Marketing Gene-ius: Rocker Gene Simmons Will Let You Pay Him $12,495 To Be His Assistant For A Day

Kiss may have called it a career, but if you thought Gene Simmons was going to let that stop him from coming up with innovative ways to make money, then you don't know Gene Simmons.

The bassist was known to be one of the driving forces behind the band being a marketing, branding, and licensing juggernaut, and he has carried that entrepreneurial streak into his current project, the Gene Simmons Band.

If you're unaware, the music industry is in shambles which means bands need to get creative when it comes to making money. I've seen some bands sell meet and greets while others offer pre-show guitar lessons while others still sell their fans handwritten lyrics sheets.

Hey, you've got to do what you've got to do, and Simmons knows this, which is why on his website, he's offering some interesting packages.

Like this one called "The Bass Experience." For a cool, $6,500 you get a Gene Simmons signature bass of your choice which he will sign. Then you get to take photos, videos, and even talk to the God of Thunder himself who is very down-to-earth, funny, and knowledgeable on almost any subject."

You get to bring three friends with you, and if you want that bass of yours to be played on stage, that'll be an extra $6,000.

Gene Simmons continues to be rock music's greatest entrepreneur and has found some ways to get people to pay him to carry his gear. (Photo by Elsie Roymans/Getty Images)

But the greatest package of all is without a doubt the "Ultimate Gene Simmons Experience."

Does that mean you get kicked out of the band and he lets some other guy wear your costume and makeup (sorry, I'm an Ace Frehley guy)?

Nope! For $12,495.00 (note that this is $5 cheaper than a stage-played bass) you get to be a roadie and Gene's personal assistant for the day. That's right, you will get to hang out with Gene and have a meal with him, then you get to help the band load in and get set up for the show.

You get to bring 1 friend, four things to get signed (no instruments though), you'll get introduced during the show, and you'll even get a signed bass that Gene played… at rehearsal.

I love this. I know people will get mad that Gene is charging fans to carry his gear, but if they're willing to pay, why not? 

The guy is a marketing genius and look no further than charging people $12,495 to carry his amps.