"Respectfully, the internet is almost useless."

"Respectfully, the internet is almost useless." - Gene Simmons.

This just goes to show how much Gene's opinions are without any value. He might as well be giving us medical advice, he is just as qualified.

Check out a few more great quotes from his Letters section.

"file sharing has succeeded. And the result is the end of a chance for a new band to have a chance." - I agree, they have no chance if they try to embrace the old music business. If they are willing to evolve and try something new they can succeed.

"New bands don't have a chance or an industry to support them. And the same people who love the music, killed it." - They have a new industry to support them, and they have their fans -- if they treat their fans with respect and don't threaten to sue all of them. Don't put the blame on the fans I am sure there are some old, high payed record executives who have some fault.

"The fact is, an entire generation has decided to steal the music and the result is, over a million people are losing their jobs in the record industry. Literally." - Again, I would love to know where this over a million lost jobs comes from.

Live Nation Artists Acquires Merch Company Signatures Network

Billboard

By Chris M. Walsh, N.Y.

Live Nation Artists acquired merchandiser Signatures Network, Inc. for approximately $79 million in cash, stock and repayment of debt, before working capital adjustments. The transaction is expected to close later this year.

Signatures Network's CEO, Dell Furano, will head up Live Nation Artists' Merchandise Division.

Signatures Network holds the rights to market and license more than 150 artists in all genres, including The Beatles, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Lopez.

Live Nation Artists, a division of promotion giant Live Nation and headed by veteran Rolling Stones tour producer Michael Cohl, launched last month with Madonna as its flagship artist.

Just Keep Suing the Fans

Tech Policy Central

Gene Simmons on Digital Music

Nov 15, 2007

Gene Simmons, the outspoken and outlandish bass player from rock band Kiss, talked trash about the digitalhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif music business during a recent interview with Billboard magazine. It seems that despite his band's rebel image, he's not a fan of kids downloading digital tunes without paying for them.

Here's Mr. Simmons' rant, in his own words:

The record industry is in such a mess...It's only their fault for letting foxes get into the henhouse and then wondering why there's no eggs or chickens. 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. Those kids are putting 100,000 to a million people out of work. How can you pick on them? They've got freckles. That's a crook. He may as well be wearing a bandit's mask.

He also gave Billboard an earful when asked about other artists like Radiohead or Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor trying alternative business models.

That doesn't count. You can't pick on one person as an exception. And that's not a business model that works. I open a store and say "Come on in and pay whatever you want." Are you on f***ing crack? Do you really believe that's a business model that works?

End of Article

First Prince, now Gene Simmons. You have a problem and your answer is to just sue them, that will make it go away. Gene is that your answer to everything? Wake up! The genie is out of the bottle, file sharing is here to stay. Maybe if the fat, lazy record labels had not ignored file sharing this problem wouldn't be as bad as it is. Oh, and let's not forget about the overpriced crap they have been releasing. Business must evolve, it it doesn't then it deserves to die. Bands must grow and evolve or they deserve to die. This is not the 70s or 80s, what you grew up with Gene is dead, that way of doing business is over. Don't like? That's your right, but you aren't going to change things. You could release music and you could make money doing it. You are releasing DVDs; guess what I can just as easily rip and share your DVDs as I could a CD. Why are you releasing DVDs? Did somebody advance you some money, I bet so. You are free to run your business as you like, but shut up and don't bitch that the fans are the reason for the way things are today. Everybody has an opinion, but your opinion on technology means nothing more than your medical advice. You are not an expert in this area.

"Those kids are putting 100,000 to a million people out of work." What! Where do you get these numbers, back it up? Blame the kids, don't blame the labels for running a bad business that refused to evolve.

Hey, do you know that when you release your Monster box set it will be shared? Why are you releasing it, did somebody give you an advance so you don't care as much about how it sells?

Just Sue the Fans

We all should know by now that the music industry is a complete mess now. The industry did not initially embrace new technology. The industries answer to file sharing was to sue their customers... the fans. They made a mess, did not know how to address it and felt the best response was to sue fans. The industry got into this mess by releasing poor product that was priced unfairly. Give us good music fairly priced and we will buy it. Force feed us the crap you have been for years on CDs priced as you do, and your customers will go somewhere else.

Now not only are fans being sued by record labels, but artists. Prince is now suing fan websites. Read on:

Prince moves to sue fan Web sites

By Mike Collett-White

LONDON (Reuters) - Fan sites dedicated to Prince say they have been served legal notice to remove all images of the singer, his lyrics and "anything linked to Prince's likeness," and have vowed to fight what they said was censorship.

The move was a shock to many of his followers and came two months after Prince threatened to sue YouTube and other major Internet sites for unauthorized use of his music and image.

But by targeting fan sites directly, Prince risks a backlash, and the sites have vowed to unite under the banner "Prince Fans United" and take the matter to court if necessary.

"We strongly believe that such actions are in violation of ... freedom of speech and should not be allowed," said a statement from the three sites -- www.housequake.com, www.princefams.com and www.prince.org.

A company helping Prince control his image and music on the Internet said the fan sites had spun the story so that it was "incorrect and misleading."

"At no time is Prince suing his fans and this is not about freedom of speech," said John Giacobbi, managing director of Internet policing specialist Web Sheriff.

"The current issue is one between Prince's record label and three unofficial Web sites and relates to the use of Prince trademarks and photographs, many of which are Prince's copyright," he told Reuters.

In a statement released later, he added:

"These forums have taken it upon themselves to wear the crown of being the self appointed representatives of the millions of Prince fans worldwide, despite the fact that they only represent a tiny fraction of Prince's global fanbase."

FANS SEE IRONY

Some Prince fans were surprised at the artist's threat to sue, pointing out that the 49-year-old was seen as a pioneer of online music distribution. He won an Internet award last year for "reshaping the relationship between artist and fan."

"The irony is that someone who has won that award is now challenging the very ethos of the Internet," said a spokesman for Prince Fans United.

He added: "The intention of this is to drum up public support, not to damage him. The fan groups want peace, they don't want war."

The sites, now featuring an image of a hand print with "pfu" written on it, said the singer had demanded the removal of fans' photographs of Prince-inspired tattoos and vehicles displaying Prince-inspired license plates.

They urged Prince to reconsider his decision, but vowed to defend their position in court if need be.

"The law clearly provides for displaying of images of a celebrity's likeness for newsworthy events or matters which are considered to be public interest," they said.

Prince, behind hit albums "Purple Rain" and "Sign O' The Times," is known as a maverick in the music business.

He performed with the word "SLAVE" scrawled across his cheek in protest against his then record label and changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol.

Prince also gave his "Planet Earth" album away free with a British Sunday newspaper earlier this year, infuriating music retailers but winning plaudits from fans for innovation.

Get My Ass in Gear

Time to get my ass in gear and update my blog. I have enough things on my mind that I have wanted to post about, but just can't seem to sit down and do it. Well, today I am going to get back in action and start posting.