RADIOHEAD have been blasted by veteran rockers KISS for giving their music away for free, with bassist Gene Simmons saying their decision is ruining the industry.
Simmons says the British rockers – who gave fans the choice to download last year’s album ‘In Rainbows’ for free or pay a sum of their choosing - says their decision is contributing to the demise of the record industry and insists his band would never follow suit. Simmons - who starred in reality TV show School of Rock - said: “The record industry is dead. It’s six feet underground and unfortunately the fans have done this. They’ve decided to download and file share. There is no record industry around so we’re going to wait until everybody settles down and becomes civilised. “As soon as the record industry pops its head up we’ll record new material.” Meanwhile, Radiohead were left with a row of empty seats at a recent French concert after a ticket giveaway backfired. The eco-friendly group announced 50 passes were available for their show at Paris’ Bercy Arena but fans could only get by cycling to their record label’s offices in the French city. However, Parisians were not prepared to get on their bikes so 35 tickets went unclaimed. A source said: “Radiohead are using their current world tour to highlight their commitment to green issues. “They advise all concertgoers to use public transport and are doing all they can to make their carbon footprint as small as possible. “Unfortunately the French didn’t appear to share their noble intentions and roundly ignored the free ticket tactic.”
