There is nothing "desperate" or "ridiculous" about this man, PERIOD!!! Smart, innovative, YES! The man has more music in his little finger than most of these one-shot wannabes could create in their entire lifetime. His back catalog speaks for itself and then some. That's 25 YEARS of creativity, not 25 days. The fact that radio and the music industry doesn't want to play his music or promote him in any way-----HIS FANS HAVE MADE A H*LLUVA STATEMENT CONCERNING THAT. He's sold out arenas across the country, time after time, after time. We know what good music and a great man are when we hear and see him. THEY DON'T HAVE TO PLAY HIS MUSIC---BUT WE SURE WILL!!!

It's brilliant to find the loopholes in the system and use them legally and well.
I'm sure many other artists had that type of sheer genious to push their CDs. I'm happy to see Prince still doing what he does and not to mention, damn well.

I think he wanted people to hear his music too, not just for the charts. It's not that bad, fans really liked getting a free cd, and most didnt realize it was for billboard charts, they just thought Prince was being nice.

And lets face it if Prince released "Purple rain" or "1999" today, it would do OK, but not amazing numbers, only Ashley Simpson can sell records these days and get on the radio..

Matty jam- Here is what you need to understand:


Ashlee Simpson has the #1 record in America and she is less successful this year than Prince. Why ? The reason is because the charts are a sham.

Prince is not a fraud-he is the most authentic thing going in mainstream music today.

Prince's success with the cd sales/concerts has to do with real actual real people showing up and being interested in his music. It's not a fake number. It isn't about units shipped, it isn't about platinum records, and it isn't about pretty faces selling products to teenagers who want to be "cool". It's about artists really being able to create something authentic.

Selling records shouldn't be a competion to see who has the most money or who is on MTV the longest. Selling records, for artists, is about be able to get your art into as many people's hands as possible and make a living doing so.



I think you just posted this to get a reaction.

PS. If you measure success by money then tell Prince that "Musicology's" success was a fraud when he buys a new mansion or two from his earnings this year.

"Shut up already ..Damn!"

This is getting a little tired already

Prince has not gotten radio support for a dominant part of his career. Sure there were times in the earlier years...but over all it has been scarce. MTV has been worse. Most of that time was spent whil on a major label. His albums have always been mismanaged and/ or suffered from lack of promotion.

So why keep bitchin cause he came up with a way to market himself in the one veneu he has always done well in... performing in front of his fans. He sells out still only becuase of his fans...not because of what radio and video are playing. Because he has a loyal (although sometimes I wonder) fan base he has been able to continue to deliver a high standard of music for over two decades.

Scam would mean you are recieving something you didnt want... or were unaware. But ask yourself this

At $75.00 woukld you have gone see Prince...esp when ticket prices for other artist have been as much as $300.00?

I think 80% of the people who went to the concert would have paid that no question, CD no CD...reciving the CD is like ohh a 'freebie...and who hates 'freebies'. I know he and his marketing peeps slated it as being part of the ticket price... but truly he could have moved his tickets at that price or more regardless.

Another 20% may have veiwed the free CD as a deal closer...who knows who cares.

He's just doing what independant artist that perform at the local clubs do al the time... they give away promo CD's in order to get the music out there and maybe an extra 'free' copy may find its way into the hands of a new person. Hence they now have a potential new fan which will support them later.

Prince is just doing it on a scale no one else thought about..and using the system which seems to favor chart status to his advantage and on his terms.

Its all marketing... but in a new way.

If the powers of radio and MTV won't do right by him...and encourage his sales numbers...then let him have his strategy which obviously is working and leave him the funk alone.

Sit back enjoy the music and if you dont like it...wait for the next album..if you don't think you'll like that one either...then why are you here posting.?

skywalker said:

Soulchild82 said:

U jealous or what....shut up let him enjoy his success sad sad sad

I think "Musicology" would not have done well at all without the ticket controversy. I think the album is selling well out of the record stores simply because of all the hype surrounding the ticket controversy.

Without this controversy, the album would have done only as good as his other recent albums. I was a genius idea on Prince's part.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

-----
Radio and video is not supporting him at this time. Prince is huge in the D.C area and when he was in town last week he did not get the props he deserved from the local media.

Dont fuel this idiots fire. If we all reply to shock jock statements, they'll continue to do it. Dont reply to moronic threads and they will go away to some other site

Shock-jock? LMAO!

Oh, self delusion is amusing yet very tragic.

I'm jealous of Prince? Are you five years old or something? The minute I say something critical I'm called a "hater" or branded "jealous"? What is this? A Justin Timberlake message board?

I've been a huge Prince fan for years and years... why would I begrudge his success, let alone be "jealous" of it?

Just because you're a fan of an artist, it doesn't mean you should lose the will to be objective about that person.

I post on numerous fan message boards of artists I admire, and it's always prince.org where I come across the real nutcases.

I always thought due to the more adult contemporary nature of Prince's work, he'd attract a more sophisticated, mature following... but it seems I was mistaken.

Now where's my scrap-book?

Personally I think Musicology WOULD have been a success but NOT AS SUCCESSFUL as it has been without the CD bundling with the concert ticket. The facts are there...

1. Prince would still have had the huge amount of praise he is getting for the tour.

2. Prince would still have been selling out 20,000 seater arenas.

3. Prince would still have rocked on the Grammy's and RRHOF.

4. Prince would still have received his best critical reception for an album in many a year.

However, without the concert "giveaways" the album would not have stayed in the top ten and therefore not have been on the shelves in the stores and therefore not as visibile to casual buyers.

It HAS sold in the region of 600-700,000 retail (without concert giveaways) but I believe this number would have been lower without it being in the top ten for so long.

At the end of the day Prince did not actually see a loophole. He has repeatedly said that he just wanted to give it away at the concert and at THAT time did not know Billboard/Soundscan would count the "giveaways". As it is Prince has achieved something to be lauded...

He has created a new distribution system that will allow artists who no longer receive much in the way of TV/Radio play a way of getting their CDs into the charts (albeit now with a ticket price opt in).

MattyJam said:

if your a fan?
Why do you care?
he beat the system...
just let him have his day

your not a fan
Your a Critic...
its one thing to criticize his music
its entirely another to criticize someones Business ventures
especially a successful one

Now i call Prince on a whole bunch of crap too
he doe slots of stupid things
but this one my friend
was Smart
wtf are you ranting about?

jaypotton said:

That statement is false. Sorry. This is not something that has never been done before. Quite a few much lesser known artists have given away CDs at their shows and asked club owners to factor that into the cover charge. Also it will not be something anyone else can do on a large scale, since the RIAA has protested the act of using the numbers for those CDs as legitimate chart sales in any other case. It is NOT a "new distribution system". It was a clever move on the part of his legal team, though. I don't think it would have changed the overall success of Musicology per se, because Prince's tours have always had very strong numbers. Usually, when an artist backs up a CD with a large tour, the numberd increase. Considering that Musicology was Prince's "return to form" more or less, it stands to reason that this CD would have done much better than TRC and N.E.W.S. on its own. Would that not make it "successful" in financial terms?

bigsexy said:

co- sign

Whoever dreamed up this method of getting a cd out is a genius..

Great marketing ploy!

You're right it wouldn't have sold as much without the concert but it isn't a fraud and it isn't new.

It's called independent marketing. Ani Defranco did this. She sold C.D.'s as a part of live shows. The only difference is that it didn't count on the billboards charts because she is completely independent.

I think it's a great thing and Honestly I hope to see him let go of the majors all together and just sell to his true fans whether it be in concerts, online or mail order. I personally think Billboard, the RIAA and SOme major labels are complete frauds themselves when it comes to marketing and selling c.d.'s.