http://www.npgmusicclub.c...m-pt1.html

Freedom, Pt. 1: Retrospeculation
Speculating about the past is, 4 obvious reasons, a rather sterile xercise, especially when it’s used as an xcuse 2 indulge in unjustified nostalgia 4 things that never were.

“In retrospect,” some say, “Prince should have stayed with WB… He had enough artistic freedom under his contract… He would have continued 2 evolve as an artist and would have been able 2 continue using the logistics of a major record company 2 distribute and promote his art…” etc. etc.

Not Ready 4 It
Such speculation is all, of course, utter nonsense. Had it not been 4 Prince’s Emancipation, there would b no Rainbow Children, no One Nite Alone. Simply put, albums such as The Rainbow Children and One Nite Alone could never have come out on a major label.

A major label would never have granted Prince the artistic freedom he needed 2 create and release The Rainbow Children. The album had no singles or videos. It was not “promoted” thru any TV appearances. It was PRO-moted (i.e. given its forward movement) purely by the freedom that presided at its inception.

Compare that 2 Lovesexy in 1988. Prince never wanted 2 do a video 4 that album either. He also never wanted a single released — hence the CD with no tracking. The album was the creation of a unique artistic vision, and Prince was coerced by his label in2 treating it as a commodity 4 consumers. Videos were made, singles were pressed, charts were topped — but the whole process diluted the very essence of the album, and it was promptly deemed a “failure,” simply because the industry was not ready 4 this type of artistic approach.

A Losing Proposition
It still isn’t ready 4 it. In fact, the industry is now less ready than ever 4 this type of artistic approach. The commodification of music has continued at an unrelenting pace. 4 a long time now, the music and entertainment industry has been utterly unable 2 accommodate alternative, unique artistic visions. It has succeeded in implementing an artistic vaccuum which recycles the same tired musical ideas and sells them as “new,” because its sole purpose is 2 feed its upper structures and satisfy its “shareholders” — at the xpense of artists, art lovers, and art itself. Albums such as Lovesexy and The Rainbow Children r simply not happening in such a system. They cannot xist within it. And neither would the artistic vision behind them b able 2 survive in such an environment.

If Prince were still under contract, there would b no NPG Music Club. Record companies hate the thought of losing manufacturing rights, because that is how the fundamental swindle takes place. They get a big fat check the moment the CDs leave the plant — whereas artists get paid on product sold, not shipped. And CDs r sold thru various chains that have vastly inconsistent accounting practices, thereby making it all 2 easy 4 the record company 2 claim that the CD didn’t sell as much as it did, and withhold payment of what is due 2 the artist.

The whole system is designed so that the artist, the art, and the metaphysical phenomenon that art produces r always on the losing side, meanwhile fuelling the very system that entraps them. It works like a charm — 4 xecutives and big shareholders. Until the artists start leaving the system, that is. And art and music lovers with them.

When this starts happening, then record companies r scared and left scrambling. Because they know that, once this xodus reaches a critical mass — and it will, rather sooner than later — it’s OVER 4 them. The very thing that their entire system is built on is abandoning them. They can try 2 reinvent themselves as multinational “media conglomerates,” but they r not fooling anyone with an ear 4 music and a mind 4 art and soul.

Lest We Forget
No one should forget that this system xtends 2 live events as well. 4 many many years, it was a struggle 4 Prince’s most ardent admirers 2 get good seats — let alone the best seats. The reason 4 it was simple: b4 tickets even go on sale via ticket outlets, a portion of the best seats r usually already “reserved”. There is no need 2 xplain where or 2 whom these tickets go. Suffice 2 say that they do not go 2 those people who would enjoy them the most.

As well, the higher priced tickets r the ones that usually go 2 scalpers (who, needless 2 say, have their own place, rather comfortably, well within the system). And with the advent of auction sites, the tickets can now go systematically 2 the highest bidder — making the whole thing, in effect, an unbelievable racket. Indeed, whoever cooked up that scam should get a medal 4 one of the most profitable — and, unfortunately, perfectly legal — business ventures!

This is an xample of technological efficiency working against the interests of music makers and music lovers alike. The NPGMC, on the other hand, is a good xample of technology working 4 the benefit of those who make music and those who love music. The xisting system is effectively sidelined — and unsurprisingly quite irked! Promoters balk at the the idea of giving the best seats 2 NPGMC members. The moment that Prince, thru the grace of the NPGMC, wanted 2 take the best seats OFF the system and save them 4 the members, he was predictably met with Resistance.

The same issues xtend 2 the contents of these live events as well. U might remember the 1995 shows in Europe, when Prince played set lists that purposefully avoided the “greatest hits” 4mula and showcased many new songs and lesser known tracks. Back then, it didn’t work out as well as hoped. 2day, people cannot get enough of such shows! The difference? 2day, those who attend the shows r club members, and real music lovers.

More generally, during the 90s, Prince tried 2 xperiment within the system. He had 2 give the industry the chance 2 follow him. Instead, they tried at every turn 2 stifle him. And his output suffered, because his mind was in2 the future, and theirs was firmly in the past… Try listening 2 the O}+> album and The Rainbow Children back 2 back, and tell us on which u can hear the sound of freedom…

Dig If U Will The Picture
So, let’s “retrospeculate” 4 a moment or two… What if Prince had stayed within the system? What would he have done? Would he have written another movie score? Would he have written some songs 4 other people in the industry… But who?

Would he have got another rapper in his band? Or re-4med the Revolution? Revolutions cannot b re-4med — it would defy their very nature. Yet the whole industry is based on repeating the same things over and over, in a never-ending attempt 2 milk every single lucrative drop out of its “initial investment”.

Don’t get us wrong. There r no regrets about the past. But if u want the real story, don’t ask the industry. After the release of The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, Prince really wanted 2 release more music both within the system and thru his own imprint (NPG), effectively “flooding the market”. It didn’t work out, because the industry was afraid of “saturation” — which is rather perplexing when u think that saturation, in the 4m of abusive repetition of the same things over and over again, is xactly what the industry actually feeds on.

What Prince had in mind was, of course, a very different kind of “saturation” — one that effectively never happens, because, as witnessed 2day all over the Internet and beyond, the demand 4 new music is ever growing, the music consumer has an insatiable appetite 4 music — and there is no such thing as “2 much” good music.

A Sub-Xistence
2 many music creators and music lovers, the situation created by the commodification of music might seem hopeless. After all, over the last few decades, the industry has devoted all its energies 2 perfecting a system that xploits artists with absolute impunity and manipulates people in2 purchasing musical product of dubious quality, instead of trying 2 further their understanding and appreciation of art. And it has, 2 a large xtent, succeeded. The system feeds itself with the flesh and souls of struggling artists and churns out plastic, using a conveyor belt approach 2 music that is supported by ever more “efficient” manufacturing and distributing processes.

Putting “production values” ahead of authentic artistry and musicianship, this approach uses peer pressure as a promotional vehicle 4 the products of its artistically-challenged recipes 4 “success”. Young minds r easily fooled in2 thinking that what they r consuming is real food, when it actually is pure ear candy, with absolutely no nutritional value. Their un4med taste buds r dulled b4 they even get a chance 2 develop.

In a desperate attempt 2 stay “hip” and “cool”, older generations easily forget the little they have learned about art, and try 2 make xcuses — from technological prowess 2 pseudo post-modern theorizing — 4 the fact that they 2 want 2 indulge in the “guilty pleasure” of consuming the latest commercial entertainment products.

But this kind of food does not nourish the soul. It merely ensures subsistence, a lower 4m of xistence — in effect, a sub-xistence. And, like junk food, it will eventually make people sick. Ur soul can only take so much artistic deprivation and commercial overbloat b4 it switches itself off. By that time, u might find that it is 2 late 2 turn around and try 2 re-open ur mind.

U might find that u r now living in a world that is artistically and spiritually in the dark. A world that entropy has brought down 2 the lowest common level — somewhere in the middle, not 2 good, not 2 bad. Then what will u do?

2 Understand This, U Have 2 Go Back…
It’s not 2 late 2 open r eyes. In parallel 2 this entropic decline, an alternative has evolved. If u want 2 c how it started, just look back 4 a moment… but not in speculation. Instead, look at the facts.

Back in the early 80’s, the world began 2 notice that a new, different kind of music was coming from — of all places — Minneapolis. But did they notice what the music said? “Uptown — U can set ur mind free”… “Reproduction of the new breed leader/Stand up and organize!” Unbeknownst 2 most, the seeds of change were being sown.

From 1984, people remember Purple Rain, the album, the movie — but do they remember the liner notes, or the last frame of the movie credits? They both read: “May u live 2 c the Dawn”… Again, only a few took notice.

In 1988, a bold new album entitled Lovesexy begins with these words: “Welcome 2 the New Power Generation”. Two years later, the New Power Generation becomes the title of a song, and soon the name of Prince’s powerhouse new band. But it soon becomes even more than that — a unifying concept, a central notion, an alternative. A record label (NPG Records). A store (NPG Store)…

Then, in the first half of 1994, a different kind of TV show reaches an unsuspecting audience world-wide. In it, a beautiful woman, alone on a Saturday night, tired of being stuck in her “peanut butter cookie hell”, sees an ad in a magazine 4 a different kind of xperience. She sits down at her computer, logs in, and starts downloading… another world. A challenging new world of music, visuals, words and interaction. Sounds familiar?

The Beautiful Xperience… The NPG Music Club. As u can c, the solution 2 the problem was figured out a long time ago… The real world is just starting 2 catch up. R computer keyboards might not have a “COME” key yet — but the movement forward has begun.

Welcome 2 The Dawn
Had the industry allowed Prince’s vision 2 dictate the evolution of his art, he would have evolved in2 the NPG Music Club anyway, within the system. But that was never the case. The industry was going in a different direction, which had less and less 2 do with music and more and more 2 do with money — and emancipation was the only way.

Don’t b deceived by the “technical” appearance of the Club. Contrary 2 the industry’s heavy machinery, the NPG Music Club is an ORGANIC entity, one that runs with the Truth at its center and is self-sufficient. It is not “digital”, even tho it reaches its members by digital means. It is its organic nature that ensures its growth and success. It is its organic heart that makes it self-evident. It is its organic impetus, the fact that it connects its members 2 each other, and 2 the music, as whole human beings, that makes it the real solution, the real alternative 2 the collective hallucination currently known as the music industry.

The NPG Music Club just is. And no amount of speculation will change that fact. Those who have not yet joined r missing out on the best part… which is yet 2 come. When the Truth finally arrives 2 u, will u b lost on the other side? Will u still b alive?

oops I just realized this was posted on Prince music and more...sorry

Does he believe we will die without joining his "club"...probably not but sometimes he sounds very immature.I guess its his life and he'll do what he wants and if we don't "play" the game his way thats too bad.Sall fine and dandy with me cuz Im not a member.Peace,B

WOW! Something must have triggered this. Anyone have any ideas?

That was quite a good article.

I don't agree with the statement about the 'organic' nature of the club - that it connects the members and the music. That was true of year 1, but this year you wouldn't even know there was a club - it's just a 'preferred customer' kinda thing.

LadyCabDriver said:

Yet albums like Kid A were released on a major...

This was actually a very enjoyable read. Straight forward and informative. I especially liked this line, "R computer keyboards might not have a “COME” key yet — but the movement forward has begun." That made me smile.

SexualSuicide said:

I don't remember who said it first but they were right...

Prince probably is going to put another exclusive club release out on the shelves through perhaps even another record company. Good for him.

Strangely it sounds like this letter of p-pride wb-babble freedom-drivel is paving the way to cushion the blow when a members only release hits the shelf. And it sounds from the tone like it was written from deep in a bunker instead of someone flying free.

Andrew Dice Clay : Aayy itzfuggin music.. whaazz-thfuggin big deal??

It's a good read and certainly Prince makes good points, but it's nothing different then what we have already heard from him.

When taken in context with the obvious deficiencies of the NPGMC's lack of communication on what they deliver, it really hurts Prince's case. If he indeed is delivering "freedom", then it doesn't appear much different to me. To be honest, I have lucked out with the ONA shows and the price of NPGMC membership was well worth what I received with the aftershows in NYC and Buffalo. Still, I know everybody can't say the same thing.

Members are getting better seats at the concerts (for additional money mind you) and hit and miss soundchecks/aftershows. If Prince put as much energy into communicating with members on what products/services they receive as members vs. what he puts into these essay compositions, then maybe his vision of freedom would be realized. Tell us what shows will have aftershows...it really shouldn't be that hard. The occassional cancelation will probably go over better with members than the current lack of communication with the present system. Tell us at least WHEN we can expect our CD's...if you can't tell us WHAT we will receive.

Additionally, Prince really hasn't released THAT MUCH more music since he has been clear of WB. Maybe a little, but why not "saturate" the market like you wanted to when you were under WB? If your not gonna then stop talking about how WB held u back from releasing music.

Prince may very well be on his way to achieving his vision of freedom, but he ain't quite there yet. Unfortunately, his commentary always seems to come across as pompous and never really reflective of what's really going on. Amazing how he forgot about his attempt at commmercial success with Rave so quickly!!!

HI all, i just read the new commentary on npgmc and ive gotta say its excellent. I think we r getting a clearer vision of what the club is all about and about the freedom it wishes 2 attain. It obviously has been triggered by a flood of complaints and negativity but i feel that we r on the verge of something big with this latest statement. I think its about thime the npgmc defended itself and xplained its purpose. I do believe its "organic", i believe its progressive and i believe that it will become more inclusive of its members! i was pleased 2 read that report and im looking 4ward 2 a very exciting time in 2003...

Best one he has written yet. I think it sheds new light on the purpose and direction of the club. the best is yet to come. I also enjoyed hearing details about his past releases from hismouth. I think that this article should silence all of those naysayers who stiull felt he should have stayed with WB. Prince rocks!!

Yo! somebody call Lassie quick !!

This article is a combonation of Good Shit mixed in with a little Bull Shit.

To say in the same paragraph that nobody can speculate on "what might have been," and then immediately say that albums like TRC, ONA, etc. would NEVER have been released is a prime example of begging the question. Logic dictates that Prince can do anything he wants. He could, logicly, be happy as pie in the system and churn out great albums like TRC and ONA. He did this with SOTT, ATWIAD, The Family, Madhouse, etc. So for the argument to say that Prince would NEVER do something would mean that Prince would CHOOSE to never do it. And what would the motivation be to that end?

To say that he was "forced" to do videos is another matter as well. The reality is, WB fronted all the money for those videos because they wanted to maximize the profits for the CD they fronted money for and the tour for which they were about to front money. To have an artist spend 16 hours over 2 or 3 days to make a video that you are paying for isn't really a lot to ask. Personally, I fail to see the epic struggle in this instance. I find it even more silly considering how he has people around him that are ALL ABOUT MILKING CASH FROM THE FANS. They in it to get paid. The people who lose here are the people who give money to Prince so he can continue to pursue his dreams. That then directly translates into less people who are willing to do so, which then has effect after effect after effect.

Don't get me wrong, my favorite aspect of Prince is the Rude Boy mentality. The fact that Prince has the balls to do things like The Undertaker, the pulling of the Black Album, ATWIAD, shooting UTCM in B/W, etc shows the cahones he has, and the brattiness and skills to pull them off. It's when it becomes delusions of grandeur that I start feeling a little uneasy.

Interesting commentary.
I never thought of how concert promoters would feel about Prince coming in & saying a certain amount of front row seats are already reserved & the promoter is losing out on one of his perks. Some promoters might have told him to go jump in a lake.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Ure exactly right, and its an amazing album along with OK Computer.. yes! eye'm going 2 pop that in...


everrrythinnng in itss srighthhht placcceee

The comments on Lovesexy are interesting. Just about everybody I know remembers Lovesexy the album and tour, I'm the only person amongst my circle of friends/family that know about The Rainbow Children CD. Something to be said there for having a good record deal. If Lovesexy was considered a failure, at least more people got to hear it and judge for themselves than TRC.

It's also interesting that the commentary begins to tell us about how speculating the past is a sterile exercise. So why did we have the What-people-thought-in-1957 crap a while back?

It's rather strange to see the symbol album being denounced (is that the right word?). I think that it was rather generous of Warner Bros to allow him to release an album so soon after the commercial success of Diamonds and Pearls (Didn't they want a hits album at this point?) and, apart from My Name Is Prince, I personally (remember I said 'personally') think that the rest of the album is very non-commercial and although dated, has more energy than a lot of his albums before or since.

No matter how much the NPGMC tells us how great the future's going to be (like they said at the beginning of this year), so far Prince's emancipation from Warner Bros. has produced far less startling results than before.

Which other record company would allow him total freedom in the studio for his first album?
Which other record company would allow him to release a double album when he was still only a cult artist (1999)?
What about having enough confidence in him to fund a film in which he got to be the main star, show off his songwriting and performing skills and give him the opportunity to conquer the world?
Or the record co. that released Around The World In A Day, regardless of it's lack of commercial appeal.
Okay, Sign O The Times was reduced to a double LP (bah!) but WB were still happy to allow him to release an album only a few months later without his name on it, or a title and no promotion (it was HIS idea not to release it).
And they allowed him his Lovesexy! Despite what this commentary says, it was still a brave move both for him and WB, it's still one of his least commercial sounding albums (and remember the outcry over the cover?)
And this record company still renewed his contract for many millions of dollars when he was in his mid-thirties and knew exactly what he was signing!
They allowed him to release an independent single, too. And if he had given them the Gold Experience to release a few months later rather than Come (although I do love the Come CD), he would have had another popularity boost. Yes, I know that it all boiled down to ownership of the master tapes, but personally I can't quite get to grips with his obsession with the master tapes - remember Prince, speculating about the past is a sterile exercise. If he really was only concerned with the future, he'd just let the master tapes issue go, with the knowledge that nobody hears Purple Rain and thinks that it's a Warner Bros. song, it will always be a Prince song for as long as people remember the music. That goes for every song that he's ever recorded.

Ultimately, this commentary sounds much like other things posted on the website - pompous. Prince is right and we're all wrong for daring to disagree with his way of thinking.

I wish they'd put as much effort into customer care and Music Club content as they did in this interesting, but rather stale commentary.

Haystack said:

Well thought out, and well written... I really liked your summary.

Gr8 Article now it would b NICE if we had more InterAction @ The NPGMC. i LOVE the Article & i'm glad i take a Look @ Prince.Org & The NPGMC on a day 2 day situation
[This message was edited Tue Oct 22 13:45:37 PDT 2002 by PurpleLove7]

divo02 said:

exactly...how he can keep banging on about how wonderful his club is when it responds to its members/customers in such a disrespetful way and damages his standing amongst the very people who are most loyal to him, i have no idea.

I would like to know WHO wrote the commentary? Whomever wrote it, acted like they know - yet used Prince in third person.

Who ever thought that "free the music" meant control to the extent that we now get even LESS than we used to when he was a part of the "system"??? The system that this "person" says held back his artistry...seems they at the very least, got things out where we could appreciate them...we used to get videos, singles, extended's, b-sides, and albums...tours...pictures...promos...



Free the music? I think not.

Isn't it Ironic?

Isn't NPGMC suppose to be about music?
NPG MUSIC Club.
so instead of music, which all members are still waiting for, they throw us commentaries on things that have nothing to do with music. in short - preaching.

This is one of the few boards I've ever read all the responses.

I read the posting at the site. I re-read it. I said how Democrat
.
It's not about the people as a whole, it's about the person. Instead of looking for a resolution...achieved by listening to the supporters, re-examining ones ambition and making a compromise (see, there is no CON in compromise).

I must say I agree with him. ONA would never have seen the light of day unless it piggy-backed Rainbow Children as bonus for purchasing the Limited Edition, if it was left up to WB. (I don't blame them). I despise Rave for two reasons. 1) The original does scream I want my old glory back. 2) For everybody who supported him through the fight with WB, it was a slap in the face to receive such a lackluster, water downed "this is for the masses" crap. I'm sure those of you who received the "remixed" version know it screams the true artist. Up to the release of the Rave, there never was an Album I didn't like by Prince. A song or two I didn't care for but never a complete album. Now I have two.

Then this garbage of doing me, the consumer, a favor by having the Music Club. It is no a Music Club. It is a political machine dedicated to massaging his ego. If he truly considered us friends, then he would admit fault, he would work with us instead of against. Does anybody recall the last chat we had where "we discussed the pros and cons of downloading vs. receiving cd’s"? Oh how we bickered. Yet, we all leaned towards downloading. Yet, we should have known the decision was already made and we were being hoarded into believing we participated in the decision making.

Prince is teaching about the joy having God in ones life, yet he still hides behind the mask of misunderstood. He still acts as if he knows what is good for us. My advice to him, re-read Ephesians 4:17-5:15. Who are you trying to fool? One in Christ relinquishes his old habits. You still exhibit vanity, greed, lust, selfishness, and idolatry.
Thus, I have to remind myself when the adjectives are stripped, he is simply human. And, humans lie, steal, cheat, and live in sin for none are righteous.
Let him believe he is bringing freedom. Let him believe is victim.

I found another that makes the best jams.

NPG = New Preaching Generation
(just a joke!)

LadyCabDriver said:

"

SDLDAWN- so all in all, this was just an Ad.. so 2 speak, saying u want more members.. to join when the rest havent got anything to boost about ure club, except good seats at a concert, in which they paid for..

so.. Eye guess ure right, The NPG Music Club Is.. but us fans get to fill in that last word at the end:)

Oh no! Does this mean that the Club is going to continue?
I was hoping he would put it out of its misery because all it seems to be doing is causing a bunch of aggrevation for a lot of folks.