Kiss founding member Paul Stanley has stepped up his feud with bosses at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by accusing them of giving other bands like the Grateful Dead preferential treatment.

Stanley and his bandmate Gene Simmons turned down the chance to perform at their induction ceremony next month (Apr14) after learning that longtime members Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer are not eligible for the honour because they were not part of the original line-up.

The pair have publicly argued with the Hall of Fame Foundation's CEO Joel Peresman, complaining that founding members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss were only in the band for the first seven years, whereas current members Singer and Thayer have played with Kiss for 20 years.

Stanley has now written an open letter to Peresman, accusing the foundation of favouritism, citing their decision to let rock band Grateful Dead induct 12 members from an ever-changing line-up back in 1994, including behind-the-scenes songwriter Robert Hunter.

In the letter, which the singer posted on the Kiss official website, Stanley writes, "The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame continues to attempt to restore its questionable credibility and glimpses behind the facade with nonsense and half truths.

"The truth is Joel Peresman and the rest of the decision makers refused to consider the induction of any former Kiss members and specifically the late Eric Carr and Bruce Kulick who were both in the band through multi-platinum albums and worldwide tours and didn't wear make-up.

"There is no getting around the reality that the Hall Of Fame's favouritism and preferential treatment towards artists they like goes as far as asking the Grateful Dead how many members they wanted the hall to induct and following their directive while also including a songwriter who was never in the actual band".

He concluded, "Let's just accept the truth as it is and move on."