Gene Simmons Takes a Spin as a Record Mogul

What worlds are left for Gene Simmons to conquer?

He’s survived 22 Kiss albums (15 have gone platinum says Simmons, who keeps count), headlined concerts everywhere, embarked on an acting career (largely as a Hollywood heavy), romanced everyone from Cher and Diana Ross to Playmate Shannon Tweed and emerged as one of the elder statesmen of the heavy-metal underworld.

Now Simmons wants to be a record mogul. He’s formed his own label, Simmons Records, and signed an exclusive distribution deal with RCA Records, which will market and distribute his artists here and overseas.

“I’ve discovered several big bands but never had anything to show for it because I’ve always listened to someone else, who didn’t want to sign them,” Simmons said.

Simmons has already signed one group, House of Lords, whose debut album is due out in September. But the voluble Kiss frontman--he’s the kind of guy who brags that his band has never been favorably reviewed in Rolling Stone--insists that Simmons Records is more than just a vanity label.

“The label is very much patterned on the Berry Gordy-Clive Davis school of hands-on management,” he explained. “I’m going to be involved in choosing the songs, production choices, arrangements--everything. If a group wanted to just make a record and hand it in, they probably shouldn’t be at my label. But if there’s any flak, I’ll take that too. And I’ll be accessible--you won’t have to go through a bunch of secretaries to get to me.”

As if to prove that he means business, Simmons has designed his own logo for the label--a pair of armored-car money bags, emblazoned with dollar signs. Tacky, you say?

“Make of it what you will,” he retorted. “If you think it’s decadent and corporate, that’s fine. I’m going for the gold. Actually, make that the platinum!”

Simmons isn’t kidding about taking control. House of Lords was originally known as Giuffria, but Simmons replaced the group’s original lead singer--and changed its name. “I wanted something that sounded classy, and not too heavy-metal.”

In the past, artist-run vanity labels--whether Elton John’s Rocket Records or the Jefferson Airplane’s Grunt Records--have been financial flops. But industry insiders praise Simmons’ good business sense and shrewd talent-scout instincts. (And wide-ranging pop interests--he also manages Liza Minnelli, who has just signed to Elektra Records).

“Gene has great instincts about what kind of bands teen-agers like to hear,” said Geffen A&R; exec John Kalodner. “The big question is--how much time can he put into this, considering that he’s also in a very successful rock band? Being a record exec is a 24-hour-a-day job. But he has good ears--he’ll be just as good at finding new groups as any A&R; guy that’s at CBS Records these days.”

Simmons isn’t shy about recounting his discoveries. He says he signed a management deal with Van Halen after finding them playing in a local dive. “I paid for their demo record, flew them to New York--I even bought David Lee Roth his first pair of leather pants,” he said. “But my manager told me they’d never make it, that Roth looked too much like Jim Dandy. So I let ‘em go.”

He says he also first brought Cinderella to PolyGram Records, but “no one running the company then” wanted to sign them. “That’s the idea behind this new label,” he said. “No more listening to anyone else.”

Simmons said he originally offered to affiliate his label with PolyGram (where Kiss is signed), but the company balked at certain contractual stipulations, particularly Simmons’ insistence that each new band would be guaranteed videos to promote their albums.

So now he’s at RCA, which will release at least three other Simmons groups over the next eight months. “We’re gonna do all kinds of music--I’m not interested in just signing some group called the Kill Brigade,” he said. “And we’re going to be very budget conscious. No limos, no million-dollar recording sessions. I’ve been there before, so I know all the angles. Don’t count on anyone fooling me.”