Former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent, who was a member of the band from 1982 to 1984, recently announced he is selling his new single “Ride the Serpent” for a shockingly high price.
Originally announced as a limited edition release of 500 with a price tag of $300, the track is being sold as an autographed and hand numbered CD housed in a plain white envelope. Vincent’s online store, however, lists the CD single as being limited to 1000 copies, with a price of $225 in the US or $300 for international orders.
“Ride the Serpent” is the first song off of Vinnie Vincent Invasion’s recently announced upcoming album “Judgment Day Guitarmageddon,” which is slated to be released as a series of “collector’s singles.”
Justifying the unusually high price, Vincent explained in a post earlier this month that it was done in an effort to combat “pirating entities” who he said were “watching and waiting like a hawk to seize whatever I release and bootleg it.”
“I understand the bitching, the moaning, the whining about price, but you must also understand that my situation is such that my music is so desired that it will be targeted and taken from me immediately, which I cannot/will not allow,” he said.
“I wish it was not this way, but I’m honored that it is. It’s a double-edged sword for me, but I sincerely hope that when you think it through you will understand the dilemma I face.”
After fans continued to complain about the unreasonably high price, Vincent responded by comparing his new song to “caviar or fine art,” stating that “not everyone can afford it” and that “fair market price” was “yesteryear” (via NME).
“Welcome to the new agenda. Artists can and will set their own standards and rules for the purchase price of their art, that’s if their are any or many artists of value left aside from the standard list. We are nearing 2030. Inflation thru the roof. Homeless..etc..the horror list is endless,” Vincent said in a lengthy reply to a fan, according to Loudersound.
“It’s a Mad Max wasteland, the Wild West for artists now who have no protection from shoplifter fans who download their music for free,” he continued. “They are victims of Massive rip-offs, reduced to beg and pander for likes and subscribes from self-entitled brats who want their work for free or for next to nothing. Yet these are the same whiners who have no problem paying a lip-syncher $500 for a brick from a house he demolished or $1000 for a sweaty pair of used socks. But you b*tches cry and whine like f*cking babies when VV sells something at a price you don’t like? Grow the f*ck up!
“My price protects me from people like ‘you’ who will buy cheap from the theft of bootleggers who steal from me. If you don’t like what I do, what I look like, what I say, what I sell, or anything and or everything about me, don’t come here. If you like what I do, then support the artist. You b*tch because it’s one song? This one song is worth more than most entire albums. Consider yourself lucky that it’s only 200, and that it’s autographed yet. It was originally 300, but with the economy suffering as it is, I made it 200. If you don’t like it… That’s your problem, not mine.”
This comes shortly after original KISS drummer Peter Criss was accused of selling a digital download of his new solo album for $1,000 on Bandcamp. Addressing the controversy, Criss stated that he is “not in control of the Bandcamp account” and has since requested the account be disabled.
Prior to Criss’ bandcamp page being shut down, it justified the high cost with a note reading: “Digital purchases are discouraged. That’s why the high price.”
Criss’ new record is currently available on vinyl for $32.98, CD for $14.98, and $9.99 on iTunes.
Vincent’s new song “Ride the Serpent” is currently only available on his website for $225.
