In a new interview with Artists On Record, Zakk Wylde talked about his brand and business in Black Label Society. During the chat, the interviewer mentioned Wylde’s label and resembled him to a modern Gene Simmons.
“People can make fun of them all they want, money this money that. I’m saying all musicians should take it because none of us want to be bothered with the business aspect of it, but it’s really the truth. I mean Gene knew right from the beginning, forget managers, forget accountants, forget anything. If we’re going to do a show and you’re going to pay us $100 and you’re only going to give me 80 then that means you’re [20 bucks short]. We ain’t playing. It’s just like, ‘Oh we’ll pay you later,’ it’s like, ‘No we’re not doing that. If we don’t get the money we’re not playing.'”
“Then miraculously the money shows up, the other $20,” he added. “So he’s like, ‘Yeah there you go.’ All musicians should know that because, at the end of the day, it’s nobody’s fault but your own. If you get ripped off, if you get this and that, I go, ‘Why weren’t you looking at that?'”
Gene Simmons has been making millions from KISS and the many businesses he has built through his own career. He’s got his own magazine, Gene Simmons Tongue Magazine, his own record label, Simmons Records, and even an animated series called ‘My Dad the Rock Star.’
“Life is business, and I approach life the way sharks approach life – they must keep moving or else they will drown,” the rocker said of making money in an interview with BBC nine years ago. “I’ll never stop hunting more money, I’ll never have enough.”
Similarly, Wylde has his own company, Wylde Audio. “Nothing has actually been difficult,” Wylde said when asked about the hardest thing about the venture. “If you’re doing something you love, it shouldn’t be difficult. Embrace it. Don’t be afraid of it.”
According to Celebrity Net Worth, the Simmons is worth $400 million as of April 2024, while Wylde is worth around $14 million.
