OdysseyMiles said:

I do not have any Prince bootlegs. I never owned The Black Album until it was officially released by WB. Now please, let me make this clear so your perfect artist eyes can read and understand it, with no misinterpretation: I am NOT "mad at a guy" over his music. I am not mad that he is trying to stop bootlegging. I don't know the legality of trading, but I'm not even upset about him for getting uppity about that. I am mad about his lawyers SPECIFICALLY saying that even DISCUSSIONS of bootlegs needs to be removed. If someone says, "I have this bootleg and I'm willing to trade," and that pisses Prince off, I can somewhat understand and see his side. But when his lawyers say that people cannot DISCUSS his bootlegs, in any form, I take issue. That is a violation of the First Amendment. That's no longer about Prince's art, it's about people conversing about a bootleg they may or may not enjoy. The argument that we can't discuss it, because people otherwise unaware of the bootleg may become aware of it, is bullshit. It would be laughed out of court, and Prince's lawyers know that. But under their client's directive, they are merely being bullies. THAT'S what I take issue with. Erase the whole trading issue, because that isn't what I'm "mad" about. I'm upset that they're threatening to violate people's right to free speech if they have the nerve to DISCUSS something Prince did. What's next? Prince suing fans for talking about a concert they attended the night before? You've got to draw the line somewhere.

Luv & Peace,
Alex
Clubbin' in Mpls/A Night w. Prince
[Edited 9/29/04 9:13am]
[Edited 9/29/04 9:14am]

OdysseyMiles said:

Is there any special reason to write Serious this way????
BTW, for me it doesn't make any difference at all if Prince allows bootlegs or not, I stopped byuing bootlegs as well as I am not interested in his music the way I used to.
The ORG is not just a forum for discussing Prince, but other things as well. And there are some nice people here and they are the main reason that I am here and not Prince.

superspaceboy said:

OKay, I'm with you on that one, SSB. But obviously, he chooses not to do that, which is his right.

Anxiety said:

But does that legal muscle have the right to make threats they know would prove to be Unconstitutional in a U.S. court of law? That's my problem with this entire thing. Not being into bootlegs, I could care less about the actual issue of trading boots. That's just Prince being his usual uptight, hypocritical self. It was this request made by P's lawyers, to remove DISCUSSIONS from Housequake or face legal difficulties. Of course they wouldn't go through with it, unless directed to do so by Prince, and of course they would lose, but Housequake would be broke before the battle was over. Is that a right, or is that Mafia like scare tactics? Didn't Prince hate Warner Bros. for behaving just like he is?

Oh well. The meek shall inherit the earth. See ya, Prince!

Luv & Peace,
Alex
Clubbin' in Mpls/A Night w. Prince

Anxiety said:

??? Why would you say that?
Anxiety you were really never ever flamed on Housequake.com.

chookalana said:

Prince.org doesn't have anything that valuable, worth threatening to sue over. For the most part, it's just a message forum.
[Edited 9/29/04 9:26am]

BlaqueKnight said:

co-sign

BlaqueKnight said:

lol, you can ALWAYS be counted on to show up outta nowhere on a "let's bash Prince" thread

as for me? Don't make a difference to me....because another bootleg trading forum is just gonna pop up somewhere else...another calendar, too....it aint the end of the world...

Serious said:

I was just messin' with you. Sarcasm is in my diet.

BlaqueKnight said:

BK, I know you ain't even serious.
It was I who said P fans got really cool stuff this year....at a reasonable price. I didn't say anything about folks getting anything for free. And you know P's lawyers are just using the language they use to ensure that there is no missunderstanding regarding the trading of boots. We all know that none of us can be prevented from discussing what we wanna discuss.
All this talk about freedom of speech and the first amendment is making this thread even more comical.

housequake said:

i always get chilly reception over there at best. just stating an opinion based on my experiences. don't worry, i'm not gonna sue.

SquarePeg said:

And YOU can always be counted on to relentlessly worship everything Prince says & does. I'd bash you and any other idiot who threatened my first Amendment rights. That is bigger than Prince. Personally, I could care less about buying a bootleg. Everything has already been shared via various file sharimg systems. I have nothing against him trying to protect his wares, but his lawyers are insane if they think they can stop the discussion of the material. And since it makes no difference to you, why post on the topic?
[Edited 9/29/04 9:44am]

OdysseyMiles said:

The laws on trading boots are iffy at best. Its hard to enforce anything of this nature anyway. Yes well all know that none of us can be prevented from discussing what we want to, but anyone who says otherwise should be called on it. Its called protecting your rights. Even in something as simple as a discussion forum, it should be known. What's comical is that letter they sent. HQ.com should send a one picture response (since they say a picture is worth a thousand words): As for Prince fans getting stuff at a reasonable prince, I'd say ITS ABOUT TIME, if I actually believed that was the case. As I said, the CD thing was a soundscan move. You'd be surprised at the "free stuff" you can get by contacting the record label of an artist you like. Its nothing new; just new for Prince.
[Edited 9/29/04 9:58am]

sloopydrew4u said:

Prince has the right to try to get his way. And he has the right to give lawyers a bunch of money to help him try to get his way. And those lawyers have the right to argue his case, and to some certain extent, they have the right to bluff. HQ has the right to call their bluff. Where it gets a bit depressing is, HQ needs to have the money and/or resources for equal legal muscle or else they're screwed. Which is why most all the fan sites have complied with Prince's cease-and-desist action. Personally, I'd love to see one of the sites take him and his lawyers on, just to see what happens.

Would HQ go to bat if enough folks contributed to a legal fund? Would folks contribute, or would most folks find it sufficient to play armchair attorney?

OdysseyMiles said:

$35.00 T-Shirts? $20.00 tour books? $90.00 concerts? $50.00 aftershow? This is reasonable to you? I remember when people were OUTRAGED over the Rolling Stones having the "nerve" to charge $25.00 for a show. That was only about 15 years ago. In 1990, tickets for big event shows cost $12.50 - $20.50. Inflation hasn't gone up that much. Venue concerts, by Prince or any performer, are complete rip-offs, now. Prince's was the first I attended in 3 or 4 years. I used to go, back in the 80s and early 90s, every month or so. Now I stick to small to medium size bands who play their hearts out and charge no more than $10.00 to do it.

It seems you have dollar signs in your eyes, Odyssey. Hopefully your music never gets big, because it appears you'd be a monster.

Luv & Peace,
Alex
Clubbin' in Mpls/A Night w. Prince

So, if I understand the letter from this lawyer correctly, simply providing a forum for the discussion of bootleg material which in turn allows for the actual changing hands of bootleg material constitutes a crime?

That's interesting. I wonder how many people have talked about bootleg materials during meet ups at Prince concerts? How many people have actually traded, sold or distributed bootlegs at Prince shows amongst one another? Technically then, Prince is violating the law by putting on concerts where discussion of and possible distribution of illegal bootleg materials is occuring between fans. I wonder when he will turn himself in?

It is also very curious that this letter comes out just as the Musicology Tour ends. Hmmm. Nothing like a few news reports about Prince threatening his fans with legal action to slow down ticket sales.

Anxiety said:

I can almost guarantee that NOTHING would happen. I really did have GeoCities lawyers after me for my GeoShitties parody. They gave me nearly IDENTICAL threats. They claimed I was violating their trademark, their copyright(s), their, well, basically EVERYTHING. They gave me a date to have it all removed. I called their bluff. I followed the advice of a lawyer in the family and told them to either A. take me to court or B. never write me again. I haven't heard a thing from them since. It's been 5 years.

Prince doesn't want that kind of publicity. His lawyers would recommend that he doesn't take action if HQ continued allowing discussions (with no visible signs of actual buying or selling of bootlegs). If he insisted, he'd look like a fool. I don't think it would come to that. But, like you, I'd like a site to call him on his bullshit, just to see what happens. I just think there'd be a lot more firecrackers than there would fireworks.

Luv & Peace,
Alex
Clubbin' in Mpls/A Night w. Prince
[Edited 9/29/04 9:58am]

Prince wasn't averse to receiving mix-tapes from his friends, back in the day...

Michael Koppelman once gave Prince a cassette of Kate Bush B-Sides.

http://gaffa.org/moments/2_2j.html

Read the post dated Wednesday, 4 Oct 1995 at 20:15hrs

TheOrgerFormerlyKnownAs said:

sloopydrew4u said:

I like you, dude!!!
Seriously, in comparison to other big name acts, you can't tell me that the prices for P's shows and stuff were not more than reasonable.
Funny you mentioned the Stones, because they're tickets are in the stratosphere, along with Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles.
I don't have dollar signs in my eyes, bro. I'll be satisfied with making music for a living. I'll also be sure to keep tabs on my stuff, so I don't get badmouthed in the messageboards.

sloopydrew4u said:

Hmmm. Just about ANY band I've seen has had overpriced t-shirts. Don't hang that on Prince, cuz we could do some shopping at just about any merch stand and not come away with any bargains. That's just how it is.

I don't have any problem shelling out $75 to see Prince. Look at what the poor suckers shelled out to see Madonna warble and lip synch. It's nice to pay 30.00-40.00 to see most of the other bands I like, but the fact is, most of the bands I like couldn't command the ticket prices that Prince can. And not every band is Fugazi.

OdysseyMiles said:

In that case, I'll make sure to actually purchase your music, rather than download it. Woo-hoo! Harmony comes to this thread, at last.

Luv & Peace,
Alex
Clubbin' in Mpls/A Night w. Prince

Anxiety said:

Chilly reception? If you think Housequake.com sucks hard, then just say it out loud. But don't accuse us for flaming you.
FYI: http://www.housequake.com...serid=2546
I dont' see any flaming there. Now do I???

It's just like the warm reception I got when I logged into this site today: A couple of Orgnotes from your trusted members here, hoping we get sued. Now thats cool huh?

Anxiety said:

Did you know that I've seen them 3 times, or were you just guessing? I don't even really LIKE Fugazi all that much, but they're GREAT in concert (but don't approach Minor Threat in concert, back in the day) and they've done a pretty good job at sticking to their guns and "keepin' it real." There are a lot of other bands with that sort of business ethic, also. I might even have to use both hands to count them all!

Luv & Peace,
Alex
Clubbin' in Mpls/A Night w. Prince

housequake said:

Well, I've been defending the hell out of you, and I don't even visit Housequake. So not all of us orgers are bad. Actually, I like most of us.

Luv & Peace,
Alex
Clubbin' in Mpls/A Night w. Prince

housequake said:

So if I state an opinion about my experiences on your site, I get barked at by its owner? Please pardon me for saying so, but that's weird.

I haven't said I think HQ sucks. Show me where I said that and I'll correct myself and apologize. I don't like the culture over there. I don't feel that I fit in there. Simple as that. I think it's well-designed and I think it fills a particular niche in the online fan community. I like the pretty pictures over there. So chill already.

sloopydrew4u said:

I'd be honored. (and I'll throw in a t-shirt)

Anxiety said:

You accused us of flaming you. And that is simply not true.
Why can't I object to that, and proof everyone else that is not the case?
Proof: http://www.housequake.com...serid=2546

sloopydrew4u said:

yeah, they're indeed really principled. i think they work on a whole 'nother plane than our mr. purplepants, though. still and all, i think it's pretty darned inspirational, especially in that they've made their principles work for them.