GUNS N' ROSES Guitarist D.J. ASHBA: Record Labels 'Don't Have The Budgets They Used To'

In a brand new interview with Rock Reflected, GUNS N' ROSES and SIXX: A.M. guitarist D.J. Ashba was asked what he thinks some of the biggest roadblocks facing artists today are.

"It's a lot tougher," he responded. "Well, I would say it's not tougher, but different. The old ways of playing every club in town and flyering every pole and post is always good and that's a very organic way to build your band. Nowadays, record labels just aren't spending money. They don't have the budgets they used to. It's a whole different ballgame. Before you had to be the best of the best to get a record deal and once you had a record deal, the label would basically just smother you in money and things and get your band out there and hopefully it would catch on or you'd get dropped. Nowadays it's completely different, but thank god for the Internet."

He continued: "There's a lot more people becoming famous or rich or known because of YouTube and just online social media. So, basically, instead of hiring a publicist, nowadays you can be your own publicist. You can go out there and promote your own thing to your own fans, the people who really want to hear from you and put interest in what you do. So you're targeting your audience."

Ashba added: "You know, it's just different. If you use the Internet properly in the right way, you can definitely launch a brand new band without a label and become very successful."

D.J. was also asked what advice he has for musicians or bands starting out that are looking to make it in the music industry.

"I would just say learn from everybody in front of you," he said. "Watch your favorite bands. Learn from their stories and their mistakes and don't ever give up. Don't ever let anyone tell you you can't make it."

He continued: "I don't feel it's hard necessarily to make it in the industry. You just have to have an incredible amount of patience and focus. It's something that you gotta work at every single day of your life, you know? You've got to dedicate your entire life to."

Ashba added: "I feel that no dream is too big to conquer as long as you are willing to put in as much hard work as it takes to get there. If you're willing to do that, you will be successful."

Ashba joined GUNS N' ROSES in March 2009 following the departure of Robin Finck.

GUNS N' ROSES' last studio album, "Chinese Democracy", got mixed reviews and was a relative flop, moving less than one million copies in the U.S. since its November 2008 release.