Ok, I was told that in 1982, there was a law established called the "Teena Marie Law" which meant that a lable cant bind an artist to their label and refuse to release their material.
But, isnt that exactly what WB was doing to Prince around the time of "the Gold Experience" CD when he was writing SLAVE on his face? Why didnt Prince take legal action if indeed that via the Teena Marie Law, what WB was doing was illegal? Not trying to start trouble but seeking clarification..

Teena marie Law:

''The Brockert Initiative''

In 1982, Motown sued Teena Marie for breech of contract after she informed the label that she no longer wanted to perform; in turn, Ms. Marie filed a countersuit against the legendary company and won. The countersuit resulted in the landmark artists’ rights initiative known as “The Brockert Initiative,” which is Ms. Marie’s last name put strict limitations on the length of artist/company contracts. This historical entertainment mandate states that no recording company can contractually bind an artist while refusing to release his/her product.

http://www.hiponline.com/...ena_marie/



I suspect Prince's case with Warner's should be judged on its specific merits:

Warners never refused (or at least this could have been their argument) to release material per se. Rather the contract apparently stated that WB would release a new album just as soon as specific contractual conditions had been fulfiled relating to earlier releases.

So, basically, so long as, and as soon as, Prince's last album achieved a level of sales / payback, WB would be more than happy to proceed with the next release. On that basis, Prince could theoretically release album after album, provided the conditions were met...

... and Prince had inked the deal.

.
[Edited 9/16/05 15:36pm]