sinatra and Bing Crosby got nothing for their performance. You've got to change this now for our children and our children's children."

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He urged the members of the committee to "do the right thing."

Simmons also noted that the U.S. policy is not the same as the ones used by some other countries, including Russia and China.

“How do we dare come in second to Russia, an alleged country led by a despot, when they do a better job of paying our “King of Rock & Roll,' and we're going to stand by and not pay today's artists and future artists," Simmons said. "Because, let's face it, our children are tomorrow's stars.”

Gene Simmons performs with Kiss in 2023.

Kevin Mazur/Getty for Live Nation

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In its coverage of Simmons' appearance, *Rolling Stone* noted that countries with systems similar to that of the one in the United States are North Korea, Iran, and Cuba.

Simmons was also in Washington, D.C., to be honored, along with bandmates Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, and the late Ace Frehley at the Kennedy Center on Dec. 7. Hosted by President Donald Trump, the ceremony also featured tributes to Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, George Strait, and Michael Crawford.**

Watch Simmons speak at the hearing above.

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