The business model is dead and new bands don’t have a chance,” says the Kiss bassist.

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Gene Simmons believes that “rock ‘n’ roll is dead” thanks to “freckle-faced kids” who feel entitled to download and share music for free.

The Kiss bassist makes the claim in a recent chat with conservative host Bill O’ Reilly, where he discusses the change the music industry has seen over the years and how that undermines the viability of new and upcoming bands.

“Unfortunately, the business model is dead and new bands don’t have a chance, especially rock bands,” says the 75-year-old musician.

He attributes the downfall of the genre to music piracy, saying: “In a certain way, rock is finally dead, rock ‘n’ roll is dead because the freckled-faced kid next door to you, who is a good kid with a good family and everything, has become entitled — feels entitled to be able to download and file share and get all of this music for free.”

This is far from the first time Simmons has spoken about rock’s demise. The bassist shared a similar view back in 2014, where he told Esquire that “rock did not die of old age.”

Instead, “it was murdered. And the real culprit is that kid’s 15-year-old next-door neighbour.”

Elsewhere, Simmons also pointed out how rock has yet to produce a new generation-defining act that rivals the legendary status of The Beatles.

“It is [still dead]. And people don’t understand how I can say that,” he said on The Zak Kuhn Show [via Blabbermouth]. “What I mean is… from 1958 until 1988, that’s 30 years… It was a very, very rich musical menu. It could go up and down.”

“[But] from 1988 until today, it’s something like almost 40 years, certainly 35 years. Who are the new Beatles?”

“If you walked down the street and asked a 20-year-old ‘Who’s the bass player in Nirvana?’, they wouldn’t know what you’re talking about,” Simmons added. “Everybody knew The Beatles. Even if you hated rock music, you knew about them.”