--- In jazz_guitar@..., Bob Hansmann <bobbybmusic@...> wrote:
Hi Alisdair,
Kiss bassist is bumped offline after comments endorsing aggressive
stance against copyright infringement
Never one to bite his tongue (sorry), the public face of Kiss, its
bassist Gene Simmons, has become the latest target of assiduous online
attackers, Anonymous.
I never thought that much about him until recently, when his willingness
to fight for musicians and their royalties is become more and more
apparent. He's a shrewd businessman - maybe he'll show them that they've
bitten off mo0re than they can chew.
My feeling is that if the courts get totally inundated with lawsuit
after lawsuit, they will have no other choice but to take notice. This
is what SHOULD have been happening all along, but the suits are too lazy
(or, put another way, they won't litigate unless it is big enough to be
worth it - to them).
Bobby, I think it's good that he's spoken out and highlighted the issue but my general feeling that lawsuits against individuals are
not really the way to go. IMO, it would be more effective to pursue
the corporates such as Google/Youtube etc., who benefit by way of ad revenue in part generated all the illegally uploaded music/movies/books.
Whatever else he may be, Gene Simmons is a successful business man
and promoter. One of my former students, knows him and some of the
members of the Kiss band well, they grew up together. Back in the late 60's/Early 70's my student was for 8-9 years, the house bass player at the Concord Resort Hotel in the so-called "Borscht Belt" part of the Catskills (He studied Upright Bass with me). He told me that Gene was always hustling on thing or another, and forming and dissolving bands. As musician they thought he was a joke, and he was the frequent but of jokes, he even asked around some of the guys who played the "Borscht Belt" if they'd like to join him, no-one took him up on the offer, but now look whose laughing!
--
Alisdair MacRae Birch
Guitarist/Bassist/Educator/Arranger
