chopingard said:

This was the conversation between them on Livestream: (edit out off topic comments)

3RDEYEGIRL: uh oh...serpan will tweet everything said herre
3RDEYEGIRL: everything bite ur lip
3RDEYEGIRL: copy and paste

SERPAN99: yeah...unless u don't want me 2 3EG ;-p

3RDEYEGIRL: actually...
3RDEYEGIRL: can we just chat like normal folk?
3RDEYEGIRL: if people wanna hear from us...shouldn't they have 2 come here
3RDEYEGIRL: whether than frequent ur site?
3RDEYEGIRL: now that we r on the topic...

SERPAN99: define "chat like normal folk"...not all fans like 2 b here 24/7...and search thru the 60 thousand comments on here...just sayin

3RDEYEGIRL:do u alter any of the photographs featured on r sites?
3RDEYEGIRL: and then re-post them on ur site?

SERPAN99: I don't alter anything...I'm all about true info

3RDEYEGIRL: well...let's chack
3RDEYEGIRL: check,even
3RDEYEGIRL: how did 3rdeyetv get on P's shirt?
3RDEYEGIRL: did u alter it?
3RDEYEGIRL: on ur Twitter page

SERPAN99: Oh okay...that's true, but I was promoting ur Livestream account 4 u...u want that changed?

3RDEYEGIRL: and What's wrong with using ur own pic rather than His?

SERPAN99: I'm not about selfpromoting 3EG...so not using my own image

3RDEYEGIRL: leave r ART on r site...it's not there 4 u 2 lift and "alter"
3RDEYEGIRL: we dont need that kind of promotion
3RDEYEGIRL: better 2 ask 1st...what do ya think?

SERPAN99: Well...I did ask u if u want me 2 promote the info u share here in the chat?

3RDEYEGIRL: no
3RDEYEGIRL: we have a site 4 people 2 follow here

SERPAN99: O-tay...gotcha!

3RDEYEGIRL: can u take Prince's image off ur site please?
3RDEYEGIRL: all of them?
3RDEYEGIRL: we do believe management asked u 2 do so weex ago
3RDEYEGIRL: what's the holdup?
3RDEYEGIRL: we want everyone 2 injoy the art........here
3RDEYEGIRL: not elsewhere

SERPAN99: Nope...that request wasn't made 2 me at all, but I just removed the style images as requested

3RDEYEGIRL: we always ask nicely
3RDEYEGIRL: we love u'all

SERPAN99: both background and header have been removed 4 u 3EG

3RDEYEGIRL: very good....appreciated.
3RDEYEGIRL: thanks
3RDEYEGIRL: while u're at it
3RDEYEGIRL: can u take down prince's symbol from ur page
3RDEYEGIRL: it's copywritten
3RDEYEGIRL: and we r here 2 license it's usage

SERPAN99: Not sure where u r seeing Prince's symbol on my site, can u please re-check that 3EG?

3RDEYEGIRL: interesting that people nade fun of that when the name was changed...but now it results in hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue...
3RDEYEGIRL: when it is used without permission
3RDEYEGIRL: a cartoon appears on ur site with it around ur neck...
3RDEYEGIRL: probably need 2 take that down as well....what do ya think?

SERPAN99: Oh okay...so that's what u mean, lemme fix that real fast 4 u...the thrill is gone anywayz

3RDEYEGIRL: joe...no one mentioned money...it's about rights
3RDEYEGIRL: the symbol is just that.
3RDEYEGIRL: a symbol...laws were put on boox 2 protect copyrights
3RDEYEGIRL: NPG created a "symbol" and then copyrighted it
3RDEYEGIRL: it unfair 2 use it without permission
3RDEYEGIRL: plain and simple
3RDEYEGIRL: no?
3RDEYEGIRL: the symbol is copyrighted no different than the coca-cola logo

SERPAN99:So...now that I removed the symbol image 4 u, r u going after the thousands of other Prince fans who r using it as well? And have people remove symbol tattoos?

3RDEYEGIRL: we love serpan...want him 2 stay and vibe with us
3RDEYEGIRL: nope...just u serpan
3RDEYEGIRL: lol

SERPAN99: yeah...I really feel the love, I'm sure some people r njoying the vibe...until it backfires...

3RDEYEGIRL: there is no backfire
3RDEYEGIRL: all an illusion

(smilingjoe and others & erdeyegirl has long conversation about musician rights & music industry then.... )

3RDEYEGIRL: bye, everybody

smilingjoe: don't forget to say sorry to serpan

3RDEYEGIRL: talk 2 Serpan...tell him we love him and want him 2 feel welcome
3RDEYEGIRL: just rather not have r every word splattered all over the internet
3RDEYEGIRL: we like a small gathering like this

*****

(ok i just did what Serpan does copy & pasted from another site but the orginal poster didn't give back story)

[Edited 7/27/13 12:12pm]

^^^ ^^^

I hate to laugh but damn that was some punk as shit

3RDEYEGIRL: interesting that people nade fun of that when the name was changed...but now it results in hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue...

[...]

3RDEYEGIRL: joe...no one mentioned money...it's about rights

Shocking yet, not so much. I gotta be honest: Serpan99, you're a in my eyes with all you do for the P Fam community ...

What disgusting behavior on 3EG's part. No need for public humiliation towards one of your genuine supporters. Total lack of class. Word to the wise... never bite the hand that feeds you.

so why has serpan been banned here when it happened over there? or has he just walked? wouldn't blame him if he did. twats the lot of 'em.

Lucky i wsnt in that chat room, I would have told 3rdeyegirl she can suck my 1eyed DK

Hes not banned here

Read between the lines, the copyright stuff if bull. They are trying to bring the community to livestream. You can get everything through Serpan, so why the need?? More or less a threat. livestream will not grow if you can get everything through a twitter feed.

Wow. Serpan, I'm so sorry you had to experience this. Thank you for everything you've done. I've really appreciated it.

SERPENTINE FIRE!

[Edited 7/27/13 12:48pm]

I wish I could say that I am surprised, but obviously, like most of you, I'm not.

How dare a fan promote the artist, who is appearing on an obscure website in the wee hours of the morning? Quelle horreur!!

Do you think 3EG sends letters to the (ever dwindling number of) media sites who psot about the latest song that Prince uploads, complaining about "why should people get the information from your site?"

If it wasn't for the org (and particularly Serpan) I would never have known that the livestream thing was even happening. And I've been a rabid fan for 30+ years.

So stupid.

theblueangel said:

If it wasn't for the org (and particularly Serpan) I would never have known that the livestream thing was even happening.

Strange.

"EyeJester7" has used the logo,reported verbatim on their chats...done everything and then some that Serpan is being hassled over,yet they give "eyejester7" free tickets to south by southwest concert and belittle Serpan in public?

hmmm...

mask said:

Strange.

"EyeJester7" has used the logo,reported verbatim on their chats...done everything and then some that Serpan is being hassled over,yet they give "eyejester7" free tickets to south by southwest concert and belittle Serpan in public?

hmmm...

[Snip - luv4u]

How sad. Reading that exchange made me cringe!

Serpan, thank you for your years of service to the fan community. I've been able to get links to buy tickets, & have been informed of last minute shows thanks to you. You've posted a ton of pics that we have enjoyed, to make us feel as though we were there.

I hate that this happened to you, and the way that it was handled.

While I agree that one should never be rude or disrespectful to another, in some cases it seems that fans have an exaggerated or delusional notion of their relationship with or role in the career of their favorite artist. The "role" or "place" of a fan is to receive art and to decide if one likes or dislikes the art. The amount of art that one likes and the degree to which one likes the art determines if one is a fan and to what level is one a fan. However, in some cases, people become so enamored with an artist that they want to be more than just fans or they begin to exaggerate what it means to be a fan to feel a part of the artist's work or life. However, if an artist has made it clear, like Prince has, that he isn't interested in fans who think they need to help him promote something or "keep his legacy alive" by posting his work on YouTube or other sites, then one should either respect Prince’s wishes regarding his "copyrighted" material or find another artist to worship...err I mean enjoy.

*

At this point, most of us know who and what Prince is and what type of relationship he wants with his fans. But, many of us see the types of relationships that other artists have with their fans and desire a similar type of relationship with Prince. Yet, Prince is not those other artists, and he has made it clear from day one that he is not those other artists. So, if Prince has made it clear that he doesn't want his fans posting his work to various sites for any reason, why would one be surprised by a negative response from Prince when a fan does something that Prince has made clear he doesn't want done? Only a fool would be surprised or angered by Prince's reaction. The logical thing would be to say "my bad," and stop doing it. Even as a person with bootlegs, do I think it would be wise for me to approach Prince and say, "Dude, I love the bootlegs of the Dakota show and the ten LOL shows that I have"? It would be even more foolish if I actually expected Prince to be happy about it.

*

Of course, some will ask, then why am I a member of Prince.org and earlier of Housequake.com and even earlier Controversy and Uptown? I'm a member of Prince.org and was a member of the others because it is the easiest way to get Prince information. Yes, I engage in discourse about the art, but my primary reason for being here is to learn about the latest album, appearance, or tour. (So, NPG Music Club was cool to me for the access to music. I never chatted on there because all I want is music--audio and video.) The rest (especially chatting online with other fans) is just extra to me, and, in many cases, that extra is a negative waste of time, but there are also several on this site who do offer objective insight about Prince's art regardless of whether or not I agree with their position. And while Serpan seems to be interested in "promoting" Prince, he was doing so in ways that seems to infringe on what Prince views as welcomed. Yes, Prince could have sent him a private letter, but it seems that Prince views Serpan's actions not as an isolated incident but as one aspect of how many fans seem, again, to exaggerate their role or place in Prince's career.

*

I think that Housequake is second only to Controversy as a great place for Prince fans to discuss their admiration for Prince’s work. (If you’re counting, then, yes, that means I have Prince.org listed as third. Yet, I must say that the moderators of both Housequake and Prince.org did/do a wonderful job!) But, many of us did abuse Housequake by posting unauthorized audio and video when the site had been asked not to do so. Prince probably could have handled the situation better, but many (and I’m not including the moderators in this group) kept ignoring the request and became adversarial to the requests to stop. A relationship is about defining what each party wants, defining the boundaries of those desires, and then determining if each party can be happy with those terms. Clearly, many of you are not happy with the terms and relationship Prince desires to maintain with his "fans" so it seems that maybe instead of constantly bitching and whining about it y’all should just find another artist who desires to have the type of relationship with fans that you desire to have with an artist. All I want is access to the music, and few other artists have done as much this year as Prince has as giving us access to the music. One may not like the music to which one has been given access, but your ass has been given access.

*

Let me be clear; I don't know Serpan as well as many of you, obviously, so my comments are not about Serpan but about what I see as many fans having an exaggerated or delusional perception of what it means to be a fan. All I want to do is receive art from an artist, enjoy that art in my home and car, during live shows, and, in some cases, have informative discussions with others who also enjoy that work. But, it seems that I have a much more defined line drawn in the sand of where "fandom" ends and infringement begins. Ultimately, Prince has said to his fans over the years: "I don't want your help promoting my work." This has been made clear to us. We either accept it and continue to enjoy the art that we get, or we find other artists to worship...err I mean enjoy who want us to be more involved in promoting their work. Since I'm too lazy to promote anybody else's work than mine, I'll just stick to enjoying Prince's work since I still do.

[Edited 7/27/13 13:58pm]

I'm TEAM SERP....

While I love mocking the fake ass fans who troll this place to the bitter end, THIS is some bullshit. I really feel the need to go after P and his novice team...Serpan deserves better....Fuck those lame ass "apologies"....They need to literally kiss dude's ass....

Aristotle said:

What disgusting behavior on 3EG's part. No need for public humiliation towards one of your genuine supporters. Total lack of class. Word to the wise... never bite the hand that feeds you.

right? total lack of class to do this towards a fan and by the way imo it was a fuss over nothing

1725topp said:

While I agree that one should never be rude or disrespectful to another, in some cases it seems that fans have an exaggerated or delusional notion of their relationship with or role in the career of their favorite artist. The "role" or "place" of a fan is to receive art and to decide if one likes or dislikes the art. The amount of art that one likes and the degree to which one likes the art determines if one is a fan and to what level is one a fan. However, in some cases, people become so enamored with an artist that they want to be more than just fans or they begin to exaggerate what it means to be a fan to feel a part of the artist's work or life. However, if an artist has made it clear, like Prince has, that he isn't interested in fans who think they need to help him promote something or "keep his legacy alive" by posting his work on YouTube or other sites, then one should either respect Prince’s wishes regarding his "copyrighted" material or find another artist to worship...err I mean enjoy.

*

At this point, most of us know who and what Prince is and what type of relationship he wants with his fans. But, many of us see the types of relationships that other artists have with their fans and desire a similar type of relationship with Prince. Yet, Prince is not those other artists, and he has made it clear from day one that he is not those other artists. So, if Prince has made it clear that he doesn't want his fans posting his work to various sites for any reason, why would one be surprised by a negative response from Prince when a fan does something that Prince has made clear he doesn't want done? Only a fool would be surprised or angered by Prince's reaction. The logical thing would be to say "my bad," and stop doing it. Even as a person with bootlegs, do I think it would be wise for me to approach Prince and say, "Dude, I love the bootlegs of the Dakota show and the ten LOL shows that I have"? It would be even more foolish if I actually expected Prince to be happy about it.

*

Of course, some will ask, then why am I a member of Prince.org and earlier of Housequake.com and even earlier Controversy and Uptown? I'm a member of Prince.org and was a member of the others because it is the easiest way to get Prince information. Yes, I engage in discourse about the art, but my primary reason for being here is to learn about the latest album, appearance, or tour. (So, NPG Music Club was cool to me for the access to music. I never chatted on there because all I want is music--audio and video.) The rest (especially chatting online with other fans) is just extra to me, and, in many cases, that extra is a negative waste of time, but there are also several on this site who do offer objective insight about Prince's art regardless of whether or not I agree with their position. And while Serpan seems to be interested in "promoting" Prince, he was doing so in ways that seems to infringe on what Prince views as welcomed. Yes, Prince could have sent him a private letter, but it seems that Prince views Serpan's actions not as an isolated incident but as one aspect of how many fans seem, again, to exaggerate their role or place in Prince's career.

*

I think that Housequake is second only to Controversy as a great place for Prince fans to discuss their admiration for Prince’s work. (If you’re counting, then, yes, that means I have Prince.org listed as third. Yet, I must say that the moderators of both Housequake and Prince.org did/do a wonderful job!) But, many of us did abuse Housequake by posting unauthorized audio and video when the site had been asked not to do so. Prince probably could have handled the situation better, but many (and I’m not including the moderators in this group) kept ignoring the request and became adversarial to the requests to stop. A relationship is about defining what each party wants, defining the boundaries of those desires, and then determining if each party can be happy with those terms. Clearly, many of you are not happy with the terms and relationship Prince desires to maintain with his "fans" so it seems that maybe instead of constantly bitching and whining about it y’all should just find another artist who desires to have the type of relationship with fans that you desire to have with an artist. All I want is access to the music, and few other artists have done as much this year as Prince has as giving us access to the music. One may not like the music to which one has been given access, but your ass has been given access.

*

Let me be clear; I don't know Serpan as well as many of you, obviously, so my comments are not about Serpan but about what I see as many fans having an exaggerated or delusional perception of what it means to be a fan. All I want to do is receive art from an artist, enjoy that art in my home and car, during live shows, and, in some cases, have informative discussions with others who also enjoy that work. But, it seems that I have a much more defined line drawn in the sand of where "fandom" ends and infringement begins.

Man....cut it out with this bullshit....lol

Straight up asshole move.

.

I get his idea of being in the now or whatever but people also have lives. There's nothing wrong with somebody posting about what happened for the people that missed it.

.

And if they have such a problem with somebody doing that, in the belief that he's stealing traffic away, beat him to the punch. Set up your own little section posting the highlights.

.

That or just deal with it.

.

Because you can't control everything.

someone mentioned Jester above and then someone mentioned something about white dudes

c'mon people, really? (this is the exact kind of BS that sucks about the org)

Jester is just a thoughtful, intelligent kid who posted great youtube reviews and got noticed

and Serpan was on his way to becoming one of the main sources to find out what 3EG was up to on a daily basis

3EG gets that Serpan is a big fan, but he should just keep it at that and nothing more

and for 3EG to do it on their own livestream chat was great for getting the message out to other fans as well - be a fan, and not a fanatic and good things will come

for people to piss on 3EG and Funkenberry just shows you how sick some prince fans can become

some fans even hang out in the chat room 24/7 waiting for the next livestream - c'mon folks!!

theblueangel said:

I wish I could say that I am surprised, but obviously, like most of you, I'm not.

How dare a fan promote the artist, who is appearing on an obscure website in the wee hours of the morning? Quelle horreur!!

Do you think 3EG sends letters to the (ever dwindling number of) media sites who psot about the latest song that Prince uploads, complaining about "why should people get the information from your site?"

If it wasn't for the org (and particularly Serpan) I would never have known that the livestream thing was even happening. And I've been a rabid fan for 30+ years.

So stupid.

Reading that exchange made me sad.

1725topp said:

While I agree that one should never be rude or disrespectful to another, in some cases it seems that fans have an exaggerated or delusional notion of their relationship with or role in the career of their favorite artist. The "role" or "place" of a fan is to receive art and to decide if one likes or dislikes the art. The amount of art that one likes and the degree to which one likes the art determines if one is a fan and to what level is one a fan. However, in some cases, people become so enamored with an artist that they want to be more than just fans or they begin to exaggerate what it means to be a fan to feel a part of the artist's work or life. However, if an artist has made it clear, like Prince has, that he isn't interested in fans who think they need to help him promote something or "keep his legacy alive" by posting his work on YouTube or other sites, then one should either respect Prince’s wishes regarding his "copyrighted" material or find another artist to worship...err I mean enjoy.

*

At this point, most of us know who and what Prince is and what type of relationship he wants with his fans. But, many of us see the types of relationships that other artists have with their fans and desire a similar type of relationship with Prince. Yet, Prince is not those other artists, and he has made it clear from day one that he is not those other artists. So, if Prince has made it clear that he doesn't want his fans posting his work to various sites for any reason, why would one be surprised by a negative response from Prince when a fan does something that Prince has made clear he doesn't want done? Only a fool would be surprised or angered by Prince's reaction. The logical thing would be to say "my bad," and stop doing it. Even as a person with bootlegs, do I think it would be wise for me to approach Prince and say, "Dude, I love the bootlegs of the Dakota show and the ten LOL shows that I have"? It would be even more foolish if I actually expected Prince to be happy about it.

*

Of course, some will ask, then why am I a member of Prince.org and earlier of Housequake.com and even earlier Controversy and Uptown? I'm a member of Prince.org and was a member of the others because it is the easiest way to get Prince information. Yes, I engage in discourse about the art, but my primary reason for being here is to learn about the latest album, appearance, or tour. (So, NPG Music Club was cool to me for the access to music. I never chatted on there because all I want is music--audio and video.) The rest (especially chatting online with other fans) is just extra to me, and, in many cases, that extra is a negative waste of time, but there are also several on this site who do offer objective insight about Prince's art regardless of whether or not I agree with their position. And while Serpan seems to be interested in "promoting" Prince, he was doing so in ways that seems to infringe on what Prince views as welcomed. Yes, Prince could have sent him a private letter, but it seems that Prince views Serpan's actions not as an isolated incident but as one aspect of how many fans seem, again, to exaggerate their role or place in Prince's career.

*

I think that Housequake is second only to Controversy as a great place for Prince fans to discuss their admiration for Prince’s work. (If you’re counting, then, yes, that means I have Prince.org listed as third. Yet, I must say that the moderators of both Housequake and Prince.org did/do a wonderful job!) But, many of us did abuse Housequake by posting unauthorized audio and video when the site had been asked not to do so. Prince probably could have handled the situation better, but many (and I’m not including the moderators in this group) kept ignoring the request and became adversarial to the requests to stop. A relationship is about defining what each party wants, defining the boundaries of those desires, and then determining if each party can be happy with those terms. Clearly, many of you are not happy with the terms and relationship Prince desires to maintain with his "fans" so it seems that maybe instead of constantly bitching and whining about it y’all should just find another artist who desires to have the type of relationship with fans that you desire to have with an artist. All I want is access to the music, and few other artists have done as much this year as Prince has as giving us access to the music. One may not like the music to which one has been given access, but your ass has been given access.

*

Let me be clear; I don't know Serpan as well as many of you, obviously, so my comments are not about Serpan but about what I see as many fans having an exaggerated or delusional perception of what it means to be a fan. All I want to do is receive art from an artist, enjoy that art in my home and car, during live shows, and, in some cases, have informative discussions with others who also enjoy that work. But, it seems that I have a much more defined line drawn in the sand of where "fandom" ends and infringement begins. Ultimately, Prince has said to his fans over the years: "I don't want your help promoting my work." This has been made clear to us. We either accept it and continue to enjoy the art that we get, or we find other artists to worship...err I mean enjoy who want us to be more involved in promoting their work. Since I'm too lazy to promote anybody else's work than mine, I'll just stick to enjoying Prince's work since I still do.

[Edited 7/27/13 13:58pm]

1725topp,

I agree in almost every respect with your line of thought. So, thank you for your contribution.

I must add, though, that from a relational perspective, Prince's representative's tone, approach and level of professionalism leaves a lot to be desired. Unfortunately, regardless of whether Prince's represenative is in fact - and objectively - "right" about Prince's stance, copyright and the law, the execution of that representative's communication strategy was so poor, that it comes across as amateur. Furthermore, it comes across as condescending. Whilst these are subjective viewpoints, the reality is that the objective stance effectively loses ground and goodwill by the consequences of a subjective backlash. A professional and sensitive handling of communication and PR issues should surely be utilised, especially when one is (it would appear) trying to reach out to a community, as Prince is clearly trying to do here via this channel i.e. to build a relationship with his customer base (fans). Perhaps, there appears to be a strong response to the represenative (and, by default, Prince) because they do not understand the relational dynamic, but I actually think the issue is less about a lack of understanding and more about an inability to conduct an operation professionally. I genuinely believe these types of relationship building issues should be handled by a professional team. Yet these types of PR mistakes have been happening for over a decade. For the commonplace fan, I imagine it becomes difficult to respect the line, when the line drawn has been consistenly done without (it would appear) any genuine degree of relational sensitivity and discernable judgement. Whilst your points are effectively "correct" from almost every respect, it seems you have failed to understand the biggest point: emotion.

Of course, I could be wrong.

.

[Edited 7/27/13 14:38pm]

1725topp said:

While I agree that one should never be rude or disrespectful to another, in some cases it seems that fans have an exaggerated or delusional notion of their relationship with or role in the career of their favorite artist. The "role" or "place" of a fan is to receive art and to decide if one likes or dislikes the art. The amount of art that one likes and the degree to which one likes the art determines if one is a fan and to what level is one a fan. However, in some cases, people become so enamored with an artist that they want to be more than just fans or they begin to exaggerate what it means to be a fan to feel a part of the artist's work or life. However, if an artist has made it clear, like Prince has, that he isn't interested in fans who think they need to help him promote something or "keep his legacy alive" by posting his work on YouTube or other sites, then one should either respect Prince’s wishes regarding his "copyrighted" material or find another artist to worship...err I mean enjoy.

*

At this point, most of us know who and what Prince is and what type of relationship he wants with his fans. But, many of us see the types of relationships that other artists have with their fans and desire a similar type of relationship with Prince. Yet, Prince is not those other artists, and he has made it clear from day one that he is not those other artists. So, if Prince has made it clear that he doesn't want his fans posting his work to various sites for any reason, why would one be surprised by a negative response from Prince when a fan does something that Prince has made clear he doesn't want done? Only a fool would be surprised or angered by Prince's reaction. The logical thing would be to say "my bad," and stop doing it. Even as a person with bootlegs, do I think it would be wise for me to approach Prince and say, "Dude, I love the bootlegs of the Dakota show and the ten LOL shows that I have"? It would be even more foolish if I actually expected Prince to be happy about it.

*

Of course, some will ask, then why am I a member of Prince.org and earlier of Housequake.com and even earlier Controversy and Uptown? I'm a member of Prince.org and was a member of the others because it is the easiest way to get Prince information. Yes, I engage in discourse about the art, but my primary reason for being here is to learn about the latest album, appearance, or tour. (So, NPG Music Club was cool to me for the access to music. I never chatted on there because all I want is music--audio and video.) The rest (especially chatting online with other fans) is just extra to me, and, in many cases, that extra is a negative waste of time, but there are also several on this site who do offer objective insight about Prince's art regardless of whether or not I agree with their position. And while Serpan seems to be interested in "promoting" Prince, he was doing so in ways that seems to infringe on what Prince views as welcomed. Yes, Prince could have sent him a private letter, but it seems that Prince views Serpan's actions not as an isolated incident but as one aspect of how many fans seem, again, to exaggerate their role or place in Prince's career.

*

I think that Housequake is second only to Controversy as a great place for Prince fans to discuss their admiration for Prince’s work. (If you’re counting, then, yes, that means I have Prince.org listed as third. Yet, I must say that the moderators of both Housequake and Prince.org did/do a wonderful job!) But, many of us did abuse Housequake by posting unauthorized audio and video when the site had been asked not to do so. Prince probably could have handled the situation better, but many (and I’m not including the moderators in this group) kept ignoring the request and became adversarial to the requests to stop. A relationship is about defining what each party wants, defining the boundaries of those desires, and then determining if each party can be happy with those terms. Clearly, many of you are not happy with the terms and relationship Prince desires to maintain with his "fans" so it seems that maybe instead of constantly bitching and whining about it y’all should just find another artist who desires to have the type of relationship with fans that you desire to have with an artist. All I want is access to the music, and few other artists have done as much this year as Prince has as giving us access to the music. One may not like the music to which one has been given access, but your ass has been given access.

*

Let me be clear; I don't know Serpan as well as many of you, obviously, so my comments are not about Serpan but about what I see as many fans having an exaggerated or delusional perception of what it means to be a fan. All I want to do is receive art from an artist, enjoy that art in my home and car, during live shows, and, in some cases, have informative discussions with others who also enjoy that work. But, it seems that I have a much more defined line drawn in the sand of where "fandom" ends and infringement begins. Ultimately, Prince has said to his fans over the years: "I don't want your help promoting my work." This has been made clear to us. We either accept it and continue to enjoy the art that we get, or we find other artists to worship...err I mean enjoy who want us to be more involved in promoting their work. Since I'm too lazy to promote anybody else's work than mine, I'll just stick to enjoying Prince's work since I still do.

[Edited 7/27/13 13:58pm]

The only problem I have with it is the way it was handled. I am not surprised "they" would have a problem with Serp was doing, (even though he's done pretty much the same thing for years) just a little saddened with the condescension and "putting on blast" mode they went into. I am perfectly okay with the at-arm's-length approach Prince wants to take because I want that same arm's length from him.

IstenSzek said: