Did anyone feel what Prince was saying to George Lopez about the problem in the music industry? I thought I heard him say that he didn't mind it when fans used his music. It's only when the music industry "covers" you that it becomes a problem and then he mentioned songs that he wrote that were sung by Sinead O'Connor and Chaka Khan. I think I got his point...but, does anyone who saw the interview disagree with Prince's view?

Thanks for bringing this up. I didn't even care about the performance last night. I was so caught up with the interview part...Especially the part where he talked about compulsory license...When he said the record company can have the right to take your music without your permission and give it to other artists...Prince said "covering music" means your version doesn't exist anymore...

When George Lopez said "There should be only one version of music right?" and Prince said "You'd think." and then Lopez said "How does that work?" And Prince said "With your help, and people just taking about it...There have been some journalists who've spoken about it..." And I thought that may have been the reason why he went on Lopez...He's reaching out to talk show hosts / journalists to help reveal this ugly side of music industry...? And trying to prevent it?

I was surprised. Music industry is one nasty world. I think I first heard about this through MJ when he was speaking against Tommy Mottola of Sony...

[Edited 4/14/11 19:46pm]

There did seem to be some incongruence there, with him speaking so passionately about why it's wrong for artists to cover other artists' work, before going on stage for the final number and doing...a cover??

Did one of them mention D-Train in the intro to the song? Because I think I missed it...

Edit - in fairness, I guess he's talking more about actually releasing a cover rather than simply performing it. It was still a strange choice, given what was a significant topic in the interview just a few minutes earlier.

*brainfart moment fixed

[Edited 4/15/11 17:31pm]

Chiquetet said:

There did seem to be some incongruence there, with him speaking so passionately about why it's wrong for artists to cover other artists' work, before going on stage for the final number and doing...a cover??

Did one of them mention D List in the intro to the song? Because I think I missed it...

Edit - in fairness, I guess he's talking more about actually releasing a cover rather than simply performing it. It was still a strange choice, given what was a significant topic in the interview just a few minutes earlier.

[Edited 4/14/11 20:45pm]

um I thought he was talking about music industry taking his music and giving it to other artists or even allowing it to be soundtrack of a movie without his permission...Because he said he's ok with his friends asking for it, didn't he? So I thought he's ok when people ask HIM if they could cover his music but he's not ok with industry taking his music and using it however they want...Industry does whatever they want with even the ones that haven't been officially released by Prince I'm sure... I mean that's what I understood from him saying "covering your music means your version doesn't exist anymore"...

[Edited 4/14/11 20:55pm]

Emancipation89 said:

um I thought he was talking about music industry taking his music and giving it to other artists or even allowing it to be soundtrack of a movie without his permission...Because he said he's ok with his friends asking for it, didn't he? So I thought he's ok when people ask HIM if they could cover his music but he's not ok with industry taking his music and using it however they want...Industry does whatever they want with even the ones that haven't been officially released by Prince I'm sure... I mean that's what I understood from him saying "covering your music means your version doesn't exist anymore"...

I know that's what he said, but then one of the examples he gave was Chaka Khan, who is definitely his friend, so that was a little odd.

Also, can we presume from what he said that he asked D-Train if they were ok with him performing that song? Is he their friend? (Again, it's minor compared to a major single release, but still...)

Have any of Prince's unreleased songs ever been officially released by a record label without his permission?

I assumed what he meant about "doesn't exist" are situations like Sinead O'Connor, where the industry hyped it up so much that it became a massive single, much more well known than The Family's version, to the point that now when people hear him perform it, many think he's covering Sinead's song; ergo his (?) version effectively doesn't exist anymore.

Don't get me wrong - I take his point and I do think it's a flawed system, but then I think of a beautiful song like "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and how many versions I have heard of that one and if there were laws preventing artists from covering other artists' work, we'd lose the chance to hear different interpretations of wonderful music.

Maybe there needs to be a rule concerning covers being released as singles - that they don't qualify for charts, for example, but that they can be on an artist's album.

I'm not suggesting it's a non-issue. I'm just puzzled - albeit not particularly surprised - by some of the choices he's made (as recently as that very same night) that could be interpreted as being quite hypocritical, even if technically they are not.

[Edited 4/15/11 17:32pm]

Yes, this was perplexing although for some reason I considered the cover more of a Shelby J song and therefore Prince was not so much covering the song?

Glee?

D-Train.

He just doesn't like it when the general public associates one of his songs with another artist without giving him his due recognition.

People think Nothing Compares 2 u is Sinead's song.

People think I Feel 4 U is Chaka's song.

At several of his W2A shows, he made a point of saying "Who wrote this song?" right before he goes into "Cool." He wants people to know that these are his songs.

Some artists might not mind if their song gains popularity when sung by someone else, because at the end of the day they know who wrote the song even if the general public doesn't and they are still getting paid for it. Prince isn't one of those artists, though. I can't say that I blame him.

he talked about this in 2004

"He talks about the compulsory license law, "where anybody can take my song and sing it, against my will. I'm a writer. Stephen King is a writer. Can I take a page out of his book and call it Prince's Shining? Can I take a scene out of a movie and call it my own? They say the law, helps the writers. I don't need help; I don't need your money. Let us steward our own music."

http://findarticles.com/p..._n6183858/

he is not so upset about being asked it is when he is not asked under this 'compulsory license law.'

However, this is as far as I know somewhat restricted. No major changes to the arrangement. No changing the lyrics. And not for broadcast. And not for release as a video. Which is why many Prince covers are not released as singles or as videos.

When they asked to use KISS in "Happy Feet" they asked to change the lyrics. At first he said 'no.' But then he watched the film and liked it so much that he allowed the lyrical change and offered "song of the heart."

Also, no matter what Prince said or his people said... Glee had Prince's approval to use KISS.

CallMeCarrie said:

He just doesn't like it when the general public associates one of his songs with another artist without giving him his due recognition.

People think Nothing Compares 2 u is Sinead's song.

People think I Feel 4 U is Chaka's song.

At several of his W2A shows, he made a point of saying "Who wrote this song?" right before he goes into "Cool." He wants people to know that these are his songs.

Some artists might not mind if their song gains popularity when sung by someone else, because at the end of the day they know who wrote the song even if the general public doesn't and they are still getting paid for it. Prince isn't one of those artists, though. I can't say that I blame him.

But you know Prince did also allow Chuck E Cheese Pizza to use the song for their restaurants. With altered lyrics singing the praises of Chuck E Cheese!

OnlyNDaUsa said:

CallMeCarrie said:

He just doesn't like it when the general public associates one of his songs with another artist without giving him his due recognition.

People think Nothing Compares 2 u is Sinead's song.

People think I Feel 4 U is Chaka's song.

At several of his W2A shows, he made a point of saying "Who wrote this song?" right before he goes into "Cool." He wants people to know that these are his songs.

Some artists might not mind if their song gains popularity when sung by someone else, because at the end of the day they know who wrote the song even if the general public doesn't and they are still getting paid for it. Prince isn't one of those artists, though. I can't say that I blame him.

But you know Prince did also allow Chuck E Cheese Pizza to use the song for their restaurants. With altered lyrics singing the praises of Chuck E Cheese!

Really?!?

I don't think he is unreasonable...he just wants to make the decision and be in control.

Shocking.

CallMeCarrie said:

He just doesn't like it when the general public associates one of his songs with another artist without giving him his due recognition.

People think Nothing Compares 2 u is Sinead's song.

People think I Feel 4 U is Chaka's song.

At several of his W2A shows, he made a point of saying "Who wrote this song?" right before he goes into "Cool." He wants people to know that these are his songs.

Some artists might not mind if their song gains popularity when sung by someone else, because at the end of the day they know who wrote the song even if the general public doesn't and they are still getting paid for it. Prince isn't one of those artists, though. I can't say that I blame him.

What?!?

If people think The Time wrote Cool, it's because Prince didn't want to take credit. It was his choice to not take that credit.

Just checked Chaka & Sinead's CDs.... They clearly list Prince as the author of the songs.

I didn't hear Prince or Shelby credit D-Train in the performance the other night...

I'll say this: if people DON'T know Prince wrote "Nothing Compares 2 U" and "I Feel For You", then they don't know shit about Prince. It makes him look bitter though. I'm guessing it's with the public, not with the artists who cover his songs, which he had no plans releasing as singles as far as I know.

Chiquetet said:

Have any of Prince's unreleased songs ever been officially released by a record label without his permission?

I assumed what he meant about "doesn't exist" are situations like Sinead O'Connor, where the industry hyped it up so much that it became a massive single, much more well known than The Family's version, to the point that now when people hear him perform it, many think he's covering Sinead's song; ergo his (?) version effectively doesn't exist anymore.

Don't get me wrong - I take his point and I do think it's a flawed system, but then I think of a beautiful song like "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and how many versions I have heard of that one and if there were laws preventing artists from covering other artists' work, we'd lose the chance to hear different interpretations of wonderful music.

Maybe there needs to be a rule concerning covers being released as singles - that they don't qualify for charts, for example, but that they can be on an artist's album.

I'm not suggesting it's a non-issue. I'm just puzzled - albeit not particularly surprised - by some of the choices he's made (as recently as that very same night) that could be interpreted as being quite hypocritical, even if technically they are not.

Thank you! That definitely helped me understand better. I think I was over analyzing it...

djThunderfunk said:

CallMeCarrie said:

He just doesn't like it when the general public associates one of his songs with another artist without giving him his due recognition.

People think Nothing Compares 2 u is Sinead's song.

People think I Feel 4 U is Chaka's song.

At several of his W2A shows, he made a point of saying "Who wrote this song?" right before he goes into "Cool." He wants people to know that these are his songs.

Some artists might not mind if their song gains popularity when sung by someone else, because at the end of the day they know who wrote the song even if the general public doesn't and they are still getting paid for it. Prince isn't one of those artists, though. I can't say that I blame him.

What?!?

If people think The Time wrote Cool, it's because Prince didn't want to take credit. It was his choice to not take that credit.

Just checked Chaka & Sinead's CDs.... They clearly list Prince as the author of the songs.

I didn't hear Prince or Shelby credit D-Train in the performance the other night...

I am talking about the knowledge of the general public. When you listen to the radio, they don't announce the author of the song being played, only the singer.

^ That's why TV was there. If you watched them discuss Prince, they TOLD you who wrote/produce it. This country has some dummies but there's a few smart folks who learn to separate fantasy from truth.

NouveauDance said:

D-Train.

Oh lawd, I don't know where my head was yesterday. I was listening to the damn song when I wrote that, too

D-Train, of course.

CallMeCarrie said:

djThunderfunk said:

What?!?

If people think The Time wrote Cool, it's because Prince didn't want to take credit. It was his choice to not take that credit.

Just checked Chaka & Sinead's CDs.... They clearly list Prince as the author of the songs.

I didn't hear Prince or Shelby credit D-Train in the performance the other night...

I am talking about the knowledge of the general public. When you listen to the radio, they don't announce the author of the song being played, only the singer.

I guarantee you, that a lot of people watching Lopez thought You're The One For Me was either a Prince song or at least a "whoever that bald lady was" song.

djThunderfunk said:

CallMeCarrie said:

I am talking about the knowledge of the general public. When you listen to the radio, they don't announce the author of the song being played, only the singer.

I guarantee you, that a lot of people watching Lopez thought You're The One For Me was either a Prince song or at least a "whoever that bald lady was" song.

A lot of people got brain farts.

This stance I really don't get. Prince has covered, recorded, and released as singles, songs by other artist. He has performed these on television without mentioning he was not the writer. In concert he says "Ya'll know who wrote this?", when he covers a song he wrote. (Yes, it is possible to cover your own song if you are not the artist that brought the song to prominence). Does he say the same thing when he covers Bonnie Rait, Radiohead, the Delfonics, Tommy James and the Shondellas, The Foo Fighters, James Brown, The Ohio Players, and the others he drops in at individual shows. It is very hypocritical. Him comparing the writing of music and the writing of a novel like Steven King, while soundbite worthy, is legal Apples and Oranges.

Someone asked if it was possible to cover a song that had not been released. The answer is not without the permission of the person who holds the rights to the song. If a song has been released, it is deemed to be in the public domain, and can be recorded with or without permission. The compensation ranges on a multitude of factors. However, there are restrictions on performing the song. Then there is the issue of a cover vs a parody. Think Prince performing One of Us and Weird Al performing Eat it to get the point.

Timmy84 said:

djThunderfunk said:

I guarantee you, that a lot of people watching Lopez thought You're The One For Me was either a Prince song or at least a "whoever that bald lady was" song.

A lot of people got brain farts.

That's the "general public" for ya!

leonche64 said:

This stance I really don't get. Prince has covered, recorded, and released as singles, songs by other artist. He has performed these on television without mentioning he was not the writer. In concert he says "Ya'll know who wrote this?", when he covers a song he wrote. (Yes, it is possible to cover your own song if you are not the artist that brought the song to prominence). Does he say the same thing when he covers Bonnie Rait, Radiohead, the Delfonics, Tommy James and the Shondellas, The Foo Fighters, James Brown, The Ohio Players, and the others he drops in at individual shows. It is very hypocritical. Him comparing the writing of music and the writing of a novel like Steven King, while soundbite worthy, is legal Apples and Oranges.

Someone asked if it was possible to cover a song that had not been released. The answer is not without the permission of the person who holds the rights to the song. If a song has been released, it is deemed to be in the public domain, and can be recorded with or without permission. The compensation ranges on a multitude of factors. However, there are restrictions on performing the song. Then there is the issue of a cover vs a parody. Think Prince performing One of Us and Weird Al performing Eat it to get the point.

In terms of people not knowing some of Prince's work, I've had people ask me "when did Prince cover that Tom Jones song?"........

When I studied English Literature for a year, there was a saying some of the lecturers quite liked - when you steal from one, it's plagiarism, but if you steal from many, it's art.

The biggest difference between a novel and a song is simply the number of ways words can be expressed as opposed to music. It's a common criticism of modern music that it's "all been done before", but I reckon if you had an extensive knowledge of literature you'd be hard pressed to find a book which was completely original - they all lean on others ideas and just change the way they tell it. Films have done that for years as well.

Much like in music, it's a nod or artistic tipping of the hat to the original creator, a way of expressing your appreciation of what they produced and trying to recreate or better it. How many times have we read on here that Prince has done similar all his career with his music?

There seem to be many things about the music industry which need to change, and I'm sure they will in time, but Prince could, if he had a mind to, write his version of the Shining, and it certainly wouldn't be a legal issue - it would just be panned if it was plainly obvious where he ripped it from.

alxndrstff said:

In terms of people not knowing some of Prince's work, I've had people ask me "when did Prince cover that Tom Jones song?"........

AW HELL NAW!

alxndrstff said:

Emancipation89 said:

Thanks for bringing this up. I didn't even care about the performance last night. I was so caught up with the interview part...Especially the part where he talked about compulsory license...When he said the record company can have the right to take your music without your permission and give it to other artists...Prince said "covering music" means your version doesn't exist anymore...

When George Lopez said "There should be only one version of music right?" and Prince said "You'd think." and then Lopez said "How does that work?" And Prince said "With your help, and people just taking about it...There have been some journalists who've spoken about it..." And I thought that may have been the reason why he went on Lopez...He's reaching out to talk show hosts / journalists to help reveal this ugly side of music industry...? And trying to prevent it?

I was surprised. Music industry is one nasty world. I think I first heard about this through MJ when he was speaking against Tommy Mottola of Sony...

[Edited 4/14/11 19:46pm]

THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS A COMPLETE CLUSTER F!CK TODAY.

ITS A COMPLETE JOKE RIGHT NOW, LETS TALK ABOUT UNDERSTANDING EVER CHANGING BUSINESS MODELS. PRINCE DOES.

THE WRONG PEOPLE HAVE BEEN RUN LABELS FOR A LONG TIME AND THATS WHY PPL LIKE SHAWN FANNING AND SEAN PARKER WERE ABLE TO F!CK IT UP. FOR A LONG TIME ITS NEVER REALLY BEEN ABOUT THE MUSIC.

PRETTY SAD.

[Edited 4/17/11 11:14am]

WisdomNLove said:

Emancipation89 said:

Thanks for bringing this up. I didn't even care about the performance last night. I was so caught up with the interview part...Especially the part where he talked about compulsory license...When he said the record company can have the right to take your music without your permission and give it to other artists...Prince said "covering music" means your version doesn't exist anymore...

When George Lopez said "There should be only one version of music right?" and Prince said "You'd think." and then Lopez said "How does that work?" And Prince said "With your help, and people just taking about it...There have been some journalists who've spoken about it..." And I thought that may have been the reason why he went on Lopez...He's reaching out to talk show hosts / journalists to help reveal this ugly side of music industry...? And trying to prevent it?

I was surprised. Music industry is one nasty world. I think I first heard about this through MJ when he was speaking against Tommy Mottola of Sony...

[Edited 4/14/11 19:46pm]

THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS A COMPLETE CLUSTER F!CK TODAY.

ITS A COMPLETE JOKE RIGHT NOW, LETS TALK ABOUT UNDERSTANDING EVER CHANGING BUSINESS MODELS. PRINCE DOES.

THE WRONG PEOPLE HAVE BEEN RUN LABELS FOR A LONG TIME AND THATS WHY PPL LIKE SHAWN FANNING AND SEAN PARKER WERE ABLE TO F!CK IT UP. FOR A LONG TIME ITS NEVER REALLY BEEN ABOUT THE MUSIC.

PRETTY SAD.

[Edited 4/17/11 11:14am]

I keep hearing this, but what is really different in 2011 than it was in 1995? How has the industry changes affected you as a consumer?

leonche64 said:

This stance I really don't get. Prince has covered, recorded, and released as singles, songs by other artist. He has performed these on television without mentioning he was not the writer. In concert he says "Ya'll know who wrote this?", when he covers a song he wrote. (Yes, it is possible to cover your own song if you are not the artist that brought the song to prominence). Does he say the same thing when he covers Bonnie Rait, Radiohead, the Delfonics, Tommy James and the Shondellas, The Foo Fighters, James Brown, The Ohio Players, and the others he drops in at individual shows. It is very hypocritical. Him comparing the writing of music and the writing of a novel like Steven King, while soundbite worthy, is legal Apples and Oranges.

Someone asked if it was possible to cover a song that had not been released. The answer is not without the permission of the person who holds the rights to the song. If a song has been released, it is deemed to be in the public domain, and can be recorded with or without permission. The compensation ranges on a multitude of factors. However, there are restrictions on performing the song. Then there is the issue of a cover vs a parody. Think Prince performing One of Us and Weird Al performing Eat it to get the point.

You're right. I once told a friend that I think it's "weird" when Prince does covers. The one song that stands out in my mind is Betcha By Golly Wow as made famous by The Stylistics. It was written by two songwriters (Creed and Bell) in 1970...and the famous Bonnie Raitt tune, I Can't make You Love Me written by Reid and Shamblin in 1991. I just prefer to hear Prince do his own hit songs and that's it. Can anyone think of a time when Prince covered someone else's hit song really well, like he could really make that song his own? I can't think of any. I think he is great at bringing his own songs to life!

[Edited 4/18/11 5:26am]