KISS sell image, back catalogue rights etc for £225m

[Spandaubaggie]

Kiss are one of those rock bands I fugging hated as a kid. Thank pluck Nirvana and others came along. Bloody pantomime act.

They were appalling. Amazing that such a hopeless band can get that kind of wedge.

[Mr vertical]

I'm very slightly too young for them, I think. I saw the last original lineup tour in the 90s and they were incredible tbf. I'm not a fan of theirs at all but it's probably the most exciting show I've ever seen, as a spectacle. They didn't play well at all but the fireworks, cherry pickers, wires and blood were like nothing else I've ever seen. Destroyer is a decent record too imo.

[Remi_Moses]

For fireworks and water cannons a German band called Rammstein are way out in front.
The music is a repetitive gobbledegook but it's the German way.

[SausEggBaton]

For fireworks and water cannons a German band called Rammstein are way out in front.
The music is a repetitive gobbledegook but it's the German way.

Rammstein are my favourite German band, next to Auner Alpenspektakel.

Völkerball is a must listen from Rammstein, IMO.

[SussexBaggie]

A lot of songwriters are panicking that HMRC are attacking their Estates for inheritance tax on the estimated value of their catalogue. Imagine getting a tax bill at 40% on a guessed value and not having the cash. These big name deals are making it worse as HMRC assume that say you have £100k royalties per year, then you have a valuable asset of millions - this never used to be considered or valued unless there was a sale soon after. Now the tax man wants to hit one of our most valuable industries - music - and send it offshore. It’s making writers sell their rights now and spend/give away the cash to get away from the tax.

[CarlosCorbewrong]

A lot of songwriters are panicking that HMRC are attacking their Estates for inheritance tax on the estimated value of their catalogue. Imagine getting a tax bill at 40% on a guessed value and not having the cash. These big name deals are making it worse as HMRC assume that say you have £100k royalties per year, then you have a valuable asset of millions - this never used to be considered or valued unless there was a sale soon after. Now the tax man wants to hit one of our most valuable industries - music - and send it offshore. It’s making writers sell their rights now and spend/give away the cash to get away from the tax.

Whilst this absolutely makes sense (to a non financial expert) it also makes it a buyer's market which makes the likes of KISS', Genesis', and Red Hot Chilli Peppers' valuations even odder...

[MrBater]

For fireworks and water cannons a German band called Rammstein are way out in front.
The music is a repetitive gobbledegook but it's the German way.

Due to Till's alleged actions they're not seen as a safe band anymore, which is a shame, because live they were utterly awesome. The giant cock ejaculating foam a few years back was a big highlight. And the keyboard player, Flake, crowd surfing in a dinghy was brilliant.

Totally incomparable to Kiss as Rammstein are many levels better.

Mind you in the early years Till used to set himself on fire on stage, he'd stopped doing that by the time I got to see them the first time, mainly does his arms or legs now.

The German Eurovision 'lisers' Lord Of The Lost are also cracking live, they supported Maiden last year.

[Bromley Baggie 2]

Without Kiss, Rammstein would not be the band they are. The music may be different, but the entire live spectacle is Kiss through and through.

Kiss were a lot more popular in The US than Europe. They were a gateway band for many kids who were attracted to the spectacle as well as the music. The music was just about rebellious enough to appeal, when you consider the alternatives were The Carpenters and Captain And Tenielle. So many rock and metal musicians got their first exposure to loud guitars from Kiss; Dime, Kurt Cobain, Metallica, Pearl Jam etc. were all fans of the albums like Love Gun, Destroyer and especially the first two 'Alive ' albums.

They never really translated to this side of the Atlantic, though. Remembering the letters pages in Sounds, there may have been a certain amount of snobbery involved. I recall more than a few letters saying 'Thin Lizzy, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath etc don't need fireworks, explosions and blood. They've got the songs to make it memorable.

[Tom Joad]

A lot of songwriters are panicking that HMRC are attacking their Estates for inheritance tax on the estimated value of their catalogue. Imagine getting a tax bill at 40% on a guessed value and not having the cash. These big name deals are making it worse as HMRC assume that say you have £100k royalties per year, then you have a valuable asset of millions - this never used to be considered or valued unless there was a sale soon after. Now the tax man wants to hit one of our most valuable industries - music - and send it offshore. It’s making writers sell their rights now and spend/give away the cash to get away from the tax.

Whilst this absolutely makes sense (to a non financial expert) it also makes it a buyer's market which makes the likes of KISS', Genesis', and Red Hot Chilli Peppers' valuations even odder...

Agree Carlos. Also, it makes a lot of sense for the aging artists. For example, Bob Dylan sold his for a huge figure I can't even guess at. Just think how much easier it is to leave that to your offspring as opposed to ongoing future royalties and the complicated related accounts and subsequent squabbles.

[Midget In A Pinstripe Suit]

In some ways it completely devalues newer music as well which will never be worth anything like these figures.