KISS’ Gene Simmons performing live<\/span>(Credit: Andrew Briscoe)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n While rising costs have affected everything, from housing prices to the cost of recorded music, two former members of KISS<\/strong> have been forced to issue statements regarding their own highly-priced recent releases.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, Vinnie Vincent<\/strong> (who replaced founding guitarist Ace Frehley<\/strong> and performed with the band from 1982 until 1984) took to Facebook to share a post regarding an upcoming single he would be releasing.<\/p>\n Per Stereogum<\/em><\/a>, the post detailed that the limited edition CD single would be “a plain disc plain sleeve very limited collection piece, handwritten signed titled and numbered in my handwriting to each person.” <\/p>\n Limited to 1,000 copies worldwide (split evenly between the US and the rest of the world), the singles would be priced at $225 USD each domestically, and $300 USD for international customers, with shipping only occurring once all 1,000 copies were purchased. <\/p>\n Don’t miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI understand the bitching, the moaning, the whining about price, but you must also understand that my situation is as such that my music is so desired that it will be targeted and taken from me immediately, which I cannot\/will not allow,\u201d Vincent wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish it was not this way, but I’m honored that it is,\u201d he added. \u201cIt’s a double-edged sword for me, but I sincerely hope that when you think it through you will understand the dilemma I face.\u201d<\/p>\n The single has since gone up for order<\/a>, though Vincent has also shared a lengthy tirade<\/a> in response to those who have criticised the rather inaccessible price. \u201cConsider the analogy to caviar or fine art,\u201d he explained. \u201cNot everyone can afford it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy price protects me from people like \u2018you\u2019 who will buy cheap from the theft of bootleggers who steal from me,\u201d he added. \u201cIf you don\u2019t like what I do, what I look like, what I say, what I sell, or anything and or everything about me, don\u2019t come here. If you like what I do, then support the artist. <\/p>\n \u201cYou bitch because it\u2019s one song??????. This one song is worth more than most entire albums.\u201d<\/p>\n The song is the first taste of a forthcoming album titled Guitarmageddon<\/em>, though no release date (or price) has been announced for the record just yet.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, founding drummer Peter Criss<\/strong> (who performed with the band from 1973 until 1990, and sporadically again until 2004) has also come under fire for the exorbitant price for the digital download of his own latest album.<\/p>\n Released this year, the self-titled release is Criss\u2019 first since 2007\u2019s One For All<\/em>, and as per usual, was made available in a number of different formats over on his Bandcamp page.<\/p>\n Though it\u2019s since been taken down, the record<\/a> was listed for $32.98 USD for vinyl copies and $14.98 for CD editions, while a digital version was upped<\/a> to a towering $1,000. <\/p>\n Notably, the record is also absent from streaming services, and this may tie into the reason for the lofty price, which was explained away on the very Bandcamp page. \u201cDigital purchases are discouraged,\u201d it said. \u201cThat\u2019s why the high price.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not the first time that artists have offered such an exorbitant price barrier. In fact, if you wanted to grab a download copy of short-lived Melbourne act Loser Denial\u2019s<\/strong> 2012 demo<\/a>, you\u2019d need to shell out the same amount of money as Criss\u2019 album was selling for. (Though you can actually download Loser Denial\u2019s individual tracks for free, the convenience of grabbing all four tracks at once is where the $1,000 price comes into it.)<\/p>\n![\"More](\"https:\/\/media.themusic.com.au\/images\/standard\/Artists\/K\/kiss\/kiss-1018.250x250.webp\")
\n\t\t\tKISS<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n