sosgemini said:

yes and these same who folks criticize Prince for lack of promotion then when he promotes...and these same folks who said the npgmc was useless but now...i mean, we can go round and round and round on this. If the fams drink the purple koolaid, the haters can't make up their mind.
[Edited 6/3/07 19:52pm]

wonder505 said:

hey, in a previous post i said there was nothing wrong with it...but call it what it is.

mirrorbestfriend said:

One thing is for sure, you must have some courage to post a thread like that on a site where hardly anyone can stand it if you critisize their idol in the slightest way. They will jump all over you and and try to rip your little head off. They should re-name the site to Prince-can-do-no-wrong-ever.org
(I think a Viagra, or adult diaper commercial with Prince would be cool )
Just kidding

If Viagra offerd a free exclusive Prince download....i just might buy some

wonder505 said:

Thank you. When Prince is out of pocket I say so, like that paltry 7 percent of perfume sales that are going to charity or the American Idol appearance.

However, Wonder505 is correct, there's no winning with some of these people. One minute he's an idiot with no business acumen because he doesn't know how to advertise or promote his music/projects. Now when he uses new media and different business models to advertise and promote himself, he's a sellout.

Can some people offer up other avenues for him to use to promote his new album? Clear Channel-monopolized radio is pay for play, and he's over 25 so MTV and BET won't be showing his video.

As popular a medium as the Internet is, it is still no match for television and radio for reaching mass audiences.

Suggestions for non-sellout ways for promotion?

^ DING DIND DING!!!!

mirrorbestfriend said:

This kind of crap is so ridiculous. Prince HAS left his mark musically and artistically. He has to plan for his future, he doesn't have a pension plan or 401k through an employer. Not to mention, keeping his wardrobe fresh, running PP, paying his band members and staff has to be a bit expensive.

He hasn't sold out in any way, shape or form. It's called PROMOTION. People bitched that he never promoted his stuff, now he is and that's wrong too.

mirrorbestfriend said:

He didn't do a commercial for Verizon, they did one promoting a new service and his single, there's a difference there. Did you see Prince say "hey, go out and get a Verizon phone" in the commercial??

Serena said:

I betcha he uses a verizon phone to do more sellout deals!
austin texas?
WTF

sosgemini said:

If you're talking about MJ appearing at his pimp's bday bash, there's a big difference, Prince actually performed and EARNED his money. Didn't walk in, hang out for a few minutes and walk out because he 'wasn't feeling well'.

wonder505 said:

Wonder505, you & TXladycat think the same as I do, but you guys usually express it better. I was going to tell you two that in a couple of other threads and over at HQ. Keep up the good work!

Serena said:

Exactly, say what you will about Prince, but he always EARNS his money. I respect that. If he's getting paid, he's performing.

mirrorbestfriend said:

Now I see what the reference to Austin is, dude that's where Grupo Fantasmo is from, so what's wrong with performing with them there?

You've got a problem and I think it's called 'trollitis'.
[Edited 6/3/07 20:27pm]

mirrorbestfriend said:

Wait a minute. Collins8 is that you?

nurse said:

Serena said:

umm, who are we to judge a person and how they earn their money? determining who earns what and for what is up to the person given the money and the person receiving the money.

and i give kudos to both artist for earning what they need to earn...my comment is more on the fan reaction here...not on the artists actions.

theodore said:

Agreed

theodore said:

nurse said:

sosgemini said:

I mean seriously

bellanoche said:

how about not giving a damn and making music for the craft versus the economics? and if it sells its an added bonus...

or be a pop star, accept and enjoy it.

My original reaction to this was that Prince has sold out, but after a bit of thought, I don't think he has.

He's basically GIVING a song away for free; much like he did when he released "The Work" on Napster a while back.

I don't see this as being any different than having a song played on a commercial radio station. I don't see him pimping Verizon phones in the video, and he's not becoming a spokesperson for them. This is simply an avenue to release a song to an audience.

A lot has been written about this before, but, again, so much has changed in the music industry since Prince was getting into the business. Radio stations are consolidated and have the same shitty playlist of talentless artists; MTV and VH-1 don't play videos like they used to. And radio and video stations don't promote new Prince material like they used to (largely because he's considered an "older" artist). In addition, brick-and-mortar record stores are disappearing, consumers are less album-oriented, and the single is pretty much dead. Throw in the Internet and media overload of the current culture, and all this leaves Prince (and other artists) struggling to find innovative ways for their music to be heard.

And if Prince is true to his word about traveling and studying the scripture, he sure is going out with a bang given everything he's done this year (Vegas, Superbowl, etc.).

Personally, I don't think he'll give up music altogether. Instead, I think we'll see some minor releases in the future, much like in the early days of the NPGMC.
[Edited 6/3/07 20:50pm]

theodore said:

this is a good discussion,
why you want to lock everything you dont agree with?

mirrorbestfriend said:

oh, I don't want 2 lock it

sosgemini said:

Aren't those two posts a bit contradictory? Aren't you judging him in your second statement?

Sellout?? In the conventional way, maybe. But is it a bad thing? Of course not. At some point, every musician "sells out". Hell, signing with a major label is "selling out". It just depends at how responsibly it's done. Sure, Prince is working with Verizon, played the Super Bowl and Vegas. But in the end, he has creative control over his music. These are just avenues to get his music heard. In the end, thats why the call in the "music business". It's Prince's job, and he has to make money in his job like all of us (though obviously his "job" gives him the option of retiring whenever he wants with the money he earns lol).

Sting "sold out" in 2000 when he let a car company predominantly use his then current single "Desert Rose" as the main piece of their commercial. What happened? The song became a hit in its own right.

Then indie dance artist Moby "sold out" around that time when he licensed out his songs to different companies when his album "Play" was flopping. What happened? The album rebounded and became his most well known album.

Madonna used Motorolla to promote "Hung Up". What happened? More exposure to the song, which probably helped her nab her first top 10 in a few years.

Like Prince, these artists used corporate avenuse to promote their work, but you really cant say that companies dictated the direction of their music. THAT'S responsible selling out.

Money Don't Matter Tonight.

Serena said:

that last sentence is for the fans...

newskin69 said:

Bingo...