GENE SIMMONS Talks Business In BBC Interview - "People Who Say That Money Is The Root Of All Evil Are Morons"

April 20, 2015, 9 years ago

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GENE SIMMONS Talks Business In BBC Interview - "People Who Say That Money Is The Root Of All Evil Are Morons"

KISS co-founder Gene Simmons is featured on the BBC News Business pages discussing his own business practices and his desire to constantly make more money. An excerpt from the story is available below:

Rock star Gene Simmons says that when it comes to making money he is like a great white shark. And that despite being worth more than $300m (£202m), he will never stop wanting to make more.

The bassist and co-vocalist of stadium-filling, costume-wearing and face-painted US band Kiss, says: "Life is business, and I approach life the way sharks approach life - they must keep moving or else they will drown.

"I'll never stop hunting more money, I'll never have enough."

Ever since the four-piece band formed in New York in 1973, it has been Simmons who has kept his eyes on the finances. And it was his incredibly lucrative idea for the band to sell as much merchandise as possible. For while Kiss have sold 100 million records around the world, the band has actually made more money from selling licensed products.

This has led to the band's critics - and there have been many over the years - accusing the group of being too commercially-focused, of cheapening itself at the expense of its music.

The calm and quietly spoken Simmons says he has no respect for such people. He says (after a liberal amount of swear words have been edited out): "All our lives Kiss has been hounded by people who haven't achieved anything. And we buried them long ago.

"I call selling merchandise 'the Kiss business', and every band sells T-shirts, every band sells merchandise. They just don't do as good a job of it as us."

Go to this location for the complete report.

Simmons recently released his new book, Me, Inc.: Build An Army Of One, Unleash Your Inner Rock God, Win In Life And Business. The official press release for Me, Inc. is below:

In Me, Inc., the marketing and finance wizard Gene Simmons gives aspiring entrepreneurs the critical tools they need to succeed. Simmons teaches you how to build a solid business strategy, harness the countless tools available in the digital age, network like hell, and be the architect for the business entity that is you. Inspired by The Art of War, Me, Inc. is organized around thirteen specific, easy-to-understand principles for success, drawn from Simmons’s own triumphs and failures. From finding the confidence necessary to get started, to surrounding yourself with the right people, to knowing when to pull the plug and when to double-down, these principles can help you attain the freedom and wealth of your dreams. Pre-order at HarperCollins.com or by using the Amazon.com widget below.


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