KISS News Bits

[VHscraps]

I've never understood the whole DARKNESS thing. It just went right over my head. Does nothing for me. (For one, I can't stand the guy's voice.)

Funny enough, the first person I remember selling them as the "next big thing" was a certain Diamond Dave...

I think Dave may have been at a point in his life where he was thinking 'where's my influence' ... and there was Justin Hawkins doing the splits and dressing like - let's be honest - a dick, it being the 2000s and not the 1980s.

I think the Darkness worked at the start cos irony still worked. We seem now to live in post-ironic times, so it doesn't quite have the same appeal. But I did like some single they released probably ten years ago, where his voice sounds different than the balls in a vice style of some of the early Darkness - 'Open Fire', which is just a bit reminiscent of She Sells Sanctuary, or maybe it is pinched from 'December Sunlight' by The The (or maybe that is pinched from The Cult).

[Seshmeister]

It was difficult to not think that Justin was a complete fucking lightweight when he ended up in rehab within a year of their career taking off and also in a relationship with their female manager.

I mean really - get a fucking grip.

[DLR Bridge]

The sign was supposed to read, Puppet Show - The Darkness.

[Terry]

I remember that 'The Darkness' hype circa 2003 or whatever...that they were gonna simultaneously save and revive fun hard rock and roll. Can't say if said hype was something the band perpetuated or if there really ever was some grass-roots hysteria over them...they seemed much bigger in the United Kingdom than they ever were in the States, where they basically had their Thing Called Love hit and that was it.

Although who can really give a shit about Justin Hawkins and Ace Frehley getting in a tiff over start times on a rock cruise?

[Terry]

The sign was supposed to read, Puppet Show - The Darkness.

At least The Darkness got a bigger dressing room than the puppets...

[Terry]

It was difficult to not think that Justin was a complete fucking lightweight when he ended up in rehab within a year of their career taking off and also in a relationship with their female manager.

I mean really - get a fucking grip.

His rock star status always came off as more the result of him cultivating the media than anything else.

[Seshmeister]

It's incredibly likely that he makes way more money from his 583 000 subscribers on his YouTube channel that he does doing gigs never mind record sales.

A whole new way for bands to get angry and split from their lead singer... The Darkness already being a uniquely odd band where the professional session player guitarist lets his kid brother squeaky singer play the guitar solos????

[Terry]

I mean, for sure he and The Darkness had their moment...even with just north of a half million youtube subscribers I tend to doubt Hawkins is rolling in it...unless he has a lot of sponsorships or whatever. Like I said, perhaps his cache is bigger over in Europe and the United Kingdom re: gigs. He's no Kenny Loggins, that's for sure.

[Nickdfresh]

It's incredibly likely that he makes way more money from his 583 000 subscribers on his YouTube channel that he does doing gigs never mind record sales.

A whole new way for bands to get angry and split from their lead singer... The Darkness already being a uniquely odd band where the professional session player guitarist lets his kid brother squeaky singer play the guitar solos????

Maybe but depends on a lot. The base pay seems to be around $2000/mo: https://www.beaconinside.com/how-muc...ake-per-month/

I think a million subscribers is where they take off...

[silverfish]

Kiss sells catalog, brand name and IP. Gene Simmons assures fans it is a ‘collaboration’

The hard rock quartet have sold their catalog, brand name and IP to Swedish company Pophouse
Entertainment Group in a deal estimated to be over $300 million, it was announced Thursday.

The ways in which Kiss’ avatars will be utilized has yet to be announced, but Pophouse CEO Per
Sundin says fans can expect a biopic, a documentary and a Kiss experience on the horizon.

An avatar show is scheduled to launch in the second half of 2027 — but don’t expect it to look
anything like “ABBA Voyage,” Sundin told the AP. And fans can expect it to kick off in North America.

Full story at:

https://apnews.com/article/kiss-sells-catalog-brand-name-ip-pophouse-061d34ce4e92efffc25f35c62670a4f2

[Nitro Express]

At least The Darkness got a bigger dressing room than the puppets...

Those guys were posers and fake as a $3 bill.

[Nitro Express]

Kiss sells catalog, brand name and IP. Gene Simmons assures fans it is a ‘collaboration’

The hard rock quartet have sold their catalog, brand name and IP to Swedish company Pophouse
Entertainment Group in a deal estimated to be over $300 million, it was announced Thursday.

The ways in which Kiss’ avatars will be utilized has yet to be announced, but Pophouse CEO Per
Sundin says fans can expect a biopic, a documentary and a Kiss experience on the horizon.

An avatar show is scheduled to launch in the second half of 2027 — but don’t expect it to look
anything like “ABBA Voyage,” Sundin told the AP. And fans can expect it to kick off in North America.

Full story at:
https://apnews.com/article/kiss-sell...5f35c62670a4f2

You never sell a cash flow producing asset unless you think it’s spent and then you find a sucker to unload it on. It’s called taking the money and running.

[Vinnie Velvet]

Gene is once again full of it. Looks like Paul and Gene are taking the money and runnin.

Pophouse can do what they want with the KISS IP as they see fit now. Sure it will start out as a "collaboration" but remember what Disney did to Lucas' story treatments to the Star Wars sequels?

Yeah.

[Fairwrning]

So did Ace and Peter just make 75 mil? They came up with the characters...or did Gene and Paul fuck em years ago?

[Nitro Express]

Gene is once again full of it. Looks like Paul and Gene are taking the money and runnin.

Pophouse can do what they want with the KISS IP as they see fit now. Sure it will start out as a "collaboration" but remember what Disney did to Lucas' story treatments to the Star Wars sequels?

Yeah.

I don’t blame them. As far as Ace and Peter go, they probably get royalties. Unless you write lyrics like Niel Peart did, drummers usually are the lowest paid people in a band. Ace wrote some of the best KISS shit so he probably still does ok royalty wise.