That comment led to a string of artists defending rock music, including Rob Halford, Joe Perry, Mark Tremonti, Corey Taylor, Scott Ian and Slash. Now John 5 has given his take on the state of the industry, saying although piracy is a problem, the music lives on.

He tells Icon vs Icon: "The industry has changed dramatically. It has changed so drastically, it's like night and day. It's not dead, but it changed. We just have to keep writing great songs and doing great shows to keep it alive.

"It's not just rock. It could be rap, country or anything like that. Music is a tough business because there's so much piracy out there. I know what it was like because back in the day, I was around when people were standing in line to buy a record. It has definitely changed a lot."