"Stay out of the music industry, stay out of the system. Be revolutionary."

If you want to make it big then you HAVE to join a major label, but not necessarily.

Dave Matthews was pretty darn successful before he signed to a major. Of course he blew up once he did that but they didn't NEED a major label to be successful. Ani DiFranco is another one who plays to big crowds everywhere she goes. Very successful. Independent just like DMB was.

Of course you won't play to 20,000 people in one setting but that has it's drawbacks sometimes. (Like not always being able to play to that many people because of audience fickleness). So if you have the talent sidestep the majors. Of course Prince wouldn't be where he is today without them but he fought hard to get where he is today. Do you want to fight THAT hard? I doubt Prince would even do it knowing what he knows today. Then again he has done stranger things.

"Stay out of the music industry, stay out of the system. Be revolutionary."

That one sounds right ... but it's difficult to make music without the industry ... if you don't have the money to protect your music ppl will steal it.
A friend of mine was betrayed like that by a big media company ...
they took the SONG he wrote for a casting competition without taking HIM 2 perform it! And they didn't even tell him. So, one day he heard HIS song on TV, sung by another band! He wanted to sue the company, but he received a letter with the threat:
"If you want to ruin your life - go ahead, sue us" ... Tough, ain't it ?

Prince wouldn't be where he is now without signing with WB in 1978. And Prince is still part of the same music industry, still playing the game. Hell, he is his own executive with his own record company doing good business with one of the majors. But he advises others to stay out of it??

No, that doesn't make sense.

He knows the aspirations of young artists out of his own experience. And he knows artists still need companies to become publicly known and make money.

So, instead of saying "Stay out of the music industry, stay out of the system" I think he could better say something along the lines of: "Know how to play the game, if you don't want to get played. Else it's better - financilaly and spiritually - to stay out of the system".

Or he could actually come up with an alternative for aspiring artists out there.

One more thing, ownership of "songs": Prince says: "I'm a writer. Stephen King is a writer. Can I take a page out of his book and call it Prince's Shining? Can I take a scene out of a movie and call it my own?"

Prince owns his songs, he just doesn't own the sound recordings of his songs. Like a book and a movie, a song is the underlying work of a sound recording. Both are works and both are copyrighted. Copyrights can be contractually transferred by the owner to somebody else.

If you don't want to do that: don't sign the contract.

"They say the law helps the writers. I don't need help; I don't need your money. Let us steward our own music."

I bet this is about compulsory licenses again...

Another thing...Im all about spirtuality and everything but...

You've said what I intended to say only better!

Dear, with all due respect, I don't think you are. Sorry.

Then forgive me for asking, but do you know how to play the game?

I need to ask you, did your friend have his song copywrited? If he did and tey STILL threatened to ruin his life if he sued then I see no safegaurd in him being a part of the "industry". If he has no copywrite then I could possibly see him having a harder time but it just goes to show that if he can't even protect his work with a copywrite then there's something wrong. I have a few books that discuss this in detail. This one writer tried to sue the people behind "RENT" but realized she couldn't fight the machine and gave up. Another book, "Confessions of a Record Producer" explains how it's practically impossible to get compensation if a big star rips you off. So te best thing to do is record the song yourself and release it independently. If someone steals it at that time then you have your released recording as proof.

There wasnt any respect in that comment. You dont know me and just because I may not be spiritual enough for your standards over the computer, doesnt mean Im not spritual. Sorry but I have nothing to prove to you.

I learn as I go through things, you cant honestly expect me to know everything from the get-go. No, if I claim that then I seriously have alot of impressive things to do which I know I havent reached to yet.

Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.

Ya'll...I believe what he is saying is this:

All he is saying is get your soul in order first BEFORE you get into the business!!!

Noooo...he didnt say that. he said to stay away from the industry.

This is his ADVISE to others, not a COMMAND which you are REQUIRED to do. He's speaking to you from experience, telling you what he's learned, and giving you advise based on that. There is no need to feel threatened or offended when someone offers advise. Just listen to it, think about it, and follow it or not...