Which do you think has more merchandise? KISS or The Beatles? It's got to be close...

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The difference is that KISS was intended by the band themselves to become the whores they are, the Beatles just hit such an unprecedented level of popularity that all that stupid, useless, overpriced s*** just... happened....


And definitely KISS.

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You got that right Floyd.

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KISS.
Gene Simmons is a businessman first and a rock star second.

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"Put your KISS hate aside for a moment....."

What a great title, , KISS definitley has the Beatles outdone, pretty obvious really. Of course KISS is going on over 35 years as a band and the Beatles time together was much shorter. Different time and different people. Maybe the Beatles would have been more aggresive with merchandising if the same outlets for selling existed back then.

We'll never know now if the Beatles could have become the "whores" that KISS are.

One difference is that the Beatles had little or no control of the merchandise promoted in their names, at least in the beginning; thus they got little or no money from all of it. Epstein had practically given away the right to use their image(s) early on, and it wasn't until later that they were able to make anything off of merchandising (I think Allen Klein got that back on track, if I'm not mistaken...?).

KISS (or at least Gene and Paul), were financially smart in not only creating all this merchandise but also in making sure they continued to control their image(s), including the makeup/images of Ace and Peter.

The Beatles were an extremely talented pop band that came out at the right time...they were able to ply their craft (artistically and financially) in spite of poor management.

KISS is a decent-to-good rock & roll bar band that played catchy tunes, had a promotable image, good management and smart money managers. I can name ten bands that were more artistically talented yet looked like plumbers, therefore relegating them to no-name status.

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Screamin' Armadillos
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Excellent points Screamin'

Well into their success Ringo gave an interview where he said all he wanted to do was make enough money he could go back to Liverpool and open a hair salon.

Aaaaaaa! So cute!

I'm sure the Beatles would have been more into merchandising if they'd carried on a bit longer as rock got ever more commercial. But I just kinda think they'd have never got anywhere near KISS in that department. No sir, I think KISS hold the crown, far as that side of it is concerned.

Cheers - C

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