Ex-KISS rocker Vinnie Vincent slams ‘whining’ fans as he doubles down on $225 price tag for new single

Vinnie Vincent defended his choice to charge upwards of $225 for his new single amid fan backlash.

The 73-year-old guitarist, who was a former member of the rock band KISS from 1982 up until mid-1984, recently doubled down on his decision for the high sticker price. 

He also referred to the criticism as ‘the b***ing, the moaning, the whining’ about the hefty cost as he explained why he chose to charge so much for the limited edition CDs.

Earlier this month, the rocker previously announced on Facebook that he would be selling his latest single, Ride the Serpent, as a ‘very limited collection piece.’

The record would feature a signed sleeve with the list of songs handwritten by the guitarist himself and was priced at $300. 

He explained that he would be only releasing 500 copies of the single, which are $225 for his American customers and $300 for international fans. 

He thanked fans for defending him, and for those who criticized him, he left lengthy Facebook comments about the cost.

‘I understand the bitching, the moaning, the whining about price,’ he wrote in a response to a fan.

He defended the high sticker price and said it was a ‘dilemma’ he was faced with and had to charge so much to ‘protect his interests.’ 

‘But you must also understand that my situation is as such that my music is so desired that it will be targeted and taken away from me immediately, which I cannot/will not allow.’

He continued: ‘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.’

In another comment to a fan, he further explained that releasing his new album as individual singles paired with high prices ‘destroys the theft of bootlegging and protects my interests.’ 

He also complained about ‘whining b***ing immature “I want it for free babies”‘ in a post while explaining why he limited the comments on his post. 

‘It’s just too tiresome to deal with this type of imbecile who still unfortunately thinks that someone owes them something. Nobody owes them anything, especially me,’ he wrote in a response to a fan. 

‘If they want my music they can pay for it or wait a long time because they can get it bootlegged.’  

His post comes just months after his former bandmate Gene Simmons was also the subject of similar backlash for charging fans $12,000 to be his personal assistant and band roadie for a single day. 

In May, one of Simmons’ fans, 52, and his 13-year-old son forked over the five-digit sum to be Simmons assistants at a concert. 

The first order of business was fetching him lunch, one of many activities they did for Simmons that day. 

The fans defended the experience in an interview with the New York Times. 

Simmons, who is widely believed to be the wealthiest member of KISS with a reported net worth of $400 million, also offered additional meet-and-greet experiences for a minimum of $6.5K when he announced the costly opportunities just months earlier in March.