Prince’s response to our protest site
Wow, interesting. So PrinceFansUnited (prince.org, PrinceFams, and Housequake) put up a site to express our displeasure with what we interpreted as legal bullying. The press latched on to the story (without our prompting) and gave it a lot of (mostly virtual) ink, predominantly negative toward Prince. Today we find out that Prince would like to engage us in more civil talks, oh and also, he has created a ‘response’ song. He even wants us to host the song on our protest site (yes, we thought it was weird, too.) And then he registers a domain very similar to ours (princefamsunited.com) and puts the song there with no explanation.
Now, don’t get me wrong, the song is funky as hell, probably one of the best tracks in recent years. but… it sounds like the lyrics might be trying to dis us.
So… is he trying to end hostilities, or take it to the next level? Who knows, this is Prince we’re dealing with. Obviously, the end to this story hasn’t been written yet… although we do seem to be proving the theory that his greatest music comes from being pissed off!
November 8th, 2007 at 6:31 pm
Mixed-bag as usual.
Funky as hell song, but the lyrics are slap #1 in an attempt to tell us to “hush yo mouth”.
Nice gesture to ask it to be placed on PFU, then slap #2 by placing it himself on his new site (again, an attempted smack-down with the URL).
So, we get a direct response in the form of a funky track, and 2 slaps in the face.
Look here, weave-alicious.
November 8th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
Fuck em’ im sorry but Fuck em’ if he wants to talk to me as to why?…..tell him he’s free to gimme a ring ring hey hey…hhh
November 8th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Ben, you helped bring about the word “weave-alicious” into the Prince Fan Community. How must that feel???
November 8th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
“The press latched on to the story (without our prompting) ”
You can download a pdf press release from your site.
It says “For Immediate Release.”
[True, it is intended for the press to consume the site… but we didn’t go submitting it to the news wires, or the agencies… fans did that and it just caught fire. Not to say we WOULDN’T have probably done that, but we didn’t need to. -Ben]
November 8th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
I wouldnt have hosted the song on the PFU site. I would have insisted it was hosted at the org! Don’t let him hyjack the PFU!
November 8th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
I”m speechless….
November 8th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
well…..DAYUM!!!
If he can write a tune like this on a whim, I say keep this shit up!!! Don’t give in! Antagonize!! Call his azz OUT!!! This song along is worth the drama!
November 8th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
I agree with bumpsquad! I wouldn’t have given him equal billing on the PFU site either. Especially when he’s saying something like “you might not like the taste, but i’ma stick your face in this funk”… Are they that slap happy about getting new music that they lost sight of the message and entire POINT of it all!?! Not only are ya bein dissed, but you give him the PFU site along with it… The press was needed to get the point across, and it’s still not over yet…
November 8th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Prince is trfling with us again and most are falling for it.
Some will apparently sell out their self-respect and principles for a funk track.
And that is why Prince has long treated his fans like shit.
This is not a sign of peace, understanding, willingness to compromise or reason.
It is a stunt to deride fans and amuse himself
November 8th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
I’m still mad as hell! The song…though I like it…doesn’t change that. However, as long as there are negotiations, I’ll keep my cool.
Ben and other PFU site owners…you did good!!
You hit him where it hurts…his pride! Keep up the good work! 
No amount of funk is going to make me give up my freedoms!
I do find it hilarious that it took a full blown REVOLUTION (yes the pun is intended) to get a decent tune out of his stank butt. If negotiations fail, I say we piss him off so bad, we get a double CD of funk out of him!
Thanks for keeping us posted.
You guys rock!
November 8th, 2007 at 7:27 pm
Prince is showing his True colors. Black,dark and Evil
November 8th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
Love the song. Bummed about the situation. I have to confess though, I will forever follow his music no matter what. It’s my “crack”…
November 8th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
You can’t fight Prince and win, he’s got a game plan ..your best bet is to talk to the legal eagles and sort out some sort of “give and take” before you have no more to give, to give…getting fan’s or fams attacking each other will effect you guy’s alot more than Prince…your not a business so you have nothing to lose..work out a long term deal with the guy…he wants you to be a band member….don’t try a take lead vocals…
November 8th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
It’s a slap in the face….a good slap though. Love the song but I won’t lose hind sight of the whole situation and the real reason PFU was created. He preaches love 4 one another but he only loves himself.
It’s sad that at least half of the org has fallen under his funky music spell. It’s evil.
Ben I give you mad props. Continue as long as you can and I will support you 100%.
November 8th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
quite the premonition about being immortalized
November 8th, 2007 at 8:51 pm
I can’t imagine he cranked this song out this week. It sounds Camille-ish and therefore older, by my estimation. Just remember — most bullies back down when you stand up to them. Stay strong PFUnkers!
November 8th, 2007 at 9:02 pm
I don’t like how he “appropriated” PFU and turned it into Prince Fams United. I think the REAL PFU should send the appropriate legal letter to Websheriff and give him a taste of his own medicine.
I do like the song, but as I said elsewhere, it will take more than one funky song to resolve this.
Stay strong PFU (where the ‘F’ stands for Fans)!
November 8th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
I was stunned when I heard this. Still stunned actually, as I cannot seem to articulate what I am feeling/thinking about this.
Stunned…
November 8th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
Wow, brotha P was slicker than Machiavelli with this latest twist. LOL!
Touche’ Prince, I ain’t mad at ‘cha. Cheeky songs are all well and good but can we talk serious business for a minute?
What would really put a smile on my face is if you would reconsider employing an internet policing organization in a world where corporations already control most other media outlets. I’m not trying to tell you how to handle your business but today you have demonstrated that you can find a better way. You always do.
In 25 years I’ve never asked you for anything. I respect your rights and will continue to listen to all of your concerns with an open mind and supportive attitude. Would you mind doing this one thing for me?
I may be fat and ‘po in your eyes but I have a wealth of sincerity in my intentions…real talk!
Babynoz
November 8th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
hmmm…?
Funky tune..I actually like it..funky bass..kool guitars..camille is in the house..Cool..
Just one question tho’..
Whats so difficult about everybody just doing a simple little give and take so that we can keep collecting/discussing/digging Prince..
& He can stop getting bad Press and can continue doing sold out shows ..Making Buckets of $$$ and selling us the “Below average” Prince music he’s been selling us for over a decade..
Sounds like a win win situation to me..?
November 8th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Prince greased it real good !!!… said STICK YO fACE IN IT ( THE FUNK THAT IS) ; )
both Parties Why Can’t we just Dance
November 8th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Hmmm. Interesting response from the purple heeled wearing online/offline nuisance. From the looks of it Ben, I’d say you and PFU are hitting him where it hurts right in the balls despite that fact you all were generous in letting his reponse being heard on the PFU site. However, you guys remember kindness goes a long way and works to your favor and your blessing come back to you in the end. Besides, you know its starting to effect the wanker when he brings back Camile from retirement along with brand of funk we haven’t heard since the of time 85′ dated what a pity . Keep up the good fight & don’t back down!
November 8th, 2007 at 11:26 pm
Oh Ben…”mostly virtual ink”…nothing! I saw the story on my local news yesterday and a few hours ago I had to call one of my local radio stations to correct them on fact that…this wasn’t an “exaggeration” as dubbed in WS’s feeble attempt to discredit the position of US fans and they aired my response! The last few ISP’s from the D that bombarded the real PFU.com were courtesy of yours truly!
Fight the power!!
November 9th, 2007 at 1:08 am
Keep fighting, as long as we buy his music, we control him
F*** him
November 9th, 2007 at 2:02 am
He wants us to talk civil, but he himself comes out with the most disrespectful song I’ve ever heard out of his mouth.
While the whole song is very aggressive and offending the ‘cancer, fat and poor’ line is the lowest blow!!!
That goes to show what a cold-hearted SOB he really is. He doesn’t like it, if we criticize him in any way but he has no problem offending everybody.
What a narcissistic hypocrite!!!
He must have forgotten that he once was poor, before his fans made him rich.
I hope he realizes, that consequences will follow his actions!
So keep on fighting, if that’s what he wants. It’s on now!!! We made him and we can knock him out!!!
November 9th, 2007 at 2:06 am
P, F U!
fighting your fans…
where’s the spiritual message in that?
your God is your music
but it will not save your soul
November 9th, 2007 at 2:13 am
has anyone transcribed the song??… i cant understand half of it!
November 9th, 2007 at 2:41 am
PRINCE IS BACK ON FORM!!!
ANGRY AND WITH SOMETHING TO SAY!!!!!!!
November 9th, 2007 at 3:12 am
Oh come on, “disrespectful song” indeed. If you take it terribly seriously, you can interpret it that way, but if this isn’t the biggest tongue-in-cheek publicity stunt in the world, then I’m Chelsea Rodgers.
I think it’s hilarious, I think it’s a brilliant response and I think the little man is loving this whole fuss. And I think he’s inviting us to step up our game too.
Consider it a sly grin and a wink in our direction; a sort of begrudigng “well done” from him to us, while the lawyers all get serious in the middle.
Now, can someone please tell me how I can save the bloody thing?
November 9th, 2007 at 3:33 am
This only proves one thing… that he’s barking mad. But you knew that already.
November 9th, 2007 at 4:05 am
Wow! He’s cheeky. “Don’t Mess With Me”???!!! Well, I say try and stop us. Free speech is here to stay.
Keep up the funny pics, this is hilarious!!
http://www.b3ta.com/challenge/prince/
P, F U too Prince! Love ya! xx
November 9th, 2007 at 4:59 am
Thanks, Ben!
Good to know Prince felt it somehow. But it ain´t over yet
The song is very good, btw.
November 9th, 2007 at 5:02 am
Lets take it up a level if he wants that! should be a laugh ……..
how about doing a vidoe with p’s music in the background and we all dress up like Prince like a Slim Shady Vid!!!!
November 9th, 2007 at 5:21 am
‘Don’t mess with me’!?? Whooo I’m scared. Now careful you don’t fall down the crack in that pavement.
November 9th, 2007 at 5:22 am
Its really a “diss” record.
I giggle at Prince’s assholeness but for sure, he is saying he could careless about what most of us think about what he’s doing.
The “fams” crap has always been so lame.
November 9th, 2007 at 5:59 am
How many of us, have stolen from Prince? I know I have , So Prince do your thing, We you come to DC , I will be there.
November 9th, 2007 at 6:19 am
The reason for all this is simple. Prince’s new music is shit and because of this he has to give it away in newspapers and along with that comes a bit of publicity. When that publicity fades he seeks a new avenue of trying to get back in the papers and this is it. At the cost of his fans maybe but when you are giving your cd away in the newspaper for free who needs fans!!!
In the days of old Prince would get publicity from churning out funk record after funk record but these days he just churns out boring album after boring album with the odd funk track thrown in for old times sake!!
MESSAGE FOR PRINCE: GET YOUR MONEY FROM WHAT YOU ARE PAID TO DO, MAKING RECORDS THE GOOD OLD FASHIONED WAY AND SELLING THEM THE GOOD OLD FASHOINED WAY NOT PISSING YOUR FANS OFF BY DOING LAME PUBLICITY STUNTS!!!!!
November 9th, 2007 at 6:36 am
Poor little bastard.
November 9th, 2007 at 6:43 am
DAZ01204¤ said:
November 9th, 2007 at 6:19 am
The reason for all this is simple. Prince’s new music is shit and because of this he has to give it away in newspapers and along with that comes a bit of publicity. When that publicity fades he seeks a new avenue of trying to get back in the papers and this is it. At the cost of his fans maybe but when you are giving your cd away in the newspaper for free who needs fans!!!
In the days of old Prince would get publicity from churning out funk record after funk record but these days he just churns out boring album after boring album with the odd funk track thrown in for old times sake!!
MESSAGE FOR PRINCE: GET YOUR MONEY FROM WHAT YOU ARE PAID TO DO, MAKING RECORDS THE GOOD OLD FASHIONED WAY AND SELLING THEM THE GOOD OLD FASHOINED WAY NOT PISSING YOUR FANS OFF BY DOING LAME PUBLICITY STUNTS!!!!!
Out of ALL the posts and comments this one is the one I would have to totally agree with.
November 9th, 2007 at 6:44 am
Think this quote by SYNTHIAROSE sums it all up about this situation and the way a fair percentage of fans have responded….WAKE UP CHILDREN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Prince is trfling with us again and most are falling for it.
Some will apparently sell out their self-respect and principles for a funk track.
And that is why Prince has long treated his fans like shit.
This is not a sign of peace, understanding, willingness to compromise or reason.
It is a stunt to deride fans and amuse himself.”
READ IT THROUGH PEOPLE AND THINK TO URSELF……
November 9th, 2007 at 6:45 am
I hate that I post this here, I’d rather be able to read it to Prince, one on one but the man is not one just anyone can reach, so here it is….
HAUGHTINESS
Disdainful pride; superciliousness; arrogance. Haughtiness is the opposite of humility. The Greek and Hebrew words translated “haughty” and “haughtiness” have the basic meaning of causing oneself to appear “high,” “exalted,” “lofty,” “eminent.”
One who is haughty is, in his own esteem, superior, lifted up above his fellowmen.
As a result, such a person usually claims honor and attention beyond what is due and treats others with disrespect and insolence.
This is a personality trait we NEVER EVER want to display, cultivate or underestimate.
Brother, wake up.
November 9th, 2007 at 7:03 am
I just want to say that Im STILL waiting for a good situative response from him. This cryptologic/parable messages are getting old and are not appropriate for this state of problems.
And its a slap in the face that he think he can give us a song and not give us any info as to why he is treating us so bad.
I was really upset yesturday that I saw so MANY people give into the song and totally forget the bigger picture. Yes..the music is a really funky jam..but DaYuM its not a way to sell out to the lyrics where he’s basically letting us roll off of him like water on a ducks back.
Im sorry but no song is gonna turn me out to the problem at hand.
I hope he can get off his purple throne and come to the real world where the rest of us are and treat us decent by giving an explanation/apology/what his vision for the future is by doing this.
Im just really dissapointed at this point.
November 9th, 2007 at 7:11 am
I think Prince’s music is absolutely superb, but I think that even the most ardent fan would agree that he has a somewhat unique view on many subjects. With Prince, it’s almost as though he just gets really strange ideas into his head, and without thinking about the consequences, puts them into action. Not only that, he seems to change his opinions all of the time. In the 90’s wasn’t it the case he wasn’t going to play any of his old songs again? Did he not say he wasn’t going to play 1999 after the millenium, but still does? Did he not embrace Jesus, but cheated behind his ex-wife’s back and now walks around with two “twins”? It seems that Prince would say one thing and do something else.
I have a hypothesis over what this is all about. Over the last couple of weeks, there was a posting of Prince pulling strange faces in concert and the like. Obviously, it was a bit of a laugh, and indeed, to a normal person they would probably have a chuckle at it themself, but given what we know about Prince isn’t it likely that he saw these pictures, had a hissy fit that someone was mocking his carefully groomed image, and decided that he wanted them removed?
Ultimately, we could sit here and argue all day. Ain’t no one knows what the hell Prince’s is thinking or, indeed, why he does. Any Prince fan should know that by know. Just as long as this peculiar-purple munchkin continues to release funky track after funky track then we should be happy. Let’s just try and filter out everything else
November 9th, 2007 at 7:18 am
As much as I love Prince, I seriously feel like taking on the role of a disciplinary mom, pulling down his pants, and spanking him for sassing his entire fanbase with that song. That’s just what he did in a not-so-tongue-in-cheek way. He’s really behaving like a kid (O_o ironic….) and it looks like somebody’s mom or gramma is gonna hafta sit him down for a chat. (Mavis, where are you baby?!) The song and the site do nothing but ruffle feathers; which appears to be just what he wants. Instead of opening his mouth like a big boy and saying what he wants, he’s thrown a large piece of meat into a den of starving dogs only to watch the antics and fighting. Not only is this losing fans, it is bringing in lots of negative-minded people who’ve got nothing better to do than either bash us as fans or bash him for no reason at all when they’ve never read his music and know only the assumed stereotypes. *deep breath* This is far worse than what went down in the 90s. Sure, the song was funky. I shook my big butt for a good time, but the message itself was r-o-t-t-e-n. To be blunt, how does this look for a 49-year old to do? How does this look for a supposed man of Jehovah to do? It’s crazy right now for my 22 year-old self to see someone I adore who has so much to be acting on such a level of low-esteemed immaturity behind songs and lawyers. I don’t like his response, his site, or his attitude. However, it is so hard to say I spit on him and wash my hands of him. I just really hope he gets it together and realizes the world doesn’t revolve around him. Perhaps when the backlash gets under his skin, he will open his eyes and act his age. Or perhaps not. Perhaps this is what he wants. I just hope THIS isn’t going to inspire him to make “Somebody’s Somebody” Part 2 because he’s lonely. He brought this on himself. Being mysterious and all that can only go on for so long, y’know Princey!
November 9th, 2007 at 7:49 am
This is why Prince rocks. He takes bad press and hate and turns it into cheekiness and love.
Three sites which often bickered have come together and unite.
He gets worldwide press which translates into money.
We get a new track.
…and he gets to giggle at us loving a track which is dissing us and teasing us with every line.
I’m happy!
November 9th, 2007 at 10:03 am
ahhhhh….just lost my posting my darling daughter pressed her little fingers on my laptop.It was a good post too. My daughter who is 12 months loves the diamonds and pearls song. O and my son loves Prince too…got him a guitar. I wish Prince could do some friendly children tunes. My son loves..My name is Prince..and the begining of the diamonds and pearls song..the way it starts…I don’t know about you all…but I can switch off from any artist…I love U2 too.
PRINCE PLEASE DO SOME CHILDREN FRIENDLY SONGS..NO SWEARING AND SINGING ABOUT…WOMEN ALL THE TIME…HOW ABOUT God…the Lord Jesus.Live4truth…..live4Jesus. You’ll b 50 soon…but don’t look it…a few years older than my Mother.
Fans be Fanatic 4 Christ Jesus… :O)
November 9th, 2007 at 10:09 am
Just a Point Prince..(if you read this).
THE BIBLE IS FREE…All over the net. The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof…Everything belongs to Christ.
You love God(I hope :O) ) and you must know the word.
Live4truth.
xxxxxxx
November 9th, 2007 at 11:11 am
Change the site’s name to Ben.org.
It ain’t really about him anyway, it’s about the users here.
We’ll stay.
Forget the drama.
November 9th, 2007 at 11:26 am
Im with SquirrelMeat… he’s jerk us…
Excuse my english…
VAMPY
November 9th, 2007 at 11:49 am
ohhh the drama
November 9th, 2007 at 11:55 am
Either u support artists rights or u don’t. What is the bigger picture here? Do we need to be so reactive? Do you really believe Prince doesn’t care about his diehards?
November 9th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Ok - so despite Princes action you still continue to back him by entertaining him…he says jump, you say how high? when he asks you to host his dis song….hes got his own site to put stuff on.
You do know you’ll probbably get into trouble for hosting a copyrighted song even tho hes asked you to
November 9th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Prince’s senseless policy: shoot first , talk later, apologies: never.
November 9th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
I* am so not digging Prince right now. I am looking at all the Prince Cd’s I have and am very tempted to start a fire. But I rather let Prince know he doesn’t disrespect the hand that feeds. How much money have we stuffed into his pockets? Besides, we all know we can not have the type of discussions that we have with Prince censoring the hell out of it - or have you forgotten the forms at the Dawn and Love for 1 anotha? He makes me want to slap the make-up off his face.
November 9th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
all I got to say is I know Prince ain’t talking to me!
His short ass can get a beatdown!
November 9th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
GiGi319 said “While the whole song is very aggressive and offending the ‘cancer, fat and poor’ line is the lowest blow!!!”
I hear what you’re saying. Especially the cancer part, no joking matter. Maybe a 7 to 9 hours “around the world” administered by a BBW, would do him some good.
Oh yeah and “PFUnk” was nice…but not as FUNKay as this…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjX2MKaZ-rg
November 9th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
What D Funk
November 9th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
Prince is pissed off at us and writing songs about it, this is great! I’m laughing hysterically!
He’s gone too far with this one though, people are taking mess now!
Nobody really wants to hear the song even!
This is surreal, he’s the only one who aileinates his own fan base, again!
Give it up Prince, no one wants to hear you bitch on record!
November 9th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
i’ve been a prince fan for a very long time and my daughter she’s 11 years old loves prince music,i think prince needs to set the record straight i will always support prince.
November 9th, 2007 at 11:49 pm
what this says is that prince is dayum normal.
If you hear somebody rattlin on about you …..you gonna say sumthin…IF you ain’t no punk so……
what the business is…… is what started the entire “dissapearing act….” in the first place!!!!!.
….. that I’m really curious to know……
November 10th, 2007 at 12:10 am
Success has always been a stumbling block for this “star” who was on the verge of bankruptcy just a few years ago (by some accounts). Remember “Around the World in a Day” after the success of Purple Rain? The arrogant attitude is aimed in the wrong direction and I am offended at the content and tone of the song. Funky? Yes. I refuse to allow myself to be dissed by someone who needs me.
“Planet Earth” is ethereal crap. A funky song like this was needed and fans deserve it. Success as always is Prince’s undoing. When he’s less monied up, then he and his music can come down to earth.
Dwayne
November 10th, 2007 at 12:12 am
I don’t think he “tried” to diss ya’ll…the message is plain and clear.
November 10th, 2007 at 2:09 am
as a friend of mine said tonight after listening to it, a 4th grader could have written better lyrics. glad to see ya’s standing up to it.
November 10th, 2007 at 2:50 am
TRANSLATION: Within one song (PFUnk), Prince is saying that he really doesn’t give a f*** what PrinceFansUnited thinks.
Fair enough (although I’m disappoint enough to the point of considering to stop being a Prince-fan all together). But the one thing that I find so stupid on Prince’s part, is the fact that he had to rely on one of his alter-egos (Camille) to make a point for him.
Next time, Prince should bring back Jamie Starr. Now THAT’S an alter-ego that even THIS music fan would be happy to hear again. And use more synths!
November 10th, 2007 at 4:38 am
Prince doesn’t give a f*** what PrinceFansUnited thinks
And we don’t give a f**** what Prince thinks.
So why can’t all sites, official and unofficial peacefully co-exist? So much harm is done by gossiping about Prince and discussing bootlegs acquired from SOMEWHERE ELSE (not housequake, prince.org, or princefams).
Prince is a loser, IMHO. A bigger loser than most people, because if you’re world famous, rich, and talented, yet still a loser, that’s saying something.
November 10th, 2007 at 5:15 am
Funky as hell and quite possible the stupidest propaganda in the history of pop music.
November 10th, 2007 at 5:40 am
People who are as paranoid and in as desperate need of psychotherapy as Prince is, should never have too much money or control. That much is obvious from all of this…
he’s KOO KOO CRAZY.
November 10th, 2007 at 5:59 am
If they want compensation they they need to produce cold hard figures to say how Paisley Park has lost profits due to a collection of non-money making fansites who do not sell anything.
I
November 10th, 2007 at 6:08 am
what are Princefansunited doing? If you want to make a stand dont bend down and kiss his arse by entertaining his pappy new song.
He’s got his own sight (fam…dont make me laugh) with the thing on….why give him extra publicity.
Surely you cant be so short sighted as to think this is some sort of peace offering…you’ll become a laughing stock in Princes eyes. His fans are so week that they’ll even lap up a song that puts them down.
Get a backbone - stand up and say that we wont actively support you until you behave like a grown up
November 10th, 2007 at 6:14 am
on the other hand……..
exactly why is prince offering me and my boyfriend his ass to kiss on a platter??????????????
What did we do???
see, I was gonnna try and get him and Mayte back together….but uh…..seems like, I hear her all over this joint. HA HAAAAAAAAAA!
November 10th, 2007 at 7:03 am
Damn..this track is fonky as anything he has put out since TRC.!!
We gotta understand P lives in a world totally diffrent than ours…and as like all genious’
he can be his own worst enemy. I dont think he is against the fans/fams…but maybe he
read some of the vicious,sick,stupid,idiotic,trashy things people have posted on this and other sites about him………..if so, he also needs to read the positivity raving from all the fams who have dug him and his music for so many years…….hopefully both sides will retreat and P can continue making music like only he can, and we can continue discussing………peace.
November 10th, 2007 at 9:25 am
Ignore the title but whatever he was on in this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCvf8y-zg9Q i reckon he is back on now
! Funky track but why ask to post it to PrinceFansUnited.com and why have you moderators done so? lol its a NEGATIVE response to your site!
November 10th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
ya’ll are dumb. he’s being nice a forewarning you guys. He’s not taking the disposition of trying to make nice and asking you for anything. Think of who he is, who you are and who’s sweating who? Ya’ll the one’s sweatin’, for years sweatin’. He has more resources than you and knows more about first amendment rights, and copyright infringement that you ever will. Mind you, this man fought the record companies and won. How many musicians have done that, and what makes you think he can’t take you on and win?
He’s letting you know that you’re messin’ with the wrong one, and he’s done is research on the whole matter - RESEARCH!
ya’ll some loons. slow ya role.
November 10th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
That song is pretty fuckin’ funky.
November 10th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
Prince is going wwwwwwwaaaaaaaaayyyyyy too far with this. It’s because of us, not his little ‘fuck buddy’ twin “backup dancers” - if you really wanna call what they do dancing - that he is the successful musician that he is today. I wonder what he’d do if his short ass woke up tomorrow and had no fans, no type of money coming in at all. He’d be just like MC Hammer - in the warefare line. It’s sad when you’re so played out in the tabloids that you have to make a dumb-ass lawsuit against fansites that worship him and his music. Soon, if you say ‘Prince’ in his face, he’ll sue you for that. Like I said, I’ll become a Soulja Boy fan before I keep putting up with this shit. Yah Bitch Yah!!!!!!
November 10th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
Keep fighting the good fight.
Prince needs to wake up. Without “fams” like the ones on the sites he is suing, who would pay for his INSANE concert ticket prices? Who else would buy his less than impressive current albums? It says enough that he has to give them away. Without his “fams” he wouldn’t have that pretty Paisley building of his.
Prince needs to get away from Princeland for a while and join the real world.
November 11th, 2007 at 3:28 am
This is so weird. Prince is making it worse. Prince is mad. Not mad as in mood.
Mad as in crazy. But he always was. Prince is crazy ya’all. It’s not even Thanksgiving.
November 11th, 2007 at 5:16 am
Joan Crawford: Why can’t you give me the respect that I’m entitled to? Why can’t you treat me like I would be treated by any stranger on the street?
Christina: Because I am NOT one of your fans.
November 11th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
I may have to agree with the theory that Prince may need to be angry to make better music. All this does create press for him which keeps him in the spotlight until the next project to ready.
I like the track. It does sound like his old Camille stuff, maybe he cleaned up an old nasty song and added bits. I thought I heard a reference to the “Grand Progression” in the middle song. Its fun. So its a Planet Earth “Bonus track/B-side”. Maybe a B-side to Somewhere Here On Earth?
I do not feel attacked or dissed as a Fan. Prince has always had control issues mixed in his wild sense of humor. It does sound like he is mad/annoyed with a few individuals but that is normal and his right to feel how he feels.
Regardless, it has made for some fun funky music for me to listen to on a slow Veterans day weekend while I fix my toilet.
Prince has still got it. I wonder what else he created while he was in this “bad” mood. PFUnk is one of the better songs I heard this whole year.
As always, thanks Prince for the great music.
November 11th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
It’s funky as hell but it damn sure is a dis… ain’t that a bitch.
November 11th, 2007 at 9:11 pm
He doesn’t make good use of the “licious” suffix. He can’t handle this…the licious, that is.
November 12th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
Can someone post the lyrics to this diddy?
It IS a pretty fonky song…
and that is all I care about… the music!
November 12th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
Prince is a joke. He’s full of himself and there’s no God in the universe that will back him on his greed and lame ass attitude. When you boil him down he’s nothing but your typical American sexist, greedy and hipocritical ass.
November 12th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
well, if we inspired him to conjure up this track, cool. We should keep on doing protests against him if it inspires him to do tight tracks like this, though more than likely it’s just a song that happens to fit the situation.
i’m torn with this situation, i can understand the beefs on both sides, so i may have to play the role of Switzerland on this one. if Prince wins cool, most of the stuff i read here about him are harsh criticisms and generally unpleasant thoughts about him from his supposed fans. sure, it’s nice to have an outlet like this one for hardcore fans, but i’ve been so disheartened by some of the things i’ve read on this forum it took a lot of the magic that P had in my imagination, if the fans wins, COOL! but honestly, i could care less about either one of the other websites that are part of this lawsuit.
November 12th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Why didnt you all handle this privately?
November 13th, 2007 at 12:45 am
Basically, he’s just showing you how it feels. The Org., Housequake and all other fan sites and most FAMS, take everything he does and use it, post it, make it their username, fan site address, band name, etc.. So, now you feel dissed becuase Prince changed 1 letter in a URL and it’s all his. What is it that you want? Do you want to more popular than man you claim to be a fan of?
November 13th, 2007 at 10:44 am
What a bunch of whiners… If you didn’t know he likes control a year ago, two years ago, 10 years ago… 15 years ago you’re blind and ignorant. Get over it…
Peace & Be Wild…
November 13th, 2007 at 11:29 am
“Mind you, this man fought the record companies and won. How many musicians have done that”
No he didnt…he simply sat out his contract until it expired and then didnt sign another deal….they took his name and controlled his music.( or so he claims)…thats not winning
November 13th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
There is certainly a peculiarity of behavior happening lately. “Every man has his own quirks and twists” When I look at all the meanings for the word Freedom & Slave in the dictionary it gave me my answer as to why he would do this. I would support a decision like this 100%. If it affect’s his career so be it. Some might not like him afterwards, but you will still love the music.
Maroc Girl
November 13th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
Prince is taking control of HIS life. He has responsibilities to see through. He is responsible for charities and organizations that he wants to keep going. He NEEDS to be compensated for his livelihood. I have to respect him because he has the COURAGE to really be FREE to make choices and stick by them no matter what. By the way, if he can funk me like that, he can have whatever he wants. So in the words of Mavis - Just get out the way and let the gentleman do his thing.
ChinaDoll58
November 13th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Like Prince says in this “PFUnk” song…”The only reason you say my name is to get your 15 second of fame. Nobody even knows what you do”.
November 13th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
Prince… you’re not famous anymore dud
FUCK YOU AND YOUR LAME ASS MUSIC
November 13th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
*dude
November 13th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
:protege: and :myle:
November 13th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
“And that is why Prince has long treated his fans like shit.”
Hmmm. Now that I know the back story I think the song is hilarious. Funky and hilarious. I don’t see how I’m being “treated like shit.” I like Prince’s music. It is what it is.
November 14th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Maybe he’s testing his “friends”. Anyone ever think of that. How easy you guys turn against him. He hasn’t done anything personal to any of you. It’s his right to do what he wants with his music. Where is the loyalty?
November 14th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Hi everybody and plz xcuse my bad english, but Eye can’t believe what Eye’m reading here … Eye mean, some of u left really hard and unobjective words 2 P … Well, Eye Love the song and Eye’m wondering Y evrybody is takin’ it 2 serious. 4 me it’s a kind of parody … Or in other words, Eye’d like 2 say: Just enjoy his music and concerts and don’t b so speculative about his image (It’s just an image!)… Eye don’t feel treated like shit by him … he just gave me (us) one more xsample of a great song like he is doing for almost 30 years (a little more respect plz)!
And by the way, he won’t control me (us)
November 14th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
THAT SONG IS SOOOOO FONKAY!!!
I support all of you in this. Ben, karen all fan sites and moderators who have devoted so much time and effort to this passion for pince and his music that we all share and have for so long.
I do not think the PUfunk track is directed to us or intended to be a dis on “us” - fans.
I kinda actually think it is pointed to the “BJBesq” media “whore” twisting stories and feeding their fake ass “fame” 15 secs of it this way - online , example Perez Hilton. people around hom who he felt could be trusted.
prince has known about the org and the “primary resources” online for years, we all know he checks it all out.
he knows that even tho there are some haters around here for the majority we are truly fans and have kept him in cars and homes through thick and thin. he would not do this with malice. There is a disconnect here, somwhere.
You might not like the taste, but I am still gonna stik yo face in this FUNK!!!
I can not wait to get my ticket and hear him jam this out live - Go Shelby!!
Don’t believe everything you read everyone, lets wait and see what happens!
November 15th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Yeah I love that song too,but it hurt my feelings something
I know you don’t care
terriable and you know my mom did have cancer and she had to
have her left boob cut off and her lymph nodes taken out and she
has been doing chemo treatments. Yeah
Prince, I looked up to u and you broke my heart with those words
that you wrote in pfunk so all I’m going to do now is kill myself
slowly with the old memories that you stuck into my head for years
drink my life away and then when I go into surgery I hope I literally
die under the knife or you know what Prince you can just slip in the
surgery room and do it yourself.
November 15th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
I dont know what the problem is with this guy his fans support him even through all his crazy rants. I don’t care i Still love his music but someone seriously should sit him down and give him a reality check because he is almost gone completely out of his mind.
November 15th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
Boycott. Boycott. Boycott.
November 16th, 2007 at 1:11 am
Lisa1, so sorry to hear how badly his words hurt you. I still can’t wrap my head around WHY he would say such things. I’d like to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I don’t see how it can be justified — it’s not even close to being funny. I guess he’s at the point where he thinks he can say or do whatever and it won’t matter. psychopath, sociopath, or whatever… it’s scary. the man must be a very lonely insecure person. too bad he takes it out on other people. the bible says the opposite of love is fear. too bad he’s changed sides.
L4OA
November 16th, 2007 at 5:39 am
Glo Stick yo face in MY funk
November 16th, 2007 at 5:44 am
maybe we should say:thank U 4 the music
November 16th, 2007 at 11:38 am
I’ve read some of the responses on here and am discussted. I wonder if some of the people on here are really Prince fan’s or just a bunch of groupies hoping they could end up getting some tv gigs or make money from being involved in all this. I think a bunch of you Prince fan’s are a bunch of wining wierdo’s with too much time on your hands. I’ve been a Prince fan from the begining and think maybe things went a little too far with some of the legal stuff on some of the sites. I also see Prince’s point too. You have to look at it from an artist point of view. Some of this exposure on the internet is getting a little of hand. How much do you need to know about a person’s business and how many pictures and free music out there should people on the internet be allowed. If you know anything about Prince I think Prince thrives and gets off on being mysterious and not being overexposed. I also think Prince likes to be in control and probably thought he could get a handle on some of this stuff. This was probably a mistake the way he went about it but, I can understand where he’s coming from.
As for the so called slaps in the face to the fans, you guys need to get a grip.
November 16th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
I love Prince’s music, and have been a fan for a long time, but as a fan, I think that the way he treats them is horrible! Yes, I thank him 4 the music, but he should think them for their love of his music, his fame, his wealth, and their support, because without them, he wouldn’t be where he is today, and Prince shouldn’t forget that! I’m sorry, but Prince gives nothing back to his fans, except music! He never interacts with them, even on his own “fan-site” and never acknowledges them! I can see him going after those that steal his music, but to go after his fans that have sites praising him……come on! And, as for his new “response” song dissing them, that’s just wrong, disrespectful, and hateful! For a man that talks constantly about God, he sure isn’t acting “God like” to his fans! God is love, and Prince is acting and being anything but love, or God like! Like Prince, I love God also, and I try to live and treat others the way he wants us to, with love!
November 16th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
I went to 3121 and BAM! Hit in the face with FUNK! I LOVE IT! One thing about Prince, he knows his stuff! You have to understand that. You took what he did all wrong. If you felt dissed by PFUnk, it was because you wanted to be dissed. Now don’t cha feel special? There are no lyrics insulting his fans in that song. Prince has truly funked with all your heads, and that’s all. Man you got to KNOW him to DIG him. Well, you can be mad to the max on November 20th. i think a Tune is comin’!
ChinaDoll58
November 17th, 2007 at 10:33 am
Prince is a businessman…funk a protest site. Yall trippin, making it bad for the rest of us true fans.
November 17th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Finally a post on here with some real thought behind it. Short and sweet but made totaly since. They are making things bad for the true fans. Journey’s post was hilarious. Prince has always reached out to his fan’s, where have you guys been? He’s reached out to his own community and kids getting education for years. He always reaches out to fan’s at all of his shows. What the hell do you want him to do? Give you a personal phone call?! People are just really trippin over this stuff. I think people are really losing their damn minds. I was a member of the NPG music club a few years ago and there was even a meet and greet for the fans before the show in Houston. Get your facts straight before you post, please!
November 17th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
Eye totally agree with Klondike and ChinaDoll58 …
1st: Eye do not feel dissed by F.U.N.K (or PFUnk - as U like it).
2nd:Eye’m wondering what some “fans” xpect from Prince. Of course he is a star, but still a private person as well! His privacy is not our business … He dosn’t give his fans somethin’ back? “Just” music? What? 4 me music is a very intimate thing! The lyrix and melodies (and so on) reflect his thoughts and feelings (and so on) … of course there is kind of distance, but this belongs 2 his image and it is his good right 2 keep his privacy! His music gives me a lot - more than other poeple, Eye do not know personally, could give!
3rd: Anyway, Eye think Prince is close enough 2 his fans … he even touched my hand during an aftershow gig! How much closer do ya want 2 b 2 him? He’s doing concerts 4 his “fans”, he’s producing a lot of great music … & mayb he’s even reading all your comments … how embarrising, isn’t it?
Peace
November 17th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
What some fans expect from Prince, is NOT to shut down a website that’s dedicated to him from them, showing their love for him! And NO “KLONDIKE”, people are NOT tripping or losing their minds just because they don’t agree with what Prince is doing, and it does not make you any LESS of a fan either! I was a member of the NPG music club also…….SO WHAT! Have you ever heard of others having their own opinions? They do you know, and “surprise, suprise” they aren’t all the same, so THINK before you post, please!
November 17th, 2007 at 5:10 pm
I “use” to be a Prince fan….notice “use”….that was before the unpronounceable symbol & all that crap. Prince doesn’t give a flying fuck about the people who made him famous….his fans. This latest absurdity proves that. Saddly, there will always be a core of supporters who won’t, can’t, or refuse to see that.
“PrinceFansUnited” means nothing to him….it’s a game. MAYBE….doubtfully, but MAYBE….something more harsh will eventually get his attention. Something like “The Group Formerly Known As Prince Fans, Who Are United Against Buying ANY More Of His Junk Until He Wakes Up To Reality.”
It’ll take a while…he’s rich & dumb…but hit him where it will hurt his flamboyant lifestyle, his pocketbook. That’s the ONLY way you’ll get his attention. If his next release wound up selling 10,000 copies instead of 10 million…..he’ll get the idea.
November 17th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
I can’t understand a word he’s saying.
But it’s funky, and I wish he’d continue to feel whatever emotion he’s intending to express with this song.
November 18th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Of course evrybody must have his/her own opinion! And Eye got mine … and its definetly not identically with Princes’ … but Eye try to understand what’s goin on here … The thing is, as Eye already wrote, Eye don’t like the way, some fans telling their opinion …
Eye hope 2, he’d continue expressing his emotions 2 us with his music … and Eye’m sure he would go on with music even if the next release won’t b a success … “Love and music. As long as I got that, everything’s cool. Everything.” (1979 Minneapolis Star)
November 19th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
Thanks to Journey I thought before I decided to make this post. lol I respect peoples opinion but some of the peoples reactions to this is as if Prince has attacked you personally. It really just silly. With all of the things going on in the world I think you should pick a more important battle to fight.
November 20th, 2007 at 4:23 am
Before I go on, know this. I am absolutely obsessed with Prince’s music and just can’t get enough of it….
That said, he has what is commonly known as “Small Man Syndrome”. He wants to control EVERYTHING whith his name or image on it, and frankly, it’s an unrealistis goal, so he should give up and turn his energy to something more positive.
I can understand him being p*ssed about EVERY show he does being bootlegged, but there is a simple way to end that. Release them yourself!!! We all want them and will all pay for them!!!
What needs to happen next is simple. Ben and the other site owners need to sit round a table with Prince and talk to eachother. Put an end to this nonsense now.
What happened to “Bible Study” after the AMAZING London residency??
November 20th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
what Amy Whinehouse is doing to herself, is Prince Rogers Nelson doing to his fanbase …
November 20th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
PRINCE ROGERS NELSON has P-R-O-B-L-E-M-S! Wat is wrong with him? He is FAKE! HE IS FAKE AS HELL! wat he needs is a woman to get a hold of his control-freak-as*! He is such a great singer and actor and composer and everything! By doing this all he is gonna end up wit is MADFANS.com! Shoot ill start it if i have ta’. He is so fake cuz jarvis76 is so rite wat happened to ” i love god” and sh*t?! HU! He cant be a Jahova Witness follower he is NOT up to the challenge! ALL he does is CRY and WHINE! What he needs to understand that he cant control everything! In his song he says “i dont care what people say..” well apparently he does!! Why is trippin!? he needs to noe u need to care, fans r wat made him basiclly! He needs help serious help, not being rude or anything but he does. He can sue all he wants… ima still say wat i have to say. What we need to do is get bak at him by makin a song of our own..lol. Just my thought…
Wit LOTZ AND LOTZ of love,
Aleena
November 20th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
Oh P.s
So wat is we want our FUKIN 15 MINS OF FAME HU?! SHIT… look i will mess wit his ass again, he aint gonna do nutin but sue CUZ HE’s AFRAID, AFRAID TO REELY ARGUE! IM NOT! BRING IT HONEY< girlz argue like hell! LOL
November 21st, 2007 at 1:38 am
BBB = Bringing it Back to Ben. Thank you Ben for this community and all you do to keep it going. I appreciate you and this space you have crated for us.
November 21st, 2007 at 10:24 pm
Prince in my opinion is trying to take control of something that he can not legally control.We should be free to discuss Prince all we want to whenever we want to and how ever we want to in any way shape or form.
We can legally and we will legally.
I mean seriously who the hell does he think he is?He reminds me of Hitler now.Hitler would control what you could and could not say about him and his rule.Prince is trying to do the same thing.There is only one problem.He does not rule a country!He does not make the laws!
There is no way he will be able to get his order enforced by a court.Let him try if he thinks he can.He would get laughed right out of the court house!
November 21st, 2007 at 10:44 pm
Now that I have thought about it a little more Prince is like a little untrained puppy.He has been allowed to roam where he pleases and chew what he wants and take leaks on the carpet because he was never trained.
To train a puppy you must be firm from the beginning.You must not give in no matter how much he whines,yaps,barks,scratches or bites.
We the fans need to train Prince and let him know who his owner is.
November 23rd, 2007 at 1:57 am
Welcome to Princes socialist, communist, Marxist Djushavaslic vision of hell. The man needs to serioud get over himself, he is not a god or an institution or the Soviet Union, and realise what he is a pathetic washed up has been. Rather than threatening legal action, Prince should be working on reviving his career and putting out a better album of music than the dire “Planet Earth” which ranks up there with The Rainbow Children, Newpowersouls and Chaos and Disorder
November 23rd, 2007 at 2:01 am
The worst case of a closet queen I have ever seen. Hides behind a fundamentalist cult to shield what he really is. A FAAABBBBULLOOOUUUSSSS HOMOSEXUAL
November 23rd, 2007 at 11:09 am
Eye don’t know if Eye should laugh or cry about the last 4 comments! … Eye’ll give up! It’s 2 stupid!
Stop writin’ things about U don’t know (for xsample politix & Hitler!)
And BBB - Thanx Ben!!! Hope, U’ll make this site survive (and stop these weired comments) … Have a funky weekend!
PEACE
November 23rd, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Ya’ll r quite funny!!!
This is entertainment!!!
Such anger and hositlity…
: )
November 23rd, 2007 at 7:11 pm
So I guess those crazy freaky stories about him controlling women are true, but yeah he has some issues. I still like him though…even if he’s a control freak…he’s a smart man…reads a lot and stuff….he still needs help.
November 24th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
The song sucks, even more because this whole scenario is both trifling and tragic. It seems that Prince has forgotten that he would not be where he is without his fans, be they the more fanatical ones or the more level-headed ones who just enjoyed his groove.
Poor? Well, let’s look that up, shall we?
Definition #1: lacking sufficient money to live at a standard considered comfortable or normal in a society
*raises hand while glancing over at all the Prince-related music I’ve bought over the years, especially when he was funky and saying something and being deliciously creative with it*
Definition #2: worse than is usual, expected, or desirable; of a low or inferior standard or quality
*cough* Like this fake-me-out imitation Camille track, and perhaps the spirit that created it even more than the spirit in which it was intended … *cough!*
Definition #3: considered to be deserving of pity or sympathy
Well, we may have something here. I think Prince is suffering. Just as another human being, I feel sorry for him. I’m not even really angry anymore. We’ve had some great, booty-shaking moments. But, you know, one of the most poignant moments in the Matrix trilogy was when the Oracle said “Everything that has a beginning has an end.” Guess you have to eventually deal with that reality, you know, when you get older. Guess that must be difficult to deal with when you’re pushing 50 and still trying to convince the world that you are the same person you were when you were 20-something. Guess it must really be excruciatingly frustrating when all the material wealth that you’ve accumulated (and that you chastise others - the very people who bought all those tickets and albums - for not having) doesn’t rescue you from the inevitable like you thought it would.
There are many lessons to be learned here. It’s not right, but it’s okay.
Peace. For real.
November 25th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
I gotta tell ya UptownCitizen, these past few weeks I’ve learned a great deal about P and a few of his fans as well.
November 27th, 2007 at 1:22 am
Tell the children not to do something and they do it even more. There are probably more people downloading his stuff and putting it on CD’s to get it off their computers, so as not to get caught by who “The Web Sheriff” People who don’t even listen to Prince are probably downloading. Why Prince ur a genius! The entire world wants some just because they’re not supposed to have it. Yeah!!! Luv 4 u 4ever. Your music will live 4ever.
November 29th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
I haven’t heard the song, but a friend of mine in Minnesota who is close to a former Prince band member, told me that this former band member suggested to Prince that it might be best to leave his fans alone and call the whole thing off. Prince’s reply was, “Nah, they’ll get over it.” lol
November 29th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
F@#k Prince. I have been a fan since 1978 and I am THROUGH!!! I have stayed a fan of the MUSIC through all of the craziness but as of today, not another dime from me. I am sick of the disrespect and arrogance. All of his weird bulls*#t has effected the music greatly too. I thought with “Musicology” (or can we even refer to albums online anymore) he was getting back on track but he seems to have gotten even more arrogant with his latter success. Being a musician myself, I like listening to others try and nail there favorite artist tunes on Youtube but you can’t do that anymore with His Majesty. I can with Stevie Wonder, Elton John, The Beatles, Marvin Gaye, and tons of other legends but not His Royal Arrogance. Maybe he feels he doesn’t need fans. I will oblige. So long!!!
November 29th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
WTF? Prince have u lost your mind?
Your cockiness was warranted back in the day. U know when everyone thought your sexuality mattered. I was one of your defenders on the playground and in highschool when fools would call u “faggot” and said your music sucked. Of course, I learned that some many, if not most people are ignorant, mindless drones who cannot form opinions 4 themselves. U were the shyt then & only a few were hip 2 your genius. Now some of those same people ride your jock claiming 2 have been “down” with u from the beginning. U had a lot 2 prove then (& not 2 mention: u’re a short guy), so 2 walk with a confident swagger in the face of all of those naysayers spoke volumes. I took notes and modeled myself after u.
Like so many other serious fans, I literally grew up with u. I was 7 back in 1979 when my aunt returned from a weekend party trip 2 Chicago with the “Prince” album. Yep, 7 years old. That’s most all of my life. I remember most every period of my life through your albums. I’ve been a PROUD fan.
Now, u want 2 CONTROL the admiration i have 4 u. U are trying 2 prevent me from gathering with other like-minded individuals in discussing u & your music (good or bad). Need I remind u that u’re a public figure, hell, an icon, in part because of your fans. U’ve removed your vids from YouTube so I cannot watch u when I feel like it. If I take my DVD’s 2 work 2 enjoy then u’ll sue me & claim its a broadcast when my co-workers want 2 watch. I feel like I’m in the closet all over again. -U really should consider the amount of albums and concert tickets people have purchased because I was playing your CD or DVD at school and/or work. And I am not alone in that. Along with my peers, thousands, I’m sure.
Why is this an issue 4 u? I’m afraid u’ve become one of those greedy old men who cannot see how technology is actually beneficial 2 u. And u’re only like 50. Well, while u’re busy protecting the rights of artists’ and being an complete asshole, consider the fact that u’re losing your core fans in the process. Or are u so arrogant as 2 consider (if only 4 a moment), that we do not matter. Who the fuck are u?
November 30th, 2007 at 11:46 am
Very odd even for P… laughable even. Why we got to be all that? lol
November 30th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
So, they’ll “get over it” huh Prince?……..nice! The man is too arrogant for words!
December 2nd, 2007 at 11:31 am
i’ve been to busy to follow this, but i must say its difficult to continue to stand up for him as the wonderful artist that he is to those who dont understand him… all of us fans have had our time to try and explain him ~ this is unexplainable.
all i can say is that i WISH i was so ‘unfortunate’ as to have millions of people trying to follow me and my career i tried so hard to build. it must be real hard to lay your head down at night knowing that so many people love you SO MUCH that they have permanently scarred their body with your name or images of you or that they choose to drive around with your name on their car.
most of us are just nonamed, average people… you remember Prince, it was that way for you ~ just before WE all started loving you. an artist with no fans is just a person with a hobby…..
December 4th, 2007 at 7:20 am
I’m so disapointed with this….I’ve been a fan since 1984, and I’ve defensed him in discussions when friends of mine pissed over him, but now it is Prince who despises his fans, that’s how I feel. I find this situation so pathetic. I even wanted to put his music to my children when they grow up, but I don’t think about Prince as a good example of nothing anymore.
Keep with u’r good work, Ben&Co!
or better….Keep with YOUR good work, Ben&Co!
December 7th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
I LOVE PRINCE AS MUCH AS ANYBODY AND THERE IS NO DISPUTE THE MAN IS FULL OF TALENT, BUT I JUST CANT BELIEVE HE WOULD TREAT PEOPLE LIKE HE IS HIS OWN FANS!!!! IT HURTS TO THE BONE TO THINK SOMEONE WHO YOU HAVE ADMIRED FOR SO LONG (LIKE 26-27 YEARS), WOULD TURN AROUND AND ACT THIS WAY. IT IS A REAL KICK IN THE TEETH! I KNOW HE HAS HAD ISSUES WITH HIS MUSIC LIKE WITH WARNER BROTHERS, AND WHAT THEY DID WAS WRONG, BUT I THINK THAT IS WHAT STARTED HIM TO BE SO DEFENSIVE AND IN SOME CASES OFFENSIVE, THAT HE IS HURTING THE ONES WHO LOVE HIM THE MOST, IT IS SAD AND CAN’T BE GOOD EVEN ON THE BUSINESS END OF MUSIC. I HOPE HE WAKES UP AND AT LEAST TREATS HIS FAITHFUL FRIENDS WITH A LITTLE MORE LOVE.
PRINCE, IF YOU EVER CARE ENOUGH TO READ THIS, PLEASE PUT A LITTLE LOVE IN YOUR HEART!!!! DONT HARDEN YOUR HEART TOWARDS US WHO HAVE BEEN FAITHFUL AND TRUE TO YOU AND YOUR MUSIC!!!! IT DOES HURT AND SOMETIMES I WONDER IF HE IS DOING THIS ON PURPOSE FOR SOME STRANGE REASON ???? WHO KNOWS??? MAYBE HE DOESNT WANT TO BE IDOLIZED???? MAYBE HE WANTS OUT OF THE BUSINESS???? I DONT KNOW BUT MAYBE HE IS GOING ABOUT IT THE WRONG WAY BECAUSE HE GIVES THE IMPRESSION THAT HE DOESN’T CARE AND FROM LISTENING TO HIS MUSIC FOR SO MANY YEARS, IF YOU CAN KNOW A PERSON AT ALL THROUGH THEIR ART, I NEVER THOUGHT HE COULD BE SO COLD HEARTED WHEN HE MAKES ALL THE MUSIC ABOUT LOVE ?????
[Edited 12/7/07 13:10pm]
December 8th, 2007 at 12:21 am
Oh Hell, Are we in trouble?:S
December 8th, 2007 at 9:36 am
[dolphin lyrics snipped, -Ben]
*********************************
Bring back any memories, Mr Prince?
December 8th, 2007 at 11:26 pm
I’m mildly stunned. I love the music & song but it’s a little disheartening. It’s a little funny that we all know how fans are treated by the man but we always come back for more.
December 11th, 2007 at 12:00 am
I refuse to listen to the song, the list I can do as a reaction to the threats of, till recently, my prince
December 11th, 2007 at 5:29 am
Jarvis76 has hit the nail on the head…..Prince needs to release his material expecially the concerts. I know I’ve been waiting for them. Once he was free from warner bro, I expected a flood of material but sadly no. There has been less now than when he was under contract & this is an artist that wanted to release two albums a year!
I still believe that Prince wants to control the bootleg material as well & put songs & live performances out there to be downloaded for a small cost 100% profit!! (no cost for covers, disks or distributers).
Release your stuff & forget about that stupid message you was sending to all the crowd at your London concerts “this performance is for your memories only”. I’m getting old & will eventually forget
December 12th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
Well, if Prince’s flunkies are reading this, mark my words… I will never spend another dime on your boss ever again. He doesn’t appreciate fans… I will no longer give the prick my money. Period.
I’ve got boots that date back to 1979…. I will enjoy those….
December 19th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
On April 10th 1993, Prince told journalist Alan Light: “We have a new album finished, but Warner Brothers doesn’t know it. From now on, Warners only gets old songs out of the vault. New songs we’ll play at shows. Music should be free anyway.”
In Mayte’s fax to Controversy (on another forum in here) she wrote that Prince told her, “Music should be free - just like air”.
He was a controlling SOB to his exes - both are far better off to be rid of him. And now, bored and alone, with no one but his employees he pays to control, he has decided to try to control his fans by suing them. Didn’t it start either last year or earlier this year with a guy who had posted pic of Prince wearing items that he was selling on eBay? I remember that Prince (as usual) was trying to get an injunction against him re-selling the items AND trying to seal the proceedings so his fans couldn’t see in the court documents how wrong and petty and vindictive he is. Does anyone know what ever happened to that case?
And then the YouTube battles - suing the fans.
True - under copyright law, he can ask them to remove the postings that are exact copies of his videos. But copyright has the ‘fair-use’ defense, which means that if you transform something into a newer, more creative work - such as a PARODY - where you take just enough of the work to make fun of the ORIGINAL, then even though you may have infringed the copyright by copying some of the original, you will still won because you transformed it.
SO…for all you who are disturbed by Prince trying to control your posting of images and videos…what I propose is that you take the time you might have spent on this forum or listening to his music - AND FIGHT BACK!
Parody and criticize his sh*t to the DEATH! Make your own music videos mocking Prince’s arrogance and his songs! Change the words to his tunes to criticize him (think ‘Weird Al’ - with a vengeance!!!)! Post that sh*t all over YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, everywhere you can think of! Make the little man spend your money paying his lackees overtime monitoring his stuff on the internet…and if anyone asks you to take it down, claim the fair-use defense!
Whoever above spoke of a Revolution had the right idea - this is how it comes to fruition.
ESPECIALLY - take his WORST, most embarassing failures of songs and create new lyrics telling Prince he needs to concentrate on making better music - not fighting to protect crap like that and sing it over his songs - karaoke style.
In the words of my favorite eighth grade reading assignment, “Power corrupts. And absolute power corrupts absolutely.” (George Orwell - Animal Farm…bet good old Georgie is smart enough not to SUE me for quoting his astute words…just sayin’!)
“Vive la Revolution!”
December 25th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
www.unhappybirthday.com
www.whatiscopyright.org
While copyright law makes it technically illegal to reproduce almost any new creative work (other than under fair use) without permission, if the work is unregistered and has no real commercial value, it gets very little protection. The author in this case can sue for an injunction against the publication, actual damages from a violation, and possibly court costs. Actual damages means actual money potentially lost by the author due to publication, plus any money gained by the defendant. But if a work has no commercial value, such as a typical E-mail message or conversational USENET posting, the actual damages will be zero. Only the most vindictive (and rich) author would sue when no damages are possible, and the courts don’t look kindly on vindictive plaintiffs, unless the defendants are even more vindictive.
The author’s right to control what is done with a work, however, has some validity, even if it has no commercial value. If you feel you need to violate a copyright “because you can get away with it because the work has no value” you should ask yourself why you’re doing it. In general, respecting the rights of creators to control their creations is a principle many advocate adhering to.
In addition, while quite often people make incorrect claims of “fair use” it is a still valid and important concept necessary to allow the criticism of copyrighted works and their creators through examples. It’s also been extended to allow things like home recording of TV shows and moving music from CDs you own to your MP3 player. But please read more about it before you do it.
——————————————————————————–
In Summary
These days, almost all things are copyrighted the moment they are written, and no copyright notice is required.
Copyright is still violated whether you charged money or not, only damages are affected by that.
Postings to the net are not granted to the public domain, and don’t grant you any permission to do further copying except perhaps the sort of copying the poster might have expected in the ordinary flow of the net.
Fair use is a complex doctrine meant to allow certain valuable social purposes. Ask yourself why you are republishing what you are posting and why you couldn’t have just rewritten it in your own words.
Copyright is not lost because you don’t defend it; that’s a concept from trademark law. The ownership of names is also from trademark law, so don’t say somebody has a name copyrighted.
Fan fiction and other work derived from copyrighted works is a copyright violation.
Copyright law is mostly civil law where the special rights of criminal defendants you hear so much about don’t apply. Watch out, however, as new laws are moving copyright violation into the criminal realm.
Don’t rationalize that you are helping the copyright holder; often it’s not that hard to ask permission.
Posting E-mail is technically a violation, but revealing facts from E-mail you got isn’t, and for almost all typical E-mail, nobody could wring any damages from you for posting it. The law doesn’t do much to protect works with no commercial value.
DMCA Alert!
Copyright law was recently amended by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act which changed net copyright in many ways. In particular, it put all sorts of legal strength behind copy-protection systems, making programs illegal and reducing the reality of fair use rights.
The DMCA also changed the liability outlook for ISPs in major ways, many of them quite troublesome.
Linking
Might it be a violation just to link to a web page? That’s not a myth, it’s undecided,
——————————————————————————–
Permission is granted to freely print, unmodified, up to 100 copies of the most up to date version of this document from http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html, or to copy it in off-the-net electronic form. On the net/WWW, however, you must link here rather than put up your own page. If you had not seen a notice like this on the document, you would have to assume you did not have permission to copy it. This document is still protected by you-know-what even though it has no copyright notice. Please don’t send mail asking me if you can link here — you can do so, without asking or telling me. The only people I prefer not link here are those who mail me asking for permission to link.
This article was originally composed in 1994. The latest revision was in October 2004
Permission
Note that above I’m talking about linking against the express wishes of the copyright owner. Ie. the owner put up a notice saying, “Don’t link here” or asked you not to link. Without such a notice, there is a fair argument that the authors of web pages welcome links to them and give implicit permission for this to happen. The law will eventually rule consistently on that issue, and if it decides against the ability to link, it will no doubt revolve around what a reasonable person would assume about the intentions of the web site holder.
But my guess would be that if you have an ordinary web site, and linking is not going to bypass some security, or payment system such as advertising, and there’s no information anywhere about the site not wanting you to link in and no reason to believe they don’t want it, linking should be very safe.
Certainly you can feel free to link to these pages!
Inlining
The quesiton of inlining, may, as noted, be treated differently from linking. Inlining involves writing HTML to insert an image that is fetched from another server. Thus when people view your web page, they see the image from the other site and the other site actually does the work of serving it.
Inlining is strange because in some ways the law might treat it as a lesser offence than copying the image from the other site onto your server and using it there. In that case, you would be engaged in a very straightforward copyright violation. With inlining, the original image owner’s site does the work of copying the image to the user viewing it.
However, that seems backward, since the effect is the same, and to add injury to insult, not only are you seeming to use their image without permission, you’re making them do the work. They’re getting the bill for web service — and images are the bulk of web traffic at most servers.
The doctrine of contributory infringement might apply more strongly here because you’ve now set up an automatic mechanism to cause users to copy the picture in a way not approved by the copyright holder. They don’t even know it’s happening, it’s so automatic. It might be akin to you placing a photocopier on the street with a copyrighted photo in it, and a sign saying “press this button for a free picture.” And sending the bill for the copying to the copyright holder of the picture to boot. You don’t make any copies yourself, but it certainly seems to be even worse, from the copyright holder’s viewpoint, than if you had done so.
December 26th, 2007 at 5:33 am
The whole “copyright” world is out of control.
Regarding Prince specifically (in order to turn back to the topic): Does anyone else remember him admitting in interviews about having to learn all the pop songs in his early days and then needing to teach all the parts to the other band members?
For that, tapes would likely be made and copies likely were exchanged. Not only that, but he was even guilty of performing songs he didn’t write - LIVE!
Couldn’t somebody argue that piracy and copyright infringement are what molded his talent and gave birth to his career?
If he wanted seclusion, secrecy, and total control over his image and music, he shouldn’t have decided to be a public figure…or a human.
As someone who has written and recorded over 300 original compositions, I know exactly where all the copies of my songs are.)
December 27th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
WHO IZ D REAL CAMMILLE AND WHERE DID THAT CONCEPT(ALIAS) COME FROM?????
December 28th, 2007 at 11:53 pm
leave the man alone……….. He just dosn’t want people putting his name out there incorrectly…… and promoting false information….
WE LOVE U PRINCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 29th, 2007 at 6:31 pm
I agree with Jwar. How moronic is it to alienate your fanbase. Growing up as a fan, I can’t remember how many times friends and I shared his music and photos. That’s part of the fun and excitement of being a fan. If seeing his photos posted is such an insult to him then why is he continuing to exist in the “spotlight”. He has no expectation of complete privacy as a public figure. And should have figured it out by now that this comes along with the territory. Some people opt for “concert photos” because ticket costs are often times quite pricey or just impossible to get or they just want a momento of a great memory. Why begrudge them that?
Maybe Prince is just tired of his fans. And maybe…..we’re tired of him as well.
December 30th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
I’m sorry but Prince is a total asshole. What kind of artist treats his loyal fanbase like this? He is a total control freak and must seek psychiatric help. Every celebrity must endure negative and false information, it comes with the territory. Just because you have the gift of making music doesn’t mean you can control the Internet
December 30th, 2007 at 11:14 pm
Y’know, I got hit with a really hard feeling of deja vu when I read the first post about the DMCA cease-and-desist. All I could think was “Oh no! Not again!” and how he had done this before only a little over 10 years ago. I remember how, only a few months after so many of us had spent a ton joining the NPG Music Club and pre-ordered Crystal Ball because that was the “how the music will be distributed from now on,” his interview with Chris Rock on HBO where he referred to his fans as “fanatics”. This “fanatic” I ended up buying Crystal Ball at HMV records in Harvard Sq. 2 months before my “pre-order” arrived, and I’d be pretty p***d off if there hadn’t been a way to strip the DRM code from the tracks I bought now that the licenses can’t be retrieved from love4oneanother.com. I wonder what happened to Prince’s oft-made statement that if it weren’t for WB music he could release more than just one album a year.
Considering how many of us are still here when it’s been almost 30 years since For You dropped, 25 years after defending his not showing up for the “We Are the World” recording, 14 years after (almost) buying into the name change BS, 7 years after “Oh, btw, I’m Prince again. Ta-da” and now this… Prince, you really should think about not biting the hand that feeds you. I think my favorite Prince-related item is once again Possessed by Alex Hahn without whom www.uptown.se would not have lasted beyond 1999, and whose help may now be needed by others.
January 2nd, 2008 at 8:07 pm
I’d love an update…………..
January 8th, 2008 at 4:11 am
Here he comes again, his gonna try and ruin my day
I don’t care what Prince may say, I ain’t gonna let him ruin my day
Long Live the music………………..strange that the music he gives away (on web) is much better than the music he sells????
January 18th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
As we grow in strength in our spiritual life, we give up the habit of worrying. It serves no purpose other than to make us feel tense and miserable. If it’s not just a game, then Prince needs to accept and rise above it.
January 21st, 2008 at 10:54 am
We all know Prince…He is a fair-weathered man protective of his ego!
January 21st, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Someone outta kick him in the chin. LOL! Whatever, you either gotta lovem or hatem. I just think it’s funny how in order to get back at his fans he not only writes a song, but it’s in that 80’s SOTT, Lovesexy style we love. It’s like a double slap in the face. Oh, well I’m glad I’m not sweating him so much that I would care. I just think it’s funny and I don’t care what he does with his music. My life isn’t based on it or him. Do you Prince…do you.
January 23rd, 2008 at 11:44 am
I read from the first posted message that Prince is considered to be exercising what is interpreted as ‘legal bullying’.
I do not think Prince is bullying in this case at all. In fact if (and that is a big IF), there is any bullying going on, it is Prince’s name and being that is often being bullied by websites who open fansites IN HIS NAME then somewhere down the line attempt to either mock him if he does or sings or plays or says things that people may disagree with.
Now then, I am not saying that this is the case, but what I am saying is that Prince, in my interpretation, has not exercised ‘legal bullying’. Prince has probably seen some of the ridiculous statements about him being bandied about on websites that are USING HIS NAME TO ATTRACT USERS TO THE SITES and become upset. He is human after all, is he not? A massive talent that Prince has got (and he has certainly not wasted it, imho), does not exclude the fact that the guy has got a heart and thus is open to being hurt by criticism, not just any critic