JUSTIN Hawkins of UK rock band The Darkness has a theory on why music sales have haemorrhaged in the last decade.

Streaming? Illegal downloading? Short attention spans?

“Music has become s*** and that’s why people don’t want to pay for it anymore,” Hawkins states.

“If we make a fantastic album hopefully that will change.”

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media_camera Justin Hawkins from the The Darkness says people don’t want to pay for modern music. Picture: AP

Hawkins was recently introduced to a Spotify employee, who was shocked when the rocker asked him “By the way, what is Spotify?”

“It’s just from a different era for me,” Hawkins says.

“I think it’s a total con. You don’t get to negotiate with Spotify your royalties like you would a normal record label.

“Music’s become a service, you pay a subscription rather than buying a hard format. It used to a product, now music is a service.”

Hawkins’ was one of many who scratched their chin when all 16 of Ed Sheeran’s new songs entered the UK Top 20 in the same week: a side-product of streaming counting for the singles chart.

“That just means the system’s f***ed,” he says.

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media_camera Justin Hawkins in concert. Picture: Megan Cullen

“You can’t have 16 singles off one album. You have to choose one that’s the single.

“Everyone knows Ed Sheeran’s great and he’s selling loads of records but imagine listening to the Top 40 rundown on the radio on a Sunday afternoon like you used to as a kid and you have to listen to the whole Ed Sheeran album. Totally ridiculous. That’s a broken system and they have to mend it.”

Ironically The Darkness were the soundtrack to Taylor Swift’s Apple Music ad campaign to promote their streaming service — the superstar dancing to their hit I Believe In a Thing Called Love.

“It was a good little bit of hard cash,” Hawkins admits.

“It was good to see someone dancing to the music, I don’t think it raised awareness of us. Or maybe it did. Maybe that’s why the Australian shows are selling so well.”

Swift reportedly went to at least one Darkness concert.

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“You’re talking about back in the day. She was young, I was beautiful. It was all a long time ago ...”

The Darkness are in the middle of recording their fifth album, and Hawkins is already excited about one particular format they’ll be releasing it on come September.

“It’s coming out on vinyl and CD, but also cassette.

“I used to always buy cassettes, they were my thing. My nan bought me a Phillips ghetto blaster and I used to listen to Run DMC on cassette. It’s nice to see cassettes back. We anticipate our fanbase are more interested in the hard format stuff.”

media_camera Taylor Swift is a fan of The Darkness, apparently. Picture: Getty

After the self-produced Last Of Our Kind from 2014, they’re using producer Adrian Bushby (Foo Fighters, Muse) and Hakwins has an early summation.

“There’s some sad bits on there, some really triumphant bits, some really stupid bits,” he says.

“It sounds immense. It’s magnificent. That’s the word. Or to use the Italian expression Il Magnifico.”

It’s the first album with their new drummer Rufus Taylor, son of Queen sticksman Roger Taylor.

“Finally a drummer that is up to my standards!,” Hawkins jokes.

“A drummer that actually compliments my amazing voice!”

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media_camera The Darkness.

While he’s a fulltime member of the Darkness, Taylor moonlights occasionally with his dad when they tour as Queen featuring Adam Lambert (Hawkins was a co-writer on Lambert’s first album).

The Darkness are such Queen nerds they used Bohemian Rhapsody producer Roy Thomas Baker on their second album, 2005’s One Way Ticket to Hell ... and Back (an album that reportedly cost over a million dollars).

“There are now four members of The Darkness that know the Queen catalogue inside out,” Hawkins notes.

“It definitely informs the way we write and the way we perform, but Rufus is his own man, he’s got his influences outside of Queen. When I hear him play I don’t hear that much similarity to his dad, apart from the fact he’s brilliant. He’s got his own thing going on.”

The Darkness are also in the throes of being filmed for an extensive documentary that will tackle their highs and lows. Hawkins says his cocaine blizzard era and rehab may be touched on (he’s now clean and even avoids meat).

media_camera Hawkins has promised an eye-opening documentary on The Darkness. Picture: AP

“We might talk about how it affects the dynamics of now, it is some part of the story but it’s really dull for me to talk about and it’s surely boring to everyone else now too,” he says.

“They must have loads and loads of material. I have no idea when it’s coming out but it’ll be sprawling with extensive awkward, painful footage — for us.

“They’ve been following us around and you forget they’re there and accidentally step into your usual obnoxious selves without remembering the cameras are there.

“Which I suppose is what they’re after, they want to see us being total pr**ks. Which is great, because that’s what we’re good at!”

SEE The Darkness, Eatons Hill Brisbane April 27, Max Watts Melbourne May 2, 170 Russell Melbourne May 3,5 (sold out), Enmore Theatre Sydney May 10, Metro City Perth May 12.

Tix: selecttouring.com.au/tours/the-darkness/