Posted at HQ:



"Let me preface this by first saying that there is no confirmed report and that talks are preliminary at best but from what I hear our boy is in discussion (no contracts, no handshakes) to release his next album exclusively through Verizon Wirless Vcast. My source ( a verizon middle guy) told me talks were still in discussion but he himself was unclear as to how the two could work collectively with each other and profit at the same time. From my understanding Prince is no longer with Universal which was supposedly a mutual parting ("3121" was deemed a sales flop by many whom I've spoken with in the industry. I believe it may have only moved a little over 100,000 units) Prince on the other hand has become totally disenchanted with record labels and the business as a whole and is seeking other means to promote his music.

Once again I would never put out info from an unreliable source and I certainly had my quams about starting this thread since it is premature but it raises some questions?

1/ Does anyone else see this as a feasable venture if it does come to fruition? (I could see
Verizon as a sponsor to a future tour?

2/ Do you think P has totally lost sight that the industry is, was, and shall always be a business?
(Is he burning too many bridges?)"
Link: http://www.housequake.com...genumber=1



Excerpt from NAACP speech:

And I would just challenge the phone companies and the new digital providers to allow us to be the gatekeepers to steward the new jazz renaissance, hip hop, and soul music in the 21st century rather then the accountants and lawyers who ruined the music industry this first time around.

Also see thread:

http://www.prince.org/msg/7/221903



.
[Edited 3/27/07 18:15pm]
[Edited 3/27/07 18:37pm]

Possible song title for new album:

Can U Hear Me Now?

Illustrator said:

-----
100,000 units) It sold more than that. Just did not get the push that it should have and sales are down for everyone.

I don't believe this information, because how would it work??? Only Verizon users/customers will have the opportunity to hear it?, Come on folks, lets stop assuming until the man releases a statement from NPG or Paisley Park, regarding his upcoming ventures.

Prince has always been very private when it comes to his career and so we must respect that. As for "3121" -Commercially it was a SUCCESS!!!, record sales may have been poor according to industry standards, but who buys cd's in droves as they use to? "3121" could have easily been downloaded off line and burnt to a cd. Now I'm sure that "3121" sold more than 1.1 million copies worldwide according to NPGMusicClub, so for over a million sales worldwide, that could very well be a success for Prince, who didn't promote the album properly.

But then again, he has his own ways of promoting these days and I do recall Prince saying in an interview that the success is when the album is complete and when he see's the smiles on our faces. The success isn't about record sales anymore. You have to understand "Prince" is a hot demand in itself...just the name itself. Thats why American Idol wanted him, thats why he had top ratings for SNL and The Superbowl Half time show, Thats why he was able to open his own night club in vegas!

Prince isn't a failure, he will always reign and gain the respect he solely deserves.
"3121" maybe a drawn out concept now, but lets not forget thats comparing this record to many records today, there's none like it, because its original and still in Prince form.

Ummm wait, his record doesn't sell well so the answer is to tie yourself to a market where it would sell even less? Maybe 3121 was a flop because they held it off of iTunes, for a start.

It makes more sense now. Wasn't clear on the NAACP speech. The part about the phone companies and the new digital providers allowing us to be the gatekeepers. The guy with the pipe runs that show...that would be largely the phone networks. They won't be budging any time soon.

So to allow exclusive Verizon download for the first week or month or whatever, is a good Verizon advantage/incentive.

Prince has the brand and he's independent. If this is true, good move for both. Many will follow suit.

Hello there, who or what are Verizon?

rap said:

Verizon is the second largest phone network. AT&T is a bit larger, now that they've merged with everyone. AT&T has Cingular which makes the iTunes phone.

They are all in the content race. The one disadvantage to the Verizon V-Cast model is that they don't allow transfer of media to the computer...at least, not now. Some may not be too crazy about this.

Whoever said that was either joking or has no idea what he was talking about

First week results of 3121...


Prince cast a funky purple glow over the charts this week, selling 183,000 copies of his 3121, according to Nielsen SoundScan, to capture Number One. Critically acclaimed and boasting the sexed-up single "Black Sweat," 3121 finds the Artist Formerly Known as a Symbol making music in the vein of his equally commercially successful album, 2004's Musicology. Though his songs might be slightly more PG-13 these days, Prince still injected some much-needed adult content into a chart recently dominated by the underage set.
[Edited 3/27/07 23:23pm]


15th week sale report:

161 PRINCE 3121 5,647 -6 5,993 463,190


It's obvious it sold almost 500K copies!
[Edited 3/27/07 23:27pm]

anon said:

So this is USA only? Would it really make sense to make an album only available to owners of certain phones on a certain network in one country? This info is just conjecture at best and doesn't sound practical to me one bit.

sales of 3121 in the U.S. are over 600,000 which is a massive success these days. It sold well throughout the world and i think by now the figure worldwide would be nearer the 1.5million mark

metalorange said:

Just responding to speculation. I have no idea but yes, Verizon is US only/mainly but maybe it will be released a week or so earlier in the US and only thru Verizon, or maybe only Verizon will have bonus tracks(possibly a better option). There are still a few V-Cast kinks but overall, this is one of the directions where music is trying to go...there's a big push behind it. Some may try to resist but ultimately people must be paid. Since it's hard to get around the wireless networks, this is what they are using.

It's either this or free ad based content.

Free can't always be free.

anon said:

And what, you would only be able to listen to the album on your phone? In top quality staticky mono quality?!

metalorange said:

Seems the plan is to make the phone the all in one device. Camera, web, mp3 player etc...I'm not crazy about the idea of not being able to transfer the data but Verizon wants its user to depend on the network.

By the way, personally I hate this idea.

Fuck that noise.

The album format is dead. Prince should explore any creative marketing option available. I found it interesting when Paul McCartney signed with Starbucks. His album sales have trickled to the same level as Prince's (500K). The landscape has changed. The bottom line is that Prince needs to produce a brilliant music and the audience will follow in some form or fashion.

The root problem is Clear Channel's dominance in propelling limited crappy corporate playlists on the public. Prince should look into a move into the Satellite radio world to promote his music.

jdcxc said:

I never thought of this. I wonder if P has even looked into Satellite Radio... I bet he'd like it. It's way different than the shit Clear Channel ruined, in Prince's words, "the first time around"

Jakeasaurus said:

We don't even know if it's true. Still, if you were the artist, you might not hate it as much.

It will probably become common place, but since more and more artist's are independent, they will not be bound by all that label stuff so they can distribute as they wish...in all the markets. So exclusive won't really mean that you can't get it elsewhere.

The smart labels will morph into doing what Music Today is doing and setting up these phone (and other) deals for the artist.

I just got a new phone through Verizon...

ufoclub said:

I have a new Verizon phone also... but that doesn't mean I want to listen to Prince's latest music on it.

Well that news just sucks! I just ended my contract with Verizon and switched to MetroPCS!

SexyBeautifulOne said:

I wouldn't call it news yet at this point... even though it's very possible
[Edited 3/28/07 11:16am]

Verizon are in the UK, we currently use there crappy service at work but not for much longer!

Don't go there Prince

HotPaisleyGirl said:

My thoughts exactly.

This is so stupid. So I might need Verizon to hear his new music?

I thought he wanted it to go direct to the fans? Record stores were a pretty direct route IMO.

I still can't download "Guitar" because I've had technical/password/username issues.

NDRU said:

Well now you can't download Guitar because it's not available anymore.

booyah said:

Like Bambi, it's gone forever!

NDRU said:

It's really not stupid. I doubt it will be exclusive. All Verizon wants is to add an incentive to future customers. So a bonus track, or music a day/week earlier is not crazy...especially if you're the artist and they pay you upfront.

This doesn't mean that the music will not also be distributed elsewhere...just that there are many more inventive options for the free agent.

Anyway, the novelty of having an exclusive track/CD on the phone is not so bad...especially if it's only for a week or so. It's similar to the possible Pay-Per-View model where you download and view a movie before it's released to theatres...

It's more expensive but it's the exclusivity that may make it work.

If anyone is crazy enuff to do it...Prince is.