Vinnie Vincent has intensified his defense of the $225 limited-edition CD single 'Ride the Serpent' following fan backlash, revealing it was originally priced at $300, teasing a 'bank vault' of recordings, and warning the full album may never see release without stronger support.
In response to ongoing criticism over the high price of his Vinnie Vincent Invasion single 'Ride the Serpent'—previously announced as a 1,000-copy autographed run at $200 plus $25 U.S. shipping—Vincent has posted defiant messages on social media, some now deleted.
'If you like what I do, then support the artist. You bitch because it’s one song? This one song is worth more than most entire albums. Consider yourself lucky that it’s only $200... It was originally $300, but with the economy suffering as it is, I made it $200,' he wrote, as reported by Classic Rock and Stereogum.
Vincent hinted at expansive future plans: 'If the fan support is there, this is what to expect the price will be for these private recording collection pieces. There is a bank vault of recordings I have been preparing for release.' He reiterated concerns about music theft driving his sales model.
In a stark escalation, Vincent suggested the upcoming album Judgment Day Guitarmageddon might remain unreleased: 'If the fan support is not there which it does not appear to be, this record will not be released... It will be the greatest album of all time, never to be heard.' He insisted on 'VINYL AND CD HARD COPIES ONLY,' ruling out streaming.
Vincent, who played uncredited on Kiss's 1982 Creatures of the Night, co-wrote tracks on 1983's Lick It Up, and led Vinnie Vincent Invasion after leaving in 1984, last released new material in 1996's Euphoria EP. He resurfaced briefly at the 2018 Atlanta Kiss Expo but skipped Kiss's recent Kennedy Center Honors.