Former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent recently shared his perspective on the current state of the music industry. He defended his unconventional $2 million pricing strategy for his new album ‘Guitarmageddon’ in a statement posted on Facebook.
The statement addressed the challenges facing modern artists. It explained his reasoning behind the album’s unprecedented pricing model.
“I would absolutely one hundred percent love to release all of the VINNIE VINCENT music I have been preparing,” Vincent said. “I’ve spent the last 7 years non-stop mastering all of the material. It’s become a bad time for artists, because there’s nothing in it for them anymore.”
Vincent elaborated on how the industry has changed for musicians, particularly regarding revenue streams.
“The legacy bands continue touring because they’re forced to,” he continued. “That’s where their income derives from, selling merchandise and all that. But for artists releasing albums, unfortunately, there’s just nothing in it. The only people that benefit are the fans which is nice, but it’s a 2 way street and if theres no money in it for the artists theres no incentive to release music only to have it bootlegged.”
The guitarist reflected on how the music industry operated before digital piracy became widespread.
“At one time when labels were labels and bands were signed to labels and before the downloading, before the pirating, it was a time of common sense business where the artists and labels profited,” Vincent explained. “The fans bought the records and cherished the music and created the memories that formed their life and everyone was happy. The internet and free downloading changed everything.”
Vincent outlined his alternative approach to releasing music in the current market.
“The Artists inspiration was derived from incentive,” he said. “The pay off went both ways; the fans bought and enjoyed the music and the artist made money. That will never happen again. I’m doing this a different way. A third party would have to buy the masters and release all the music to the fan base. It’s their call, it’s their discretion, whether they would want to do that or not. But that’s the only option that makes sense to me.”
The statement also touched on his time with KISS. It covered his current musical direction with vocalist Robert Fleischman.
Vincent’s unconventional pricing strategy for Guitarmageddon represents a radical departure from traditional album releases. It reflects his frustration with the current music industry landscape and his search for alternative revenue models.
Louder Sound reported that Guitarmageddon is the first new album from the Vinnie Vincent Invasion in decades. The album features 10 songs in master format, including tracks like “Heavy Metal Poontang (Master Series).” It was initially planned as a series of “collector’s singles.” The album marks a significant return for Vincent, who has been largely absent from the music scene for years.
The pricing structure for the album is as unconventional as Vincent’s approach to the industry itself. Guitar World noted that individual tracks from the album are available for $200,000 each, delivered on a hard drive within two weeks of PayPal payment. The full package at $2 million also grants a perpetual license to use the “Vinnie Vincent Invasion” and “Vinnie Vincent” brand names for the album’s life. This pricing model effectively treats the music as a luxury commodity rather than mass entertainment.
The album has an interesting backstory that connects to Vincent’s time with KISS. KISS Related Recordings revealed that the project was originally conceived in 1997 as an album titled “Revenge.” Vincent relinquished the name to KISS after Gene Simmons expressed interest while Vincent was writing for the band. This led to its cancellation at the time before resurfacing as Guitarmageddon. This history adds another layer to Vincent’s complex relationship with the music industry and his former bandmates.
Vincent’s approach to Guitarmageddon reflects his broader critique of how streaming and digital piracy have fundamentally altered the economics of music creation and distribution. By pricing his work at such extreme levels, he’s essentially removing it from the traditional market entirely. He’s creating what amounts to a private sale to wealthy collectors or investors rather than a conventional album release aimed at fans.
