Heart’s Ann Wilson Declares the Music Industry Is “Unrecognizable” and No Longer “In the Hands of Humans”

Since stepping on stage in the 1960s, Ann Wilson spent the last six decades entertaining fans and navigating the music industry. Part of the rock band Heart, the group landed massive success as the first hard rock band fronted by a female. Only caring about the music, the band went on to sell over 35 million records worldwide and land a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Having such a rich history in music, the singer recently discussed how humans no longer control the music industry. 

Sitting down with Trib Live, Wilson admitted to no longer recognizing the music industry she first started in. “It doesn’t seem like it’s in the hands of humans these days. I feel like it’s more or less been given to the computers to compartmentalize and pick apart all the music and decide which genre they’re part of and then to stick them in that little pigeonhole.” She added, “That’s a huge difference because there used to be one or two radio stations and you could turn on the radio and just wait until you heard the song you loved and turn that one up, you know?”

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Ann Wilson Shares How To Keeping A Band Together Is Like A Marriage

Although understanding the benefits of streaming and how it allows artists to expand all over the world, Wilson explained, “It also takes away some of the quality control. If every single person can make an album, then what’s special about that? I don’t know.”

Besides discussing technology taking over music, Wilson joined Heart to kick off their Royal Flush tour in April. Marking their first tour since 2019, the singer opened up about how Heart lasted throughout the decades. “Keeping a band together, you could call it like keeping a marriage together. If you pay attention to all the little ins and outs of it and the chemistry of it, then it could work and it could work for a long time. I think Heart is a good example of a creative idea that just goes and goes and goes because it’s a good idea.”

(Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for God’s Love We Deliver)