Why is Prince alienating casual fans by putting NO free content on his Lotus Flow3r website? Not only that, but it's hard to even figure out how to pay to join! (Not that I'm willing to part with $77 just yet.) If Prince wants to reach younger fans, he needs to step up his game on the web. Other superstars have much better websites, with lots of free stuff. here are some examples. Check them out and then click on www.lotusflow3r.com . No comparison.

http://www.coldplay.com/
Lots of free content. Band has just announced they're giving away their new album online.

http://www.davidbowie.com/
Includes current news a free jukebox where you can listen to samples of his new music and then buy it if you want.

http://www.johnlegend.com
Includes free videos, free downloads, free live performance video.

http://www.vascorossi.net/
Here's one of an popular Italian rock star, Vasco Rossi. Also much better than Prince's. It opens with a high quality video from a recent concert. Lots of free content

Come on, Prince, get your act together. You're losing out on a lot of fans. This is meant to be a constructive criticism cause I'm really sorry I can't refer my friends to a decent website to let them hear your new music.

Caroline

Well, I've thought this from the beginning. The site is horribly flawed from a marketing perspective. I mean, you have to unlock a site just to be able to get to a point where your only option is to sign up for mystery content.

If Prince wants to make money off of exclusive content, that's fine, but the site should have both exclusive and free content. Non-members and casual fans should be able to navigate around the LotusFlower site to see what's available. Let them hear samples of the new CDs, with the option of downloading the album if they join. Let them watch old promo vids like "Little Red Corvette" and "Raspberry Beret" in their entirety for free, but offer them "samples" of the Coachella performances, DMSR, etc, to entice them to join.

Also quite a few bands and solo artists have their own bootleg torrent tracking sites as well, where u can download complete concerts and other rare stuff!!! Acts like Coldplay. Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks/Lindsey Buckingham, David Bowie, U2,REM, Dire Straits, Genesis/Peter Gabriel, etc.

Why cant Prince do that instead of us fans using clandestine ways 2 obtain his rare stuff?????

do you live in Belgium

http://www.davidgilmour.com/news.htm
Also opens with a video. 5 minute video samples are also available as are various tracks. Oh, and the dvds (blu-ray and hd-dvd) and cds packaging are carbon neutral. Because he cares...

PEJ said:

No, I live in Italy.

already a thread

http://prince.org/msg/13/304672

CarolineC said:

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He is trying to make money. Why is this is so difficult for people to understand. Perhaps he is not going about the right way but I am not going to say that artist should be giving away all of their music. In addtion, P is not attacted to a record label so he may not be in a position to give a lot of the content away.

PEJ said:

i don't get it ?

brechten said:

They're taking a dig at Bart.

laurarichardson said:

This post contradicts everything Prince has fought for since the early 90s.

Prince not being attached to a record label IS the very reason that he CAN give music away! He is his own boss and has the rights to his own (new) music!

I'm not saying he would give music away, but for sure he could.

CarolineC said:

You are so right CarolineC. I have not said anything about the Lotusflow3r site yet but the time has come to have a moan. I'm not moaning about the cost as we still have 10 and a half months to go so we may get some decent content during that time. But it has to be said that for a major artist this site is a joke. Nobody can see anything of the site unless they pay the subscription. What the hell is that about? Hey Prince you are driving away your hardcore fans and you sure as hell won't be getting any new younger ones because you have nothing to say or show to get them interested.

I used to run a small local business and my site was better, constantly updating it and trying to make it interesting. There is zero content on this site apart from the albums which are available much cheaper in the shops, and a few videos that most fans have seen or already have. No news, no discography, no samples of music, no personal message from Prince himself, and the pictures are small and worthless. The people who raved about the site before the launch must be on the payrole. What a joke - I think they said "nobody would be disappointed", really? Did they see something we aren't getting? An amazing galaxy what a joke It is basically 4 pages, one for each album and one with a few pics and videos.

Prince I love your music, your concerts your style but come on admit it, this site is rubbish. Any local band with zero budget and no worldwide audience would create something better. For the people who say Prince is just in it for the money I think you are wrong too, as he isn't going to make much money from a dead site that nobody can see unless they pay. If he really wanted a lot of money from it it would be a free site with a members area that would have been updated with new content that could be purchased.I live in the U.K and we can't even buy it here, I have the album from the site and I also got a hard copy from the U.S but anyone in europe who isn't a real fan will just download free off the internet - it was available free within an hour of the site going live. Very funny Prince I thought you had a thing about people stealing your music? But even if they want to buy it you make it hard for them.

Whoopee doo he even gave people the chance to go to L.A for a re-release party, everyone who won lived in L.A. what a joke. Prince your fans are all over the world, you should have made it a fair contest open to everyone. Keep treating your fans who have made you rich and famous like idiots and they will get bored with you, you don't have a record company to promote you, you get little airplay because of that so you need to work harder to attract new fans.

Come on Prince I challenge you to personally respond to me and my critisms and sort your site out and explain why it is so lame. If you want to fly me out to your place and have a little chat about marketing yourself better I would be happy to oblige, lol. Still love your music but so far hating the site.

Desire2006 said:

Because he is and always has been a control freak!!

reddevil said:

ROFL, he made his cash from people paying $77 for basically nothing they didn't have or couldn't get for $12 (+ postage for O/S people).

That's a brilliant cash grab. And going by all the past lawsuit, I'd be surprised if the web designers have even been paid yet (they admitted they didn't have a clue about prince, that would include not knowing about his shoddy business practices, ie. don't pay until sued, ask his guitar and perfume makers, the first law firm he hired to monitor copyrights, etc; etc).

Step 1: find out there are still die hard fans buying anything
Step 2: create a crap website and charge $77 for nothing exclusive
Step 3: Profit!!!!

Prince is not stupid (ill-informed, brainwashed by religion, disconnected from the real world, yes, not necessarily stupid), and he knows very well how to make a buck. And who'd blame him, if the site goes down tomorrow, and he opens another one next year, the same suckers will part with their money as easily as they did this year.

ROFL, he made his cash from people paying $77 for basically nothing they didn't have or couldn't get for $12 (+ postage for O/S people).

That's a brilliant cash grab. And going by all the past lawsuit, I'd be surprised if the web designers have even been paid yet (they admitted they didn't have a clue about prince, that would include not knowing about his shoddy business practices, ie. don't pay until sued, ask his guitar and perfume makers, the first law firm he hired to monitor copyrights, etc; etc).

Step 1: find out there are still die hard fans buying anything
Step 2: create a crap website and charge $77 for nothing exclusive
Step 3: Profit!!!!

Prince is not stupid (ill-informed, brainwashed by religion, disconnected from the real world, yes, not necessarily stupid), and he knows very well how to make a buck. And who'd blame him, if the site goes down tomorrow, and he opens another one next year, the same suckers will part with their money as easily as they did this year.[/quote]

ROFL,you seriously believe that $77 form a few thousand people joining his website is a better deal than releasing the albums worldwide instead of just the US and online. You must be deluded. Web subscriptions must be virtually dead now, and a newcomer to Prince is not going to part with any cash when they go to his website because there is nothing to see, watch or listen to. You are right when you say that Prince is ill-informed, brainwashed by religion, disconnected from the real world but his control issues don't really do him any favours. A web site is not only a tool for making money it is also your shop window. to attract new fans who will buy your music and go to your concerts. If it was just about money we would be able to buy all kinds of merchandising through his site right now. Vegas, O2, and all kinds of other DVD's would also be on sale. It's not about money, it's about control, bad business sense and a bad attitude to the fans who made him. And a mentality that says I will do what I want, when I want because I can.

Redevil,"ROFL,you seriously believe that $77 form a few thousand people joining his website is a better deal than releasing the albums worldwide instead of just the US and online"
.
I don't think anyone can be charged with being 'delusional.'Perhaps you are not considering the issue of PERCENTAGE profit Prince pockets from having fans spend $77 to join his website.He has already hinted at the fact (Tavis interview) that shipping means he gets far less perunit album sold than he can selling in th U.S. alone - hence present overseas situation.

Your post does go on to show that you see control as the real issue. I think you are right. IMO Prince will not sell anything that he does not get a preconceived percentage for. Period. Hence method of album sales and content of website.
[Edited 5/20/09 2:28am]

Se7en said:

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But why would anyone give their work away. I am sure P has expenses just like we all have. To me the internet is to be used so artist can make their own money away from the labels which is what I believed P wanted to do all along.

He did not like WB getting all the money and saw the internet as his way of keeping most of the profits and having control.

Next you guys will want free concerts (LOL)