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Rock is among a handful of major artists who refuse to let Apple sell their records. He told the BBC that it is the record labels that are making money from the store, not the music makers.

"So the internet was an opportunity for everyone to be treated fairly, for the consumer to get a fair price, for the artist to be paid fairly, for the record companies to make some money," he told the BBC. But he claims that

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nothing has changed, the situation akin to the "old system" where some artists, Otis Redding, Chuck Berry and Fats Domino among them, never got paid at all.

Despite his stance, Rock has a number one album in the US last year. Nonetheless he accepts that joining iTunes is inevitable. Until then he wants to prove a point, he said.

Rock is well known for his antipathy to the record industry. A few years ago his label, Atlantic, asked him to speak out against file sharing.

His response: "Wait a second, you've been stealing from the artists for years. Now you want me to stand up for you?"

He says has no problems with people stealing his music, it only helps him sell concert tickets. Which, as a recent survey found, is where the money is.

[photo: Kid Rock by jvh33]