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"A manager has to have vision, passion"

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What percentage does a manager typically take?

"As much as possible! [laughs] I'm a 20 percent manager, but I've done deals where I take 15. Believe me, there's managers who take 15 percent who should give 15 percent back! [laughs] There's managers and there's damagers. A manager is worth every penny. A damager isn't worth a damn."

In these changing times of the music business, should a young band be concerned with '360' deals?

"Yes. But again, you have to know who you're signing to. If you sign a 360 deal with a strategic partner and they break you and you become a star, and they introduce you to TV and radio and make your merchandising mean something, then you've made a great decision. But if you sign a 360 deal with somebody who can't deliver in any of those areas, then it's worthless."

Is working with acts different now than it was back in the day?

"From day one, my job has been about finding the cheese. And the way I look at it is, they've just moved the cheese. [laughs] Everybody always says to me, 'The record business is over.' OK, so it's over. Big deal. There's still avenues of income that have opened. Downloads, ringtones, commercial licenses - there's a lot of different ways to skin a cat. A good manager is going to figure that out."

What do you think about bands like Radiohead who distribute their music for free or pay-what-you-want prices?

"First off, Radiohead didn't give anything away. The average price they got for In Rainbows was four pounds or eight bucks. The only question is, how many did they actually sell? That's the part that nobody knows.

"I have no problem with giving something away. A new song, a T-shirt, some live tracks - what's wrong with that? And KISS have no problem with that either, despite some of the things Gene has said. You give somebody something for free, it's going to help bring them in the door. But you don't give them the keys to the whole farm. That's just stupid."

"There's managers and there's damagers. A manager is worth every penny."

How involved in the artistic process do you get with your acts?

"Very. I can't write the songs for the artists, but I can manage the quality of what they're doing in the studio - by making sure they have the best material before they get to the studio. Sometimes I'm the bad guy and tell a band, 'It's not there, keep writing' - it's hard. It's never about my personal taste; it's about what I think will sell.

"Another thing I do is I try get people involved. Marketing people, promo, publicity, sales - I play them demos, I play them roughs, I get their opinions. Also, it helps once the record is done because then those people, those gatekeepers, they feel an ownership of the record, and they're pumped to bring it home."

What about an artist's private life? If they have drug problems, personal issues…

"Our artists are family - and we have a very dysfunctional family. [laughs] I'm very involved with their lives. I try not to babysit them, but if they need me, I'm there. Listen, it's not all about the money. I've made money. It's about teaching people to be good people, to work hard, to do great things. Some of them get it, some don't. A lot of artists have these crazy death wishes, or they think they're invincible. It's a part of being a star, unfortunately."

Finally, what's the hardest part of working with Gene Simmons?

Having him constantly correct my spelling on text messages!. [laughs] He can run me ragged at times, but then I do the same to him. To be honest, he's a dream client, him and Paul Stanley. You'd think they'd be a beating, but they're fantastic. They work hard; they're loyal; they understand that they're not making all the decisions, and they don't want to. And they're very consistent: every time I send a deal over to them, I know Gene is going to say, 'I want more!'" [laughs]

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