Image copyright Getty Images 
 
 Rock star Gene Simmons says that when it comes to making money he is like a great white shark. 
 
 And that despite being worth more than $300m (£200m), he will never stop wanting to make more. 
 
 The bassist and co-vocalist of stadium-filling, costume-wearing and face-painted US band Kiss, says: "Life is business, and I approach life the way sharks approach life - they must keep moving or else they will drown. 
 
 "I'll never stop hunting more money, I'll never have enough." 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Simmons says he has never drunk alcohol or taken drugs 
 
 With Kiss now in South America on the latest stage of a two-year sell-out world tour, Simmons, 65, took time out to speak to the BBC about his long career in the music industry, and his host of other business interests. 
 
 Although famous for sticking out his very long tongue, and past womanising - he claims to have slept with 4,800 women - what is much less well known is that Simmons has always been the financial brains of the band. He is its de facto chief executive. 
 
 Ever since the four-piece band formed in New York in 1973, it has been Simmons who has kept his eyes on the finances. And it was his incredibly lucrative idea for the band to sell as much merchandise as possible. 
 
 For while Kiss have sold 100 million records around the world, the band has actually made more money from selling licensed products. 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The band is currently on the South American leg of a two-year world tour 
 
 Over the group's 42-year history, it has authorised more than 5,000 different items of merchandise, everything from rock band staples such as T-shirts and hats, to comic books, pinball machines, credit cards, and even condoms and coffins. 
 
 Not forgetting jewellery, ashtrays, lunchboxes, Halloween costumes, baseballs and beach towels. And a golf course and coffee shop. 
 
 It is a business empire which under Simmons' stewardship just keeps on growing. 
 
 This has led to the band's critics - and there have been many over the years - accusing the group of being too commercially-focused, of cheapening itself at the expense of its music. 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Kiss have authorised more than 5,000 different merchandise items 
 
 The calm and quietly spoken Simmons says he has no respect for such people. 
 
 He says (after a liberal amount of swear words have been edited out): "All our lives Kiss has been hounded by people who haven't achieved anything. And we buried them long ago. 
 
 "I call selling merchandise 'the Kiss business', and every band sells T-shirts, every band sells merchandise. They just don't do as good a job of it as us." 
 
 Lifetime teetotaller 
 
 The son of a mother who survived the Holocaust, Simmons was born in the Israeli city of Haifa in 1949. His birth name was Chaim Witz. 
 
 Describing his family as "dirt poor", he first showed his entrepreneurial spirit as a seven year old, when he and a friend started to pick wild fruit which they then sold on roadsides. 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Kiss have sold 100 million records despite never having been a hit with music critics 
 
 He says it was his first lesson in the importance of working hard and making money. 
 
 The family then emigrated to the US a year later, and growing up in New York, Simmons was inspired to start a band after watching the Beatles on television. 
 
 In 1973 Kiss was formed, with Simmons on bass, Paul Stanley and Ace Frehley on guitars, and Peter Criss on drums. 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Kiss recently moved into the coffee business 
 
 With Simmons and Stanley sharing the vocals, each band member painted his face with a different design, and took on a stage name. 
 
 Simmons' name was "The Demon", and on a white background he drew black flames around his eyes. Not forgetting putting on platform boots and body armour. 
 
 Fuelled by catchy hard rock songs, and the outlandish make-up and outfits giving the band a major promotional push, within a few years Kiss was enjoying soaring sales and sell-out tours. 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Kiss even sell birth control products, with four different types of condoms 
 
 The music critics were often hostile, with many accusing the group of being all image over substance, but Kiss built up a massive fan base around the world. 
 
 Yet despite living a multi-million dollar lifestyle for four decades, Simmons says he has never drunk alcohol, taken drugs, or even smoked a cigarette. 
 
 "As a young man at parties, I'd look around and see all the other men completely drunk, behaving like idiots, and unable to talk to the beautiful girls," he says. 
 
 "What a complete waste of humanity... booze or drugs have never done anything for me, but I fully uphold people's right to have a completely loser life." 
 
 Workaholic 
 
 Although original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss are no longer in the group, Kiss continues to tour the world with Stanley as the musical leader and Simmons as the businessman. 
 
 He describes his stewardship of the current world tour as like "driving a truck". 
 
 Image copyright Reuters Image caption Simmons lives in Los Angeles with former Playboy model Shannon Tweed 
 
 "I'm driving and I keep an eye on everything," says Simmons. "But open the hood and I don't have a clue what is going on with the engine. 
 
 "Thankfully I hire people who can do all that for me. Paul and I always have a great team with us... and every night we put on one hell of a show. We are deadly serious when up on stage." 
 
 In addition to looking after Kiss, Simmons' other business interests now include everything from a restaurant chain, to an American football team, reality TV shows, a new horror movie production company, book and magazine publishing, public speaking, and language translation services. 
 
 He says he is able to find the time for everything because he loves working, and is never hungover. 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Simmons says that whether on or off stage he is always working 
 
 "Think about how much time most people waste doing nothing - weekends, nothing, holidays, nothing, Christmas, nothing. That all adds up. 
 
 "Me I'm always working. When I'm on tour, I'm constantly on my computer working." 
 
 When at home, Simmons lives in Los Angeles with his long-term partner Shannon Tweed, an actress and former Playboy playmate, with whom he has two children. 
 
 He says: "I'm like [billionaire investor] Warren Buffett - he gets up every day and goes to work even though he doesn't need the money. 
 
 "I live to make more money. People who say that money is the root of all evil are morons, a lack of money is the root of all evil." ||||| "With education comes refinement," Jay-Z observes late one Friday afternoon. He's lounging on a couch in a studio at the Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment complex on the far west side of Manhattan and speaking between nibbles of a takeout salad in a plastic container and sips from a bottle of water. In his everyday speech, as in his raps, Jay-Z is inclined toward aphorisms, the compressed expression of complicated ideas, delivered with rhetorical flair. It's hard-earned wisdom, graced by a poet's touch. He is relaxing after a typically jam-packed day that included a photo shoot, an interview, and a meeting about his potential involvement in a forthcoming video game. He celebrated his birthday the night before with the staff of his Rocawear clothing line, so a mild fatigue has set in. Slender and six feet three inches tall, Jay-Z is an imposing figure, even in relative repose. He's wearing distressed jeans that hang loosely from the middle of his hips, black sneakers, and a long-sleeved black T-shirt that has replaced the pristine short-sleeved white one he wore before changing for his photo shoot. The look is studiously casual . . . until you glance at his left wrist and notice a diamond watch so thick it could pass for a weight band. The winter sky is growing gray in the bank of windows behind him as the sun sets over the Hudson River. Jay-Z returns to the narrative of what, in the 19th century, would have been called his sentimental education, the education of his emotional life. That journey to refinement began in the rugged Marcy Projects in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant district, and now continues in arenas and boardrooms, in posh homes and VIP hideaways, around the world. Jay-Z feels comfortable in all of these realms. "I've never looked at myself and said that I need to be a certain way to be around a certain sort of people," he explains. "I've always wanted to stay true to myself, and I've managed to do that. People have to accept that. I collect art, and I drink wine . . . things that I like that I had never been exposed to. But I never said, 'I'm going to buy art to impress this crowd.' That's just ridiculous to me. I don't live my life like that, because how could you be happy with yourself?" Staying true to yourself might stand as a succinct summary of Jay-Z's philosophy of success. The notion goes back to Shakespeare's "To thine own self be true," and further back than that to the Greeks. But for Jay-Z, it has an urgently contemporary meaning. Even, or perhaps, especially, in recessionary times, amid the thousands of entertainment and lifestyle choices consumers have available to them, what separates winners from losers is a commitment to a single proposition: You are the product. If people believe in you, they will believe in what you create. Jay-Z understands this and is down with it. 
 
 By selling more than 40 million albums (as of April 2009) and building a business empire that extends far beyond music into clothing, fragrances, the New Jersey Nets, sports bars, liquor, and hotels (to name just a few of his seemingly innumerable investments), Jay-Z has transformed himself into one of the most potent brands in the world. But that brand retains its power only if people remain convinced that the product they are purchasing somehow genuinely reflects Jay-Z and his tastes. As he famously put it in one of his raps, "I'm not a businessman/I'm a business, man." "My brands are an extension of me," he says. "They're close to me. It's not like running GM, where there's no emotional attachment." The reference is apt, given the government's ongoing potential bailout of two major automobile companies. Jay-Z notes that resonance with a pause and a chuckle. "My thing is related to who I am as a person," he says. "The clothes are an extension of me. The music is an extension of me. All my businesses are part of the culture, so I have to stay true to whatever I'm feeling at the time, whatever direction I'm heading in. And hopefully, everyone follows." In conversation, Jay-Z's speech is slower, calmer, and more deliberate than in the propulsive, deep-voiced, and often incendiary raps that have made him a titan in the world of hip-hop, a man whose sales and staying power have elevated him above all but a handful of potential rivals. He's an engaged and animated speaker, quick to touch you in a friendly way to emphasize a point. But as laid-back and accessible as he seems, he also exudes a calm air of confidence. He doesn't need to be aggressive or impose his will in a ham-fisted manner. Half a dozen people are floating around the studio, ready to read any sign of need or impatience on his part. He's cooperative and congenial in the way that only someone who knows he can immediately put an end to any experience that moves in an unpleasant direction can be. "Jay-Hova," he has called himself, echoing the name of the mighty, vengeful God of the Hebrew Bible. He has anointed himself the "God MC." But he has also rapped that he "never prayed to God/I prayed to Gotti." Perhaps there is a distinction to be drawn between Jay-Z, the battle MC who to this day engages in raw exchanges with younger rappers looking to take him down, and Shawn Corey Carter, the far-sighted businessman who cofounded his own label, Roc-A-Fella Records, in 1996; who served as president and CEO of Def Jam Records from 2005 to early 2008 and helped launch the careers of Kanye West, Young Jeezy, and Rihanna; who sold his Rocawear clothing line in 2007 for $204 million, while retaining a major stake in the company; and who, following a path blazed by Madonna and U2, forged a $150 million deal in 2008 with the concert-promotion firm Live Nation. In 2009, Forbes ranked Jay-Z No. 32 on its "Celebrity 100" list of the ultrafamous and ultrapowerful. The magazine estimated his annual income at $82 million, and other sources have reported his net worth at $350 million. If that doesn't seem enviable enough, in 2008 Jay-Z married Beyonce Knowles, one of the world's most desirable women. It is part of his attitude of ultimate cool that he never publicly talks about her. Jay-Z moves in exclusive circles of all types. Musicians, actors, designers, politicians, captains of industry, and athletes all want to get next to him. He has developed an easygoing manner that enables him to cross these cultural boundaries in ways that make him seem accessible but still dignified, always aware of who he is. "I'm a mirror," he says. "If you're cool with me, I'm cool with you, and the exchange starts. What you see is what you reflect. If you don't like what you see, then you've done something. If I'm standoffish, that's because you are." Occasionally, stereotypes rear their heads and uncomfortable situations arise. "It's hilarious a lot of times," he says. "You have a conversation with someone, and he's like, 'You speak so well!' I'm like, 'What do you mean? Do you understand that's an insult?'" Growing up, however, Shawn Carter was far from the likeliest candidate for this sort of mind-boggling success. He was always recognized as bright--even today, the first word anyone who meets Jay-Z invariably uses to describe him is smart--and in the sixth grade, he tested at 12th-grade levels. But the Marcy Projects in Brooklyn were overrun by drugs and violence in the '80s. His father left the family when Carter was 11, and his mother had to raise him, his older brother, and his two older sisters. When he was 12, Carter shot his brother for stealing his jewelry. (They have since reconciled.) Carter attended high school with fellow Brooklynites the Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes, but dropped out to deal drugs in a region that extended from Brooklyn to Maryland and Virginia--as he details in his music--and to dabble in the still-nascent hip-hop game. Along with the dealers who ran the neighborhood around the Marcy Projects, Jay-Z remembers identifying sports figures as his first models of success. "Growing up where I grew up, we looked to athletes," he recalls. "They were our first heroes. They came from the same places we came from. I mean, you can't watch TV and see someone who is successful that you can really relate to. That person isn't real, he doesn't exist. But athletes traveled the world, had these big houses, and gave their families a better life. We were like, 'Wow, that's really cool.' These guys get paid millions of dollars to play the game they love." 
 
 Around the same time that he began to identify with athletes, Carter experienced another revelation: hip-hop. He began writing nonstop in notebooks, keeping his mother and siblings awake at night as he pounded the kitchen table to create beats. He hooked up with local rapper Jaz-O, who brought him to England when he toured there. Carter recorded with Jaz-O and also with Big Daddy Kane. But despite the acknowledgment of his skills (and his growing anxiety that either violence or the law would eventually catch up with him on the streets), Carter was reluctant to give up dealing. He was rolling in a Lexus and making more money, as far as he could tell, than most rappers. Still, he decided to take the plunge, but no record company was willing to offer him a contract. So with two partners, Carter formed Roc-A-Fella Records, and, in 1996, released his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, which established him as a major figure on the hip-hop scene. It was a heady moment, but Jay-Z barely realized it at the time. "I was naive," he recalls. "I made that album to impress my friends, so they would say, 'Oh, wow, look what you did!' It was my first album on the label that we owned. I was like, 'Okay, what happens now?'" What happened was that Jay-Z left drug dealing behind and began to build his empire, moving steadily from "grams to Grammys" as he puts it in one song. But the process wasn't easy. The treachery of life on the streets, where he faced bullets at close range, turned out to be nothing compared with what he would encounter in the upper echelons of the music business. "I come from a world that's completely different from the music industry, and it wasn't recognizable to me at all," he says. "I come from a place where you had to keep your word, where people would stick with you no matter what. That's impossible in the music business, where if you're not hot, people are not talking to you. I just tried to be a man of my word." The choice of Roc-A-Fella as his label's name would prove telling. On one hand, it's standard hip-hop braggadocio to establish a connection between a fledgling rapper and one of the richest and most powerful families in American history. But it also suggested the means through which Jay-Z would eventually establish his own business empire. The Rockefeller family and other 19th-century industrialists established a monopolistic hold on all aspects of the goods they produced. If you owned the mines that produced coal, for example, you also bought the railroads that transported it, the refineries that prepared it for market, and the utilities that provided its end product to the general population. As Jay-Z's career has progressed in the past dozen years, he has sought to establish a similar hold on the lifestyle market for which his music provides the soundtrack, and in which he stands as the ideal model to emulate. Rather than providing anything as tangible as coal or oil, Jay-Z, through his myriad branded investments, manufactures a way of being that makes it at least theoretically possible to never leave the world of his products. You can enjoy his music while sporting Rocawear clothing (estimated as doing $700 million a year in business), wearing one of his fragrances, and sipping his Ace of Spades champagne. You can attend his concert and end the night at one of his 40/40 nightclubs. His videos, DVDs, and CD booklets provide free exposure for all of his products, all of which, in turn, enhance every other aspect of the Jay-Z brand. The question then becomes how, with all this marketing and glossy brand extension, does Jay-Z maintain the credibility in the hip-hop world that made him such a marketable star in the first place? "We are excited to partner with an industry giant such as Elizabeth Arden," Jay-Z declared in the press release announcing his fragrance line, which made its debut last year. No matter how deeply you've absorbed the potency of Jay-Z's mainstream reach, that sentence still makes you do a double take. This is the man who took the film American Gangster as the inspiration for his most recent album? Jigga what? But Jay-Z believes deeply in the aspirational power of hip-hop, the notion that the music's truest fans want to see their heroes succeed and want to emulate them. He draws a sharp distinction between hip-hop and rock 'n' roll, whose stars have often expressed disdain for business and success. "I noticed that difference early on, like if you were successful in rock 'n' roll, that was a really bad thing," Jay-Z says with a laugh. "You almost had to hide it. You had these guys selling 200 million records with dirty T-shirts on. I was like, 'Come on, man. Come on. We know you're successful.' "Hip-hop is more about attaining wealth," he continues. "People respect success. They respect big. They don't even have to like your music. If you're big enough, people are drawn to you." Consequently, any discussion of credibility, or keeping it real, elicits a response of disbelief from him. "That's an insecure emotion," he explains. "You make your first album, you make some money, and you feel like you still have to show face, like 'I still go to the projects.' I'm like, why? Your job is to inspire people from your neighborhood to get out. You grew up there. What makes you think it's so cool?" Of course, Jay-Z has not been immune to those insecurities himself. In 1999, he was arrested for stabbing a record executive in a New York club, and in 2001, he was charged with possession of a loaded handgun. Against his lawyer's advice, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in the stabbing case and was sentenced to three years' probation. The gun charge was dropped. 
 
 It's generally thought that those brushes with potential incarceration cured Jay-Z of the need to prove that he could still live the thug life. He has rapped about both of those arrests ("Put that knife in ya/Take a little bit of life from ya/Am I frightenin' ya?"), but has shown no further inclination to transform his words into deeds that would put an end to the extraordinary life he has created for himself. In fact, quite the opposite. He has been baited relentlessly by other rappers--Nas, to cite just one example, taunted "Gay-Z" for his "dick-suckin' lips"--and has responded in kind, but only in song. In real life, he has taken steps to ease those rivalries and ensure that tragedies such as the killings of Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. never happen again. That's because too much is at stake now, far more than money or bling. Now in his fifth decade, Jay-Z is old enough to think about the cultural impact that hip-hop has already had, and the critical role he has played in it. "Hip-hop has done so much for racial relations, and I don't think it's given the proper credit," he says. "It has changed America immensely. I'm going to make a very bold statement: Hip-hop has done more than any leader, politician, or anyone to improve race relations. "I'll explain why I say that," he continues. "Racism is taught in the home. We agree on that? Well, it's very hard to teach racism to a teenager who's listening to rap music and who idolizes, say, Snoop Dogg. It's hard to say, 'That guy is less than you.' The kid is like, 'I like that guy, he's cool. How is he less than me?' That's why this generation is the least racist generation ever. You see it all the time. Go to any club. People are intermingling, hanging out, having fun, enjoying the same music. Hip-hop is not just in the Bronx anymore. It's worldwide. Everywhere you go, people are listening to hip-hop and partying together. Hip-hop has done that." He pauses, as if marveling at the idea, and then repeats it for emphasis: "Hip-hop has done that." Something else that hip-hop has done, in Jay-Z's view, is help to elect Barack Obama. "Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther King could walk, and Martin walked so Obama could run," Jay-Z told a concert audience in the crucial swing state of Ohio shortly before the November election. "Obama is running so we all can fly, so let's fly." He recorded a get-out-the-vote message for robo calls to African-American voters during the primaries. Perhaps even more extraordinarily, after a particularly heated primary debate, Obama brushed off Hillary Clinton's attacks with a gesture of wiping lint off the shoulders of his suit, and hip observers recognized an unmistakable reference to Jay-Z's song, "Dirt Off Your Shoulder." 
 
 Jay-Z's eyes widen as he recalls that moment. "I felt like, man, what time are we living in, where a presidential nominee is making reference to a rapper?" he says. "What a beautiful place we've come to. Growing up, politics never trickled down to the areas we come from. But people from Obama's camp, and Obama himself, reached out to me and asked for my help on the campaign. We've sat and had dinner, and we've spoken on the phone. He's a very sharp guy. Very charming. Very cool. "It's surreal," continues Jay-Z. "I couldn't imagine anything like that could happen. I didn't vote until I was an older adult. I didn't think I would ever vote, because it didn't matter who was in office. The situation never changed where we lived. Our voices weren't heard." Jay-Z walks idly around the studio as crew members break down the set for his photo shoot. He's rapping along with a hip-hop track that's blasting in the room. When the sound system abruptly shuts off, Jay-Z continues rapping and moving to the music, like Wile E. Coyote in the moment before he looks down and realizes that he has run off the cliff. Jay-Z catches himself, looks around the room in mock surprise, and laughs. It's the sort of self-deprecating gesture he's good at, acknowledging that all eyes are on him, but humorously taking the edge off whatever intimidation factor his presence might have. That's a quality he brings into the boardroom as well. He's far from just a figurehead or a media front man. He takes his businesses as seriously as his artistry, and he goes at both with the same level of determination. He's clear about his own views, willing to listen to others, eager to keep everybody loose and motivated, and far more interested in long-term strategy than short-term gain. Even in the current economic environment, which is challenging to say the least, he's insistent on executing his game plan rather than making changes that might not ultimately be right for his brands. "He's smart as hell," says Neil Cole, chairman and CEO of the Iconix Brand Group, the company that bought Rocawear two years ago for more than $200 million. "He understands himself as a brand, and it's incredibly well thought out. We meet every week, and there's nothing impulsive about him. He's very consistent, and he won't settle. If something's not right, he's not going to do it for more money. He'll wait to get it right. He has a wonderful taste level about where he wants to take the brand. . .and himself." Michael Rapino, the president and CEO of Live Nation, echoes Cole's assessment of Jay-Z. "In meeting with superstars about potential deals, there are some who spit out 'How much can I get?' and the meeting is over, because you know you're starting out on the wrong basis," he says. "When we sat down with Jay-Z, 'How much money are you going to pay me?' came up in maybe the seventh conversation. The first conversation was, 'Can we change the business together?' ||||| The superstar rolled out his album “20/20” in three months instead of the usual year as a $20 million deal with the concert industry giant came due. 
 
 This story first appeared in the April 5 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. 
 
 The seemingly flawless rollout of Justin Timberlake's new album, The 20/20 Experience, which sold 968,000 copies during its first week of release, has confounded many in the music business. After all, it wasn't long ago -- June 2011, to be exact -- that the 32-year-old singer declared in Playboy, "Music is not my focus right now," shortly after telling Vanity Fair: "I wouldn't say I'm not going to put out another [album]. I would say that would be a bad bet, if you were betting." 
 
 One entity that was putting money on the former 'N Syncer's musical future: Live Nation. In 2008, the concert industry giant entered the business of Timberlake when it acquired Signatures, a leading merchandising company that counts the pop star among its exclusive licenses. Months later, it announced a multiyear agreement to feature 901, the premium tequila brand Timberlake launched, as the official tequila of Live Nation venues. 
 
 According to multiple sources, a 2009 partnership with Timberlake, structured after Jay-Z's game-changing $150 million Live Nation 360 deal and Timberlake's AEG-promoted, $126 million-grossing 2007 FutureSex/LoveShow tour, was quid pro quo for a touring commitment to Live Nation. In exchange, Timberlake received about $20 million -- $5 million of it free and clear, or "a gimme," as one insider describes it. (Worth noting: Timberlake could have returned it had he not toured.) 
 
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 So it's understandable that upon hearing of Timberlake's intended hiatus, the company would become uneasy at the prospect of waiting endlessly for its star, who had garnered accolades as an actor, appearing in Oscar-caliber films and rom-coms. Timberlake next will be seen in the Coen brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis, but not before he takes part in the massive Live Nation-promoted Legends of the Summer tour, which he'll co-headline with Jay-Z. 
 
 Says one high-ranking source, "There is a due date by which you have to start touring -- at some point, [Live Nation] has to call in the loan." 
 
 Typically, an album launch for a megastar of Timberlake's stature would take a year to set up at radio and retail, in addition to recording time. But with 20/20, the public first got word of its March 19 release in January, after which Timberlake kicked off a massive TV and marketing blitz that included a hosting stint on Saturday Night Live, a week's worth of appearances on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, a surprise performance at South by Southwest and a national ad campaign for Target, which is selling a deluxe edition of the album in addition to devoting prime retail space to the pop star. Timberlake also has been approached for an endorsement deal with Diet Coke. 
 
 Talk about going from zero to jet speed in a minute. Which begs the question: Was the album rushed so there would be product to sell in addition to concert tickets? Longtime Timberlake manager Johnny Wright told CNN during the network's 30-minute special, The Justin Timberlake Experience, that 20/20 was made in only 20 days, which might account for the mixed reviews it has received. The New York Times called it "primarily a paean to brand maintenance." Said Jody Rosen in Rolling Stone: "There are no songs as instantly infectious as 'SexyBack.' … But eventually the music sinks its teeth in." 
 
 STORY: Justin Timberlake's '20/20' Heading to 950,000-Plus Debut 
 
 There also was a hitch leading up to the Feb. 22 tour announcement. The album's first single, "Suit & Tie," with its retro groove and '70s-esque falsetto, seemed to have a slow start at radio after its Jan. 15 debut -- so much so that, according to an insider, the promoter worried whether Timberlake, six years removed from his previous tour, could fill arenas. 
 
 Enter rap legend Jay-Z, who recently befriended the pop star and suggested the two hit the road together. Driving the nepotism home, the stars share close ties with Timbaland, who produced 20/20, signed to Roc Nation in January and is in the studio with Jay-Z. As for the Legends trek, while Jay-Z's addition upped the venue size to stadiums, a Timberlake source asserts that the headliners will split revenue 50-50. The summer tour should bring in north of $60 million, estimates one insider, which is more than enough to cover Timberlake's obligation to Live Nation. 
 
 A rep for the concert company tells THR: "Live Nation always envisioned an arena tour for Justin Timberlake. After their successful studio collaboration, Justin and Jay-Z approached us, and we are thrilled to promote their stadium tour." 
 
 The team-up strategy seems to be working: According to StubHub, Legends of the Summer is outselling Jay-Z's previous Watch the Throne outing with Kanye West by a 5-to-1 margin. As for "Suit & Tie," it's at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, with follow-up "Mirrors" hot on its heels. All this momentum will lead to Timberlake's own headlining outing in the fall, a Live Nation rep confirms, without specifying what size venues he'll play. 
 
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 In a way, Timberlake's insta-arrival is a testament to his pop-culture staying power. It's a rarity, but don't call it a comeback. "That implies that Justin was 'down' at some point," says on-air personality Chris Booker of Los Angeles' AMP Radio. "I see it more as a pause. He stepped away on top of the pop world, and nobody filled the void. I hope he gets the music bug more often; it's his strong suit and tie." 
 
 Twitter: @shirleyhalperin ||||| There's big business in booze – and celebs know that too! We're breaking down which stars are mixing it up with their very own alcohol brands. 
 
 1. In early 2014, Justin Timberlake developed a brand of Sauza Tequila called "901" – the name is inspired by his hometown area code in Memphis and "the time of night things start to get interesting." Hey-yo! 
 
 2. George Clooney's in the tequila business too! He helped develop "Casamigos" tequila with close friends Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman after an inspired trip to Mexico. In fact, the viral ad has George waking up next to Rande's wife, supermodel Cindy Crawford, inspired by a real-life mix up! 
 
 3. Fergie has her own line of flavored low-calorie vodkas "Voli Vodka." So you can enjoy a cocktail guilt-free at the end of the day! The line comes in six flavors: Original Lyte, lemon, orange vanilla, pear vanilla, raspberry cocoa and espresso vanilla. 
 
 4. Sean "Diddy" Combs famously partnered with Cîroc. The entrepreneur could very well be a future billionaire should the popular vodka brand ever sell. The spirit's value is estimated to be worth $1 billion. 
 
 5. Is there anything Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie can't do? Brangie's 2012 wine was the only rosé on Wine Spectator Magazine’s list of 100 best wines, effectively crowning it the best rosé in the world! Their brand of wine is called "Miraval" – if that sounds 
 
 familiar, yes! That's the same location the couple wed in August. 
 
 
 
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 6. Drew Barrymore is also in the wine business, inspired by her travels through Italy to develop "Barrymore Wines" – her very own brand of Pinot Grigot! Where my girl, Drew? 
 
 7. Bethenny Frankel went from reality TV star to millionaire mogul when she developed and sold her famous line of "Skinnygirl Cocktails," which she ultimately sold for multi-millions in 2011. And now she's doing what she does best by expanding the brand into low calorie snacks. 
 
 8. Country music star Kenny Chesney launched his own premium rum line called "Blue Chair Bay." The beverage was prominently featured in Chesney's No Shoes Nation Tour and has boosted the singer's already triumphant status in the country world. 
 
 9. Even Hanson has dabbled in the biz! The now grown-up '90s boy band created their very own brand of beer, cleverly named… "Mmmhops!" Get it? ||||| FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2013 file photo, Drew Barrymore poses for a portrait in promotion of the launch of her new cosmetics line "Flower" at the Maesa offices in New York. Flower products can be found... (Associated Press) 
 
 Business ownership is the latest must-have among women on the A-List. Stars including Halle Berry, Nicki Minaj and Drew Barrymore, have launched businesses in recent years that sell lingerie, bubby wine and lip gloss. 
 
 Here are some celebs that are cashing in on their star power: 
 
 Halle Berry, Scandale Paris 
 
 The Oscar winner's line of $7 panties and $18 bras went on sale at Target stores last year. "The line got off to a strong start when it launched in October and its performance continues to build," said Target spokesman Joshua Thomas. Berry wants to expand the brand into swimsuits and nightgowns, but first, Scandale Paris lingerie will be sold in more international stores later this year. 
 
 More info: http://scandale.com/ 
 
 Nicki Minaj, Myx Fusions 
 
 The "Anaconda" rapper co-owns bubbly moscato maker Myx Fusions with Mona Scott-Young, the producer of the "Love & Hip Hop" reality TV series on VH1. Myx Fusions Moscato comes in single-serve bottles and in three flavors: mango, coconut and peach. Up next for Myx Fusions is a line of fizzy sangrias, set to launch in June. 
 
 More info: http://www.myxfusions.com/ 
 
 Drew Barrymore, Flower 
 
 Flower, the makeup brand co-owned by Barrymore, sells lipsticks, nail polishes and other cosmetics at Wal-Mart. A website for Flower has pictures and videos of the actress and producer in a white lab coat testing foundations, nail polishes and eye shadow colors. Flower, co-owned by makeup company Maesa, doesn't advertise, instead it relies on the star power of Barrymore, who starred in 1982's "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" and the "Charlie's Angels" films. 
 
 More info: http://flowerbeauty.com/ 
 
 Jessica Simpson, The Jessica Simpson Collection 
 
 The singer, actress and reality TV star started her brand a decade ago. Its clothing, shoes and accessories are now sold in several department stores, including Macy's, Nordstrom and Dillard's. In March, she sold a majority stake of the Jessica Simpson Collection to brand management company Sequential Brands. Sequential said annual sales of the brand were about $1 billion. Simpson still has a stake in the company, and her mother Tina Simpson remains as creative director. 
 
 More info: http://jessicasimpson.com/ 
 
 Jessica Alba, The Honest Company 
 
 Alba co-founded consumer products business The Honest Company five years ago. It sells diapers, baby wipes, laundry detergent and other products. The actress, who starred in two "Fantastic Four" movies, told CNBC that the company had $150 million in sales last year. 
 
 More info: https://www.honest.com/ 
 
 Kate Hudson, Fabletics 
 
 The "Almost Famous" actress has a line of colorful leggings, sports bras and other workout gear called Fabletics. Each item costs less than $100, and is sold through the Fabletics website. She co-founded Fabletics with JustFab Inc., an online seller of shoes, handbags and jewelry. 
 
 More info: http://www.fabletics.com/ 
 
 Reese Witherspoon, Draper James 
 
 The star of "Wild," ''Walk the Line," and "Legally Blonde" fame started online shopping website Draper James last week. The company sells Southern-inspired fashions and home goods, including $125 shorts, a $155 tote bag and $175 sunglasses. 
 
 More info: http://www.draperjames.com/ ||||| The 40th year of Kiss has been spent getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after 15 years of eligibility, shepherding a new arena football team named after the band (the LA KISS), and producing a new reality show about that project called 4th and Loud, which starts August 12 on AMC. 
 
 
 
 Sitting at a table in a Beverly Hills hotel restaurant to help promote that show, a big red rose plucked from a lobby arrangement in his black suit, Simmons is asked by a publicist if he needs anything. 
 
 
 
 "I would love a back rub, a hot fudge sundae and a lap dance," he tells her, before settling on a Diet Coke. To his visitor he asks, "Do you want crack or something?" 
 
 
 
 Simmons' mix of charm and smarm has made him a figure to love or hate in rock, in or out of makeup. He's been a reality star, with seven seasons of Gene Simmons Family Jewels under his big, studded belt, and continues to tour with the band in the worst conditions. 
 
 
 
 He talked about the band, its induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and whether rap is rock in a typically far-ranging discussion. The 40th year of Kiss has been spent getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after 15 years of eligibility, shepherding a new arena football team named after the band (the LA KISS), and producing a new reality show about that project called, which starts August 12 on AMC.Sitting at a table in a Beverly Hills hotel restaurant to help promote that show, a big red rose plucked from a lobby arrangement in his black suit, Simmons is asked by a publicist if he needs anything."I would love a back rub, a hot fudge sundae and a lap dance," he tells her, before settling on a Diet Coke. To his visitor he asks, "Do you want crack or something?"Simmons' mix of charm and smarm has made him a figure to love or hate in rock, in or out of makeup. He's been a reality star, with seven seasons ofunder his big, studded belt, and continues to tour with the band in the worst conditions.He talked about the band, its induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and whether rap is rock in a typically far-ranging discussion. 
 
 Every time a band goes off stage and says good night, they come back, don't they? 
 
 
 
 
 
 Former members of the band have included drummer Eric Carr and guitarists Vinnie Vincent, Mark St. John and Bruce Kulick. Anton Fig played drums for the band in the studio in 1980; he's better known now as drummer in Paul Shaffer's CBS Orchestra band backing Late Show with David Letterman. 
 
 
 
 Current members of Kiss, drummer Eric Singer and guitarist Tommy Thayer, have each been with the band for more than a decade. While Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley remain the mainstays of Kiss, they've had a number of members in the band since the departure of the other two originals, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley.Former members of the band have included drummer Eric Carr and guitarists Vinnie Vincent, Mark St. John and Bruce Kulick. Anton Fig played drums for the band in the studio in 1980; he's better known now as drummer in Paul Shaffer's CBS Orchestra band backingCurrent members of Kiss, drummer Eric Singer and guitarist Tommy Thayer, have each been with the band for more than a decade. 
 
 Born in Israel as Chaim Witz in 1949, Gene Simmons has also had some prominent celebrity relationships, dating Cher and Diana Ross before settling down with former Playboy Playmate turned actress Shannon Tweed. The couple cohabited for more than a quarter century before their marriage in 2011, which was televised, as was their family life, raising two kids on Gene Simmons Family Jewels from 2006 to 2012. 
 
 One failed venture was a 2002 men's lifestyle magazine called Gene Simmons' Tongue that lasted five issues. 
 
 After this interview was published, Simmons issued this statement: 
 
 
 
 I want to make this statement about my views on depression for the record and to clarify my prior remarks. 
 
 
 
 To the extent my comments reported by the media speak of depression, I was wrong and in the spur of the moment made remarks that in hindsight were made without regard for those who truly suffer the struggles of depression. I sincerely apologize to those who were offended by my comments. I recognize that depression is very serious and very sad when it happens to anyone, especially loved ones. I deeply support and am empathetic to anyone suffering from any disease, especially depression. 
 
 
 
 I have never sugarcoated my feelings regarding drug use and alcoholics. Somewhere along the line, my intention of speaking in very directly and perhaps politically incorrectly about drug use and alcoholics has been misconstrued as vile commentary on depression. Unkind statements about depression was certainly never my intention. Fully, you will know that and I do not intend to defend myself here and now, by listing the myriad charities and self-help organizations I am involved with. Rather, I simply want to be clear that my heart goes out to anyone suffering from depression and I deeply regret any offhand remarks in the heat of an interview that might have suggested otherwise. 
 
 : Now you have your own arena football team and a reality show about it. Are you a fan of football?: No, I'm a fan of America and all things American deserve to be done as spectacle.We wanted to take the point of view with LA Kiss, first and foremost, let's not assume that they're football fans or even sports fans. Let's give them the best football possible - competitive and good-looking - all this kind of stuff, but when the ball's not in play, give 'em something.: You're doing this while being out on tour.: Tomorrow we're in Austin. Two days ago we were in Phoenix — 112 degree temperature, plus 85 percent humidity, plus another 10 to 20 degrees of stage lights. And fireballs going off.: Plus your costume of leather and metal...: Fifty pounds.: Why do you keep doing this?: It's not easy, but on the other hand, you know when you go to the gym there's a guy in the corner who's not looking over his shoulder, he's just really working it. You look with admiration at the commitment, because he's doing it for himself.I have enough money and enough fame. If you have enough money why would you get on stage with over 100 degree temperatures and 100 degree humidity? Pride.: And that's why the band still tours?: Yeah, we always get paid handsomely and that's appreciated. More is a good word.: Hey, I went to your farewell about a decade ago.: There will be plenty of farewell tours to come. Every time a band goes off stage and says good night, they come back, don't they?: So was it always a ruse?: No. We got off stage thinking: "That's it!" And people keep saying, "How come you don't come back?" Well, we no longer have Ace [Frehley] and Peter [Criss], and we already did the farewell tour with them. And they're going, "We don't care, we just want to see Kiss.": Did being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame play into that pride, or did you even care?: Personally I did not care, because the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has become a sham. Back room politics. There are disco artists and rap artists in that. So I will give the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame credibility even though it's got Run-D.M.C. and Madonna and some other people on it, as soon as the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame allows Led Zeppelin inside. You'd say, that's ridiculous. Oh really? But Run-D.M.C. is in the Rock Hall? What brand of guitar do you play? What song have you ever sung?: There have been some acts inducted who didn't attend the event at all. Why did you?: Because of the fans. It was important to validate, for them. And we said we'd play if you honor all of our members as you honored the Grateful Dead — all 10 members and the lyricist who is not in the band — in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The E Street Band are in in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I can't name you anybody who is in that; you know Bruce Springsteen.And they wouldn't allow [current members] Tommy [Thayer] and Eric [Singer] to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, who have been in the band longer than the originals.So we said OK, we'll accept the award, but I'm not playing. So I'll tell you what I'm going to do: I have a hall of fame, and I'm going to honor you. You can bring your whole family and everything else. But just your first girlfriend that you went out with. Your wife and your kids, no, they can't come. How would you feel about that?: Do you still get along with the original guys?: No, I don't get along with anybody who's a drug addict and has a dark cloud over their head and sees themselves as a victim. Drug addicts and alcoholics are always: "The world is a harsh place." My mother was in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany. I don't want to hear fuck all about "the world as a harsh place." She gets up every day, smells the roses and loves life. And for a putz, 20-year-old kid to say, "I'm depressed, I live in Seattle." Fuck you, then kill yourself.I never understand, because I always call them on their bluff. I'm the guy who says 'Jump!' when there's a guy on top of a building who says, "That's it, I can't take it anymore, I'm going to jump."Are you kidding? Why are you announcing it? Shut the fuck up, have some dignity and jump! You've got the crowd.By the way, you walk up to the same guy on a ledge who threatens to jump and put a gun to his head, "I'm going to blow your fuckin' head off!" He'll go, "Please don't!" It's true. He's not that insane.: Are you guys recording anything new?: We have new songs, but no plans to record right now. It's a long tour.: Is there any possibility of seeing yourself beyond Kiss, or retiring?: There are so many other ventures: film companies, TV, lots of stuff. Restaurant chains.: Does being the Demon ever get old for you? Putting on all that makeup? Spitting blood?: No. Ask Superman if he ever gets tired of the costume. No. Are you kidding?: The band is famous for all of its merchandising.: Kiss condoms, Kiss Kaskets: We get you coming and we get you going.: Some bands say they'd never be that commercial.: They're liars and I'll prove it to you: The hippiest of hippie bands has T-shirts, and as soon as you sell a ticket, you're not really selling music. As soon as you sell anything, you're selling something other than music.And by the way, I don't want to see a U2 comic book. I don't want to see The Edge with a cape flying through the air. But I want to see that with Kiss.So maybe the great bands - Radiohead, and U2 and The Stones - maybe they don't want to do it. But the truth is, they can't. Other than the Stones' tongue logo , when was the last time you saw anybody wearing Mick Jagger on their T-shirt. How about never?That doesn't mean they're not one of the best bands in the world, and they can't fill up a stadium. I'm talking about that iconic imagery: Things that stand the test of time across generations. I don't kid myself. It often sounds self-serving, delusional or in other ways arrogant. No. It's the truth.: It seems like you guys were fully formed from the beginning. There was no tinkering with your image.: No, it was all fully formed. And there were no managers in the beginning. It was an epiphany, a singularity: Four knuckleheads off the streets of New York got together and decided to form a band they never saw on stage. Once you throw the rulebook down on the floor, a lot of cool things are possible.Rock and roll, but he way, started that. Take the rule books:I can't; nor can Lennon or McCartney, Hendrix or anybody else - throw that away.I don't. No.When you take a look at the vast majority of bands, especially the ones that came out of the '60s and '70s, it defies logic how many variations there are of this thing called rock, soul, pop; from Motown to Elvis to The Beatles to Yes to Kiss, to ZZ Top, all this stuff. And they seem to have their own personality as opposed to rap, which looks like everybody came from a rap mother and rap father. There's no difference. And for a long time, country was like that. If you were a country artist, you put on your cowboy hat. It was a costume. Interesting isn't it? But only rock continues to be the iconic reference point.Bill Clinton is a rock star. Bill Clinton, if you said he was a hip-hop star or country western star, would mean nothing. If a fighter pilot is going to drop bombs, he says to his guys, "Let's rock!" or "Let's rock 'n' roll!" He doesn't say, "Let's hip-hop!" "Let's rap!": You seem to have a thing about hip-hop.: I don't have a thing about it at all. Whatever people want. But there used to be something called spoken word records. That's what they are. People are talking. Which is fine.: A lot of major bands have opened for you over the years.: The biggest bands. AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Judas Priest , Iron Maiden, Rush, Cheap Trick — the biggest bands all did their first tours opening for us because we picked them. 'Cause we're also fans.: You mentioned Radiohead earlier. Do you have other favorite contemporary bands?: I think Muse is the most interesting band to come out in 10 years.I think Lady Gaga is the only new rock star, although she's not a rocker. I would like her to throw away all the disco stuff and get a band. Don't use tapes, come out with a real live band and guitars. She's a bona fide musical artist. She did a duet with Tony Bennett, real great pipes. She can sit at a piano all by herself. She's a legitimate artist. A lot of the other pop divas who are really talented are not artists.: How about a Gaga collaboration with Kiss?: We tried, on our last record. And we got close. She got busy, we got busy. We would have done it.: Has the band ever done any collaboration projects like that?: Never.: That's what I'm thinking. Why is that?: When I was a kid, you didn't have to be a Beatle fan to be in awe of them, but I was. I didn't want any other band to get near The Beatles. Too pure. They looked like they came from the same Beatle mother. They looked like brothers or something.With The Stones it was easier. They had a blonde guy and things, so they often brought up people: Howlin' Wolf, somebody else.I didn't want to see anybody with The Beatles, or with Led Zeppelin, I didn't want them to jam with anybody. Look, it's all personal taste. AC/DC is one of the great bands. I don't want to see anybody jam with them. I just want to see AC/DC.
– Being rich doesn't always accompany being famous, especially when living a rock star lifestyle, but a handful of A-list musicians have managed to turn their celebrity into successful business ventures: Jessica Simpson: You wouldn't expect a pop singer/reality star who didn't know the difference between chicken and tuna to morph into a fashion mogul, but that's the case of Jessica Simpson. She recently sold a 50% stake in her empire of clothing, shoes, and bags that's said to be worth more than $1 billion. Jay Z: The music mogul once rapped: "I’m not a businessman / I’m a business, man!" The rapper now can count clothing, sports bars, liquor, fragrances, a basketball team, and a music streaming service among his many ventures. Gwen Stefani: The No Doubt vocalist once sang of being "just a girl," but in addition to her solo career and gig on The Voice, she has managed to create a fashion company reportedly worth more than $90 million. Justin Timberlake: The former boy band singer has his hand in many businesses including a clothing line, record label, restaurant, basketball team, and most recently, his own brand of tequila. Gene Simmons: The KISS singer and bassist is reportedly worth more than $300 million, thanks to his role as the band's finance manager and his idea to license tons of merchandise. "Life is business, and I approach life the way sharks approach life—they must keep moving or else they will drown," he recently said in an interview. Click to read about 15 celebrity businesses that went belly up.