Rock legend Sammy Hagar has revealed that the days of making substantial profits from record sales are long gone. In a recent interview on The Bogus Otis Show: 9 Degrees Of Sammy Hagar podcast, the iconic singer admitted that the current music industry landscape has made it challenging to monetize music recordings.
When asked about the possibility of his touring band creating new material, Hagar responded, “Yes. I guarantee it. But it’s, like, I don’t know when and why, because records don’t sell.”
Despite the challenges faced by the music industry, Hagar remains optimistic about the future. He continues to tour extensively and remains committed to creating new music, even if the financial rewards may be limited.
The Struggles of the Modern Music Industry
Hagar has shared his frustrations with the current state of the music industry. Despite releasing what he considers to be some of his best work in recent years, Hagar has found it increasingly difficult to turn a profit from his music. As he explained in a recent interview, “I’ve made a couple of my best records… and I’m lucky to sell 50 or 60,000 records.”
Hagar’s financial struggles have forced him to adopt a more pragmatic approach to his music career. He jokingly noted that making records can be a useful tax write-off.
The Red Rocker also expressed interest in collaborating with the late Eddie Van Halen on unreleased material. However, he admitted that working with Alex Van Halen could be challenging.
Hagar Still Wishes for a Van Halen Reunion
Sammy Hagar has expressed his desire to reunite with the Van Halen band and create new music using Eddie Van Halen’s unreleased recordings. In a recent interview, the iconic vocalist stated, “And yeah, get Mikey on board and go in there and we can have a Van Halen record.”
However, Hagar acknowledged that Alex Van Halen’s involvement would be crucial for such a project to materialize. He praised Michael Anthony and Wolfie Van Halen for their positive attitudes and expressed his enthusiasm for their current collaboration on The Best of All Worlds tour.
The tour, which features a setlist primarily consisting of Van Halen songs, has been a major success. Hagar is joined by Michael Anthony, Jason Bonham, Joe Satriani, and Rai Thistlethwayte for the 28-show tour, which concludes on August 31 in St. Louis, Missouri.