Gene,
I don't know, for someone who is supposedly dead, you looked really good on the American Music Awards last night. :)
Maureen
Hello Gene
What a suprise I got when I went to Spencers on Friday. We regularily go to Spencers at LLoyd Center Mall, here in Portland, Oregon. Of course they know us by name now. We were totally blown away at all the new KISS merchandise they had. We saw the new KISS MOOD LIGHT box that changes color, they had the new dart board game, the new pool cue with the cue case, they had the metal dress to KIll sign, the had the rubix cube, a destroyer throw blanket, I was blown away at the look of the new love gun shadow box with ticket stub drum sticks. For those who have been waiting for new KISS merchandise the waiting is over. Go to your nearest Spencer gifts and check out all the new merchandise. We were told that new classic KISS stuff is coming in every week. Thanks Gene for everything that you do for your fans.
KISS fan's in Portland
Gene....
Just read the letter from Scott, who feels it's ok to steal music since he buys a hat. I'll make it simple for him. Scott. Walk into your local Wal-Mart or Target, (Or Yancy Street Comics), and purchase $500 worth of inventory. Then, walk over to a display, and stuff $100 worth of merchandise into your pants. Then, when they let you off the ground, explain to them how you deserved to steal the stuff, as you just spent $500! See how far that gets you, idiot.
Peace Gene!
Steve Baginskie
Gene:
you describe yourself often as not knowing about what to expect after death and saying that nobody should claim to be right regarding their interpretation of God. Was wondering: do you think it would be accurate to say you're an agnostic? or do you believe there is a supreme being but that it's impossible for anyone here to know specifics about who God is?
best,
r
Response from Gene:
How I describe myself religiously isn't really an issue and shouldn't be to other human beings. Why should it be yours or anyone else's business. It should be strictly between yourself and your creator. And no other human being should be able to say squat about it. Or, have an opinion about it.
I have no illusions that "File Sharing" is morally and legally wrong, but how can you claim that record companies are "dead" when several artist have recently sold 400,000+ CD's in only a week? - Thanks JLB-MO
Response from Gene:
Because the vast majority of them haven't. The big bands from the 70's thru the 90's survived. Almost all other bands have not.
“File sharing”? I’m confused. “Sharing” implies that I’m fine with you taking something that I would normally make money off of without paying. It’s not sharing. It’s shoplifting. Try heading down to your local deli, walking behind the counter, and helping yourself to a turkey on wheat (mustard, no mayo). See if the owner calls it “sandwich sharing”. I’ll bet they don’t.
Admittedly, there are “artists” who are fine with things such as “file sharing”. And, as long as THEY are fine with it--as long as they have given you permission--then go right ahead. Otherwise, it’s legally wrong. Theft is illegal in all 50 states. Period. If you need something “mightier” than “man’s law” take a trip back to the Second Book of Moses. Reference Commandment number 8 (Protestant version).
If you insist on taking someone’s stuff without their permission, at least have the stones to call it what it is. Theft. Stop making it sound friendly. “File sharing”. Please…
I suggest you let your boss keep your next paycheck. Call it “labor sharing”.
Cam
Gene,
The hesitation to sue copyright infringers (i.e. "THIEVES") off the face of the Earth, plus a "head-in-the-sand" approach to changes in technology, have changed the game forever.
The sad truth is that the recording industry is an accomplice to it's own undoing. We let a small number of people steal with impunity, and this emboldened theft on a massive scale. Deterred by a small amount of bad press, the RIAA did not pursue illegal file sharers with sufficient conviction. A monumental, near mortal error in judgment. Every single file sharer should have been in serious fear of prosecution.
The second error in judgment, was the industry's refusal to consider proposals from the major internet service providers to accept per subscriber blanket license fees... similar to what radio pays. The figure that was being thrown around, $1 to $2 per month, would have ensured about $100 million per month in the industry's pocket... and that's just for America. Subscribers to those internet services would have had access to web streamed music on a sort of rental basis. The files would be duplication protected. Once you discontinue the service, the music disappears from your computer hard drive. That $100 million/month is less than the industry generates in the U.S. now, but we're talking about only a single revenue stream.
The last and greatest misstep the business took, was to not use its vast monetary resources to come up with a legal, executable model for file sharing, and get it to people quickly. Had we worked furiously on that objective, we'd be in a very different place. Technology exists account to monitor and watermark every music file a subscriber uploads and downloads. The technology is not the issue. Blind unwillingness to consider anything but CDs as the definitive music medium was a terrible mistake.
Time will tell, but I suspect that you're wrong about the industry being dead. The business will get smaller and will look very different, but it will not go away. The revenue streams will change. There WILL be new bands that break big. No, there won't be another Elvis or the Beatles, but that can happen again anyway. The industry and radio have been too fragmented for decades, for that possibility.
I'm the business manager for six performing acts. Two are what you'd call heritage bands, that were quite big few years ago. They're doing nice, consistent touring business and catalogue sales. The others are new, young bands. One set of clients is thrilled about the revolution in music distribution; the other is quaking, although we have a good face on it. You may be surprised to hear that it's the more seasoned acts that embrace the change. They figure if they get new music out, they'll do well on touring and merch. According to their labels, they haven't recouped in 30 years, despite some big radio hits and millions of units sold over time. But you know how that goes.
I'd be very happy if you'd display this on your website.
Best,
Brian
Steampunk Management, LLC
New York, NY
Hi Gene,
I would just like to say that I completely agree with you about the illegality file sharing. It’s stealing. How people can justify it in anyway is beyond me. A builder builds a house and someone moves in without paying, it’s illegal. If you walk into a convenience store, load your pockets with candy bars and walk out without paying its stealing. Walk into a clothing store, get dressed and walk out, you get arrested. You walk into an art gallery and take a painting off the wall and walk out…Well you get the point. Copyright laws exist for a reason. Just as in the same way patents protect inventions. It would seems that people choose to support what is immediately convenient to their own base desires and personal interests without the foresight or moral clarity of seeing how their actions affect the big picture.
Like you said, it destroys music. If people want good music, then artists need the support and backing of industry for marketing, distribution, tour support, recording time etc. In other words, if you want great music, let artists devote their lives to making good music by letting the market reward these people for their work. Otherwise, what we have are a some poor, starving men and women who tire of being poor and starving and go into business, or some business man/ woman who is stuck in a 9-5 who plays as a hobby on weekends and thus never has the full opportunity to realize their full potential as an artist. Not to mention, once the dream of being a musician, rock star, or singer for a living dies, it will discourage future generations from even trying.
Until we become a socialist nation, people own the product of their labor. Period. Thanks for letting me rant.
Best regards,
David
I just read this below...
Dear Gene-ius,
'Just read your comments regarding the RIAA's terror campaign against consumers. It was exactly what I would expect from an idiotic dinosaur like you.
You're a moron. The RIAA sucks and helps no one other than corporate whores like yourself.
Stick your head back in your ass where you normally keep it and shut the fuck up.
MY TURN, PLEASE, IF YOU DON'T MIND GENE:
My dear anonymous friend... Gene does not now, nor has he ever had is head up his ass. Morons don't become millionaires, unless they win the lottery, nor do they live in the "age of dinosaurs". I am not sure what point you are trying to make, other than the fact that you just don't like an artist standing up for his right to make money off of his/her own creation. I would at this point think of something witty to say about taking something that belongs to you and making money off of it, but I highly doubt you have anything of value at all.
A real artists creation might take YEARS to complete, and even longer to actually make a return (that means profit) on their own item. Just what exactly is a corporate whore by your defininition? Is that someone who WORKS for a living and GETS PAID for it? When someone has a job of entertaining, and is able to handle it in massive numbers, that makes them a corporate whore? Please, wake up, go pick up the newspaper, and browse through the employment opportunities, I think your time might be served better by doing some manual labor, because you obviously can't think.
I say, Great going Gene!! I only wish I could think of the things you have! Thanks for being someone I can look up to. My children enjoy your music just as much as I do. We buy CD's, DVD's, posters and KISS memorabilia all the time!! I am only to happy to give something back to someone who has brought such fun memories in our lives. There is nothing like riding in the car and hearing my five year old start singing.."She's got me dizzy...". Way cool.
Thanks again.
Sharon Third Smith Talladega, AL
HI GENE! ~~
I WATCHED THE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS TONIGHT WAITING, WAITING, WAITING, FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. LOOKS LIKE THEY SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST!! YOU LOOKED VERY FETCHING GENE!!~~! YOUR HAIR LOOKED SEXY TOO! JUST WHAT I NEEDED TO BOOST MY SUNDAY NITE... A GENE SIMMONS SIGHTING! KEEP WOWING US GENE!~~ROSEANN****ANTIOCH/TN
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