Dear Prince...(VERY LONG)

Dear Mr. Nelson,

You don't know me, but I feel like you should. I'm 27 years old...white...male...and more than a little pissed. I don't feel that you owe me anything...other than respect. And asking me to send you things that I have purchased with my own money is not respecting me. Most of those releases you are asking for in your latest club e-mail were widely available in record stores...how were we to know they were "unofficial?" And why has it taken you this long to notice? As for bootlegs, just keep reading and I'll let you know how to end those once and for all...

Other than my family, the one thing that has been in my life longer than anything else is your music...almost 20 of my 27 years. The first album I ever purchased was "Purple Rain," and I was hooked immediately. Your music has literally been the soundtrack to my life...from my childhood, to adolescence, to college, and now to adulthood. Often, I remember things that have happened in my life through association with some of your songs. My first kiss ("Kiss")...my first school dance ("U Got The Look")...the death of my father ("Sometimes It Snows In April")...my first sexual experience ("Gett Off")...the first song I danced to with the woman who would become my wife ("1999"). All of these profound life experiences have been supplemented by your music. It seems as if it has always been there for me...like a friend who's always willing to talk.

Throughout my life, I have spent what I could afford...and in some cases more...on you and your music. It is literally in the thousands of dollars. And why that may not seem like much to someone like you, it is a considerable amount not only to myself but also to countless others who are also lifelong supporters of you and your music.

Perhaps you don't realize the lengths some of your fans...and yes I will be referring to them as fans...go to for you and your music. Let's start with your concerts. No one can obviously make it to every city, but your recent tour was pretty expansive. However, for those who did not live in or around those cities, it is not convenient to just pick up and drive a few hundred miles to see you (a) on a weeknight, (b) on short notice and (c) at $125 a pop. Yet more people than you know did this for you. Sometimes more than once.

Now let's move on to...yes...bootlegs. Make no mistake about it...I could care less who gets my money when I purchase a bootleg. I am not doing it to take money out of your pocket, nor to put it in the pockets of bootleggers. What I care about is the music. And if you can't provide it in a timely manner...if at all...I will look elsewhere for it. I literally want to hear everything you record...even if it's not up to your...or even my standards. The biggest problem I have with your bootleg request is this...it could have all been avoided.

For years, we waited patiently while you "freed" yourself from Warner Brothers so you could "free the music." Yet here we are almost seven years after the fact, and we now get less music than when you were with WB. I feel weird giving life advice to a 45 year old, but here's a little tip...it's OK to admit when you're wrong. Maybe leaving WB wasn't such a good idea afterall. And that's fine...but be strong enough to admit that. Don't forget...you were the one who signed the contract...and you knew what was involved when you did. So why act so surprised about the conditions of it? That never made sense to me...you sounded like the spoiled athletes of today..."holding out" for more money even though they have years left on their current deals. All of this while many Americans struggle every day to pay their bills and feed their children. Amazing...

And yet we still have heard only a fraction of your legendary "vault" material...why is that? Those songs, more than any other thing, are what us lifelong fans want to hear most. Why not start releasing these songs a few at a time to your club members? It can't be that hard to print up a few thousand CD's and charge us for them. It's money waiting to be made. Actually, let me take that back...apparently printing up a few thousand CD's for your fans and shipping them is difficult for you...i.e..."Crystal Ball" and "n.e.w.s."

It's also OK to admit that the name change fiasco not only wasn't a good idea, but also that it was for contractual purposes...not "spiritual" as you would've had us believe when you first announced it. You said so yourself at the press conference you held to announce your were now "Prince" again. Let me let you in on a little secret...it has never been easy to your fan. Especially being a white male. I've been called "gay," "weird," and countless other names for supporting your music...yet I stood by it. Throw in the name change, and it was damn near impossible. After that, I had a hard time trying to turn anyone else on to your music, and it seems like the public at large felt the same way. Again...it's OK to admit your mistake.

The same thing goes for the Arista deal...your great "comeback" attempt. Here's another secret...fans like myself don't care if you're ever "on top" again. We want you to make challenging, groundbreaking music...not flavor-of-the-moment pop tunes. Yet when the whole Rave project fizzled, all you could do was blame Clive Davis and Arista. Have you seen Clive's track record the past five years...funny how you were his only true "failed" project. I saw a stat the other day where his new label has several acts in the album charts already...and it's a brand new label.

And all I will say about your Jehovah Witness conversion is this...most of your fans are not of this faith, and we don't need to be preached to about "theocratic order" or any other JW ideal on record or in concert. You are entitled to your beliefs, but don't expect us as fans to blindly follow those beliefs. If we wanted to be witnessed to, we would go to church...not your concerts. It is very uncomfortable to be at your concert when you start talking about spirituality...and that's for a lifelong fan like me. I can't imaging what it would be like for a newbie...

So I have a proposition for you. I want you to think about what all the fans like myself have done for you and your lifestyle the past 20 years. Think about where you would be without us...the ones that have stood by you through thick and thin, high and low, weird and weirder. Think about the number of people who show up at your studio on a days notice in hopes of a live performance. Think about the fans who followed you from city to city on your last tour, and the sacrifices they made to do so. Think about the way you live, the houses you own, the cars you drive...and remember that none of that would've been possible without us.

Finished? Good...now figure out a way to thank us. Simply post a message on your website...tell us at your concerts (and no..."thank you and goodnight" doesn't count)...do something for us instead of yourself for a change. Look at what other artists are doing with their online clubs for their fans...and then do better than that. You, more than any other artist, have the resources (outtakes, demos, shear talent) to do it...just make it happen. Put a webcam in your studio so we can watch you create music...release the vault material (without remixes of songs we already have)...release CD's and DVD's of your FULL concerts...every show. Trust me...more than a few of us would buy it all. Or better yet...make them all available for download...that's what an online music club is all about, right?

That would be a nice first step in stopping the bootlegging, don't you think?

Sincerely,

Matthew McBride

Damn good...damn good

Wow! Hello, Matthew. My name is Ivy and I am very happy to meet you.

stymie said:

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

stymie said:

Wow! Hello, Matthew. My name is Ivy and I am very happy to meet you.

you've just been fallin in love with everybody...

and this letter...oh, it makes me feel all warm n'fuzzy...




standin ovation

stymie said:

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

stymie said:

Wow! Hello, Matthew. My name is Ivy and I am very happy to meet you.

you've just been fallin in love with everybody...

and this letter...oh, it makes me feel all warm n'fuzzy...




standin ovation

I'm just the Org whore, I guess.

Have you sent this letter to the club?

You make a good point especially at the end. If he were to begin releasing all of his vault material, full length live shows on dvd, and that idea about the webcam he would probably gain a lot of new fans, and regain a lot of the ones he lost due to all the insanity over the years. Then he really would be #1 at the bank.

Prince, think about it. Seriously think about it.

Avatar by Byron
Proud member of Prince's cult for 20 years!

DAMN RIGHT!!

TheEnglishGent said:

No disrespect, because I empathize with you to an extent. But as a consumer of these products. You had the option to send them or not to send them. It's that simple. He didn't ask you to sign your soul over to him. If you don't want to comply, you don't have to.

Good letter. Too bad Prince will never get it. And even if he did it, he's discard it.

I feel you on this.

Very well written piece.

StinkyWeaselTeats said:

Matthew, that was amazing.

You'd have to be missing some serious heart and soul to walk away from that letter without feeling something.

Bravo.

Well said StinkyWeaselTeats. Prince is a person who makes music. He releases whatever he wants whenever he wants. If we don't like that then stiff cheddar! He doesn't owe us a damn thing, not the vault, not the recording of last night's concert. It's his music, he created it, he owns it. He provides what he wants and it's up to us to either take it or leave it.

As far as releasing every concert goes. Perhaps he simply doesn't want the recording out there? Isn't it his choice?

A lot of fans seem to be screwed up about what is whose and what should be available. Sorry, but Prince makes the music and he sells it how he sees fit. If you don't like how he does it then tough luck. Just because you love his stuff doesn't mean you have a right to everything else he ever does and doesn't compel the guy to thank you.

:O

sabaisabai said:

StinkyWeaselTeats said:

mattmcbr said:

mattmcbr said:

mattmcbr, if you choose to follow Prince, that is your choice. Prince does not need to comply with, take responsibility for or provide thanks to his fans for the choices they make. If you like the music, that's cool, but Prince really doesn't owe you anything at all.

mattmcbr said:

mattmcbr said:

mattmcbr said: