Abrazo said:

Sorry - and you're right: it is not a given.

Abrazo said:

I don't believe for a second that at least one of his lawyers didn't go over those contracts with a fine-tooth comb. I mean, Prince, puh-lease.

Abrazo said:

Neil Young made quite a public display out of fighting corporate sponsorship in pop music in the late-'80s. In addition to titling a whole album after a song that blasted artists who shill for products (This Note's For You), he made an accompanying video that lambasted these people. He also insisted that all advertisements be covered in the venues where he was performing and talked about the issue endlessly in interviews.

A few years back, I saw Young interviewed here on MuchMusic and they asked him about this battle. His response? 'I guess we lost that one'. Honesty! I personally find Young to be dim-witted and pretentious, but at least he had the cajones to admit he'd had to eat his words.

It would be a wiser thing for Prince to acknowledge that he had tried to work outside the system and found that the financial rewards were greater working within it (as, frankly, Young should have). As it stands, no one outside of his most obsessive fans believes what he is implying and it's making him look like a fool.

Ace said:

Couldn't one represent one year?

jone70 said:

No.

Ace said:

Why not? According to the transcript posted at HQ it went like this:

Press: How long is this contract for?
Prince: Laughs and holds up a number one with his finger as he smiles at the reporter nodding his head confirming it's a "one".

The reporter didn't ask how many albums the contract was for...
[Edited 12/15/05 11:44am]

jone70 said:

Because record contracts always specify the number of albums to be delivered.

Ace said:

Oh, I see.

What the heck is the big deal? He's been signing one-album deals with major labels for years now.It was just a matter of time before he signed another one. That alone is a heck of alot different than his relationship with WB.


Had he signed a mutli-album deal, that would be something to talk about. This is pretty much what we all expected, right?

Ace said:

Who's silence? Prince's? Prince's silence says it all, but when he speaks it says nothing!

I see you haven't answered my point, which was that you admitted we don't know the details of this deal, and yet when it suits you, you make claims about what the deal entails. It is a contradiction. But that's okay, humans are contradictory things and we often say and do things that contradict ourselves. For most of us, it isn't up there in print and audio for people to pull us up on at a later date. Prince is only human like the rest of us, and perhaps having anything to do with record companies IS hypocritical and contradictory. I'm sure in his head it makes perfect sense. I can only lambast him for being human at worst.

metalorange said:

There is no contradiction. As the old Leonard Cohen songs goes "Everybody knows". If the details of the deal were consistent with what Prince claimed he would need to do business with a major again, you can be damn sure we would know about them. Only Prince obsessives believe otherwise.

Ace said:

Becuase of Prince's long history of being open and forthcoming?

Universaluv said:

No, because he loves to brag when he wins. Anyhoo, we're just goin' 'round in circles now, folks. The people who will defend anything Prince does will continue to try and have us believe that this contract is not contradictory to his espoused beliefs and everyone else can see that it is. Enjoy life in Makebelieveland.

Ace said:

Ah the old "if you disagree with me then you're just one of those People who thinks Prince can do no wrong" defense. Haven't seen that in a while.

I don't disagree that Prince may be contradicting his former position.

Yes in the early 90's Prince and record companies were at opposite ends.

Then in the late 90's he backed off and stated that record companies have their uses and you have to be mindful of what you're agreeing to.

Since then we've gotten one-album deals for his major releases, while he's been independently releasing smaller projects through the NPGMC.


So that's his modus operandi now. Seems like a smart way to go, but what do I know.


Now, other than playing the ever so popular game of "prince.org gotcha" whenever he says or does something that may be inconsistent, what's the big deal? Is this so different from the EMI deal, the Arista deal, the Colombia deal, that we should now be outraged?

Ace said:

I meant YOU were being as contradictory as Prince. And this last statement is yet again contradictory.

Hello?... oh, he's, he's gone...

Ace said:

Eye understand that what was implied could b misconstrued depending on 1's perspective, but would it also b fair 2 say that u r making somewhat unsubstantiated assumptions?

2 quote the .org oracle, BorisFishpaw:

"It's just a one album deal (much like the one he had with Sony for Musicology).
Of course there's always the possibility it could be extended if everything goes well."

peace

Ace said:

Thank u, but if eye may, this is less about defending Prince n more about putting things n perspective.

U seem 2 have a blief regarding P's principles, or lack of, n everything u c is CONfirming that blief, but what u seemingly fail 2 recognise is that u r viewing things from only 1 frame of reference, namely, ur own. With such self-CONfirmatory bias, is it n e wonder that u r so entrenched n ur viewpoint?

4 1, eye don't blieve P set out on his path 2wards artistic freedom with n e intention 2 do justice 2 n e 1 else but himself. The notion that his position now is CONtadictory 2 this, is false. He's still doing whatever he is doing 4 himself, n himself ONLY. It appears 2 b "u", 4 some reason, imposing upon P a standard, or principle, which he never took upon himself, this idea that he should b an ambassador 4 every other artist's plight with the industry.

Furthermore, n perhaps more importantly, eye think it would b unwise 2 lose sight of the fact that, irrespective of the reasons y P CONsidered himself a slave, his path 2wards the freedom he fought 4 was not without significant emotional turmoil. Holding n e person 2 their thoughts n feelings at such pivotal turning points n their life, especially those littered with strong emotion, seems hugely unrealistic, not 2 mention, somewhat unfair.

peace

Ace said:

But I asked you if it would be wise to blackball Universal while you just made a deal with them. There is no way that could be a wise thing.

.
[Edited 12/17/05 10:41am]

Abrazo said:

Ace...?

Ace...?

peace

Anji said:

He's, he's gone.

Another lamb bhuna, here.

Remember, he said he's left us alone in makebelieveland, rather than 'won the argument land'.

A great way to describe Prince.