Does any1 have any ideas about the patio scene in the backstage pass room? I am referring 2 the dog eating the demo tapes. What does this mean? It's just kinda odd that's all. Any thoughts on Prince's reasoning 4 this?

It cant be that important because anyone using the hTML site doesnt even have access to this section as there is no link to click on (the same ocurs in other areas too such as the instruments when you first enter and the musicology instruments etc etc)

I think our little doggie is there to convey -- with levity -- the policy, assumed by many musical artists with good lawyers, of explictly discouraging the gift of the unsolicited music demo.

The best insurance someone like Prince can have against litigation alleging he's misappropriated someone else's creative work into his own is to adopt the practice of outright refusing to accept unsolicited gifts of music from fans or aspiring songwriters looking to get a foot in the door.

At soundchecks, I've seen Prince accept gifts of all manner -- except demos. No matter how polite the rejection, the fan making the offer is always disappointed and feels offended: "I just want you to listen to my song." "I wrote it for you." Etc.

What they might not appreciate is that many a big-name artist has been burned, at a minimum, by the considerable expense of fighting off a lawsuit filed by someone who gave them a demo and then claimed that their demo tune found its way into the artist's latest hit album. There's no way to tell where your next lawsuit is coming from these days. All you can do is to try to say "no" as politely as you can.

If you publicly accept unsolicited demos, the presumption is going to be that you listen to them. And if you listen to unsolicited demos, there's always the risk -- when you sit down to write your next song -- that a melody from the demo could creep into your head -- subconsciously or otherwise. Worse yet, you could accept a demo out of politeness, never listen to it, throw it away, and write a hit song that -- coincidentally -- sounds enough like a song on the demo for a jury to refuse to believe that it's only a coincidence.

I guess Prince's doggie is there to let us know that his owner prefers being safe to faking being polite.

I just wish the %#$@*#&! dog would wag his tail one way or the other about Celebration 2003!