The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has defended its decision not to induct all the members of Kiss and says it is prioritising original members.
The Hall recently announced Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and former members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley will be inducted in a special ceremony in April.
But the announcement ignores the band's current lineup featuring Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer.
Joel Peresman, CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, says the selection is largely based on the group's body of work at a particular period of time.
"The reason Kiss was nominated and is being inducted was because of what was established in the 70s with Ace, with Peter, with Paul and Gene," he told Billboard.com.
"That's what put them on that map."
Peresman says Singer and Thayer weren't founding members of Kiss, so their contributions to the band's identity isn't the same.
"They took the persona of characters that were created by Ace and Peter," the CEO said.
The other Kiss members argue that many members throughout a band's history have previously been inducted.
In the case of the Grateful Dead, even non-performing songwriter Robert Hunter was included.
But the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is sticking to its decision, even after Kiss said they wouldn't perform at their own induction ceremony because they wanted to celebrate the band's entire history, not just its early success.
