Jody Havenot

Roman Fernandez

OFFICIAL Petition to induct KISS, Billy Idol, and Billy Squier Manager into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

(NO DONATION IS NECESSARY AFTER SIGNING PETITION. DONATIONS DO NOT BENEFIT THE AUCOIN PETITION CAUSE)

Mr. Aucoin not only has the distinctive notoriety of grooming and introducing not one, but three legendary, multi-million selling rock and roll acts to the world – KISS, Billy Idol, and Billy Squier, but he is also credited for erecting one of the first music merchandising empires, an empire that has reigned from the 1970’s to the present day. By trademarking the iconic faces of the original four members of KISS, Aucoin shifted the rock paradigm from a spectator sport, to a collectible zeitgeist that propelled a band from Queens into a global brand with an estimated worth in the billions of dollars.

KISS laid the groundwork for hundreds of rock acts who cite the group as an influence or inspiration of what a rock act should be. The very existence and ongoing popularity of the group 40 years after its inception is a testament to Bill’s astute foresight. A force so unshakable, he would infamously bet his American Express card to finance the live tour of an act that most in the industry at the time were trying to ignore. In the process, his determination served to engineer one of the most dynamic live shows of the era by enhancing the concert experience in ways that would go on to transcend the rock genre.

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Matt Porter

Blabbermouth

Gene Simmons has told Sweden’s Expressen newspaper that KISS will launch a three-year world tour in January 2019. Calling it the band’s “most spectacular tour ever,” the bassist/vocalist added that the trek will make stops on “all continents.”

Simmons‘s latest comments echo those made by his bandmate, Paul Stanley, who told CNBC‘s “Squawk Box” that KISS will embark on its “biggest tour” next year.

Rumors of KISS‘s final run of live shows gained strength several months ago following the news that the band was attempting to trademark the phrase “The End Of The Road.” An application from KISS was filed in February to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, which — should it be accepted — means that the band could use it in connection with “live performances by a musical band.” As it stands now, no official farewell tour has been announced.

As most fans remember, back in 2000 and 2001, KISS already performed a “Farewell Tour”. The trek, which was the last to feature drummer Peter Criss, played 142 shows over five legs, covering North America, Japan, and Australia.

In a recent interview with Australia’s News Corp, Simmons confirmed that he “had nothing to do” with KISS‘s attempt to trademark “The End Of The Road.”

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Jody Havenot

WIMZ

KISS bassist/singer Gene Simmons recently revealed that he’s become the spokesman for Invictus MD Strategies Corporation , a Canadian company that produces cannabis products for medicinal use.  It’s also positioning itself to expand if and when recreational use of the drug is legalized in the country.

While Simmons has always abstained from using drugs and alcohol, he’s known for recognizing a good business opportunity when he sees one, and says Invictus’ financial future “looks very bright indeed.”

Regarding his involvement in the company, Simmons explains to ABC Radio, “[I]n the interest of full disclosure, I am a partner in Invictus…and they did pay me a few million dollars in cash and $10 million in stock.”

Gene, who’s taken the title of Invictus’ “chief evangelist officer,” tells ABC Radio that, despite his dislike of drugs, his views on cannabis have changed greatly in recent years.

“I was guilty as charged of being judgmental and dismissive of cannabis as a whole,” he admits. “[But] researchers every day keep coming up with information that’ll blow your mind [about its positive uses medicinally].”

As an example, Simmons notes, “[T]here are little six-year-old girls who are suffering from epilepsy and, almost miraculously, you rub a cannabis-based product on their hand, and in a very short time, if they’re not cured then clearly the epilepsy is minimized.”

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OK Magazine

KISSmuseum.com

Come see the KISS Museum Pop-Up Store in Pennsylvania this Saturday, June 2, 2018 along with KISS Tribute band Alive ’75 playing a full KISS set in their new re-vamped show! The KISS Museum will have tables and tables of KISS merchandise for sale. Come on down and enjoy the show with us!

KISS Museum Store with Alive 75 KISS Tribute Band. Info is HERE 

KISSmuseum.com

Over 100 different KISS CDs from several big collections. As always, most are singles, so grab what you want!

See the New CD Collection at KISSmuseum.com

Michael Brandvold

Jody Havenot

Brian Sozzi | The Street

After years of being anti drugs, Kiss front-man Gene Simmons is now bullish on pot.

“I was judgmental, I was dismissive and a little arrogant — I was wrong [on cannabis],” Simmons told TheStreet. Simmons says he did research on cannabis and decided to change his tune. A boatload of cash probably helped Simmons’ decision-making process, too.

Simmons said he was paid $2.5 million in cash to serve as Chief Evangelist Officer for upstart cannabis growing company Invictus. He also snagged a $10 million stake of the company in the deal. Pretty smoking hot transaction for Simmons, who Forbes estimates has a net worth of $300 million.

According to Invictus CEO Dan Kriznic, the Canadian-based company is fresh off an $80 million capital raise that valued Invictus at about $200 million

“There is a ton of consolidation right now in the space, and it’s likely to continue,” Kriznic said. Kriznic added Invictus is not in any discussions for a deal at the moment.

Jody Havenot

The Loon