I'm not an economist, [and not being in the US, I don't know anything about kc, the sunshine band and Jeffrey Soffer], so sorry if this sounds a naive question, but isn't there such a thing as market prices?

A concert by Prince at the O2 Arena in London costs 31.21 pounds, a performance by Prince at a private party costs $2 million [for ex.], a private concert by a little known artist costs between $xx and $xx, and a concert by a world famous one costs 10-20 times more. Does that make any sense?
And there is such a thing as the 'elite market'. Here in Moscow there is the annual Millionaires' Fair showcasing luxury goods and services in various sectors and which is open to the public. I could walk around there for hours whining about how unfair and disgusting it all is. But then, there is a market for it.

No matter how cold and calculating it sounds, music is a business, therefore its participants play by the economic rules of that business. And no matter how romantic or spiritual some of Prince's ballads and thoughtful lyrics are, he too has to play by those rules. And I don't think it would make any sense, economic as well as image-wise, for him to cheapen himself by not aksing for fees in the top range - when he is charging someone in the elite market.

As for the moral aspect of participating in the economy of his business sphere in the most profitable way he can, that I think is a question of a personal order: something that's between himself and his conscience.

so, prince can sign another CONtract and we are supposed to ignore the SLAVE's plea ehhh?

That's the problem!!! For 2 and a half decades...Prince has never HAD TO play by those rules!!! It doesn't seem rather strange to you that NOW...at the highest point of his career excluding the Purple Rain era...that he's suddenly so accommodating at playing by somebody else's rules?
[Edited 12/18/07 21:10pm]

OK, so I have never posted here before, but I just had to ask why this is such a big deal? For those of you saying it is sad that he has sunk to this level...playing in an airplane hanger for uber rich pseudo fans, and that he never would have stooped to this 4 years ago. Have you already forgotten that he sold out 21 shows at the O2? Nope! You are trying to convince us that his star has faded? The only thing I'm trying to convince people of is to stop playing blind and start wondering why he is suddenly so hard up for cash and doing things that for the better part of his career he'd have never done to get it!
Was it a sellout to play the superbowl halftime show this spring? It was in the winter and quite frankly...yes...yes it was! Was it just plain sad that he opened up Paisley Park and asked people to "donate" money to L4OA charity every weekend for a whole summer? Since I don't live anywhere near Paisley Park, I wouldn't know but I'll ask around! Was it strange that he reduced himself to a "sideman" playing small theaters with Tamar? Yes...yes it was! Was it dissapointing that he played for a small group of fans at a small Macy's theater in minneapolis prior to his Target Center and 1st Ave gigs? According to the folks that were sweltering in the heat...apparently so! Was it "whoring" himself when he set up shop in Vegas? Oh hell yes! That was really when I started sensing something wasn't right!

Let's see if we can figure out some reasons that Prince might play the Turnberry Party...
1)He knows the guy Maybe
2)He wanted to make connections with some of the powerful people that were going to be there. Possibly
3)He wanted to showcase a performance/his band to industry folks You're really reaching here!
4)Lots and Lots of money Ding! Ding! Ding! I think we have a winner!
5)100 other reasons that we might not think about. I'm pretty sure that last reason just about sums it up!

Anyway, I'm going to go throw in a little Around The World In A Day and relax. I'm hoping someone on the Org can figure out what is really going on with Prince. Evidently this is the beginning of the end...but I'm not too worried. We'll just have to wait and see on that...but I'm going to do it listening to Miles, Marvin, Stevie and some real PFUNK thanks!

My replies are in bold.

I really don't care what anyone has to say about "everyone else is doing it" or "taking from the rich to give to the poor". I really don't!

You can't excuse away reality. It is what it is! All of my gut instincts are telling me that the reality of this particular situation is...SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT! Red flags have been flying all over the place for quite a while now. Excuses just aren't working anymore at shielding their visibility from those paying attention.

Now add that to the LA parties, the $3121.00 Roosevelt gig, the Vegas shows, the 21 London shows, those other Prince for Hire parties he's done recently, the demanding that fansites compensate him for having his pictures on them and you've got someone who never had to do any of that to get rich as hell, seemingly in desperate need of money. There is something very wrong with that.

You use the phrase: 'seemingly in desperate need of money'. Seemingly? On what basis are you drawing this conclusion? If P charges a fee for a product of his that the audience is prepared to pay, then does that make him desperate for money?

I also don't understand how you incorporate P's 21 nights in London into the equation, where tickets were sold to the public at £31.21, as evidence of P being 'in desperate need for money'?

You also assume that P's aim is to get 'rich as hell'. Again, on what basis? Because he is charging fees that the audience are prepared to pay?

.
[Edited 12/20/07 6:16am]

Y'all are making this entirely too complicated. I said what I feel and that's all there is to it!

Perhaps, a child can give this kind of response.
But that doesn't really stack up as an adult.