Gene Simmons is Still an Ignorant Gargoyle

Anyone familiar with Gene Simmon's rambling knows by now that he can be entertaining - in an ignorant, "Michael Savage" sort of way. He may be getting dumber - he's lost his mental buffer of stream-of-consciousness idiocy and is now giving his actual opinions. Whoa - bad idea, Gene. Go back to soliciting the Wendy's cashier.

In the file of "He really said it!(from The Register):

In a recent interview with Billboard, Simmons curmudgeonly blames "college kids" for the "mess" the record industry is in, and blasted artists like Radiohead and Trent Reznor for seeking a different businesses model to vend their music.

"The record industry doesn't have a f---ing clue how to make money," Simmons told Billboard.

"Every little college kid, every freshly-scrubbed little kid's face should have been sued off the face of the earth. They should have taken their houses and cars and nipped it right there in the beginning."

Simmons said that he doesn't plan on making a new KISS album because he doesn't know how he'll get paid for it if people can just get it for free.

Here's the golden quote: "Doesn't affect me. But imagine being a new band with dreams of getting on stage and putting out your own record. Forget it."

Gene - anyone reading that quote must know you don't keep up with the modern music scene. It would be difficult to find a band these days whose career didn't begin through a combination of web buzz, piracy and reviews. Gene may be expecting the industry to go back to the hit acts of the 80s, full of manipulating corporate rock-posturing posers (no offense, Gene).

Or is he expecting FM radio to snap out of their post-grunge/emo kick long enough to start acting responsibly and delivering the goods?

Gene - while you were tonguing cameras and hooking up with every star-eyed groupie who looked your way, the rest of us were studying economics (well, everybody except the record company executives).

Your first research question, Gene: Does every downloaded album represent a lost sale?

Question #2: How can artists benefit from music piracy? (There is an answer.)

Question #3: Could suing every member of Generation X to oblivion somehow hurt your future fanbase? (This is the gimme.)

Question #4: How does information benefit commerce?

Remember, Gene - it's not always the first idea that pops into your head that's the golden one. Sometimes you have to wait until the second or even third idea.