It’s my position that the ONLY reason the Purple Rain cd sold so many copies was because it was attached to the movie and it represents the ONLY real time that Prince played the MTV/Video “game”. I do NOT believe that cd would have sold some 13 plus million copies without the movie. Prince music was good before PR and after, yet it represents his greatest sales. Why? Because Prince capitalized on the imagery of the film. That movie more than any other in my opinion represented the change and shift in music from the substance of the MUSIC to the imagery of the film/video.

If there was ever any doubt, just look at Prince’s cd sales figures before and after Purple Rain. What’s different? There is no movie attached to the other cd’s. The music and the QUALITY of the music are just as good.

As Samuel Jackson said in Pulp Fiction....

"Interesting point."

Let me rephrase this...

It’s my position that the ONLY reason the Purple Rain movie sold so many tickets was because it was attached to the music and it represents the ONLY real time that Prince played the movie industry “game”.

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"the Purple Rain cd sold so many copies"

the *CD* hardly sold many copies in 1984
back then, it was all about vinyl and cassettes

Graycap23 said:

Explain Graffiti Bridge then.


To a degree you are correct. Great points. Prince was an up and coming super star coming off a highly successful 1999 album. The timing was right with everything and it all just clicked with the media and public. Purple Rain would have been a smash with out the movie, but nowhere near 13 million successful. The movie played a big part in its success but wasnt the only factor.

That is so incorrect on all fronts.
Purple Rain (The Film) did well because of the music. The movie was mediocre at best, but the way that it showcased the incredible soundtrack was critically amazing and groundbreaking. His music was great back then and there is no denying that. People liked Prince for his music, not his movie. That was an extra added bonus. How funny you think that.

newpower99 said:

No ONE saw that movie. It was NOT good or worth seeing really.

It's a case of many factors just happening to line up at the right time - right person, right music, right film, right time, etc. Same thing happened with MJ and Thriller and Bruce Springsteen and Born In The USA, etc. We'll never know how well the album would have done without the film, but I still think it would have been Prince's best seller - I heard the music well before seeing the film and still loved it.

In the same way, 1999 was bigger than previous albums because videos were shown on MTV, Prince crossed over into a bigger market and more people were aware of him after that. That was the real first time Prince played the MTV/video game, or at least was allowed to because he was one of the first black artists to be shown on MTV along with MJ because at that point it was mainly 'white rock'. Purple Rain was merely capitalising on that earlier success.

Prince was already very well known in the R&B community for years and a lot of these people were going to see the movie simply to see what Prince himself was actually like. He was always so mysterious. He hardly ever gave magazine interviews, he hardly ever made television appearances, and most people had never even heard him even speak. The R&B audience alone for the movie was going to be large.

When I saw "Friday Night Videos" and "Night Tracks" promoting the video and also heard that MTV was promoting the hell out of it, I knew there would also be a pop audience but I never dreamed how large it would be.
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[Edited 6/14/06 8:08am]

the music propelled the movie. the movie was a smash, but it wasn't THAT much of a smash. the album was a smash, and it WAS that much of a smash. prince had buzz as a pop musician, but no buzz at all as an actor. the movie was a commercial for the "brand" of prince - just like "8 mile" was an advertisement for what eminem is all about - his asthetic, his lifestyle, blah blah blah.

the album's freakin' brilliant. the movie was enjoyable, but it supported the music more than anything.

I didn't no who he even was then, but lookin' back he was the finest piece o meat at the time, right? I'm sure that had a lot to do w/it too.

sorry but your comment is completely false
the first and main reason to this is the fact that the single
when doves cry was released 10 weeks before the movie opened, and it was number one, so that tells me that people liked the music before they ever saw any of it performed on the silver screen.
purple rain was in the #1 spot for 6 months and the tour was going on at that time, so not only did the single help, his showman ship also played a major key in that albums momentum.

tripp said:

True. The single went form entering in the top 40's and the next week and follwoing it made top ten. His fastest selling (WB's) fastest selling single in fact. Folks heard the song and wanted the music!

But you cant deny the impact the movie had on the whole package either. PR would have sold 5 mil alone with no movie and only regular videos. Maybe 7? Th e movie pushed it over the stratosphere.

dude. the album came out before the movie itself. the album was the one that got the oscar, not the movie. chances are if purple rain stood on its own and didn't have a movie attached, it still woulda fared rather well.

mschirmer said:

Correct.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Rumor has it that it sold 1 million either the day of release or the first week. One or the other. Either way....not bad if true.

I know I bought mine day of release.

I also know numerious people who own a copy of the album having never seen the film purely because of the merit the music over the film itself.

GoldiesParade said:

How can that be?

Thinking about this some more...i somewhat agree with graycap

The movie did not make the music, the music made the movie...there's my disagreement.

However, Prince did play the mtv game at the time. Mtv was the video channel then, followed by shows like Friday Night Videos and other local shows. However, he was put on the map by mtv exposure. 1999 introduced him massively via mtv and the music, but purple rain and mtv put him out there to be seen by all. PR and 1999 are very different, as PR is more rock-oriented, something that was accepted much more in '83 and '84. The timing was right and the fact that mtv embraced an artist that fit its "Rocking" mode at the time and was black. Hell, it was win win for everyone. It also allowed for prince to better live up his "quiet mysterious androgynous" persona even more in the public eye. YOu have to remember that music was as saturated as it is nowadays. Ther were no music ringtones on cell phones, there were no cell hones, there was no internet as we know it now, there were no highly accessible forums like this one at the time. What we knew is what we saw and heard, we heard the music, and we were able to see the music and musician via mtv, back when it was Music television, unlike now, but that's a different rant altogether..

Let's face it, he played the game and he played it well. It helped him tremendously during that time of his career and good for him. But the movie carrying the music? No, I don't think so. The music made me want to watch the movie on SelectTV (remember that service?!? -- Ten points to whoever does)

some people know how to come up with thread ideas that'll make the little folder icon burst into flames within a coupla hours.

vainandy said:

True on all points. From what I remember, the video got a lot of airplay (MTV, NightFlight, Friday Night Videos, etc). The song was one of the fastest climbing singles in history at the time. And people did want to hear Prince speak -- he was seen as very mysterious. One lady who sat in front of me during the movie kept giggling when "The Kid" would talk. If nothing else, people raved about the last half hour of the movie. It was like going to a concert for those who hadn't been. Prince had the world in the palms of his hands, and the album stayed at the top of the charts long after the movie left the theatres.

Anx said:

[b]THEN WHAT HAPPENED TO UNDER THE CHERRY MOON? GRAFFITI BRIDGE? I BELEIVE PR WAS A SUCCESS B4 THE MOVIE WAS EVEN OUT. BECAUSE I WAS STILL HIGH ON JAMMIN' TO 1999 & FOR YOU - AND I WAS ONLY 14 THEN!

Anx said:

Hummmmm.....I wonder why that is? Any ideas?

DiamondGirl said:

[flame snipped - Tom]

luv4all7 said:

Graycap23 said:

What's bait material about this thread?

luv4all7 said:

[flame snipped - Tom]

I meant how could they purchase the album and not be taken in enough to actually see the flick