Universaluv said:

Hey I used to be a ardent Prince supporter..defending him whenever I could. But hanging out here I realize my support of Prince is pretty tame compared to some. Funny thing is that this is the same group that starting cry foul a few years back (around the time of the Gold album) when Prince's annual album release was overdue by a few months. Like damn addicts without a fix.

I guess I'd consider myself down the middle on Prince these days. Problem is that where Prince rarely ever gave me reason to bitch about him. He's given plenty of reason with his newfound attitude on things. And once you start criticizing him (as he's given some cause to do lately)you come across the Prince "he can do no wrong" worshipers. That in itself is an eyeopener and makes you see things in a whole new light.

YOU GUYS ARE ALL ASSHOLES. I AM SICK OF YOU JACK-OFFS TALKING SHIT ABOUT PRINCE'S CLUB. IT ISN'T $25 PER CD. IT'S $100 FOR THE WHOLE YEAR! I WENT TO BOTH AFTER SHOWS IN LA FOR FREE ($90 VALUE), I SAW THE SOUND CHECK BEFORE BOTH SHOWS (PRICELESS), I DON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING BUT SIT ON MY ASS AND WAIT FOR THE CD'S TO COME TO ME, AND I GOT GARANTEED FIRST 15 ROWS AT THE CONCERTS (5TH AND 10TH RESPECTIVELY) WHICH IF I DIDN'T BELONG TO THE CLUB WOULD HAVE COST UP TO $500 FROM A SCALPER--SO SHUT THE HELL UP WITH THIS $25 A CD BULL SHIT. THE $100 PAYS FOR A YEAR OF BENIFITS YOU STUPID ASS. I WISH YOU ALL WOULD COME TO YOUR SENSES...
IT'S ALL I DREAM ABOUT. AND YOU? WHAT DO YOU DREAM ABOUT?

CmputrBlu said:

True, true. I relate to having more complaints now than I did a few years ago, but for me that was because I had far less access than I do now. Back when all you could be sure of was an annual album and an occoasional conert it was alot harder to have things to bitch about. It's like one of those be careful what you ask for type of deals. We now have much more access to more Prince than ever, but that provides us with more ammunition also. Who knew? Maybe that's why he was such a freakin recluse early in his career.

As far as the "newfound attitude" I'm not entirely certain what you are referring to. If it's the religion thing, well Prince has always been somewhat religious, (I remember a whole lotta preachin at the Purple Rain concert) just seems like the pendulum has swung further from the secular towards the sacred. That happens to alot of people as they get older and are confronted by their own mortality.

Granted, his views seem to threaten some people on the .org, but he's always had strong sometimes controversial views about something or another. Hell that was part of his appeal in the first place. The controversy has just moved to a subject other than sex. Always interesting.
[This message was edited Tue May 14 18:23:25 PDT 2002 by Universaluv]

I nominate "wellbeyond" as Prince's publicist, marketing manager and personell director of NPGMC. Maybe bodyguard too.

wellbeyond said:

I could deal with the album's length. It is more about quality. But I think..now that the album is out..that he should have never released this stuff to us in January.

In the past I've bought boots of songs I've never heard before only to find them on officially released albums later. The surprise factor is taken away. But in that case it was my choice to buy the bootleg and the album. In this case...it wasn't. And I still say consider the stuff he COULD have released; why the heck release 4 tracks for members that you'll just release to them again as part of club membership. Of course you're going to have complaints.

So yeah..he should have not released the songs in January. Unless ONA was going to be a public release that you could have got for 10.00-$12.00.

Of course with no down-loadable music this year; this won't happen again. Any other CDs from now on will either have to be new-old stuff or live tracks.

And word of warning..if anyone from his camp reads this. If somewhere along the way any of those 3 other CDs contain unreleased tracks; fight the urge to remove the "bad language". If that happens to any tracks on any forthcoming CD...you will hear me bitch.

(that was one of the worse things bout the downloads last year. Butchered tracks)

Apollonia said:

We can keep doing the math till our fingers turn blue. Some are cool with the costs others aren't.

I don't figure part of my membership fee as paying extra for the opportunity to get good seats because in my mind that equates with scalping.

For the price of tickets this time around, I would hope we would get into the rehersal as well. When I saw him on the hit and run tour in cleveland, there were large patches of empty seats. The place was clearly not sold out, so his switch to smaller venues was iminent.

As for afterparties, a large majority of the fans don't get to cash in on this perk because he rarely does them.

In fact, for quite a few NPGMC members (especially overseas), all they are getting is those 4 cds for $25 a pop.

The whole concept of paying for the opportunity to buy something is hokey. The only product you are getting for your membership bucks is the CD's. You wouldn't pay for the opportunity to go into Kmart to buy stuff. And if you did, and bought a 4 pack of underwear for 10 bucks, I would hope you could do the math...

I really feel sorry for those npgmc members who got ripped off by prince with a 35 min cd for $25.....some of those tracks were already downloaded by those members from the music club.

$25 4 a cd like this one is a typical rip off and prince has suckered you people. it's a shame and i hope you have learned your lesson from this.

i get the feeling that i will see this ONA cd on sale in a record store for less than $15.

Emancipation is a 3 cd set and it's cheaper with the retail price.

Tom said:

I gotta disagree. At this year's concert I got the best seats I've ever gotten to see anyone, especially Prince. If you waited till you got the actual concert schedule like I did, then what you got for your $100 bucks plus the ticket price were guaranteed seats up close, something you could not get otherwise legitimately. That was part of the deal I paid for and that's what I got. More than worth it. Plus an aftershow with Prince and Erykah Badu (sp?) performing together. Priceless!

Now for those who paid $100 just to get 4 CD's and now you don't like it. Then consider that extra $ paid a "stupid tax". Cost of ignorance.

Apollonia said:

35 MINUTES!! I DREAM ABOUT PRINCE CD'S THAT ARE LONGER THAN DIRTY MIND FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!

being a Prince fan is a Love/Hate relationship.
[This message was edited Tue May 14 19:19:44 PDT 2002 by Cornerman]

CmputrBlu said:

How much you wanna bet CD #2 is half of "High" and CD #3 is the other half. lol

Point #1:

An album is an artistic statement. Above all it’s supposed to be cohesive, and in many cases thematic. An album can run from 30 minutes (although I’ve seen a few that clock in even shorter than this) to 3 hours and more. As an artist the most difficult task often is trying to edit oneself. You don’t want to say too much, but you also don’t want to leave something important out of the picture. Finding that perfect balance for each project is what great art and great albums are all about.

In other words, as a writer, just because you’ve been given 500 pages of blank paper to scribble on, doesn’t mean you should fill all those pages.

One of my biggest pet peeves of the CD era is that so many artists feel the need to fill up the damn things just because they have the space. So the 90s have left us with thousands of albums that contain tons of filler all because the canvas in which these artists were painting on was made bigger through technology.

Now, again we are talking about albums. If we were talking about collections, anthologies, greatest hits packages, vault material and the like, people would have EVERY right to complain if there were not at least 60 minutes, and really 70 minutes or more on each CD. Anything less on a collection is a rip-off in the CD age. Which means “Crystal Ball” is an example of a CD vault collection that Prince got very stingy with.

Point #2:

I’ve known since January that the 4 premium bonus tracks from the January edition of the NPGMC were from an album called “One Nite Alone.” And when I signed up for my membership I knew that “One Nite Alone” was one of the CDs they were mentioning as a likely candidate for release in year 2. There shouldn’t be anyone who is surprised by this news.

The only surprise is that “Pearls Before the Swine” is on this album, which was a track that appeared on one of the audio shows from last year. To me this is fantastic news, because I truly believe this is the best song released (save perhaps “When I Lay My Hands on You”) in the first year of the NPGMC. Many of the tracks I downloaded in year 1 of NPGMC were quite forgettable and mostly to my ears just throwaway stuff. This track on the other hand is quite extraordinary. Which means of the 5 tracks I’ve heard so far, I love all 5.

As I do with all albums I purchase, I’m hoping that “One Nite Alone” is a great one, something that I’ll be listening to for the rest of my life and something that will add to Prince’s legacy. What I surely don’t want is some over-inflated album filled to the rim with mediocrity just so that some people can feel they are getting their money’s worth. A great album is a bargain at any price and a bad album is too expensive at any price.

I’m hoping for the best for those 5 tracks I haven’t heard, but if I end up thinking they aren’t all that special, I surely will not blame the NPGMC, because as a wise consumer I entered into this Club with my eyes wide open. I knew I was paying money for music that I knew next to nothing about. Complaining after entering said transaction with no idea as to how much or little I’d like the music that would eventually get released would make me a complete fool.

Brendan

S3V3N said:[quote]Act now and for $100.00 you too can have Prince come to your home and do exactly what you tell him to!!!

Has anybody that is complaining considered the fact that he has already spent most of this year touring?

Exactly when do you expect him to have time to *seriously* write, perform, and edit new stuff? Oh and then there's the weeklong party that he's coordinating too.

Yeah sure he's prolific and all that, but it's unreasonable to expect him to work at that pace. Give the man some space and time to fulfill his obligations. It's not like he's sitting on his ass someplace...doing nothing.
Given the nature of his recent activities I wouldn't be surprised if he sent out mostly live CD's for the year. It would be the easy thing to do and he'd be totally within his right to send that kind of stuff out. Instead he's actually going one step further and sending out studio stuff.

RE: Tour/international thing...he spent most of the early 90's exclusively touring Europe. It's about time he focused on the states.

As far as international members go...maybe he should send out live CDs to those members, as some sort of compensation for not touring internationally.

Maybe international members should *constructively* lobby for him to do this (in an intelligent, decent, respectful manner).

-----
He couldn't do that and be fair to those in the States that couldn't make it...It would be a great act 4 Prince to send out a concert cd to everyone as an "extra thank U." I spent 3,000 and flew almost 6 hours to go to the LA shows, I'd still love to have an official release of a show...and I'd pay again. Aloha~

CmputrBlu said:

Most of that do no wrong shit is a myth..lately people have awakened and seen that soeme things arent always so kosher...what the problem is , nothing will eve rbe good enough. Of opcurse things arent perfect, and some tings are head shakers...but the cd isnt even in peoples hands and ya got old folks who bitched to be cool starting to bithc when shit aint even in their hands lol. Thats just as bad then the asskissing that u claim. Some people understand that sensibility is not going to be a major factor in Prince antics--thats why some dont bust a vein in their fo'head complaining about a 35minute time limit.But some things are working better each year. But theres always a faction ready to start talkin shit just to talk shit.Dont get it twisted.

Size isn't everything. My favourite album of all time, Abba's Arrival, clocks in at 33,36 (not including the bonus track Fernando). No, keep it short and sweet. Bloated overlong cd.s are a menace. Fucking c.d.s? I want my goddamn album on pristine 180 g vi-fucking-nyl you queer little money grubbing purple fuck. P.s., if you get the chance check out this cool Russian group called 'nochnii sniper'. Fronted by what looks like 2 lesbian chicks (sincere apologies if you're not). One plays violin, but it really rocks.

Universaluv said:

hehheh, "stupid tax"

No album review?

IrishEcho said:

Exactly. SIZE doesn't matter, it's the motion in the ocean. But if he's reissuing shit I wouldn't be surprised. The next 3 albums will be remixes of these songs.

I swear some of u people are so fuckin' STUPID. U bitch and bitch about the least little thing the man does, but yet u constantly sign up for his club ($100), go to his concerts ($85-$150), buy his CD's ($13-$50), buy his merchandise, etc. It reminds me of this girl I used 2 be with, she loved to bitch and bitch and complain and complain about dumb shit, but when time came and I tried 2 cut her lose she had a nervous break down.
BE GRATEFUL! NO TIME IN HISTORY HAS AN ARTIST'S FANS HAD THIS MUCH ACCESS. Not Beatle fans, not Grateful Dead fans, Not Michael Jackson fans, Not Madonna, until recently, not Prince fans.
35 mins for a CD is cool by me. As much as I like his longer Double LP's I often wonder how much more cohesive and meaningful those experiences would have been if they had on been "single LP's" (yes even Sign o the Times), but what stopps me in my tracks is the thought of "If he only released a single LP then I would be missing all that music.
To top it off he is releasing 3 more LP's this year, not to mention he's been on tour and getting ready for the "celebration" sheesh give the man a break.
If u want more Prince music go to Audiogalaxy or Morpheus or hell look into your collection of over 500+ Prince songs.
U KNOW WHAT IT IS?
U BITCHES R SPOILED!!!!!

35 Minutes? I've had craps that were longer than that!!

You are the same people who complained that Emancipation was one (or two) discs too long. And that The Rainbow Children songs didn't end and dragged on. And now you complaining (shocker!) that ONA is only 35 minutes long?!?!?

WHAT YOU YOU STUPID FUCKS WANT? YOU LOVE TO COMPLAIN BECAUSE DEEP DOWN INSIDE YOU STILL WANT PURPLE RAIN 2. DO
US ALL A FAVOR AND JUST GET OFF THE ORG, AND OFF THE BAND WAGON. I DON'T NEED YOU, THE ORG DON'T NEED YOU AND PRINCE DON'T NEED YOU!

i will now kick you in the head

chookalana said:

It was really only I who was complaining about the length of the CD. I do not want Purple Rain 2. If that was the case I would've given up long ago. It seems to me that I should only be the type of that I am, not try to conform to people on some stupid site. If I want to get on here and vent than I can cause it's a public board. Prince don't need anyone obviously cause he keeps pushing them all away, except those of you who want to be abused. I just like the music. Sorry.

chookalana said:You are the same people who complained that Emancipation was one (or two) discs too long. And that The Rainbow Children songs didn't end and dragged on. And now you complaining (shocker!) that ONA is only 35 minutes long?!?!?

WHAT YOU YOU STUPID FUCKS WANT? YOU LOVE TO COMPLAIN BECAUSE DEEP DOWN INSIDE YOU STILL WANT PURPLE RAIN 2. DO
US ALL A FAVOR AND JUST GET OFF THE ORG, AND OFF THE BAND WAGON. I DON'T NEED YOU, THE ORG DON'T NEED YOU AND PRINCE DON'T NEED YOU!

i will now kick you in the head


chookalana you're the biggest prince ass kisser fuck and you would suck his JW dick for free

Can't wait to get mine, I'm glad the songs are on the album because I wasn't a member last year, so they all will be new to me.

Cornerman said:

Damn..for someone who is pushing people away those dumb mutherfuckers sure do keep comin back. Hell..they dont keep coming back because they "neva" left. Thats worse than kissing his ass! Gettin used and abused and still hangin' on.Welcome to the sicknezz.

JimmyNothing said:

Are you really so dumb? These were so short because of TECHNOLOGICAL reasons: LPs back in the day couldn't contain more music. These albums also contained max. 9 songs, because of some copyright regulation (can't remember the details, but it had something to do with if you had more than 9 tracks you'd receive less money per track).

The FACT is that FULL-LENGTH albums were promised, and quite frankly @ $25 a pop they should be DOUBLE albums at least, considering non-members will probably be able to buy them for half this price in a shop later this year.

Now compare to Constellation Records, a Canadian label for experimental rock/post-rock (Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Fly Pan Am, Do Make Say Think,...), who want $12 per CD (shipping & handling included for the US). Same with Dischord Records, home of Fugazi. In Europe, releases from both labels can be easily obtained from any decent CD shop for approximately the price of a midprice CD. Can someone explain why these small, INDEPENDENT labels who cater to a small audience can do this (and release multiple CDs per year), yet Prince needs $100 UPFRONT and can't even be bothered to tell you what he's gonna send, let alone WHEN?

BartVanHemelen said:

Bullshit. They were short because Prince wanted them short - I have vinyl from the same time period up to 23 minutes PER SIDE. And you are truly talking out of your ass about the max 9 songs per LP - check out almost any old Motown LP; they tend to run to 12 songs each.

Complaining time and time again on 'why doesn't Prince do what I want him to do' is third grade whinning.

Final clue - the $100 wasn't just for the CDs - it was for opportunities to go to the concerts, soundchecks, and aftershows.

cmicasa said:

You OBVIOUSLY don't know what you're talking about. TGD have released a ridiculous amount of albums, plus fans are allowed to record concerts as long as its for trading only. There are even artists that allow soundboard recordings.



Well, so far the tour is small venues only, and limited to only parts of the US. People who don't live close to any of these places can't even go to one of the concerts unless they spend much money on travel, and even then they still need to be able to decide to do this at the drop of a hat, because dates are announced only days in advance. That leaves out at least half of his fanbase (Canada, Europe, Australia, plenty of US fans,...)

Now compare to the "evil WB years", when we'd get one album each year, often accompanied by a worldwide tour that was announced ahead of time so you could have a good chance of going (plus affordable tickets, large enough venues,...), and plenty of singles and maxi-singles, videos and side projects. And you didn't need to pay more for this than for other artists.

If you think we're getting a good deal today, get out more.

MKevon said:

From http://www.futureofmusic....ctcrit.cfm :

Artists gets royalties on maximum of 10 songs = $0.56 per album total

Under the statute, an album with 12 songs would earn $.90. Under this clause, the maximum royalties payable would be $0.56. If the maximum is exceeded (by using a cover song or a producer demanding a higher rate), the artist is held responsible for that excess.




Bullshit. The MAIN reason for many to join the club is the CDs, since it's impossible to know if you're going to be able to use the "opportunities" to go to the concerts, soundchecks, and aftershows.

BartVanHemelen said:


And if that source isn't reliable in your opinion:

http://www.ascap.com/musi...auses.html
http://www.taxi.com/meter...o0109.html
http://www.outersound.com...ition.html
http://www.thefirm.com/ar...tcomp.html
http://www.mt101.com/wisdom2.html

BartVanHemelen said:

So when the technology allowing for 7-hour CDs becomes mainstream that's what artists should start churning out?

If I as an artist created a 30, 35, 40, or 45-minute CD, and I think it's a perfectly finished work of art, I'll be damned if I let anyone ruin the thing by forcing me into adding more songs just to meet some type of arbitrary limit.

What’s next? Perhaps we can force novelists into writing books no smaller than 500 pages. That 300-page nonsense is a complete waste of money and an obvious attempt on the part of the writer to cheat his or her fans. Never mind if the story is perfectly told at 300 pages, you must add more pages so some addicted fan feels he is getting his money’s worth.

This is exactly the type of shit that has not only led to mediocre Prince albums, but thousands upon thousands of bloated albums of the 90s.

Hell, if you have 80 minutes of top-shelf material like Prince had with "SOTT" or 70 minutes like Prince had with "1999", that's terrific, and also quite rare for any artist. But if you only have 35 minutes of material for a given project, please don’t pad it out just to make every goddamn album “full”.

Try to make the album as great as possible, not as full as possible.

And people, don’t change the subject to how Prince’s club could be better. I know damn well that the NPGMC could be VASTLY better than it is. But forcing works of art to meet some kind of arbitrary limit is the last thing wrong with Prince’s club. This type of freedom is one of the few things that are right about what he’s doing.