According to JB HiFi (Melbourne). Lotusflow3r will be in stores by April 12. Or, alternatively you can pre-order online, with an approx. shipping date of the 7th.

http://www.jbhifionline.c...TUS-FLOW3R

As far as I can tell, these are imports, so that implies that there is no official local release. If that turns out to be the case, then that's pretty disappointing.

TyphoonTip said:

GODDAMN! $59.99 AUD!!! Its $11.99 USD at Target in the US!!! Thats a total rip off. No wonder people are not buying music on CDs these days.... What a joke. Aussies being price gouged yet again. Don't expect to see this one in the charts at that price.

Yes, its getting distribution from a small label called Didgeridoo. These guys don't do any manufacturing so we are getting the same release as overseas but with a MASSIVE price increase. That is ludicrous!

I'm pretty sure JB is selling these copies with very little mark up too - soooo ...who is trying to make all the money ..or shoot themselves in the foot and make zero money from this "wonderful decision"

You know a lot of the Didgeridoo released imports don't even make it over here because they are such a small-time label. Hopefully Princes album does but I am still ordering mine from O.S. Actually you could buy 3 of them plus shipping for the same cost!

I was wondering if it was going to be releaed down here in Oz. I'll most likely still pick it up. $59.99, that's about $19.99 each CD (save a few cents), which is the price of most new release CD's anyway.
[Edited 3/17/09 0:40am]

I am happy with a downloadable version. I would be prepared to pay that much for it on 3LP vinyl to continue my vinyl collection.

Ishan said:

Didgeridoo aren't only alone. There is at least one other, or possibly 3 other, importers who will distribute the album. Can't say any more than that.

All I can say is shop around. Maybe the big chains aren't the go.

Looks like I'll be d/ling

from past experiences.... the best thing to do is hold out just a little bit longer and wait because if you jump in too early, you end up paying a whole heap more, and if you really wanna get burned, line up at Red Eye records or any other of those gangsta Sydney retailers. At this point in time I wouldn't do any sort of pre-orders until next week when the offical site opens and the information becomes a bit more clearer

Prob get a mate 2 get it 4 me in the US. 60 bucks is bit much 2 pay again, especially after i'll dl it.

Sorry my Aussie friends looks like everyone's paying over the odds for no reason $59.99 Aus dollar is £28.25 GBP so it's still cheaper for you guys we have to pay £33.00 in the UK...rip off...

stop whining... why would u think about purchasing an inport anyway when you can download the albums? Unless you're a collector and have to have physical copies of the cd that doesn't make sense.

lezama said:

Well it should make sense .... most of the orgers on here buy physical media and have done so for years...unless you have really good bandwidth and the right software the quality can be hit and miss with downloads...

The whole artwork / packaging is important ...I must admit thou I got Planet Earth with a Sunday Newspaper the cardboard cover is not very nice ..so i like many orgers and non-price fans made covers for the CD...

lezama said:

As the great man once said, if i keep giving my fans my picture on an album cover, soon they'll expect to find me in their bed.

I ain't heading down that path but I'm old school and still love having the physical item with case and artwork (and maybe a booklet).

The price is a little steep but we'll all get over it very quickly once the CD starts spinning and we hear the magic within...

Like I said earlier in another thread, the albums are already available on eBay & Amazon from independent sellers, but a) some of 'em don't ship internationally and b) some of the negative feedback on eBay is nasty as hell. I was thinking of maybe checkin out JB Hifi's site to see if they had it, but I guess now I won't have to cuz I know they will. Since they're gonna have it, there's where I'll be gettin it from.....unless of course, I find it elsewhere like Hum Music, Birdland Records, or even...dare I say Red Eye Records. In all honesty, I don't care how much it costs, as long as I get the music. I know some of you are probably freakin' out, cuz you've got kids to support & what not, and sixty bucks is a bit much to pay for a CD, but I'm not in that situation, so I've got nothin to worry about.

I see where you're all coming from, though. Indeed.

By the way, $11.99 American is NOT $11.99 Australian, it's always more expensive when you convert it back to our currency. Same goes for any foreign currency. Keep that in mind, folks. Please.

well $12 us is only $17 us, add on postage, which i don't think adds up 2 another $40, so some1 is making a few bucks. At the moment i have the dl & the quality is good & i don't have 2 wait til the 12th.

True that, but I think the reason why it's so expensive is because first of all, it's a totally independent release. Second, it's being distributed by an even smaller record label than NPG. Third, it's a 3-CD set. I think if it was coming out on, say Sony or another major label, the price would probably be different. That's just a stab in the dark though. I remember when "The Rainbow Children" came out on import, it was about forty or fifty bucks, and that was a single disc of course. But then when he got with the major labels & released stuff like "3121" and "Planet Earth," the price was a lot more reasonable, ie: 19 or even 20 odd dollars.
[Edited 3/31/09 0:47am]

^Yeah, I remember getting stiffed on The Rainbow Children paying $50 or so at HMV

Luckily, my bro is visiting from the States, so he's getting me a physical copy of the album. Many of the posts on this thread have me intrigued about Sydney record stores, though. Would anyone mind telling me what this stores are like?

I've been to Red Eye and Egg a long time ago (and Mojo Music too), but I haven't been there enough to feel like I "know" what those places are like.

Birdland's my favourite. I'm one of their regulars now.

But they're closing down, so... currently they've got CDs on sale for like ten bucks each, as well as 20% off on other stock. They've mostly got imports in there, which means they'll probably get "Lotus Flower" next week, but then again, it could be shut by then, so who knows.

Hum Music on Oxford Street is another place that has imports as well as the more common, sorta...locally released stuff.

You mentioned Egg Records...there used to be a store in the city, but it's long gone now. Their main store is in Newtown, as you probably know.

There's another store in the same area as Egg (Newtown) called Relics.....but if you're going by train, you need to get off at Erskineville station, or you can just walk up the road from Newtown station, it's not very far. They've got CRATES of records. I mean, ENDLESS crates full. Also they've got other used stuff, like cheese graters, lol.

There's Fish Records, also at Newtown....next to the Dendy cinema.

Also there's a record fair at Parramatta town hall....there's one at Glebe too.

Oh yeah there are 2 record stores in Glebe as well - Ready Steady and....another one, I can't remember the name of it. I only went there once.

Hope this helps!

Moonbeam said:

I use to give alot of Sydney record stores (the above mentioned, and some others that will remain nameless, I won't name & shame them, they do a good job of that themselves) props (and lots of cash, btw), and all I got in return was ripped off by their inflated prices or diss respected to other customers or websites. All i can say is cut out these middle men gangsters and support the artist direct wherever you can

If it doesn't come out next week on the 7th, and it does come the week after on the 12th, I'll still be waiting anyway, cuz it's Easter Sunday. So, I'll probably get the album either a few days days after it ships, or I'll just wait until the week after it ships to pick it up. We'll see what transpires though. Until then, I'll be watching this thread like a hawk.

I think I'll get it at JB Hifi when it's been marked down (if that happens).

I don't recall ever seeing the imported version of "The Rainbow Children" being marked down, just the local version released by Shock Records with the shoddy packaging, which is why I'll probably fork out sixty bucks anyway. I know it's expensive, but I'd rather have the artwork (or lackthereof if that's the case with this particular release) in its original incarnation. That's just me though.
[Edited 3/31/09 5:24am]

OK....I'm currently ringing around to see if anybody has it.

So far, I've rung:

Birdland Records: They knew of the album, but were unsure of when they were gonna have it.

Hum: The guy thought Prince was still on Warners and heard nothing about him putting out something new, but claims he's gonna try & get some copies when he does a US order.

JBHifi: We'll see what they've gotta say...I'd better ask for someone in the music department, or else I'm gonna get some young chick who doesn't understand what "The new Prince album" means.

Let's see what happens.....

they said they have some copies on order, so....hopefully they'll have it this weekend....fingers crossed!!!!

Although the guy was a bit confused, cause he says they usually get new albums on weekends, and the date that it's scheduled to ship on is a Tuesday. He said it also depends on how the label is...usually with local releases, they don't allow stores to sell them early.

Yeah, hopefully JB Hifi will have it then.

Also, I forgot to say, the first guy at JB said the album's coming out through a label called Rocket.

I hope it's not Elton John's label!

[Edited 4/1/09 19:58pm]
[Edited 4/1/09 20:00pm]
[Edited 4/1/09 23:11pm]

TyphoonTip said:

Thanks

OK.....let me just paint you a slightly clearer picture.....

JB Hifi on Pitt Street (Victoria Galleries) says that they "should have it this weekend."

BUT...I just got off the phone with JB Hifi at the Strand Arcade, where Duty Free used to be, and they say that it'll be out next week, but they don't know what date. They said for me to ring 'em on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Other words, they've got no friggen clue.

Oh well.

Just rang 2 JB Hifi Stores.....the one at Victoria Galleries - AGAIN, this time they said they probably won't get it til the weekend.

Then I called JB Parramatta and they said it won't be out for a while yet, but they said they had 3 copies on order, which, out of those 3 I could've ordered one for myself, but I said "nah I'll wait." What the hell?

By the way things are looking I'll probably be getting it after Easter.

Maybe they just have no idea & it WILL be there tomorrow.

Could just be wishful thinking on my part, too.

Don't know if what im posting is old news, but I picked up mine from JB hifi today $52

.
[Edited 12/16/10 12:35pm]

dnaplaya said:

Damn. I didn't see your post earlier. I just ordered a copy on eBay for $31.99.

Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait till it arrives now.